The six bids received for the sale of Petit Couronne Refinery by Petroplus Holdings AG have all been rejected, Petit Couronne’s administrator said. The bidders have now been invited to review their bids and resubmit them by a new deadline of April 16, 2013 and a consultation period for a redundancy plan has now been initiated. The bids were submitted by Terrae International SA, Adhan Murzuk Oil Services Company, Arabiyya Lel Istithmaraat, FJ Energy; and Damanapol International. Netoil Inc. had also resubmitted a previous bid that was rejected in the last round of bidding. "None of the bids are considered suitable to be forwarded to the commerce court," the administrator said. "The refinery manager and his team will be available in the next weeks to help any bidders to formulate a firm bid that meets the conditions of the sale," it said. The French government has also said it was open to the idea of taking a minority stake in the plant.

Petroplus Holdings AG's oil refinery in northwest of Paris has received five offers with the two most serious bids from Egypt and Switzerland, French ministry said. Arnaud Montebourg, Minister of Industrial Regeneration, said, "Five offers were officially registered with the court administrator, they are Terrae Group and Arabiyya Lel Istithmaraat."

Francois Hollande, French President, said on January 5, 2013 that the government will not buy the troubled refinery of Petroplus Holdings AG but will press to find a serious investor that can save it from liquidation. "The state will do its duty, but it cannot take the plant over, and the workers know that. It's difficult to find a serious buyer. We must do everything to find one. All public authorities are mobilized to choose from the presented one that offers the guarantee and sustainability," Hollande said.