Total ends plan to buy Occidental’s Ghana assets

France’s Total announced that it will no longer pursue the completion of the purchase of Occidental Petroleum’s Ghana assets after Occidental informed Total that they could no longer sell their Algeria assets as part of the original deal.

In August 2019, Total and Occidental \ entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement (PSA) in order for Total to acquire Anadarko’s assets in Africa. Under this agreement, Total and Occidental have since completed the sale and purchase of the Mozambique and South Africa assets. 

The PSA provided that the sale of the Ghana assets was conditional upon the completion of the Algeria assets’ sale. Occidental has informed Total that, as part of an understanding with the Algerian authorities on the transfer of Anadarko’s interests to Occidental, Occidental would not be in a position to sell its interests in Algeria. 

In a statement, Total said: “Given the extraordinary market environment and the lack of visibility that the Group faces, and in light of the non-operated nature of the interests of Anadarko in Ghana, Total has decided not to pursue the completion of the purchase of the Ghana assets and, as a consequence, to preserve the Group’s financial flexibility.”

“This decision not to pursue the completion of the purchase of the Ghana assets consolidates the Group’s efforts in the control of its net investments this year and provides financial flexibility to face the uncertainties and opportunities linked to the current environment,” said Patrick Pouyanné, Total Chairman and CEO.