Bloomberg/Sabrina Valle: China Bails Out Petrobras's $14 Billion Refinery Misadventure

Bloomberg     
China Bails Out Petrobras's $14 Billion Refinery Misadventure
By Sabrina Valle
4 July 2018, 18:09 UTC

    CNPC expands partnership to include graft-hit Comperj project
    Petrobras and CNPC are already partners at offshore fields

Petrobras's Comperj oil refinery Itaborai, Brazil. Photographer: Dado Galdieri
LISTEN TO ARTICLE
2:05
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
In this article
CNPZ
CHINA NATIONAL PETROLEUM COR
Private Company
CNY
CL1
WTI Crude
73.12
USD/bbl.
-1.02-1.38%
PETR4
PETROBRAS-PREF
17.86
BRL
-0.59-3.20%

China National Petroleum Corp plans to help complete a refinery in Rio de Janeiro that already cost Brazil’s state-controlled oil company Petrobras $14 billion before it was halted amid a widespread graft investigation.

CNPC, as the Chinese producer is known, signed a letter of intent adding the Comperj refinery to a partnership the two companies signed last year. The agreement also includes evaluating investments in some of Brazil’s largest legacy fields at the offshore Marlim cluster.

The multi-billion dollar petrochemical and refinery project dates back to 2004 and the original plans were for seven plants and more than 100,000 jobs. It was suspended in 2015 amid the corruption investigation known as Carwash. Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the Brazilian company is formally known, abandoned the petrochemical unit in 2015 amid a series of writedowns, and has been seeking a partner to conclude one of the two planned refineries.
Was Going Great

Petrobras' asset sale income dries up in 2018 amid legal hurdles

Source: Petrobras

Petrobras’ non-binding agreement with CNPC comes a day after a major setback to a separate plan to divest refining assets. Petrobras has temporarily suspended the sale of four refineries and associated infrastructure after Supreme Court Justice Ricardo Lewandowski ruled that state-controlled companies need congressional approval for any privatizations.

Petrobras controls 99 percent of Brazil’s refining capacity, and is also selling assets ranging from pipelines to biofuel plants.
Graft Magnet

Comperj became a symbol of pervasive corruption at Brazil’s state-run oil producer after the Carwash probe showed that contracts were rigged by a cartel of 16 engineering and construction conglomerates.

At Comperj, contractors were accused of inflating expenses to boost illicit gains, after bribing Petrobras executives to win the original contracts. In 2016, Petrobras said at least $2 billion were needed to finish a 165,000-barrel-a-day refinery train that was 80 percent complete.

Petrobras and CNPC are also partners at the offshore Libra field, considered Brazil’s largest oil discovery.

Have a confidential news tip? Get in touch with our reporters.
Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.
LEARN MORE
Terms of Service
Trademarks Privacy Policy ©2018 Bloomberg L.P. All Rights Reserved
Careers Made in NYC Advertise Ad Choices Contact Us Help
You have 9 free articles remaining. Subscribe for unlimited access.
View Offers Sign in
Bloomberg Anywhere clients get free access