U.K. oil-and-gas producer targets 250,000-265,000 daily barrels with new assets

  • Harbour Energy raises production outlook after $11.2 billion Wintershall acquisition
  • Targets output between 250,000 and 265,000 daily barrels of oil-equivalent for the year
  • Acquisition aims to transform Harbour into one of the world’s largest independent oil-and-gas companies
  • Boosts yearly production to around 475,000 daily barrels from 2025 compared to 186,000 last year
  • Reduces dependence on U.K. North Sea operations
  • U.S. giant Chevron, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies and Shell have also divested from the region due to tax regime changes

Harbour Energy has raised its production guidance following the completion of its $11.2 billion acquisition of Wintershall Dea’s oil-and-gas assets from Germany’s BASF. The U.K. oil-and-gas producer now targets an output of between 250,000 and 265,000 daily barrels of oil-equivalent for the year, including the acquired assets. This acquisition aims to transform Harbour into one of the world’s largest independent oil-and-gas companies by boosting yearly production to around 475,000 daily barrels from 2025 compared to 186,000 barrels last year. The deal also reduces Harbour’s dependence on U.K. North Sea operations, which previously accounted for over 90% of group activities. Other oil majors like Chevron, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, and Shell have divested from the region due to unfavorable tax regime changes.

Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate and objective information about Harbour Energy’s acquisition of Wintershall Dea’s oil-and-gas assets and its impact on the company’s production targets. It also mentions the trend of other oil majors divesting from the U.K. North Sea operations due to tax changes. The article is informative without any significant issues related to digressions, misleading information, sensationalism, redundancy, or personal perspective.
Noise Level: 8
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about Harbour Energy’s acquisition of Wintershall Dea’s oil-and-gas assets and its impact on the company’s production guidance. However, it contains some repetitive information and could benefit from more in-depth analysis or context on the reasons behind the shift away from North Sea operations and the implications for the industry.
Public Companies: Harbour Energy (HBR), BASF (BAS), Chevron (CVX), ExxonMobil (XOM), TotalEnergies (TOT), BP (BP), Shell (SHEL)
Private Companies: Wintershall Dea
Key People:


Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Harbour Energy’s acquisition of Wintershall Dea’s oil-and-gas assets impacts the U.K. North Sea operations and global oil and gas industry, with companies like Chevron, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, BP, and Shell also reducing their presence in the region due to tax changes.
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses a significant acquisition in the oil and gas industry, which impacts the financial performance of Harbour Energy and other companies’ operations in the U.K. North Sea region.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: Other
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: Minor
Extreme Rating Justification: There is no extreme event mentioned in the text. The acquisition of Wintershall Dea’s oil-and-gas assets by Harbour Energy is considered a minor impact as it aims to transform Harbour into one of the world’s largest independent oil-and-gas companies and reduce its dependence on U.K. North Sea operations.
Deal Size: The deal size is $11.2 billion.
Move Size: No market move size mentioned.
Sector: Energy
Direction: Up
Magnitude: Large
Affected Instruments: Stocks

Reported publicly: www.wsj.com