* St1 negotiating to buy Gothenburg refinery
* Follows Shell's agreement to sell German Heide refinery
* Local market-oriented sites selling ahead of complex ones
(Adds analyst quote)
By Ikuko Kurahone and Terhi Kinnunen
LONDON/HELSINKI, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell is in exclusive talks with Finnish fuel distributor St1 to sell the oil major's Swedish refinery, both companies said on Monday.
If the companies reach an agreement, it would be the second European refinery deal for Shell in a short period, following the sale of its German refinery in late August. Both of them are relatively small plants that supply local markets.
"Shell and St1 have entered into exclusive negotiations for the potential sale of Shell's downstream businesses in Finland and Sweden to St1," Shell said in a statement. A Shell spokesman said the talks included the Gothenburg refinery.
Mika Anttonen, St1 board chairman told Reuters: "We are negotiating with Shell."
Neither Shell nor St1 specified the value of the deal or any further details.
Shell has been looking for buyers for other refineries in Europe as a part of a plan to divest about 15 percent of its refining assets as margins are expected to remain weak for a long time in many developed countries, where industry experts say demand has peaked.
Helsinki-based, privately held St1 produces biofuel and runs petrol stations across Scandinavia as well as in Poland, some of them purchased from Statoil and ExxonMobil several years ago.
The Gothenburg refinery has simple-to-medium complexity, which means it can handle primarily low-sulphur, light crude from the North Sea but not high-sulphur crude.
It is relatively small, with capacity to process about 78,000 barrels of crude oil per day. It supplies the domestic market with fuels that traders say are niche products, such as diesel that does not freeze in extremely cold Scandinavian weather.
EXPECTATIONS CONFOUNDED
The talks followed an agreement Shell reached in late August to sell its Heide refinery in Germany to billionaire Gary Klesch. That agreement was the first European refinery deal since June last year.
Both Gothenburg and Heide supply fuels primarily to local markets.
In contrast, more complex, larger refineries have been struggling to reach agreements with potential buyers, although many analysts had thought these refineries would survive and that smaller, local-market oriented sites would be forced to close.
Roy Jordan with Energy Market Consultants said the small size of the refinery probably meant the asset was relatively affordable and the purchase would suit St1's business strategy.
"If it plans further expansion in Finland and Sweden, it probably makes sense for it to own a local refinery in the region to service its retail assets," Jordan said.
"It is likely that the price it would pay Shell would be relatively low and make the transaction even more attractive," he said.
Price tags of larger, more advanced refineries are also higher.
Lukoil in June last year paid about $725 million to buy 45 percent of the Dutch Vlissingen refinery, which is about three times as big as the Gothenburg plant.
Industry officials have said the Grangemouth refinery in Scotland, which is directly connected the North Sea Forties pipeline system, was offered to PetroChina at multiple billions of dollars. (Editing by Jane Baird and Anthony Barker)