Canadian oil firm Nexen said today it had agreed to push back by 30 days the closing date of its £9.6billion acquisition by Chinese oil national CNOOC, until March 2.
The deal, which has already received approval from the UK and Canadian governments, is now waiting for the go-ahead from US regulators who oversee Nexen’s assets in the Gulf of Mexico.
A delay was reported last month, when CNOOC said it was unlikely to complete the takeover until the first quarter of 2013 at the earliest.
The board of Calgary-based Nexen approved the takeover last July after CNOOC offered a 62% premium on the share price.
Nexen, whose biggest reserves are in the Canadian oil sands, operates the Buzzard development in the UK North Sea.
It has postponed the release of its fourth-quarter results by 30 days.