TotalEnergies: news from Brazil and Saudi Arabia
TotalEnergies, and its co-venturers QatarEnergy and Petronas PetróleoBrasil Ltda (PPBL) have won the Agua Marinha block today in the Open Acreage under Production Sharing Regime – 1st Cycle held by Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency (ANP).
TotalEnergies, and its co-venturers QatarEnergy and Petronas PetróleoBrasil Ltda (PPBL) have won the Agua Marinha block today in the Open Acreage under Production Sharing Regime – 1st Cycle held by Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency (ANP). Petrobras has exercised their right to take 30% Participating Interest and Operatorship.
Agua Marinha is a large block of 1,300 km2, about 140 km from onshore, located in the pre-salt Campos Basin.
“TotalEnergies is pleased to expand its presence in the Campos Basin with this new exploration block, alongside three strategic partners. This is in line with our strategy to focus exploration on selected high potential basins which can deliver material low cost, low carbon intensity resources,” said Kevin McLachlan, Senior Vice President, Exploration of TotalEnergies.
TotalEnergieswill participate in the block with a 30% interest, alongside Petrobras operator (30%), QatarEnergy (20%) and PPBL (20%). The entry into this block follows the entry into 2 blocks, S-M-1815 and S-M-1711, in the South Santos basin during the 3rd Cycle of the Permanent offer that took place on 13th April 2022.
Aramco and TotalEnergies to build a giant petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (“Aramco”) and TotalEnergies have taken the final investment decision for the construction of a world scale petrochemical facility in Saudi Arabia. The “Amiral” complex will be owned, operated, and integrated with the existing SATORP refinery located in Jubail on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast. The investment decision is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals.
The petrochemical facility will enable SATORP to convert internally produced refinery off-gases and naphtha, as well as ethane and natural gasoline supplied by Aramco, into higher value chemicals, helping to advance Aramco’s liquids to chemicals strategy.
The complex will comprise of a mixed feed cracker capable of producing 1.65 million tons per annum of ethylene, the first in the region to be integrated with a refinery. It will also include two state-of-the-art polyethylene units using Advanced Dual Loop technology, a butadiene extraction unit, and other associated derivatives units.
The project alone represents an investment of around $11 billion, of which $4 billion will be funded through equity by Aramco (62.5%) and TotalEnergies (37.5%). Its construction is scheduled to begin during the first quarter of 2023 with commercial operation targeted to start in 2027.
Eventually, the complex will provide feedstock to other petrochemical and specialty chemical plants, located in the Jubail industrial area, which will be built, owned and operated by globally renowned downstream investors, entailing an estimated additional $4 billion of investments. This will support the establishment of key manufacturing industries such as carbon fibers, lubes, drilling fluids, detergents, food additives, automotive parts and tires.
The overall complex, including adjacent facilities, is expected to create 7,000 local direct and indirect jobs.
