Anonima Petroli Italiana (API) was founded in
Ancona in 1933 by Ferdinando Peretti. It operates as a strategic coordinator of all API group's activities, through the direct supplying of semi-finished
crude oil and assigned in the production, the acquisition of finished products and their transport, the exchanges with other oil companies to optimize the distributive logistics, the complementary activity of trading of crude oil and by-products to clients, and the sale of all the by-products in Italy and to foreign countries. It also is dedicated to operate and develop
oil and
gas field properties. It owns a
refinery in Ancona with a capacity of 3.9 million tonnes/year and an electric
power plant of 250 MW. In 2005, the
company acquired Italiana Petroli (IP) from
Agip (
Eni). After a few years running the chains in parallel, it switched all its
stations to a revamped IP image and supplies in 2012 around 4,200 filling stations (up from around 1,600 at the time of the acquisition) with a market share of 11%. In 2017,
Total and
Erg signed an agreement with Anonima Petroli Italiana, to sell the fuel marketing and refining assets in their
TotalErg joint venture. Total has stated that the reason behind this divestment is that the Italian fuel market is highly fragmented and the company's expectations for profitability have not been met. In 2018 TotalErg was acquired by Gruppo API, with the exception of the
Special Fluids division, acquired by the newly formed
Total Italia, and the subsidiary
Totalgaz Italia, sold to the
UGI Corporation and renamed UniverGas Italia. All TotalErg stations will be progressively replaced by those bearing the IP Gruppo API
brand. In 2019, TotalErg
merged into Anonoma Petroli Italiana, and the company took on the name Italiana Petroli. In September 2025, Gruppo API has been sold to the Azerbaijani petroleum company
SOCAR. ==Operations==