Petrobras clarifies divestment processes

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.(Petrobras) has provided the following clarifications regarding its disinvestment processes considering the preventive order of the Brazilian Federal Accounting Court (TCU), as disclosed on 12.08.2016, and injunctions of the Brazilian Judiciary, reported InvestorRelations.

This TCU decision does not apply to transactions that the sale agreements have already been signed.

According to TCU’s determination, Petrobras should not start new divestment projects nor sign sale agreements related to competitive processes already in progress until TCU’s merit decision on the company's divestment process, except for the five transactions mentioned below, which are in final stage of negotiations, therefore are allowed to proceed and have their agreements signed:

1) the sale of Petrobras’ interest in Petroquimica Suape and Citepe, that is in advanced stage of negation with Alpek, according to the material fact disclosed on 11.03.2016;
2) the sale of concession rights in Bauna and Tartaruga Verde fields;
3) the sale of interest in deepwater assets in the US Gulf of Mexico;
4) the sale of Petrobras Biocombustivel (Pbio) interest in Guarani;
5) the incorporation agreement of Nova Fronteira, in which Pbio has 49% interest, executed with Sao Martinho S.A, as announced in the material fact disclosed on 12.12.2016.

Petrobras clarifies that, regardless of TCU’s determination, injunctions granted by the Brazilian Judiciary established the suspension of four projects in the divestment portfolio. These are:

a) sale of interest in BR Distribuidora;
b) transfer of rights of a set of onshore fields;
c) transfer of rights of a set of fields in shallow waters in the states of Sergipe e Ceara;
d) transfer of concession rights in Bauna and Tartaruga Verde fields. Therefore, despite its conclusion being authorized by the TCU, the process is suspended due to the granted injunction.

The company informs that the Third Section of the Federal Court of Appeals for the 5th Region, by unanimity, has reversed the injunction due to Petrobras appeal, allowing the company to proceed with the divestment project regarding a set of onshore fields, without, however, authorizing the signing agreement.

The disinvestment processes related to the other three projects are suspended, due to the above-mentioned injunctions. The company, however, continues to take the legal actions against these injunctions, in order to proceed with these projects.

The Company is working on revising its divestment processes with the purpose of adjusting them to TCU's determinations and expects to conclude this reformulation, in the shortest time possible, with the appreciation of that Court, without changing Petrobras’ divestments and partnerships targets included in the Strategic Plan/ 2017-2021 Business and Management Plan.

As MRC informed earlier, Petrobras is seeking to sell its 5.8 billion Brazilian real (USD1.4 billion) stake in petrochemical producer Braskem SA. Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has hired Brazilian bank Banco Bradesco SA as a financial adviser and has started to pitch the sale to foreign investors. Petrobras owns a 36 percent stake in Braskem, Latin America's largest petrochemical producer. The sale would help Petrobras meet its target of selling USD15.1 billion worth of assets in 2015-16, a key part of its plan to cut debt as oil prices plunge to 12-year lows.

Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Petrobras is an integrated energy firm. Petrobras' activities include exploration, exploitation and production of oil from reservoir wells, shale and other rocks as well as refining, processing, trade and transport of oil and oil products, natural gas and other fluid hydrocarbons, in addition to other energy-related activities.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Ukraine grew in the first eleven months of 2016 by 28% year on year, totalling 100,500 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

November SPVC imports into Ukraine seasonally decreased to 8,700 tonnes, compared with 10,500 tonnes in October 2016. Local producers of PVC compounds and window profiles reduced volumes of purchases of PVC. Overall SPVC imports rose to 100,500 tonnes in January-November 2016 from 78,600 tonnes a year earlier.

The structure of PVC imports into Ukraine by countries looked the following way over the stated period.

November SPVC imports from the USA were 2,800 tonnes, compared to 4,200 tonnes a month earlier. Thus, imports of US resin totalled 54,500 tonnes in January-November 2016, compared to 31,700 tonnes a year earlier.

February and March accounted for the peak of PVC imports from the United States, which corresponded to purchasing in November 2015-January 2016, when export prices were very low. Last month's shipments of European PVC to the Ukrainian market decreased to 4,200 tonnes from 5,200 tonnes in October. Overall imports of European PVC to Ukraine totalled 37,900 tonnes in the eleven months of the year, compared to 38,100 tonnes a year earlier.

Ukrainian companies have increased purchases of Russian PVC since the end of September, November imports of Russian PVC were less than 1,800 tonnes against 1,200 tonnes a month earlier. Imports of Russian PVC into the country over the eleven months of the year decreased to 7,300 tonnes against 7,600 tonnes year on year.

MRC

Kazanorgsintez, Russia's sole PC producer, manufactured 6,500 tonnes of PC in November, compared to 3,800 tonnes a month earlier. Low output in October was caused by a scheduled shutdown for maintenance at Kazanorgsintez.

Thus, overall PC production increased to 64,500 tonnes in January-November 2016 from 60,900 tonnes a year earlier.

Extrusion grade PC accounted for 88% in the production structure in the first eleven months of the year, whereas injection moulding grades accounted for 12%. Kazanorgsintez did not produce blow moulding PC this year.

The bulk of the material is produced for the Russian domestic market. 9,410 tonnes of Kazanorgsintez's PC or 15% of the total output were exported in the first eleven months of 2016.

MRC

According to the Statistics Committee of Belarus, local converters reduced their purchases of PVC in October. Imports of resin fell to 2,300 tonnes from 3,200 tonnes in September. Local producers of profiled-moulded products (PMP) accounted for the main decrease in purchasing.

Overall demand for PVC from local converters decreased to 20,800 tonnes in January-October 2016 from 23,300 tonnes a year earlier. Lower export sales of finished products, particularly, of the profile-moulded products, remained the main reason for such a major fall in processing volumes. Their exports dropped by 15% year on year in the first ten months of 2016 to 9,500 tonnes.

Russian producers were the key suppliers of resin to Belarus. Their share was about 60% of the local market over the stated period.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Tellurian Investments Inc. and Total have announced that Total is acquiring approximately 23% of Tellurian at USD5.85 per share for an amount of 207 million dollars to develop an integrated gas project, from the acquisition of competitive gas production in the US to the delivery of LNG to international markets from the Driftwood LNG terminal, reported Total on its site.

Tellurian President and CEO Meg Gentle said, "Total’s investment materially strengthens Tellurian’s position as a large infrastructure development company and is an important milestone in the growth of Tellurian’s LNG business, including the Driftwood LNG project in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. We welcome Total, one of the major global LNG operators, as a shareholder. We look forward to delivering low cost LNG to the global market."

Total President of Gas, Renewables and Power Philippe Sauquet said, "We are happy to join forces with Tellurian, who has a very experienced team with a strong track record of developing and managing LNG assets in the US. Investing in Tellurian at an early stage will give us the opportunity to potentially strengthen our mid and long term LNG portfolio thanks to a very cost competitive project."

Driftwood LNG is in the engineering design and pre-filing phase of the project. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Driftwood LNG’s pre-filing request on June 6, 2016. Tellurian expects to commence construction of Driftwood LNG in 2018 and produce LNG in 2022.

We remind that, as MRC informed before, in March 2016, The National Petrochemical Company (NPC) of Iran and France-based Total have signed an memorandum of understanding (MoU) to build a petrochemical complex in Iran.

Tellurian is a private company developing natural gas liquefaction export projects. It was founded in 2016 and is based in Houston, Texas. The company is underpinned by a group of experienced industry experts who focus their collective knowledge and expertise on establishing a new global standard to deliver low cost LNG.

Total S.A. is a French multinational oil and gas company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world with business in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. The company's petrochemical products cover two main groups: base chemicals and the consumer polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) that are derived from them.
MRC