The Rouen court Tuesday ruled the two bids didn’t ensure the viability of the Petit-Couronne refinery, which is located on the northern coast of France and employs 470 workers, a spokeswoman said.
The court considered Libya’s Murzuk Oil and Dubai-based NetOil as the only potential bidders left after months of selection, but they didn’t offer enough financial strength for a project that requires heavy investment, the French labor and industry ministers Michel Sapin and Arnaud Montebourg said in a joint statement.
The court-appointed receiver will now seek a buyer for the plant’s assets and dismantle it if none is found.