The Swiss consortium Rhône Energies announced on Thursday that it had entered into exclusive negotiations with Esso France for the acquisition of the Fos-sur-Mer refinery (Bouches-du-Rhône) and the Esso depots in Toulouse and Villette-de-Vienne (Isère).

The sale is expected to take place by the end of the year, according to a press release from Rhône Energies, a joint venture between trading giant Trafigura and refinery operator Entara.

The proposed acquisition has been submitted to the information and consultation process with employee representative bodies, it adds.

Rhône Energies specifies that it will maintain "the current workforce of around 310 employees, who will join the new structure on completion of the transaction" concerning the Fos-sur-Mer refinery, which has a crude oil processing capacity of 140,000 barrels per day.

(Written by Sophie Louet, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)