LUKOIL sells Ukrainian plant Karpatneftekhim

MOSCOW (MRC) - The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine gave permission for the mediated purchase of plant Karpatneftekhim from the Russian group Lukoil to the Ukrainian, said Delo.

The Antimonopoly Committee has given permission for the purchase of a 75% stake in Lukoil Chemical B.V. (Netherlands), which owns 100% of LLC "Karpatneftekhim" (Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk region).

According to the committee, the company Techinservice Limited (London, UK) is allowed to sell more than 25% of the Dutch Chemical Lukoil to the Ukrainian citizen through Xedrian Holding Ltd (Cyprus) - more than 50% Lukoil Chemical.

Techinservice Limited is associated with a major Ukrainian businessman Igor Kolomoisky and a deputy from the National Front Andrew Ivanchuk.

Earlier it was reported that at the end of December 2016 the Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Igor Nasalik said that the work of LLC "Karpatneftekhim" will resume after the Verkhovna Rada's abolition of excise duty on LPG, and certain types of diesel fuel imported for the needs of the enterprise.

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in December 2016 passed a bill №5132, which from 1 January 2017 significantly reduced rates of excise duty on the import of fractions of pure butane (isobutane and n-butane).

It was noted earlier that in September 2015 the president of Lukoil Vagit Alekperov said in an interview with Vedomosti that Karpatneftekhim ready to begin work as soon as the government of Ukraine guarantees the VAT refund. He also noted that a lot of work with the Ukrainian government has been held for the past four years. However, he stressed that "no assurances that we will return the VAT, we do not run the plant."

As reported by the MRC, the industrial production of PVC (PVC-C) Karpatneftehime was commissioned in May 2011. Investments in the project amounted to USD236 million, the project began in 2007. Production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE) on Karpatneftehime after long periods of inactivity (from September 2012) were launched in the autumn of 2013, respectively, but the production was stopped after a couple of months, since idle.

Karpatneftekhim (Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk region) – a subsidiary of the company "Lukoil-Petrochemicals" – is the largest producer of polymers in Ukraine. Company produces polyolefins (ethylene and propylene), polyethylene, chlorine, caustic soda and polyvinyl chloride. Capacities of the enterprise allow to produce annually 300 thousand. tons of ethylene, 100 thousand. tons of HDPE, 180 thous. tons of caustic soda and 300 thousand. tons of PVC.

Lukoil – is one of the leading vertically integrated oil company in Russia. The main activities of the company include operations for exploration and production of oil and gas, production and sale of petroleum products. Lukoil is the second largest private oil Company worldwide by proven hydrocarbon reserves. In Lukoil structure includes one of the largest Russian and Ukrainian petrochemical industries – Stavrolen and Karpatneftekhim.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BP's oil trading business, one of the biggest in the sector, reported a rare loss in the fourth quarter after it lost a USD70 million lawsuit over an oil cargo delivered to a Moroccan refinery, said Reuters.

BP's Chief Financial Officer Brian Gilvary said due to flat trading positions ahead of a crucial OPEC meeting at the end of November, and the lawsuit, the company's oil trading division made a "small loss" in the fourth quarter.

"There was a natural inclination to flatten up all of the books and there was also an adverse court ruling against us which is a USD70 million hit," he told analysts on Tuesday.

The British energy company sold a cargo of Russian Urals crude to Moroccan refiner Samir in August 2014 which was not paid for and National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) took on 95% of that debt.

But London's High Court ruled in November that BP did not have the right to pass on the debt and ordered BP to pay USD68.9 million plus interest to NBAD.

Gilvary said if BP had not been ordered to make the payment, its oil trading business would have made a profit in the period.

Across the year, BP's overall energy trading business was profitable, Gilvary said, adding that its gas trading desk had a "good result" in the fourth quarter.

As MRC informed before, BP reported fourth-quarter earnings that missed analyst estimates after higher oil prices failed to fully compensate for lower income from refining.

BP is a leading producer of oil and gas and produces enough energy annually to light nearly the entire country for a year. Employing about 17,000 people across the country, BP supports more than 170,000 additional jobs through all of its business activities.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The High Perfomance Polymers Business Line within the Resource Efficiency Segment of Evonik Industries, Essen (Germany), is increasing the prices of its polyamide 12-based products by around 6%, to the extent permissable under existing agreements, said the company on its site.

The price increase is necessary due to rising costs.

The products affected by the price increase are VESTAMID L and VESTAMID NRG (PA12), VESTAMID D (PA612), VESTAMID E (PA12 elastomers), as well as products in the VESTAMID Care range and also the polyamide 12 powder VESTOSINT.

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals, operating in the Nutrition & Care, Resource Efficiency and Performance Materials segments. The company benefits from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms.

The Resource Efficiency segment is led by Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH and supplies high performance materials for environmentally friendly as well as energy-efficient systems to the automotive, paints & coatings, adhesives, construction, and many other industries.

As MRC informed earlier, Evonik segment Performance Materials increases the price for VISIOMER MMA (methyl methacrylate) and VISIOMER GMAA (methacrylic acid) in Europe effective February 1, 2017.

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shell Oil Co, the US unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, said on Monday it expects to divide the refineries and other assets of the Motiva Enterprises joint venture with co-owner Saudi Aramco in the second quarter of 2017, said Reuters.

"We are pleased with the progress we have made to date, and anticipate completion of the transaction in Q2 2017," Shell spokesman Ray Fisher said in an email. "The April 1 date is a target that the internal project teams are working toward."

Neither Motiva nor Saudi Aramco representatives were immediately available on Monday to discuss Shell's statement. Rumors have swirled through US refined products markets that the split would be delayed until the fall.

Shell and Saudi Aramco said in March 2016 they would divide up the 20-year-old JV, which operates three refineries, including the United States' largest, on the Gulf Coast.

Originally, the two companies targeted October 2016 for the split of assets, including pipelines and terminals as well as the refineries.

The major sticking point, sources told Reuters, was Shell's demand for a USD2 billion payment as part of the breakup.

Under the plan for the division of assets, Saudi Aramco will retain the Motiva name and the 603,000-bpd Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, the nation's largest.

Aramco would also take over 26 distribution terminals and have exclusive license to use the Shell brand for gasoline and diesel sales in Texas, the majority of the Mississippi River Valley, and the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic markets.

Shell is slated to become sole owner of two Louisiana refineries with a combined capacity of 472,700 bpd and Shell-branded gasoline stations in Florida, Louisiana and the US Northeast.

As MRC informed earlier, Shell’s 2016 fourth-quarter earnings on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis were at USD1 billion compared with USD1.8 billion in the same quarter of 2015.

Royal Dutch Shell plc is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenue and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors". Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- London-listed DCC Plc said it would buy the retail petrol station network of ExxonMobil's Norwegian unit, Esso Norge AS, for USD293.38 million, said Reuters.

DCC, whose activities range from oil distribution to waste management, said the total consideration, along with the value of stock in tank at the date of acquisition, would be paid in cash.

The stock rose 6.6% to 6,795 pence as of 0920 GMT, making it the top gainer on the FTSE 100 index. Dublin-based DCC, which gets nearly half of its profit from Britain and Ireland, has been expanding into western Europe in recent years through acquisitions.

The company, which has in the past bought assets from oil companies such as Chevron and Total, has been scouting for opportunities to purchase distribution and market assets from oil majors as they slim down their portfolio to ride out an oil price slump.

Esso's retail petrol station network has 142 company-operated sites and contracts to supply 108 Esso-branded dealer-owned stations, DCC said.

The business will be integrated into DCC's energy unit and DCC will sign a long-term supply agreement with Esso Norge.

The acquisition is "high quality" and "meaningful", Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a note, citing expected return on acquisition capital of nearly 15% in the first full year of ownership. The firm has an "overweight" rating on the stock.

The transaction is expected to close in the final calendar quarter of 2017, the company said. The Norwegian acquisition follows DCC's deal in November to buy a 97% stake in French natural gas retail and marketing business, Gaz Europeen, for an enterprise value of 96 million pounds.

Separately, DCC said on Tuesday the group operating profit for the third quarter ended Dec. 31, 2016 was "strongly ahead" of the prior year and in line with its expectations, helped by strong performance of its energy unit.

We remind that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has received an order for supply of systems to support a large-scale polyethylene production train for ExxonMobil's Beaumont Polyethylene plant.

ExxonMobil is the largest non-government owned company in the energy industry and produces about 3% of the world's oil and about 2% of the world's energy.
MRC