
Why oil companies are so desperate for oil again
The U.S. and other industrialized nations are pumping more crude oil into the global market as oil prices fall.
But the U.K. and the European Union are also looking for the oil they used to get back in the ground.
Petrochemical giants Altran and Petroclimat, both based in the United Kingdom, are among those hoping to cash in on the fall in oil prices, while refiners such as the Dutch firm BG Group and France’s Total are hoping to make some money in the process.
The companies, which operate oil refinery, petro chemical and chemical manufacturing plants, are trying to make money from oil extraction, refining and marketing.
They have raised $5.3 billion in a round of financing, according to Thomson Reuters.
Backing the new investors are Royal Dutch Shell and Total.
Altrad says the investors are not oil producers, but are interested in the technology that helps the oil industry extract oil more cheaply.
Total also has a stake in BG Group, which it bought in 2011.
The company has since made investments in petro chemicals, including refining the petroclimatic products that help make gasoline.
As oil prices have dropped, the companies are looking to make cash, too.
In May, Total said it would sell its petro-chemical business to French oil giant Total SA for $5 billion.
Total has a $5 trillion market cap, according a Bloomberg analysis of data from Thomson Reuters data.
Shell has said that it is looking to cash out in 2018 and 2019.
In October, it said it was closing its refinery and petro chemistry businesses, citing falling oil prices.
It is one of the largest companies in the world.
Altran says it hopes to cashout in 2019.
The refinery and chemical business will remain, but the company has said it will focus on refining other chemicals and on expanding its refining operations, which currently account for a quarter of its oil production.
A Reuters analysis of Thomson Reuters figures showed Altra and Petrochemical were the largest oil companies with cash in 2019, taking in more than $2.7 billion in cash.
Shares of Altrans and Petrochem fell about 3 percent and 2.4 percent on Tuesday, after news of the financing.
Alterations to a merger deal between BP and PetroClimat had pushed the company down.