CELEX: 32011M6151
Language: en
Date: 2011-05-13 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 13/05/2011 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.6151 - PETROCHINA / INEOS / JV) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

Important legal notice

|

32011M6151

Commission Decision of 13/05/2011 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.6151 - PETROCHINA / INEOS / JV) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)  

          |EUROPEAN COMMISSION      |
            Brussels , 13.05.2011
             PUBLIC VERSION   In the published version of this decision, some information has been omitted pursuant to Article 17(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 concerning non-disclosure of business secrets and other confidential information.  The omissions are shown thus […]. Where possible the information omitted has been replaced by ranges of figures or a general description.  C(2011) 3464 final  
             MERGER PROCEDURE ARTICLE 6(1)(b) DECISION
             To the notifying party: 
             Dear Sir/Madam,
             Subject: Case No COMP/M.6151 - PETROCHINA/ INEOS/ JV  Notification of 5.04.2011 pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation No 139/2004 [1]  
             Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 116, 14.04.2011, p.11
            1.  On 5/04/2011, the European Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 [2]   by which PetroChina International (London) Company Limited ("PCIL", UK), wholly owned by PetroChina Company Limited ("PetroChina", China), in turn controlled by China National Petroleum Corporation ("CNPC", China), and Ineos AG ("Ineos", Switzerland) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of the existing Ineos refining business, namely, the two refineries in Grangemouth (Scotland) and Lavera (France) and associated assets (collectively, "the Target") by way of purchase of shares.
            2.  After examination of the notification, the Commission has concluded that the notified operation falls within the scope of the Merger Regulation and does not raise serious doubts as to its compatibility with the common market and the EEA Agreement.
             I. THE PARTIES
            3.  PetroChina is a Chinese undertaking active in the production and distribution of petroleum and petrochemical products. It is controlled by the CNPC group.
            4.  CNPC group is a Chinese State-owned company which is engaged in a broad range of petroleum and gas related activities which include (i) the exploration, development, production and sale of crude oil and natural gas, (ii) the refining, transportation, storage and marketing of crude oil and petroleum products and (iii) the production and sale of basic petrochemical products, derivative chemical products and other chemical products. Its activities are mainly based in China.
            5.  Ineos manufactures petrochemicals, specialty chemicals and oil products at global level.
            6.  The Target is intended to operate on the markets for ex-refinery and non-retail sales of refined oil products. It will also be active in trading of crude oil and refined products.
             II. THE OPERATION
            7.  The envisaged transaction relates to the creation of three joint ventures jointly controlled by Ineos and PetroChina as part of a single transaction. The JVs will include the refining assets at Grangemouth (Scotland) and Lavera (France) and related businesses, all currently wholly-owned by Ineos. 
            8.  The first joint venture company (“JV1”) will operate the entrepreneurial business associated with the refining assets (e.g. sales and marketing) whilst the second joint venture company (“JV2”) will operate the refining assets themselves. The third joint venture (“JV3”) will hold certain shared infrastructure assets [3] . 
            9.  It results from the information provided by the notifying parties that the shares in JV1 will be owned […]% by PetroChina and […]% by INEOS. The shares in JV2 will be held […]% by INEOS and […]% by PetroChina. JV3 will be owned […]% by INEOS and […]% by JV2 (giving PetroChina a […]% indirect shareholding in JV3).
            10.  It follows from the above that PetroChina will be the majority shareholder of JV1 while Ineos of JV2 and JV3. Nevertheless, both notifying parties will have de facto joint control over the three JVs for the following reasons [4]  .
            11.  First, the three joint venture companies will be, by their very nature, interlinked and interdependent on one another. Therefore, the parties will have to agree on all matters of strategic importance in order for the JVs to function effectively. [This paragraph explains the roles of JV1, JV2 and JV3 and their interdependence.]
            12.  This arrangement will therefore require business plans and strategies of the three joint venture companies to be aligned with one another as it will not be possible to take a decision in respect of one company without considering the impact on the others.
            13.  Moreover, the majority shareholder in each of the joint ventures (PetroChina in JV1 and Ineos in JV2 and JV3) will be dependent on the minority shareholder with respect to the other JV companies as none of the three JVs will be able to successfully operate in isolation. [This paragraph explains the roles of JV1, JV2 and JV3 and their interdependence.]
            14.  As a consequence, PetroChina and INEOS will have to work together as they have strong commons interests (i.e. the profitability of the business as a whole) to the effect that they would not act against each other in exercising their rights in relation to the three joint ventures, consistent with paragraph 79 of the Commission Jurisdictional Notice. [This is also emphasised by the Shareholder Agreements for JV1 and JV2.] [5]  .
            15.  It is concluded from the foregoing that the envisaged transaction leads to the acquisition of de facto joint control by PetroChina and Ineos over the three JVs.
            16.  In addition, the establishment of the three joint ventures qualifies as a single concentration for the purpose of Article 3 the Merger Regulation. 
            17.  This is the case as, first, the creation of, and sale to, the three joint venture companies will take place simultaneously as part of the same transaction and will be governed by the same transaction documents. Second, the establishment of each of the three JVs will “stand or fall together” as one joint venture company would not be formed without the other. Finally, as already explained above, the three joint ventures will be also operationally interdependent and each of them will be jointly controlled by PetroChina and Ineos.
            18.  The joint venture will be fully functional in nature given that it will perform on a lasting basis all the functions of an autonomous economic entity and will have an initial duration of 15 years. It will have its own assets such as its own refineries and logistics and sufficient financial resources in order to independently operate on the market. 
            19.  It follows from the foregoing, that the operation consists in a concentration within the meaning of Article 3(4) of the Merger Regulation.
             III. EU DIMENSION
            20.  The undertakings concerned have a combined aggregate world-wide turnover of more than EUR 5 000 million [6]   (CNPC: EUR […] million, Ineos: EUR 28 421 million, the Target: EUR […]). Each of them has a EU-wide turnover in excess of EUR […] million (CNPC: EUR […] million, Ineos: EUR […] million, the Target: EUR […] million) but they do not achieve more than two-thirds of their aggregate EU-wide turnover within one and the same Member State. The notified operation therefore has an EU dimension.
             IV. RELEVANT MARKETS
            21.  The envisaged transaction concerns the upstream market for (i) production and sale of crude oil where CNPC group is active, the midstream oil sector, i.e. markets for (ii) ex-refinery sales and (iii) non-retail sales where the Target operates and the markets for (iii) international trading of crude oil and refined petroleum products where CNPC group and the Target's activities horizontally overlap.
            22.  Outside the JV, the notifying parties' activities only overlap with respect to the manufacture of chemicals (e.g. acetone, ammonia, butane, etc.) on a worldwide basis.
             Product and geographic market definitions
            23.  In line with the Commission’s past practice in its decisions and  based on the narrowest approach, the following product and geographic markets can be considered to be relevant to the transaction:    
            24.  Production and sale of crude oil: In previous decisions, the Commission has identified a separate market for production and sale of crude oil which it defined as world-wide in scope. [7] 
            25.  The trading of crude oil and refined petroleum products: The Commission has previously defined distinct markets for international trading of respectively (i) crude oil and (ii) refined petroleum products which it considered being either EEA-wide or world-wide in scope. [8] 
            26.  The ex-refinery sales of refined fuel products: The Commission has previously defined such market as a relevant product market considering it, either likely to be EU/Western Europe wide [9]  or regional wide [10]  or wider than the CEE region [11] , without closing the market definition.
            27.  The non-retail sales of refined fuel products [12]  : In past decisions, the Commission has segmented this market along the individual types of products, namely, (i) leaded and unleaded gasoline, (ii) diesel, (iii) domestic heating oil (iv) LPG and (v) fuel oil. Moreover, it found in previous decisions that those markets could be national in scope [13]  or narrower as resellers and end-users seek a nearby source of supply in order to economise on transportation costs [14] , without taking a final position on this point. 
            28. Sale  of other refined (non-fuel) products: The Commission has previously defined distinct markets for the sale of (i) naphtha [15] , (ii) sulphur [16]  and (iii) bitumen [17] . It considered markets (i) and (ii) respectively Western European wide or EEA-wide while market (iii) national or even narrower (e.g. within a 200 to 300 km radius from the place where it is sourced). 
              
            29.  As the concentration does not raise serious doubts under any alternative definition, the product and geographic delineation of the relevant markets can be left open for the purpose of this decision.
             V. COMPETITIVE ASSESSMENT
            30.  There are no overlaps between the activities of the parent companies and the JV in any of the potential product and geographical markets which would in a combined market share of 15% or more. Further, the parent companies do not have an individual or combined market share of 25% or more in any potential product market which is upstream or downstream of a product market in which the JV is engaged.
            31.  This assessment would remain unchanged also taking into account the market shares of the other Chinese State-owned companies active in the oil sector (i.e. Sinopec, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation). Therefore, for the purpose of the present decision there is no need to conclude on whether CNPC group should be qualified as a State-owned company within the meaning of the Merger Regulation and therefore whether all the other Chinese State owned undertakings active on the same sector should be considered as belonging to one economic entity. 
            32.  For these reasons, the Commission concludes that the concentration will not lead to a significant impediment of competition in those markets.
            33.  Furthermore, spill-over effects in the meaning of Article 2(4) of the Merger Regulation as a result of the proposed transaction can be discarded for the following reasons.
            34.  First, Ineos group (i.e. outside the JV) is not active in the upstream production of crude oil where CNPC group is present and post-transaction will not retain any refining activities beyond its interests in the JV. Second, although the parents to the JV are both active in the markets for the production of ethylene, propylene, butadiene and benzene (which are downstream to those where the JV is present), they operate in different geographic markets (Ineos group in Europe and CNPC group outside Europe).
            35.  Finally, Ineos group and CNPC group are both active in the manufacture and supply of a number of chemicals. However, these activities are unrelated to those carried out by the JV: they are not  part of the joint venture's markets, nor of any market which is up or downstream of those of the joint venture or of closely related neighbouring markets . Moreover, as already pointed out above, Ineos group and CNPC group operate in different geographic markets as the former is mainly present in Europe while the latter operates outside Europe.
            36.  As a consequence, coordination between independent undertakings that restricts competition within the meaning of Article 101(1) of the TFEU is highly unlikely.
             VI. CONCLUSION
            37.  For the above reasons, the European Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it compatible with the internal market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation.
             For the Commission (signed) Joaquín ALMUNIA Vice-President
            [1] OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 ("the Merger Regulation"). With effect from 1 December 2009, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union ("TFEU") has introduced certain changes, such as the replacement of "Community" by "Union" and "common market" by "internal market". The terminology of the TFEU will be used throughout this decision.
            [2]     OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the "Merger Regulation").
            [3]    [This footnote outlines the Ineos subsidiaries which will be sold to the three JVs as a result of the proposed transaction.]
            [4] [This footnote outlines the governance arrangements for JV1, JV2 and JV3.]
            [5] [This footnote contains provisions of the Shareholder Agreements which emphasise that PetroChina and INEOS have strong common interests in the profitability of the business as a whole.]
            [6] Turnover calculated in accordance with Article 5(1) of the Merger Regulation and the Commission Consolidated Jurisdictional Notice (OJ C95, 16.04.2008, p1). 
            [7]    Idem  para. 14.
            [8]    Idem
            [9]    COMP/M.727 - BP/Mobil
            [10]   COMP/M.3291 - PREEM/SKANDINAVISKA RAFFINERADI
            [11]   COMP/M.4348-PKN/Mazeikiu
            [12] COMP/M.3516 -Repsol / Shell Portugal, COMP/M.5637MOTOR OIL (HELLAS) CORINTH REFINERIES / SHELL OVERSEAS HOLDINGS, COMP/M.5781-Total Holdings Europe SAS/ERG SpA /JV
            [13] Case No COMP/M.3375 – Statoil/SDS; case No COMP/M.3543 – PKN Orlen/Unipetrol, case No COMP/M.3516 – Repsol/Shell Portugal, COMP/M.5005 –Galp Energia/ExxonMobil Iberia.
            [14]  Case No M.1383 Exxon/Mobil, recitals 443, 445. 
            [15]  OMV / BP (2003), M.3110; and Basell / Berre L’Etang Refinery (2008), M.4926.
            [16]  Totalfina / Elf (2000), M.1628.
            [17]  Repsol YPF / Shell Portugal (2004), M.3516