Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) plans to leave Aera, its California-based oil and gas-producing joint venture with Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) , four people familiar with the talks told Reuters. Shell has divested numerous carbon-intensive assets this year, selling its refinery in Washington state to Holly Frontier Corp (HFC.N) and its stake in a Houston-area refining joint venture to Petroleos Mexicanos as it shifts new investments to renewables and power. read more The company is also considering a sale of its assets in the Permian Basin of Texas, Reuters previously reported. Aera produces about 125,000 barrels of oil and 32 million cubic feet of natural gas each day, accounting for about 25% of the state’s oil and gas production. Shell has notified Exxon of its plans to exit the venture, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity as the talks are private. […]