Warren Buffett’s $10B Oil Bet: Could Berkshire’s OxyChem Deal Supercharge Occidental (OXY)?
Occidental’s Background and Debt Burden Occidental Petroleum (ticker OXY) is a Houston-based oil & gas company with large Permian Basin and Gulf of Mexico production. It has grown aggressively through acquisitions, notably Anadarko Petroleum in 2019 (financed with $10 billion from Buffett’s Berkshire) and the CrownRock shale deal in 2024 Reuters Tipranks. These moves boosted production but also piled on debt. As of June 30, 2025, Occidental’s long-term debt stood around $23.3 billion Reuters, well above its management’s comfort zone (a stated target near $15 billion) Seekingalpha. To address this, Occidental has been selling non-core assets. In 2024–2025 it divested about $4 billion worth