Trafigura announced on Thursday that its consortium Rhone Energies started negotiations to buy the Fos-sur-Mer refinery on the French Mediterranean coast and the Toulouse and Villette de Vienne terminals from ExxonMobil (Esso).
Trafigura said in a statement that within the proposed takeover, Rhone Energies will keep 310 staff and "would enter into a minimum 10-year exclusive crude oil supply and product offtake agreement, including ownership of crude oil and product stocks in tank." The firm said it aims to improve how it handles different types of crude oil, use its manufacturing processes better, and make more valuable products.
"Oil and petroleum products will continue to play an important role in supporting growing global energy demand during the transition currently underway to a low-carbon economy,” Global Head of Oil for Trafigura Ben Luckock noted.
