BPCL Signs MoU With Brazilian Oil Company Petrobras To Diversify Crude Oil Sourcing

In a landmark development to diversify crude oil sourcing for energy security in India, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a ‘Maharatna’ and a Fortune Global 500 Company, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/s Petrobras, the national oil company of Brazil.

The MoU was signed by Shri Arun Kumar Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, BPCL and Mr. Caio Paes de Andrade, CEO Petrobras, in presence of Shri Pankaj Jain, Secretary, MoPNG, Indian Ambassador to Brazil and other officials from MoPNG, in Brazil.

The signing of the MOU will strengthen future crude oil trade relations between the two companies and explore potential crude import opportunities by BPCL, on a long term basis, especially considering the current geopolitical situations.

Speaking on the development, Shri Arun Kumar Singh, C&MD BPCL, said, “We are delighted to announce that we as a company are moving a step further and trying to better the energy security in our country. This association with Petrobas will hopefully help us achieve the required goal. The latest approval by honourable PM Modi’s cabinet to invest in Brazil will help diversify India's crude oil supply and is an attempt to procure equity oil overseas. Strengthening India's foothold in Brazil will further open business avenues in neighboring Latin American countries.”

Bharat PetroResources Limited (BPRL) plans to invest $1.6 billion to develop an oil block in Brazil in an attempt to procure equity oil overseas. Through its fully owned subsidiary, Bharat PetroResources Limited, BPCL has a stake in the upstream sector in an ultra-deep water hydrocarbon block in Brazil, owned and operated by M/s Petrobras. The field development plan and final investment decision is expected to be declared soon.

Petrobas is a publicly-held corporation that operates in an integrated and specialized manner in the oil, natural gas and energy industry. They are recognized worldwide for our oil and natural gas exploration and production technology in ultra-deep waters. However, their business goes beyond the reach of the field and oil and gas extraction. This means a long process where they transport oil and gas to their refineries and natural gas treatment units, which must be equipped and constantly evolving to supply the best products.

About Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL):

Fortune Global 500 Company, Bharat Petroleum is the second largest Indian Oil Marketing Company and one of the premier integrated energy companies in India, engaged in refining of crude oil and marketing of petroleum products, with a significant presence in the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry. The company attained the coveted Maharatna status, joining the elite club of companies having greater operational & financial autonomy.

Bharat Petroleum’s Refineries at Mumbai & Kochi and Bina at Madhya Pradesh have a combined refining capacity of around 35.3 MMTPA. Its marketing infrastructure includes a network of installations, depots, energy stations, aviation service stations and LPG distributors. Its distribution network comprises over 20,000 Energy Stations, over 6,200 LPG distributorships, 733 Lubes distributorships, and 123 POL storage locations, 54 LPG Bottling Plants, 60 Aviation Service Stations, 4 Lube blending plants and 4 cross-country pipelines.

Bharat Petroleum is integrating its strategy, investments, environmental and social ambitions to move towards a sustainable planet. The company has chalked out the plan to offer electric vehicle charging stations at around 7000 energy stations over next 5 years.

With a focus on sustainable solutions, the company is developing a vibrant ecosystem and a road-map to become a Net Zero Energy Company by 2040, in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.  Bharat Petroleum has been partnering communities by supporting innumerable initiatives connected primarily in the areas of education, water conservation, skill development, health, community development, capacity building and employee volunteering. With ‘Energising Lives’ as its core purpose, Bharat Petroleum’s vision is to be the most admired global energy company leveraging talent, innovation & technology.