LyondellBasell (Rotterdam, the Netherlands; www.lyondellbasell.com) announced that YPF S.A. and Grupo Inversor Petroquimica S.L. have accepted an offer to purchase LyondellBasell’s Argentina-based, wholly-owned subsidiary Petroken Petroquimica Ensenada S.A. (Petroken). The sale is expected to close in late 2015 following Brazilian antitrust authority (CADE) approval. The transaction is valued at $145 million on a debt- and cash-free basis. Based on working capital estimates as of June 30, 2015, expected cash proceeds are $162 million. Petroken operates a polypropylene plant with a capacity of 180,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) in Ensenada and is a leading polypropylene producer in Argentina.
“As part of our longterm growth strategy, we will continue to focus on regions and assets that will have the greatest impact on value-creation for our shareholders,” said Tim Roberts, Executive Vice President, Global Olefins and Polyolefins.
Until closing, Petroken will continue to provide the same level of support, service and high quality products to its customers.