Cenovus: Cenovus Acquiring Outstanding 50% Interest in Toledo Refinery from bp, Will Assume Operatorship

Cenovus Energy Inc. (TSX: CVE) (NYSE: CVE), through its U.S. operating business, has reached an agreement to purchase bp’s 50% interest in the bp-Husky Toledo Refinery in Ohio. Cenovus has owned the other 50% of the refinery since its combination with Husky Energy in 2021. Cenovus’s U.S. operating business will assume operatorship from bp upon closing of the transaction, which is expected before the end of 2022, dependent on the satisfaction of closing conditions. Total consideration includes US$300 million in cash, subject to customary closing adjustments, plus the value of inventory. In addition, the parties have signed a multi-year product supply agreement.

“Fully owning the Toledo Refinery provides a unique opportunity to further integrate our heavy oil production and refining capabilities,” said Alex Pourbaix, Cenovus President & Chief Executive Officer. “Operating the refinery will open up additional synergies and capital efficiency opportunities, including connectivity with our nearby Lima Refinery. This transaction solidifies our refining footprint in the U.S. Midwest and increases our ability to capture margin throughout the value chain.”

The transaction will give Cenovus an additional 80,000 barrels per day (bbls/d) of downstream throughput capacity, including 45,000 bbls/d of heavy oil refining capacity. It will also provide the company with opportunities to further optimize its heavy oil value chain through integration with its upstream assets. Cenovus expects to realize synergies over the next few years as a result of the transaction, primarily related to the optimization of feedstock and refined product sales, and the longer-term potential to connect the Toledo Refinery with Cenovus’s U.S. refining network.

“This refinery is a strategic addition to our Downstream business,” said Keith Chiasson, Cenovus’s Executive Vice-President, Downstream. “It has provided economic opportunities and critical energy products to the people of Ohio and surrounding areas for decades, and we look forward to continuing that tradition once we assume full ownership of the facility.”

The Toledo Refinery recently completed a major, once in five years turnaround. Funded through the joint venture, the turnaround will improve operational reliability. This transaction will bring Cenovus’s total refining capacity to 740,000 bbls/d.