ISAB Refinery in Priolo Gargallo, Italy | Source: Tecra

MILANO, 13 May 2026 — Ludoil Energy has agreed, via its subsidiary Ludoil Capital, to acquire a majority stake in Sicily’s ISAB Priolo refinery from GOI Energy, aiming both to stabilise a strategically important asset that has faced prolonged uncertainty and to turn it into an integrated hub for fuels, biofuels and low‑carbon power, reinforcing its position as Italy’s leading privately held multi‑energy group.

Transaction overview

Italian multi‑energy group Ludoil Energy has signed a binding agreement to acquire ISAB S.r.l., owner of the Priolo Gargallo refinery and associated industrial, logistics and power assets in Sicily, from G.O.I. Energy S.r.l.. The transaction is executed through Ludoil Capital S.r.l., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ludoil Energy S.p.A., and is structured in two stages, beginning with the purchase of a 51% equity stake. Completion of the first phase is subject to Italy’s Golden Power review for strategic assets and to the usual antitrust and regulatory clearances.

Strategic importance of ISAB Priolo

The ISAB Priolo complex is Italy’s largest refining hub, with a licensed capacity of about 20 million tonnes per year and a balanced capacity of around 15 million tonnes per year, integrating refining, petrochemical and power‑generation facilities across the municipalities of Priolo Gargallo, Augusta and Melilli. The site processes a broad crude slate and supplies a significant share of Italian fuels, making it a core component of national energy security and a major employer in the Sicilian industrial corridor.

Background challenges and rationale for the deal

In recent years, ISAB has faced significant headwinds, including sanctions‑related constraints on Russian‑linked ownership, tightening environmental and safety requirements, and periods of crisis procedures that raised questions over its long‑term viability and investment capacity. Against this backdrop, the Italian government and local stakeholders have sought a financially solid, domestically anchored owner capable of funding environmental upgrades, safeguarding employment and integrating the site into Europe’s evolving energy‑transition landscape. Ludoil’s move therefore responds both to an industrial logic—securing large‑scale refining and logistics capacity for its own trading and distribution activities—and to a policy logic of restoring stability and Italian control over a strategic coastal asset.

Industrial transformation and growth ambitions

Through this acquisition, Ludoil intends to transform ISAB from a traditional refinery into an integrated energy platform spanning crude processing, advanced biofuels and low‑carbon power, positioning the Priolo site as a strategic hub linking energy flows between Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East. Once fully completed, the deal is expected to lift Ludoil’s consolidated revenues above €10 billion annually, establishing the group as Italy’s leading privately held multi‑energy company and creating a base for future investments in decarbonisation technologies, efficiency upgrades and cleaner product slates.

Group structure and operational integration

In the envisaged configuration, Ludoil Energy S.p.A. will sit at the head of the group as holding company, with Ludoil Capital S.r.l. owning the stake in ISAB and Ludoil Energia S.r.l. continuing to manage wholesale trading, logistics and distribution activities that can be tightly integrated with Priolo’s output and infrastructure. The combined system of coastal storage terminals, pipeline connections, refinery units and power assets provides Ludoil with a substantially expanded industrial base, enabling deeper participation in European fuels markets, more flexible crude and product sourcing, and a stronger platform to scale biofuel and energy‑transition value chains over time.

#isab #goienergy #refinery #italy #ludoil