Marketing

In addition to those products we sell directly through the refining activities, we also sell refined petroleum products (mainly derived from Sarroch’s refining operations) through our marketing sector, by means of our distribution systems in Italy, under the management by our wholly-owned subsidiary Arcola Petrolifera, and Spain, under the management of our wholly-owned subsidiary Saras Energia.

Arcola Petrolifera’s distribution logistics system in Italy includes two storage facilities owned by the Saras Group, one at the Sarroch refinery and the other at Arcola’s facilities in La Spezia, and storage facilities owned by third parties at Livorno, Ravenna and Civitavecchia in Central Italy.

Refined petroleum products arriving at the Arcola facility by sea are unloaded at an offshore platform capable of accommodating vessels with a cargo-carrying capacity of up to 35,000 SDWT. In addition to petroleum products produced at Sarroch, Arcola Petrolifera markets oil products purchased from the depots of third parties located at Fiorenzuola, Marghera and Sannazzaro, and at the sites served by the Sigemi logistical system.

We are one the leading distributors and marketers of petroleum products in Spain, where our distribution system includes a terminal at Cartagena with a storage capacity of 112,000 cubic meters that was built in 2003, and coastal storage facilities owned by third parties at Huelva, Motril and Barcelona, as well as those served by the CLH network.

Furthermore, our Spanish retail network consists in 127 service stations, of which 88 fully owned and 39 on a long term lease, mainly located along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Moreover, under the Marketing segment, the Group owns and operates also a biodiesel plant, inaugurated towards the end of 2008 which started production during first half of 2009. This plant generates important synergies, thanks to its location in Cartagena, near the existing oil tank farm already owned and operated by Saras.

The volumes of oil products sold by the Saras Group in the marketing sector have been rising continually in recent years, thereby pushing up its market share, especially in the diesel segment.

Last Update: 27/11/2009