Report: Saudi Aramco to Sell More Assets

A view shows branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
A view shows branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
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Report: Saudi Aramco to Sell More Assets

A view shows branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
A view shows branded oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

The world’s largest oil company, Saudi Aramco, is planning to raise tens of billions of dollars by selling more stakes in its businesses, Bloomberg reported this week.

The Saudi Arabian state-controlled firm created a new team to review its assets last year, soon after the coronavirus pandemic triggered a plunge in energy prices and strained its balance sheet, it said.

Aramco raised $12.4 billion by selling leasing rights over oil pipelines to a US-led group of investors in April.

The sales will continue in the next few years, according to Abdulaziz Al Gudaimi, senior vice president for corporate development.

They will happen “irrespective of any market conditions” and Aramco aims to generate “double-digit billions of dollars,” Al Gudaimi said in an interview.

“It’s a strategy meant to create value and create efficiency, it’s not about a specific capital target or financing the dividends of the company.”



Vale Partners with China’s Jinnan Steel to Build Iron Ore Processing Plant in Oman

The logo of the Brucutu mine owned by Brazilian mining company Vale SA is seen in Sao Goncalo do Rio Abaixo, Brazil February 4, 2019. (Reuters)
The logo of the Brucutu mine owned by Brazilian mining company Vale SA is seen in Sao Goncalo do Rio Abaixo, Brazil February 4, 2019. (Reuters)
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Vale Partners with China’s Jinnan Steel to Build Iron Ore Processing Plant in Oman

The logo of the Brucutu mine owned by Brazilian mining company Vale SA is seen in Sao Goncalo do Rio Abaixo, Brazil February 4, 2019. (Reuters)
The logo of the Brucutu mine owned by Brazilian mining company Vale SA is seen in Sao Goncalo do Rio Abaixo, Brazil February 4, 2019. (Reuters)

Brazilian miner Vale, one of the world's largest iron ore producers, said on Monday it had partnered with China's Jinnan Steel Group to build an iron ore beneficiation plant in Oman to produce high quality pellet.

With the front-end investment exceeding $600 million, the plant, which will be located in Oman's Sohar port and free trade zone, will provide higher quality iron ore for producing pellet and hot briquetted iron (HBI) locally, reducing environmental impact, Vale said in a statement on its WeChat account.

The Sohar plant is scheduled to start commissioning in mid-2027, processing 18 million metric tons of iron ore annually to produce 12.6 million tons of high grade concentrate, it said.

"We are strengthening our capability to meet rising global demand for high grade iron ore and further expand our exposure in the Middle East region," said Gustavo Pimenta, chief executive officer (CEO) at Vale.

Vale will invest $227 million for the connection of the beneficiation plant and the pellet and HBI production facility while Jinnan Steel, a private steelmaker headquartered in north China's Shanxi province, will invest about $400 million for the building and the operation of the plant.

Vale did not disclose the equity share held by each party.