EXHIBIT 99.3

                                  NEWS RELEASE

                     Investor Relations Contact: Susan Spratlen   (972) 444-9001

              Pioneer Announces Deepwater Gulf of Mexico Discovery

Dallas, Texas, January 30, 2003 -- Pioneer Natural Resources Company ("Pioneer")
(NYSE:PXD)  today announced a discovery on its Harrier  prospect near the Falcon
field in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.  The well was drilled to a total measured
depth  of 9,510  feet and  encountered  over 350 feet of gas  bearing  sand in a
single  zone.  Pioneer  operates  the block (East Breaks 759) with a 75% working
interest.

Pioneer  plans to develop  the field as a  single-well  subsea  tie-back  to its
Falcon field and expects  first  production  in nine to 15 months.  The pipeline
connecting  the Falcon  field to the Falcon Nest  platform on the Gulf of Mexico
shelf has the working  capacity  to handle 175 to 200 million  cubic feet of gas
per day. This discovery is expected to  significantly  extend the utilization of
the Falcon facilities.

Pioneer has additional prospects on the 32 blocks it holds in the Falcon area.

Pioneer is a large  independent oil and gas  exploration and production  company
with operations in the United States, Canada, Argentina, South Africa, Gabon and
Tunisia.  Pioneer's  headquarters  are in Dallas.  For more  information,  visit
Pioneer's website at www.pioneernrc.com.

Except for historical  information contained herein, the statements in this News
Release are forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor
Provisions of the Private  Securities  Litigation  Reform Act of 1995.  Forward-
looking  statements  and the  business  prospects of Pioneer  Natural  Resources
Company  are  subject  to a number  of risks  and  uncertainties  that may cause
Pioneer's  actual  results  in  future  periods  to differ  materially  from the
forward-looking  statements.  These risks and uncertainties include, among other
things,   volatility  of  oil  and  gas  prices,   product  supply  and  demand,
competition,   government  regulation  or  action,  foreign  currency  valuation
changes,  foreign government tax and regulation changes,  litigation,  the costs
and results of drilling and operations,  Pioneer's  ability to replace reserves,
implement its business plans, or complete its development projects as scheduled,
access  to and cost of  capital,  uncertainties  about  estimates  of  reserves,
quality of technical  data,  environmental  and weather  risks.  These and other
risks are  described in Pioneer's  10-K and 10-Q Reports and other  filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.