Russian tycoon to take control of Afipsky oil refinery
Russian billionaire Mikhail Gutseriyev is set to gain control over a debt-ridden Afipsky oil refinery, sources said.
The refinery in southern Russia has a capacity of 6 million tons per year (120,000 barrels per day). Since last year, it has been under the management of Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, its top lender.
The sources said that a company called Forteinvest, where Gutseriyev’s son, Said, is director-general will take over the Afipsky refinery next month and will supply oil to the plant.
Business daily Kommersant citing sources said that Mikhail Gutseriyev’s Safmar company had bought a controlling stake in the refinery from the family of businessman Vladimir Kogan.
“Sberbank wants to get its money back. Forteinvest is appointed as operator,” an industry source told Reuters. Sberbank declined to comment. Forteinvest did not respond to a request for comment.
Gutseriyev’s oil assets include mid-sized companies Russneft and Neftisa which combined produce 280,000 barrels per day. (Reporting by Natalia Chumakova, Tatiana Voronova and Ludmila Zaramenskikh; eriting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Jason Neely)
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