Petrobras approves new guidelines for its portfolio management

The new guidelines consider the sale of assets, with emphasis on the downstream segment, including the full sale of PUDSA, a network of service stations in Uruguay, eight refineries with total refining capacity of 1.1 million bpd, and the additional sale of the stake in Petrobras Distribuidora (BR), with Petrobras remaining as a relevant shareholder. The downstream assets included in this divestment program are: Refinaria Abreu e Lima (RNEST), Unidade de Industrialização do Xisto (SIX), Refinaria Landulpho Alves (RLAM), Refinaria Gabriel Passos (REGAP), Refinaria Presidente Getúlio Vargas (REPAR), Refinaria Alberto Pasqualini (REFAP), Refinaria Isaac Sabbá (REMAN) and Lubrificantes e Derivados de Petróleo do Nordeste (LUBNOR).

The refineries' divestment projects, in addition to repositioning the company's portfolio to higher-yielding assets, will also allow for the increase in competitiveness and transparency of the downstream business in Brazil, in line with the National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP) position and recommendations of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE). Projects will follow Petrobras’ divestment methodology and will have their main phases timely disclosed to the market.

Regarding BR Distribuidora, a secondary public offering of shares (follow-on) is under study. Currently, Petrobras' stake in BR Distribuidora is 71%.

The guidelines are in accordance with the strategic pillars of the company that aim to maximise shareholder value by focusing on assets in which Petrobras is the natural owner, in order to improve capital allocation, increase the return on capital employed, and reduce its cost of capital.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/refining/30042019/petrobras-approves-new-guidelines-for-its-portfolio-management/