ABU DHABI - Mubadala Investment Company and OMV - the international integrated oil and gas company headquartered in Vienna - on Thursday signed an agreement that will give OMV a majority stake in Borealis, one of Europe’s leading petrochemical companies. OMV, which currently owns a 36 percent stake in Borealis, will acquire an additional 39 percent from Mubadala.

The overall transaction value amounts to US$4.68 billion. It represents the biggest acquisition in OMV’s history and the largest transaction ever for Mubadala. Following completion, OMV will hold a 75 percent interest in Borealis and Mubadala will retain a 25 percent interest. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2020 and is subject to regulatory approvals.

Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group CEO of Mubadala, said, "Today marks the culmination of several months of intense discussions between OMV and Mubadala. We have signed a landmark, multi-billion dollar deal, the largest in both Mubadala and OMV‘s history. It is also fully aligned with our long-term strategy as a company." In turn, Musabbeh Al Kaabi, CEO, Petroleum & Petrochemicals of Mubadala, commented, "We are pleased to have reached agreement with our longstanding partner, OMV. For Mubadala, the decision is consistent with our strategy of actively managing our portfolio, and taking opportunities to realize value when conditions are right.

"We remain very confident in Borealis as a leading company in its sector. We will continue to hold a significant interest in the company, through the direct 25 percent interest that we will retain, along with our existing 24.9 percent shareholding in OMV. As a significant shareholder in OMV, we recognise the strong strategic fit and the complementary nature of Borealis’s business in expanding its downstream position."

For his part, Rainer Seele, Chairman of the OMV Executive Board and CEO, said, "This transaction is not just another milestone in the implementation of our strategy, but the biggest transformation in OMV’s history. This turns the company OMV into an internationally important oil, gas and chemicals group, whose integrated business model extends from well to high-quality plastic along an extended value chain and repositions the Group for a low carbon future."

With its head office in Vienna, Austria, Borealis currently has more than 6,800 employees and operates in over 120 countries. The company provides services and products to customers globally, both directly and in collaboration with Borouge, a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, and with Baystar, a joint venture with Total in Texas, USA.

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2020.