Repsol’s Chairman Antonio Brufau said the Spain-based group will demand to Argentina a compensation of 10 billion dollars after President Cristina Fernández decided to nationalize the energy giant. Likewise, Brufau accused the Argentine government of “having distorted information” on regards the company’s production during Monday’s presentation.
Shares in Argentina's biggest energy company YPF plunged 5.6% in Buenos Aires on Wednesday while the company's US-listed shares were 5% lower in New York.
China National Offshore Oil Corporation, CNOOC, could prove to be the solution for the ongoing clash between the Argentine government and Spain’s Repsol which holds a majority stake in YPG, Argentina’s main oil and gas company.
Repsol's chairman Antonio Brufau has asked for a meeting with officials from the Argentine government, which investors fear could seize control of the Spanish oil major's unit in Argentina, YPF.
Argentina and Repsol-YPF oil corporation again clashed on Wednesday over the future of the Spanish owned company while members of President Cristina Fernandez administration said measures “can not be discarded” thus re-launching fears about further government actions.
The relationship between the Argentine Government and the Spanish Repsol-YPF oil company continues to strain in spite of recent announcements and contacts to try and cool the situation.
Spain’s Foreign Secretary Manuel Garcia Margallo admitted there is great concern in Madrid over the situation of Repsol-YPF in Argentina, which is questioning the oil corporation for not having invested sufficiently or paid sufficient taxes, and revealed that King Juan Carlos has been on the phone with President Cristina Fernandez.
Spain and Argentina formed a working group to resolve their “differences” over YPF, the Argentine oil company majority-owned by Madrid-based Repsol-YPF, Industry Minister Jose Manuel Soria said.
The government of President Cristina Fernandez is preparing the legal framework to take control of Spain’s Repsol-YPF subsidiary in Argentina which it has accused of not investing sufficiently and has triggered a round of discussions with the Spanish corporation’s top official, reports the Buenos Aires media.
Argentina has the cash reserves to make a tender offer for Repsol-YPF SA local unit, the country’s largest energy company, and will likely put further pressure on the industry to boost output, has stated Barclays Capital.