Ghana Oil discusses cooperation with Emarat New african ... · PDF filemake PSO a regional...

Issue No 16 | March 2012

www.erpecnews.com

erpecnews is published by McLean Communications Ltd. in conjunction with PetrolPlaza – www.erpecnews.com

an international retail petroleum news digest

AsiA, Middle eAst & AfricA edition

Ghana Oil discusses cooperation with Emarat

A delegation from the Ghana Oil Company (GOIL), Accra, Ghana visited Emirates General Petroleum Corporation “Emarat”, at its head-quarters in Dubai, to examine the possibility

of obtaining lubricants and related products from Emarat. During two days of discussions and deliberations, the delegation met Mr. Ab-dulrahman Qassim Al Ali, Commercial Sales Manager and other officials at Emarat. Mr. Abdulrahman welcomed the delegation and assured Emarat’s resolve to strengthen coopera-tion with GOIL and to exchange experiences with them. Emarat has also provided a list of lubricating oils and related products which can be supplied on a regular basis to GOIL ex Emarat’s Lube Blending Plant.

Indonesian goverment to bankroll retailersThe Indonesian government will set aside 500 billion rupiah (US $ 55.6 million) to provide soft loans for fuel station owners to prepare them for the implementation of the subsidized fuels restriction plan, according to an official. The government has not determined the loans’ terms and conditions, but the Finance Ministry has agreed to include the funds in the revision

of the 2012 State Budget, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s oil and gas director gen-eral Evita Herawati Legowo said. 295 stations have yet to sell non-subsidized fuels and would require an investment to install new tanks and dispensers. A further 687 stations still need to switch the function of their tanks from storing subsidized fuels to non-subsidized fuels.

Forte Oil commences rebranding in NigeriaForte Oil has announced the opening of its fully rebranded flagship station located in Lagos. Designed and produced by the Brand Union, the station features a modern pump island, lubes bay and a digitally operated price pylon. The pump island, one of the most modern in the market, is preceded by a contemporary canopy; a key requirement of the Direc tor ate

of Petroleum Resources for Gas station opera-tors in Nigeria. The pump island provides an individual well-lit pump area with 14 selling points from which petrol, kerosene and diesel are retailed. The rebranding process, which is structured into phases, will see over 500 African petroleum stations rebranded to Forte Oil over a two-year period.

New african retailer Dalol Oil Share Company, Ethiopia, has launched operations according to a statement released by the company. The company which has begun trading with four fuel stations will shortly open two more and is the fourth domestic fuel retailer in Ethiopia. The company signed an agreement with the Ethiopian Petroleum Enterprise to obtain its operational permit and launch services last month. The Ministry of Trade required the oil company to construct a 500 000 litre depot and a minimum of two filling stations and issued the license on the condition that Dalol finalizes the construction of the depot and filling stations within the next six months. Dalol Oil was established with a paid up capital of 65 million birr and 1 230 shareholders.

New deal with IranIndian retailer HPCL has signed a new deal to import 3 million tonnes of crude oil from Iran between 2012 and 2013. The deal will see 60 000 barrel per day imported by the firm, 10 000 barrel per day less than under the previous importation agreement. Direc-tor of Refineries K. Murali said that similar terms to previous deals, including a credit period of 90 days, had been offered by Iran. The agreement will see 45 percent of the payment due for crude made in Rupees for the first time. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Jaipal Reddy has made it clear that Iran will not be bound by EU Sanctions.

LatEst NEws, EvENts, jObs ONLINE – www.PEtrOLPLaza.COM2

CrEdIts

European Officecom-a-tec GmbH Am Krebsgraben 15 78048 Villingen-SchwenningenGermany Tel + 49 (0) 7721 9830-0 Fax + 49 (0) 7721 9830-70www.erpecnews.com

UK OfficeMcLean Communications Ltd.South Lodge BuildingsWestwood LaneNormandyGuildford, GU3 2JETel + 44 (0) 1483 810670

PublisherMcLean Communications Ltd.Nick [email protected] + 44 (0) 7786 607075

NewsPetrolPlaza.comBodo [email protected] + 49 (0) 7721 9830-41

art directorRamona [email protected] + 49 (0) 7721 9830-0

Marketing ManagerSandra [email protected] + 49 (0) 7721 9830-0

sales directorStephen [email protected] + 44 (0) 1483 810670

Advertising will be accepted in each issue on a limited basis. All requests for advertising should be sent to [email protected]

EditorialNews items and product news canbe sent to [email protected]

Printed byPrintstudio VS GmbHwww.printstudio-vs.de

erpecnews is published monthly by McLean Communications Ltd. in conjunction with PetrolPlaza.com and distributed to retail petroleum operations in Europe and the Middle East. McLean Communications Ltd. is the organiser of erpec, the leading business event, held every two years, for Europe’s retail petroleum market.

CopyrightThe views expressed in print are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher, McLean Communications Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recorded or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright holder.

McLean Communications Ltd.

Engen increases market share in GhanaEngen Ghana Limited (EGL) says it is ready to increase its market shares in the country as well as control 10 percent of the market in Africa by 2016. The company, since it commenced operations in Ghana in 1998 has subsequently enjoyed steady growth both in the retail and commercial sectors. Operations have grown substantially since then and EGL

currently operates 23 fuel stations across Ghana and services approximately 40 com-mercial customers. Engen’s core business is the refining of crude-oil as well as marketing primary refined petroleum products. Currently, the company enjoys the biggest market share in South Africa and has a significant presence in 18 countries of sub-Saharan Africa.

Petrol importers reduce retail commissionsIn Vietnam Petrol importers have cut commission given to retailers due to losses experienced in the wake of rising prices. General Director of Saigon Petro, Dang Vinh Sang, said that despite recent cuts in import tax, importers still made a loss. The finance ministry decided to exempt import tax on petrol and cut the tariff on oil from 5 percent to 3 percent to stabilise the domestic market. Imported oil prices in Singapore, the

main source of Vietnam’s imported petrol and oil, have risen sharply, reaching US $ 130 per barrel, up nearly 6 percent against January. Vuong Thai Dung, deputy general director of Petrolimex, which accounts for roughly 60 per-cent of the local petrol market share, said that compared with the commission rates given to retailers of other petrol and oil importers, that of Petrolimex was the lowest.

state Oil Company vision for the futurePakistan State Oil (PSO) new MD and CEO, Naeem Yahya Mir, unveiled his vision for the state-owned company in a meeting with the senior management. Mr. Naeem Yahya Mir apprised the senior cadre of his plans to make PSO the best company in Pakistan within the next two years. He also outlined his dream to make PSO a regional player in the next four years and one of the Fortune 500 companies

in not more than six years. Plans include exploring new markets, increasing POL sales, enhancing the retail network and expanding the lubricant product range over the coming years. PSO will also Focus on operational streamlining, cost reductions, minimising product losses, cash sales, improved quality and quantity testing. Mir emphasised that teamwork was required to accomplish the vision.

KenolKobil is Kenya’s top fuel retailerKenolKobil firmed its footing on the Kenyan market by 6.7 percentage points to replace its main rival Total as the country’s largest oil marketer by sale volumes. Data from the Petroleum Institute of East Africa (PIEA) shows that Kenol’s market share climbed to 25 percent in 2011 from 18.3 percent the year before. This came as TOTAL’s market-share dropped by 3.8 percentage points to stand at 23.3 percent in a similar period. The growth of Kenol’s market share has been linked to its aggressive marketing campaign that has seen the company issue discounts on pump prices for motorists on

its loyalty card programme. “Kenol’s pricing strategy at the retail level has significantly helped it push volumes leading to the market share gains”, said Vimal Parmar, the Head of Research at Kestrel Capital.

singapore ‘swings’ There was a good turnout for the the 2012 PetroForum, which alternates with erpec in Europe on a biennial basis, at the Rasa Sentosa resort in Singapore this month. All the usual faces were there including 48 oil company delegates from 14 countries across Asia Pacific and the Middle East who met with over 60 supplier companies from around the world. Michael Hollows at Pacific Petroleum, an oil company new

to the event commented, “I really liked the one-on-one meetings format and got a lot of value from it”. erpecnews along with PetrolPlaza, was at the event to interview several key industry figures for forthcom-ing issues of the magazine. Suffice to say, Fiona, Emma, Hannah and Annabel from organisers Open Room, were delighted with the event. Look out for the photo gallery on PetrolPlaza.com

3latest news, events, jobs online – www.PetrolPlaza.comlatest news, events, jobs online – www.PetrolPlaza.com

NEws – MIddLE East, aFrICa & asIa

shell thailand invest in re-vamp programme Shell Thailand has announced a Bt1-billion investment plan to revamp its petrol stations in a bid to regain the No 2 spot in the market after PTT. Under the plan, about 10 new sta-tions will be set up. Of these, six will be paid for via direct investment from the company and dealers will invest in the remainder. The stations are expected to open in the third quarter

of the year. Pisawan Achanapornkul, president of Shell Thailand, said the company would use part of the investment budget to improve the stations’ brand image. “The expansion will allow the company to reap a bigger share of the fuel market and become the second-biggest trader, as our products do not cover as many types of fuel as our competitors”, he said.

Oman Oil expand filling stations in 2012Oman Oil Marketing Company (omanoil) ended 2011 with over 1 billion litres in fuel sales and ten new filling stations to make up a total of 132 to date, earning its position as the fastest growing retail network in the sultanate. For 2012 Oman’s fuel and lubricant marketing company has revealed a retail network expansion of five new strategically

located filling stations designed to augment the nation’s infrastructure development blue-print. “We invest in strategic locations across Oman to reinforce the nation’s long-term development ambitions and raise industry standards in the fuels retail business”, said Hussain bin Jama al Ishaqi, Oman Oil Retail General Manager.

Caltex will not close refineriesCaltex Australia has written down the value of its refining assets by $ 1.5 billion, but insisted that the company’s two refineries will not shut down in the near future. CEO Julian Segal nonetheless warned that the loss-making sites at Brisbane and Sydney could not keep operating as they have in recent years. “Continuation of the status quo

is not sustainable”, he insisted. Some 1 450 employees and contractors work at the two sites, which were placed under review by Caltex in August. The company, which sup-plies over a third of Australia’s fuel market, said it is still six months away from a decision. Segal indicated that the company remained committed to involvement in Australia.

afric Oil increases supplies & market shareSouth African Afric Oil plans to increase its market share and business volumes this year. In February 2011 the company was able to transport about 1.5 million litres a week of mainly diesel, this has now increased to 2.5 million litres a week. Afric Oil will soon make use of the State-owned group’s new

multiproduct pipeline (NMPP) to transport its diesel and petrol inland. In January this year Transnet took delivery of the 23.4 billion rand NMPP, which runs between Durban and Heidelberg, in Gauteng. The 555 kilometres pipeline will ramp up to full capacity over the next 17 months.

‘No cash’ payment system for motoristsAirtel Tanzania has signed a partnership deal with Gapco to allow motorists to refuel their cars without having cash in their hands. Airtel Money subscribers will be able to refuel using their Airtel money accounts at some selected Gapco pump stations. To refuel a vehicle using Airtel Money the sub-scriber has to select the Airtel Money Menu located on their mobile phones, then select

“send” the user then types the name of the pump station where he or she is refuelling. Motorists will be required to type in the amount to be transferred and PIN number. More filling stations will be included in the future. Apart from offering the option to pay for fuel using Airtel Money, these outlets also act as Airtel Agents whose functions include cash in and cash out services.

Euro-4 fuel in tehran for the first timeIran now offers high quality gas-oil and gasoline, known as Euro-4, in Tehran, the Head of the Iranian Company for Distribu-tion of Oil Products has announced. Jalil Salary added “the regular distribution of these products in Tehran and other Iranian major cities will be started by September

2012”. He also said the high octane fuel will be sold at the same petrol price cur-rently offered at gas stations. Several large Iranian cities suffer from severe air pollu-tion. Experts believe domestically produced low octane fuel is the major cause of the problem.

LatEst NEws, EvENts, jObs ONLINE – www.PEtrOLPLaza.COM4 LatEst NEws, EvENts, jObs ONLINE – www.PEtrOLPLaza.COM


New CEO at relianceTony Fountain has been hired as CEO of Refining by Reliance Industries as part of an organisational restructuring. Fountain, Britain’s highest-paid civil servant in 2010, is one of several leading international professionals that the firm is recruiting to head its businesses in the oil and gas, broadband and petrochemicals sectors. Executive Director PMS Prasad, who joined the company’s board in August 2009, has said that he is delegating day-to-day responsibilities to new CEOs while remaining in control of the oil and gas business. Fountain, who previously headed Britain’s Nuclear Dismantling Authority, also boasts 25 years of experience with BP. His career includes postings to the United States, a stint as Chief Operating Officer for BP’s Fuels Value Chains business and as BP’s manager for Strategy, Planning and Performance Management.

Probe into LNG contract oderedIndia’s Oil Minister, S Jaipal Reddy, has ordered an investigation into the opera-tion of an LNG importation contract with Qatar. Petronet, which held the contract, was recently accused of quietly moving to import lean gas – which can only be used as fuel – to the more versatile rich gas. Reddy has asked Petronet LNG Chairman GC Chaturvedi to investigate the allegations, according to local media. The contract covers the importation of 7.5 million tonnes of LNG per year from Qatar’s RasGas.

Mitchell plans up-grade for truckstopsIn Australia, a year after the transport company he founded was sold for $ 110 mil-lion, entrepreneur Craig Mitchell is tapping into the resources boom again by offering truck drivers something novel – a decent place to stop. Appalled at the standards of remote Western Australia roadhouses and a trend towards unmanned filling stations, the former truckie, along with business partner Jon Italiano, plan to develop up to four truck stops over the next two years. In addition to fuel and sealed parking for road trains, each of the Outback Travel Centres would offer a 24-hour convenience store, restaurant, quality toilet and shower facilities, accommodation and wi-fi access. The first two BP-affiliated centres are cur-rently being developed and the venture is looking to acquire properties for two more at the busiest hubs.

Chevron plans expansion to retail networkChevron Philippines is set to open at least 25 new fuel service stations in 2012, con-tinuing a programme of vigorous expansion. The company, which opened 20 new stations in 2011, is looking for potential retailers and investors to grow their business on the islands. Of the 400 new stations Chevron

plans to build in the Asia Pacific Region over the next five year 125 will be located in the Philippines. The company already operates a network of over 849 stations nationwide. An initial investment of between P4m and P10m is required to set up a new site in partnership with Chevron.

a refreshing look for NigeriaOne year after the official unveiling of Forte Oil Plc as the new name of African Petroleum Plc, the company has embarked on a new look. The new identity & brand colours are now a mixture of leaf green, spring green, white and lime, which the company believes are vibrant colours depicting transparency and verve for innovativeness. In an interview, the head of Brand & Communications in the company,

Mrs. Nkiru Olumide-Ojo, said that the vision of Forte Oil is to be the preferred energy solu-tions provider that exceeds the expectations of customers. Speaking on what sparked the change of identity, she said, “Having operated in Nigeria for over five decades as both British Petroleum / African Petroleum, the board took a decision to refresh our business outlook and thereon the name”.

al Maha Petroleum confirms growth in OmanAl Maha has released its audited financial statement for the financial year of 2011, which confirms continued growth at the firm. The company achieved sales of 268.3 million rial during the year, up from 219.8 million rial

in 2010, with net profit of 268.3 million rial. The strong profit has led the board of directors to propose a cash dividend of Baiza 850 per share. This will be subject to approval at the forthcoming AGM on 31st March.

Iran seeks deal to avoid European embargoIran is seeking to pre-empt a phased European Union embargo by offering to restart exports of oil to France and the UK if the two countries agree to long-term supply deals. In a statement made to the Islamic Republic’s Oil Ministry website, the head of the National Iranian Oil Company also said that an oil debt to Eni of Italy would be honoured. If companies want

to buy oil from Iran it can be in the form of long-term contract and without any precondi-tions. Iran would also honour commitments to Norway’s Statoil ASA which, like the Eni debt, have been exempted from the recently-introduced EU sanctions. Iran’s daily oil exports remained unchanged at between 2.2 million and 2.3 million barrel per day.

de-regulation key to driving down fuel pricesThe Nigerian Federal Government’s plan to deregulate the downstream oil and gas sector (petroleum refining & marketing) is seen as a move geared towards opening up the sector to new investments. This is expected to bring about a competitive market which will eventu-ally drive down fuel prices. Meanwhile the on-going public investigation into fuel subsidy management has continued to produce more

shocking revelations. The finance and the petroleum ministry have come under criticism during the probe with lawmakers demanding valid answers as to why fuel subsidy payments in 2011 reached a whopping 1.3 trillion naira. Financial and economic experts believe the fuel subsidy regime was hugely corrupt, wasteful and bled money from the treasury into the pockets of rich fuel importers.

Operations normalised following fuel shortageBusiness operations have returned to normal at Caltex filling stations in South Africa after two months of serious fuel shortages. The lo-cal Caltex franchise was badly affected when a Durban based refinery that supplies the filling stations caught fire. Maxwell Dlamini, who runs the Mhlaleni Caltex Filling station, gave an assurance that things had returned to normal. He assured customers that they

would now get their petrol, diesel and other products without any delays. A local newspa-per estimated the total loss incurred in the fire, including the crude product in the tank, at about 120 million euros. An investigation established that the fire started when a petrol tank containing seven million litres of petrol exploded after it was struck by lightning dur-ing a thunderstorm.


NEws – MIddLE East, aFrICa, asIa & EUrOPE

super Petroleum enters competitive marketSuper Petroleum (SP) has begun preparing itself for stiff competition with the French major oil company TOTAL in Liberia. TOTAL’s pres-ence in the petroleum market has reduced the frequency of petroleum shortages that often led to transportation price hikes when the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) was the only entity importing and distributing fuel prod-

ucts. SP’s entry into the market now promises to further reduce those shortages. Information collected from motorists, however suggests that SP apparently does not give consumers an exactly measured delivery at the pump. Consumers expressed that they prioritize TOTAL not only because of its magnificent facilities, but its fair-ness and honesty in delivering exact quantities.

wOqOd new petrol station designQatar Fuel (WOQOD) recently inaugurated its newest service station at Qatar Foundation’s Student Centre. The new service station is the second of eight stations planned for this year. Six more service stations will be opened before summer and more by the year end. Apart from fuel, the new station features a Sidra convenience store that includes an ATM, Qtel self-service machines and an Internet

cafe. Standalone Sidra convenience stores will open shortly in Katara and on the ground and first floors of WOQOD’s office tower in West Bay. The convenience store opportunity in Qatar is huge and convenience stores have been proven in WOQOD stations and will now be expanded to satisfy the demand for high quality local convenience stores that are open for long hours.

NEws EUrOPEaN

Yorkon completes 50th modular station shop In the UK Yorkon has completed another milestone with it’s 50th modular petrol filling station (PFS) for Tesco. New developments to the shop design include reduced column sizes to improve visibility of the petrol pumps, disabled access, different configurations of shelving and partitions and energy efficient

lighting and refrigeration. The modular build-ing was craned into position in just one day. All plumbing, electrics, partitions, sanitary ware, counter, tobacco gantry, flooring and kitchen were pre-installed off site at the Yorkon production centre in York, reducing time on site to just four days.

rewe Group eye bP and ENI in austriaGrocery retailer Rewe Group’s Austrian divi-sion is considering delivering food to forecourt stores of BP and Eni’s Agip. BP confirmed that Rewe Group’s Merkur supermarket arm is working on a “pilot project aiming at a possible co-operation with petrol stations”. At present 132 shops at 150 BP-owned sta-tions are supplied by wholesaler Lekkerland.

According to industry insiders, Rewe Austria is also planning to supply Agip forecourts, although they declined to comment on this report. Rewe Group’s Billa has been delivering food to ConocoPhillips’ Jet stations since 2007. There are 112 Billa stop and shop forecourts at Jet locations, a format that is planned to be rolled out to all Jet units in the long run.

Plenty of good news from tokheimTokheim have some exciting developments all around the world. In France, Tokheim has announced that it has had its HSSE certifica-tion status renewed for the next 3 years. On products, Tokheim have a new look Fuel POS moving away from its traditional blue screen to a more modern sleek design. Tokheim Spain has signed a new 4 year deal with BP / Bovis

using a newly developed maintenance concept based on predictive analysis helping to fix po-tential problems before they happen. In Liberia, Sigma has become the latest distributer in the Tokheim network to ensure they say, continued expansion in the African regions. Generally the company reports a good performance during the last 12 months.

‘duty free’ fuel station for UKAn extra £ 400 million could be raised each year by having a fuel station in the duty free zone of the Port of Dover, UK according to the local County Council. Council leader Paul Carter said a European lorry could drive to Scotland and back without refuelling and

avoid paying any duty to the UK government. He is suggesting a filling station at the Port of Dover offering fuel with the European levels of duty imposed. “Why couldn’t we have a fuel station selling diesel and petrol at the same duty rate as Luxembourg?”, Carter said

Emarat launches twitter account

Emirates General Petroleum Corporation “Emarat” has launched its own account on the most famous social network “Twitter”, aiming at communicating better with its customers and partners, in addition to broadcasting the Corporation’s news, initiatives, projects, services, its latest products, campaigns and trademarks. Mr. Hussain Kazim, Manager, Corporate Communications at Emarat, said that Twitter has become one of the most popular social networks in the world, as hundreds of millions use it. Twitter also is positively regarded by many media and internet companies, for its great market-ing and promotions opportunities which allow the uploading of different docu-ments, written, audio or visual, making them available to everyone, at any time or in any place. Internet users can now follow the Corporation’s account on @EmaratPetroleum.

ExxonMobil japanExxonMobil and TonenGeneral Sekiyu K.K have entered into an agreement which will restructure ExxonMobil ’s holdings in Japan. Under the agreement TonenGeneral Sekiyu will purchase ExxonMobil ’s shares in ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha, integrating ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha’s marketing operations with its existing manufacturing operations. This will result in a single, integrated downstream business better positioned to meet Japan’s energy needs. The corporation anticipates the restructur-ing will be seamless for ExxonMobil Japan Group customers, dealers and business partners and expects exist-ing agreements to remain unchanged. Current management will remain in place until closing, which will occur in mid-2012. At closing, ExxonMobil will remain TonenGeneral Sekiyu’s largest shareholder and anticipates continued participation on its Board of Directors, subject to shareholder approval of its nominees. TonenGeneral Sekiyu will have exclusive, long-term use of Exxon-Mobil’s existing brands for the sale of ExxonMobil products in Japan.


NEws – EUrOPE

vitol looking at down-stream acquisitionsVitol, the world’s largest independent oil trader is pursuing plans to diversify through downstream and midstream acquisitions. In an interview Chief Executive Ian Taylor revealed the company’s continued drive to expand into the value chain despite the company’s belief that geopolitical risk could drive the price of crude to over US $ 150 per barrel. “We are looking at multiple M&A (merger and acquisition) opportuni-ties, the investments in downstream and mid-stream are more strategic because they offer more obvious current synergies with the trading business.” Vitol, founded in 1966 as a pure trading house, has expanded into refining and retail marketing in recent years. A new downstream company, Vivo Energy, was launched last December in partnership with private equity firm Helios Investment Partners.

OMv continues expanding in serbiaOMV recently opened its 61st filling station in Serbia and is the first fuel station network in Serbia with a HACCP certificate, which guarantees the quality and safety of food purchased in VIVA restaurants. Viva offer around 1500 products that range from cof-fee in the best tradition of Viennese cafes to delicious bakery products. VIVA offers OMV customers a world of indulgence with a wide range of high quality foods and beverage at any time of the day or night, seven days a week. OMV entered the local market in 2001 and is headquartered in Belgrade. The core business of OMV Srbija d.o.o. includes oil and oil derivatives trade through 61 filling stations throughout Ser-bia with a 15 percent market share. OMV Srbija directly employs 45 people. More than 1300 people are indirectly employed through its filling station network.

rompetrol expands business in bulgariaRomanian oil company Rompetrol is opening ten new petrol stations in Bulgaria by the end of April 2012, the company has reported. With the new fuel stations the number of Rompetrol outlets in Bulgaria will grow to 70. According to Rompetrol management, there is increased interest from owners of smaller, independent fuel stations in Bulgaria to join Rompetrol as franchise partners, meaning its network in the

country could expand even further. In order to operate according to amendments to Bulgarian legislation, smaller fuel merchants need to be in partnership with large fuel retailers. “We expect a significant market movement”, says the Commercial Director of Rompetrol Bul-garia, Stanimir Smilkov. “The company’s goal is to reach an 8 percent share of the fuel retail market in the country within the next few years.”

statoil gets go ahead in russiaFollowing the conclusion of the contract be-tween Statoil Nefto, a subsidiary of Statoil Fuel & Retail and Ekogasservice JSC, the Federal Antimonopoly Service has approved the pur-chase of seven stations in the north-west part of Russia. “St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region are attractive markets, with high levels of economic growth and relatively few service stations. This acquisition supports Statoil Fuel & Retail’s strategic ambition to grow and effec-tively compete in the Russian market”, says Jørn

Madsen, Executive Vice President Central & Eastern Europe, Statoil Fuel & Retail. “It means that we can complete the sale and begin the process of taking over the stations as early as the beginning of March”, says Sandis Steins, Leader of Statoil Fuel & Retail’s Russian business unit. The stations will be rebranded and brought in line with Statoil Fuel & Retail’s international service station concept during the first half of 2012. Statoil Fuel & Retail will then have 29 Statoil service stations operating in Russia.

INa pulls out of syriaINA Industrija Nafte d.d., a Croatian refiner controlled by Hungary’s Mol Nyrt., said it is pulling out of Syria, following the Croatian government’s 23rd February decree to abide by an EU embargo on the Middle Eastern country. INA said in an e-mailed statement, citing ‘force

majeure’. “Based on the Croatian government decision, as well as the overall security situation in Syria, INA is not able to continue performing its regular business operations and activities in Syria due to reasons which are beyond the control of the company”, INA said.

Mepsan successfully targets tunisiaAGIL, the biggest oil company in Tunisia has awarded Turkish company Mepsan the new fuel dispenser tender making Mepsan a leading petroleum equipment supplier in the Tunisian market. AGIL’s fuel dispenser tender is one of the biggest in North Africa. The tender had been announced last year by AGIL, the state-owned petrol company in Tunisia. Due to political factors, the an-nouncement was delayed and only released

recently. Mepsan successfully competed with many international companies. As of today, Mepsan becomes the unique supplier for the biggest oil company in Tunisia. Mepsan’s International Sales and Marketing Director, Batuhan Kiroglu, said that the company’s vision is to become a well-known reliable and respected Turkish brand worldwide and continually improve and expand its activities and strategic partnerships.


NEws – EUrOPE

Estonia annuls fuel-trading rulesEstonia’s Supreme Court partially annulled legislation introduced in 2011 to stamp out fraud in the fuel industry in a move that may bring litigation from retailers and wholesalers. The transition period to adopt last April’s regulations was insufficient, the court ruled, meaning they won’t apply to companies registered before then until a new one can be determined, according to a statement on its website from the capital, Tallinn. The court also cancelled a clause exempting companies created three years ago or more from depositing a minimum of 100 000 euros (US $ 131 000) with the tax board in order to be registered, calling the provision unconstitutional. The Baltic nation drew up the rules to prevent com-panies from importing fuel and declaring bankruptcy shortly afterwards without paying value-added tax.

Uzbekistan builds 36 multi-fuel stationsUzbekistan will build 517 kilometres of new roads in 2012. In addition 544 running meters of overpasses will be constructed and industrial bases at 5 road sector enterprises will be modernized. Some 240 sites including 36 multi-fuel filling stations and 49 gas filling compres-sor stations will be built as part of the development of road infrastructure and services. The National program for the construction worth US $ 3.44 billion was approved by the President of Uzbekistan and It is planned to build four sections of roads with total length of 1.501 thousand kilometres by 2015. Financing comes from the Republican Road Fund, Fund for Reconstruction and Development and loans from international financial institu-tions. German company GP Papenburg, South Korean POSCO Engineering and Construction and Kuk Dong are all in-volved in the project.

Gazprom Neft extends coverageGazprom Neft has bought 36 outlets and two petroleum storage depots operating under the Chelneft brand. The new assets will be integrated into the retail network operated by the Gazpromneft-Chelyabinsk distribution subsidiary. This purchase increases its distribution network in the South Urals to 78 stations. The purchased filling stations will be rebranded with the Gazprom Neft corporate image within three years.

OMv, Exxon stumble upon huge gas find in romaniaExxonMobil Romania Ltd. and OMV Petrom SA have made a potentially significant gas discovery in the Black Sea, offshore of Ro-mania. “The exploration well encountered 70.7 metres of net gas pay, resulting in a preliminary estimate for the accumulation ranging from 1.5 to 3 trillion cubic feet (42 to 84 billion cubic metres)”, OMV said in a statement. “This may be the biggest find

in OMV’s history”, Chief Executive Officer Gerhard Roiss told reporters in Vienna. The Domino-1 well, which is operated by the Exxon unit, is located in the Neptun Block, 170 kilometres offshore in water about 1 000 metres deep. It is too early in the data evalu-ation and exploration process to determine whether the Neptun block will ultimately prove to be commercially viable or not.

Fuel prices in bulgaria hit record highFuel prices in Bulgaria have climbed to a new record high amid an oil price spike on interna-tional markets triggered by the escalation of a dispute over Iran’s nuclear program. Crude oil prices have hit US $ 120 per barrel, a peak not seen since last August and Bulgaria’s LUKOIL Neftochim refinery increased prices of the most common type of gasoline by 1.7 percent

and the price of diesel by 1.41 percent. As well as setting records for the highest fuel prices, Bulgaria has also proved to be the European country where the cost of diesel exceeds the cost of gasoline by the biggest percentage of 5.6. The prevailing trend in the EU, however, is in the opposite direction, with average gasoline prices exceeding diesel prices by 3.7 percent.

tOtaL E&P russie appoint General directorJacques de Boisséson has been appointed General Director of TOTAL E&P Russie and General Representative of Total in Russia. He succeeds Pierre Nerguararian who left his operational responsibilities after a career of 32 years within the Group. Mr. de Boisséson

was the General Representative of TOTAL in China and Chairman of Total (China) Investment Co. Ltd. since 2005. In parallel, from 2007 Mr. de Boisséson was elected Vice President, then President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

wayne appoints new distributor in russiaWayne, a GE Energy Business is forming a comprehensive distribution relationship in Russia and neighbouring countries with Melston Engineering PLC. a leading company in the Russian forecourt and retail-outlet business. Capitalizing on the strengths of two industry leaders, the new engagement will provide fuel retailers with a trusted resource for complete forecourt technologies.

“Our relationship with Melston positions us to do even more to support fuel retail-ers throughout the region”, says Damian Tracey, President of Wayne EMEA. “This collaboration will strengthen both companies regional presence and provide our customers with a comprehensive resource for Wayne’s entire portfolio of products and services”, he said.

PKN OrLEN gets ‘smart’ in PolandPKN ORLEN has launched a “light” version of its corporate website designed to be accessed via mobile devices. Thus, Internet users have been offered a modern communication chan-nel through which they can access essential corporate information. The Company has also created a mobile service station locator. Users of mobile devices, including more and more popular smartphones, can easily and

quickly access all key information regarding PKN ORLEN, available also on the traditional website. The new mobile website allows users to view all press releases, current and periodic reports, as well as share price and financial performance information. All information included in the corporate section of PKN ORLEN’s mobile website is available in Pol-ish and English.

Petrol pumps promote road safetyIn the UK fuel pump nozzles will be promoting road safety. The newly designed nozzles will showcase drive safety messages such as “ap-propriate speed” and “30 mph for a reason” on filling station forecourts. Designed by outdoor media planners Out of Home International,

the initiative was created so that road users have the opportunity absorb the importance of the advice whilst filling up their tanks and continue driving whilst the message is fresh in their minds.


NEws – EUrOPE

rosneft considers share buybackOAO Rosneft (ROSN), Russia’s largest oil producer, is considering the price of a share buyback, it said in a regulatory filing today without providing further information. Shares gained on this announcement rising to as much as 6.7 percent in London trad-ing, the most since November last year. “I would be making sales in the stock at these

elevated levels”, said Julian Rimmer, a Trader of Russian shares at CF Global Trading in London. The buyback story is at odds with fundamentals, as the company has large debt and spending plans are likely to eliminate free cash flow this year, he said. Rosneft’s press service declined to comment on a possible share buyback.

Fuel retailer dictates construction planOlerex, one of Estonia’s largest fuel retail-ers is controlling the construction of a key traffic junction in the capital. Olerex had refused to sell the state a fuel station that stood in the middle of the planned highway junction, so the state reached an agreement with Olerex that they should finance the

design and road construction project. This is likely to cost Olerex between 200 000 and 400 000 euro. The new design would allow Olerex to keep it’s service station in the middle of the junction. It is estimated the Väo junction would handle 76 000 cars every day by 2027.

2011– a very positive year for wissolWissol operates the largest chain of petrol and CNG service stations in Georgia with 105 outlets and had growth in all areas of operation in 2011, including retail sales making 2011 a positive year for economic development says Soso Pkhakadze, Chair-man of the Board of Directors of JSC Wissol

Petroleum Georgia. With more than 3 000 employees the Wissol Group is the biggest employer in the Georgian oil sector. Last year two new subsidiary companies were added to the group: the supermarket network Smart and the auto service centre Wissol Auto Express.

bulgaria must negotiate with GazpromRight-wing MP Dimitar Bachvarov has insisted that Bulgaria should seek a 10 percent reduction in gas prices from Gazprom. The right-wing Democrat has demanded that the government immediately start talks with Russia’s Gazprom to renegotiate the terms of the gas supply contract. The latest increase in retail gasoline and diesel prices caused the MPs to declare

that the state had given up its authority over the LUKOIL Neftochim refinery. Recently, Gazprom reduced gas prices in its long-term contracts with European clients by 10 percent.The concession came after talks with some of the biggest customers of the Russian energy giant, including France’s GDF Suez, Germany’s Wingas, Slovakia’s SPP and Turkey’s Botas.

russia’s big oil export flexibilityRussian oil export capacity will exceed production levels by over 2 million bar-rels per day by 2015, allowing the world’s top oil producer to shift oil between Asia and Europe to catch better prices, a major trader has said. “Russia can become a swing producer”, said Jonathan Kollek, Senior Vice President for trading at Russia’s No. 3 oil firm TNK-BP. Saudi Arabia is the only

country in the world which is seen by the market as a swing producer as it can ramp up output levels relatively quickly if markets need more oil. Russia has always pumped at capacity and Kollek said that was unlikely to change but by 2015 the country’s export pipeline capacity will exceed production by 109 million tonnes a year (2.2 million barrels per day).

sOCar buys fuel station network in UkraineThe Ukrainian antimonopoly committee authorized SOCAR Energy Ukraine to purchase more than a 50 percent stake in

“Galitz Oil Company” consisting of 10 fuel filling complexes. SOCAR Energy Ukraine is a “subsidiary” of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan. This company has a number of petrol stations and tank farms in Ukraine.

The company is engaged in the bunkering business. The number of SOCAR petrol stations in Ukraine is expected to reach soon 40 units, at present their number is 15 units. By 2025, the number of SOCAR fuel stations in Ukraine will reach 1 000 units. SOCAR has also stations in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Romania.


NEws – EUrOPE

Most advanced fuel station in Norway

Statoil Fuel & Retail ’s most modern full service station recently opened in Norway alongside the E6 motorway in Minnesund. The 15 000 square metre site offers gener-ous parking with eight gasoline and diesel

pumps and a speed charger for electric cars. Car wash facilities are complemented by a truck wash and shower and laundry facilities for those who want them. This is also the first full service station in Norway to have a dedicated chef! “We open one station every week in one of our eight European markets, however this station is different, it is the most futuristic addition to our station net-work and will serve as a testing laboratory to help us decide which features to roll out in our network”, says Jacob Schram, CEO Statoil Fuel & Retail.

sOCar to participate in distribution marketSOCAR Turkey Enerji ’s Managing Direc-tor, Kenan Yavuz, has confirmed company plans to participate in the fuel distribution market within Turkey. Yavus said that the company will be able to cooperate with the existing distribution network following construction of a refinery. “The cooperation with Shell Turcas will be important in this regard because Shell Turcas is co-owner of Star oil-refining company in Izmir”, said

Yavus, adding that SOCAR might either create a new company for this purchase or buy another firm. The tender for the construction of SOCAR’s Star oil refinery will be announced in the third quarter of 2012, Yavus revealed. Major international firms are expected to participate, he added. SOCAR has already received a 30-year license for the wholesale of natural gas in Turkey’s domestic market.

LUKOIL ready to engage in oil refining in belarusThe Russian oil company LUKOIL is prepared to consider proposals for the supply and refin-ing of oil in Belarus. Company President Vagit Alekperov has also expressed willingness to participate in exploration and preparation of the mineral resource base. The LUKOIL company has been operating since 1992 in

Belarus and the interests of the company are re-presented there by the subsidiary company LUKOIL – Belarus. LUKOIL also has its own network of filling stations and tank farms in the territory of Belarus. Total investment of the company amounted to US $ 120.3 million at the beginning of 2010.

Petroplus Group enters insolvency proceedingsPetroplus, the largest independent refiner and wholesaler of petroleum products in Europe entered into various insolvency proceedings in Switzerland, England and Wales, France, Germany and Belgium in January 2012 after the group failed to reach agreement with its creditors to extend the deadline of its loan repayments. On 24th Janu-ary 2012 the parent company, Petroplus Holdings AG, announced that it and

its subsidiaries had received notices of accel-eration from the lenders under its financing facilities following unsuccessful negotiations to reopen credit lines to the group. The company further went on to say that such acceleration notice triggers default under $ 1.75 billion of senior notes and convert-ible bonds. Trading of Petroplus Holdings AG’s shares on the Swiss SIX exchange was suspended on Monday, 23rd January 2012.

Kazakh operators establish associationKazakh operators in the fuel and lubri-cant market have created an association comprising legal bodies and individual entrepreneurs entitled Kazakh Fuel As-sociation 1. It has been founded by 16 independent operators of the fuel market. The purpose of creating the Kazakh Fuel Association is an effective partnership with state agencies responsible for monitoring the production and turnover of oil products;

protect the interests of those operating at the fuel market, as well as take part in the preparation and making amendments to the bill on the marketing of oil products and other regulations relating to the activity of filling stations. Any owner of a filling station may become a member of the fuel association. More than 40 retail lubricant distributors voiced their intention to join the association.

Over 40 groups inter-ested in UK refineryAdministrators to an oil refinery which went bust have received over 40 expressions of interest from companies around the world, the UK Government announced. The news was described as “very encouraging” as ef-forts continue to secure the future of the Coryton site. Administrators PwC announced that it had acquired a cargo of oil which will allow refining work to continue. Work will now focus on securing a sustainable long-term future for the refinery. The site, which supplies 20 percent of fuel in London and South East of the country, halted sales after its Swiss owner, Petroplus, placed the refinery in administration, prompting fears of up to 1 000 job losses.

solar energy and French excellenceEDF and TOTAL, the CNRS (the French National Centre for Scientific Research) and the Ecole Polytechnique, associated with AIR LIQUIDE, HORIBA JOBIN YVON and RIBER have announced the creation of the Institut Photovoltaïque d’Ile-de-France (IPVF), a project selected by France’s Com-mission for Future Investments as an Institute for Excellence in Carbon-free Energy. The IPVF will be one of the five largest centres worldwide, conducting research into new generation photovoltaic solar systems. It will be based at the Paris Saclay campus, a French centre of excellence in scientific research, bringing together 180 research-ers, lecturers and students. The IPVF will drive National and European policies for developing renewable energies.

Lotos looking at domestic investorPoland “does not rule out” selling 53 per-cent stake in fuel group Lotos to a Polish sector investor, Treasury Minister Mikolaj Budzanowski said. “Lotos needs a strategic investor and given the lack of foreign inter-est, we are left with a choice of companies from the domestic fuel industry”, he added. An option for a takeover of Lotos would be either PKN Orlen, Poland’s leading oil company, or PGNiG, the local gas monopoly. In an interview, Budzanowski said he did not want to create an energy monopoly in Poland – which on the face of it would make a marriage of PKN and Lotos problematic. A newspaper writes, citing its own findings, that the PGNIG option which before was considered as a backup solution now has become the main scenario for Lotos privatization.


PrOdUCt NEws All text on this page is submitted and written by suppliers. Please email product news to [email protected]

shell International choose FranklinFranklin Fueling Systems announces a new relationship with Shell International that effectively establishes them as its one-stop-shop for Shell global Retail fuel system needs. The new agreement includes an array of fuelling system equipment and associated design services achieving Shell’s aim of materially reducing their total cost of ownership in optimized system design, resulting in more cost efficient site lay-outs. Chris Hallsworth, Global Category Manager, Retail Engineering said “By choosing Franklin Fueling Systems, Shell benefits from simplified ordering, improved logistics costs, reduced maintenance & environmental costs”. Also of significant importance to Shell in their decision was the reduction of contractor high-risk exposure hours. Franklin is equipped with designs for pre-assembly that reduce onsite labour hours and help contribute to the Shell

‘Goal Zero’ safety aim and commitment to environmental sustainability.

Positive development at ruud LightingAfter the takeover of the company Ruud Lighting, Inc. by the Cree, Inc. group, the service station business of the com-pany is developing positively. The Italian subsidiary of Cree Lighting reports about the recently successfully completed pro-ject with ExxonMobil for the renewal of a Esso service station in Turin, Italy and about the collaboration with IP for the illumination of the new IP petrol station in Parma, Italy. The most important aspects, which positively influence the decision for the installation of LED lights at petrol sta-tions, are the dramatic decrease in energy consumption and maintenance.

sUNNY-XE Euro from tatsUNOThe latest fuel dispensers from TATSUNO feature the SUNNY-XE EURO. These are progressive one- or double-sided fuel dispensers with one to eight hoses (max. four hoses on each side) for dispensing of 1 to 4 products. The fuel dispensers are equipped with the high-quality Japan hy-draulic system TATSUNO and by a reliable electronic calculator. All fuel dispensers of the SUNNY-XE EURO series are operated both in the manual mode (i.e. off-line) and in the automatic mode, where the fuel dispenser is linked with the kiosk control system and the data concerning volume, sum and price are transmitted to POS.

Fibrelite expands global manufacturingFibrelite, a leading manufacturer of composite manhole covers has announced expansion of its global operations with the opening of a new Malaysian production and service facil-ity in order to meet accelerating demand. In addition to this new manufacturing facility, Fibrelite also has a 30 000 ft². factory in the UK and a 35 000 ft². plant in the US. South East Asia is a rapidly growing region of the world economy with increasing car owner-

ship meaning service station construction is buoyant in these emerging markets. Fibrelite chose Malaysia as its SE Asia manufacturing hub because of its investor friendly approach to business and inward investment. Ian Thompson, Fibrelite’s Managing Director, said “We’re making significant investments in technology, product innovation and state-of-the art manufacturing operations to serve our customers around the world.”

Leighton O’brien grows global networkLeighton O’Brien announces fourteen new U.S. and international licensed service providers as part of its rapidly growing network to deliver best-practice technology for tank and fuel management. Existing service providers already operate as part of the global Leighton O’Brien portfolio in the U.S., Asia, Australia & New Zealand. The service network is a combination of direct company operations and a team of highly

qualified service distributors that typically provide maintenance services for petroleum storage systems. Leighton O’Brien has become a global leader in tank and fuel management, using best practice technology delivering EPA-certified environmental compliance through certified high definition wet stock management in real time or other analysis periods. Tank and line testing is accurate to 1 / 7 000 PSI and fully digitized.

tanknology and berkley announce collaborationTanknology Inc. and Berkley Environmental announced a first-of-its kind collaboration in the environmental liability insurance market, which will make environmental compliance and site risk management more affordable than ever for UST owners. In this new program Tanknology will offer its comprehensive suite of compliance testing and related services at exclusive discounted rates to current and prospective Berkley cli-ents. “This collaboration is ground breaking

for the Underground Storage Tank (UST) environmental liability insurance industry”, said Heather Rehm-Stelter, Assistant Vice President and Product Line Manager for Berkley's TankAdvantage pollution liabil-ity program. “We will be providing a great benefit to our clients by giving them access to exclusive discounted rates for Tanknolol-ogy’s wide range of UST site environmental compliance services. We are excited to bring this added value to our clients.”

Psd Codax ‘clean up’ in New zealandUK-based PSD Codax has signed a deal with New Zealand’s biggest vehicle cleaning equipment installer. Car Kleen is using Codax technology to control customer access to self-service vehicle vacuums which it is installing at petrol stations operated by Z Energy, formerly Shell New Zealand. The Codax system works by giving each customer a slip of paper with a

unique six digit code. The customer drives up to the equipment and keys the code into the Codax touchpad to start the car wash and / or vacuum services that they have purchased. The same Codax system can control practically any forecourt equipment – automatic and self-wash – including car washes, jet washes, vacuums and tyre inflators.

shell and OrtEC agree worldwide cooperationShell Global Solutions International B.V. and ORTEC, a leading supplier in resource optimization tools and consulting services, have signed a contract to work together on a worldwide scale. The agreement focuses on the optimization of supply chain processes and strategic decision making in up and downstream engineering disciplines like planning & scheduling, gas field produc-tion capacity optimization, spare parts management and cost estimating. Paulus

Steenkamp, Vice President Manufacturing, Production and Engineering Software, Shell Global Solutions International B.V. said: “In Shell’s drive to help secure a responsible energy future, ORTEC, with their high quality software development and techni-cal consultancy services supports us in underpinning Shell’s strategic objective to deliver leading technology solutions. This agreement secures the continuation of our relationship.”


PrOdUCt NEwsAll text on this page is submitted and written by suppliers. Please email product news to [email protected]

KPs sales volume exceed expectationsSo far the financial crisis does not seem to have hit the retail industry, as sales continue to develop in a positive direction. With increasing volumes in important markets such as China, Africa and South East Asia and good sales all-over, KPS managed to exceed the sales budget, making 2011 the best year in company history. Based on the 2011 results and with new products and an improved market offering in place, KPS CEO Lars Selling is expecting this year to be at least as good as 2011, despite the insecurities in some European financial markets. “We are focussing on three things this year: Further improving the way our products are installed and the design of underground piping, making the market aware of our expanding chamber assort-ment – and continued product development of our secondary contained fittings. We will also expand our factory in Sweden with more floor space and added capacity for pipe extrusion”, Lars added.

to get your news stories published on these pages please send your infor-mation to [email protected]

Fuelquest International expansion plansMahindra Satyam (MSat) a consulting and IT services provider has entered into a global services agreement with FuelQuest. MSAT will provide implementation and support services to FuelQuest as it scales its global operations. A spokesman for B K Mishra

said, “With 70 billion litres of fuel under management and millions of energy-related tax transactions processed yearly, FuelQuest is uniquely positioned to bring its proven fuel management and tax automation solutions into new global markets”.

Industry leaders announce partnershipOPW Fueling Components EMEA and FuelQuest Inc. announce a global partner-ship agreement. Fuel operators can now enjoy the benefits of proactive tank monitoring integrated with fuel management automation software and services to reduce fuel costs, lower working capital requirements, identify

incidences of theft, and improve environ-mental compliance. FuelQuest will leverage OPW’s SiteSentinel®iSite™ and iTouch™ tank gauges, 924 B magnetostrictive probe and IntelliSense™ smart sensor technologies to provide accurate, real-time tank inventory levels and sump monitoring.

Kss Fuels successful acquisition of MPsIKSS Fuels announced that the acceleration of new business wins and the successful integration of a major acquisition fuelled record revenues and earnings for the first half of its fiscal year. The record performance in the period ending 31st December 2011, reflected strong sales gains in each of the company’s core markets – North America, Europe, Japan, Australia and South Af-rica. The results were further enhanced

by extended product offerings from the recently acquired MPSI (Market Planning Solutions Inc). Chief Executive Officer Bob Stein said both revenues and earnings grew more than 90 percent over the previous year same period. KSS Fuels now has over 400 customers in 80 countries. In addition to its core markets, the company is pursuing growth opportunities in India, Southeast Asia, China and Brazil.


FEatUrE

MOL goes green with Moss, Algae and Cardboard!

It’s a very cold Friday morning in the Hungarian capital of budapest. the car temperature gauge reads minus 11.5 degrees as I drive around a bend on Istenhegyi street catching as I did my first view of the MOL ‘Green station’ dominating the skyline with its towering solar ‘trees’. the short walk from the car to the forecourt shop confirmed exactly what the car temp gauge was telling me. It was bitterly cold and so I hurried inside the shop looking for heat and a quick Cappuccino. Inside was a smiling béla Csorba ready to greet me, already at the counter or-dering the coffee for us both. béla is the retail Network development and asset Management director at MOL Nyrt, the leading petroleum retailer in Hungary. He had invited erpecnews to view its new concept in ‘green’ and sustainable fuel stations which having started out as a concept just three years earlier, was now a reality hav-ing opened its first such fuel station a few weeks earlier. I was there to find out just what their 1.2 million euros investment had bought into!

No sooner had we grabbed our coffees and sat down, Béla was already giving me the

background thinking and philosophy behind the new station enabling me to focus on all the innovation around me. The chairs we were sitting on and the table at which we were talking were made of cardboard! Cleverly compacted and sculp-tured to serve their purpose. Cardboard was also used in the construction of all shop shelving displays and counter tops. Above us were cork top covered globes featuring LED lighting, with three different ones covered in Lichen, a combination of moss and algae that takes nourishment from the air and creates a pleasant micro-climate.

Even the floor was covered in recycled vinyl textile. At this moment my sense of humour got the better of me and I asked

from what recycled materials the shop staff had been made of! Béla hesitated, smiled and carried on.

And there was more, a lot more. Before I could get on to the subject of the Solar ‘trees’, there were more structural and ‘house- keep-ing’ innovations to explain. Béla introduced me to János Vass, the station Manager, who underwent and won an in-house competi-tion for the prestige of running MOL’s first ‘green’ station. Béla and János explained that the majority of the building that houses the Shop, staff areas, heating and cooling system is covered, on the outside walls, in a green flora that insulates in Winter but on warm sunny days it reduces the temperature within the building. The flora covered walls and roof are kept watered by means of a clever irrigation system that is fed from a rain water storage system. The flora also pushes oxygen rich fresh air into the environment, neutralizing around 10 tons of CO

2 gas per year. In addition to the energy savings through insulation and a heat exchange system, it is estimated a further 100 tons of CO2 emissions will be saved in a year. Three layers of special thermal glass are used for the shop area, again reducing heat loss and in summer helping to cool the interior.

Solar ‘tree’ & wall flora using the environment to best effect

LED display showing updated energy savings Customer consuls for fast assistance

Béla Csorba – Retail Network Development & Asset Management Director


FEatUrE

MOL goes green with Moss, Algae and Cardboard!

One of the main focuses for MOL at their ‘green’ station was the innovative use of energy and alternative energy possibilities and just as I thought we would be moving outside to explain the function of the Solar ‘trees’, Béla was keen to show me MOL’s in-novative approach to the heating and cooling system. In a room below the shop, no bigger than a good sized bathroom, stood a state of the art ‘air to water’ heat exchanger, far more efficient than any modern day boiler and with a zero CO

2 emission figure. Béla

told me that whilst the inclusion of energy efficient technologies had cost around 20 percent more than traditional methods, the savings of more than 7 000 m³ of gas and 120 000 kwh of electrical energy each year would mean a return on investment in about six to seven years.

With the internal workings of the building thoroughly covered it was time to brace against the on-coming cold outside! On the forecourt, the look was just as you might expect from a recently constructed fuel station, but Béla was keen to point out a few extras that will probably not be seen yet at most fuel stations. Customer LED information consuls next to fuel dispensers and large LED display panels above the shop entrance, ideal for advertising messages, are good examples of these. Another LED

panel constantly dis-played up to date saved energy and CO

2 emissions. Planning ahead for f utu re customer demand, the provi-sion of EV charging points was very evi-dent as you might expect from a pro-

ject of this nature, but what about the Solar ‘trees’ I asked. Looking up at a quite amazing structure, Béla explained to me that this is more than just an eye-catcher and quite different from any other station canopy you would have ever seen. The MOL team assigned to this initiative agreed

that the conventional look of a fuel station can sometimes be very boring and almost industrial, so the idea was to combine in-novation in technology with innovation in design. This led to the Solar ‘trees’ which rise up to support a solar canopy, with the many branches of each ‘tree’ playing its part in an integrated photovoltaic system. This is expected to generate about 31 000 kwh per year, significantly reducing the need for other energy sources. Further electricity savings of around 6 000 kWh are expected from the LED lighting system used to light the building and fuel dispensing area. Throughout my site visit, the energy and passion shown by those involved in this exciting project was clearly etched on the faces of the same people who were now enthusiastically telling me how everything worked. The ‘green’ station by MOL, on God Mountain Road, the literal translation of Istenhegyi Ut. can be summed up as a true example of committed dedication to sustainable development and further evi-dence that the industry can demonstrate environmental awareness whilst produc-ing forward looking designs. Only time will tell just how much of the innovation shown here is taken forward to address the environmental challenges we all face.

By Stephen Bozdan

Display shelves manufactured completely from cardboard Cardboard display counters

Interesting use of Cork in globe design User friendly web information point

Integrated photovoltaic systemSolar ‘tree’ and canopy dominate the skyline

LatEst NEws, EvENts, jObs ONLINE – www.PEtrOLPLaza.COM

NEws

ALTERNATIVEFUEL NEws

LatEst aLtErNatIvE FUEL NEws – www.PEtrOLPLaza.COM20

volvo promotes ‘blue corridors’ for LNGLiquefied natural gas (LNG) is a viable lower-carbon alternative to diesel for heavy-duty long-haul trucks, but the necessary infrastructure for it in Europe is lacking. As a consequence Volvo Trucks is involved in efforts to establish ‘blue corridors’ with strategically placed filling stations to make the fuel more widely available. The transport industry accounts for around 25 percent of

Europe’s total carbon dioxide emissions, so competitive alternatives to diesel are sorely needed. Natural gas is one such alternative; admittedly it is also a fossil fuel, but it offers many environmental advantages over diesel

– and it’s cheaper too. But when liquid biogas (LBG) becomes more widely available, the carbon footprint of the vehicles using it will be reduced by up to 70 percent.

Fraunhofer IsE debuts Hydrogen filling stationSolar and water will power cars that fill up at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems’ first solar hydrogen filling station. Using electricity generated from solar or wind power, hydrogen is produced by means of electrolysis. Once supplied with hydrogen in a fuelling time of about three minutes, fuel cell cars can travel a distance of more than 400 kilometres. Sponsored by the Ministry of

the Environment Baden-Wuerttemberg, the publicly accessible filling station in Freiburg is one of the few stations that exhibits the entire value chain – starting from electricity generated from renewable energy, through electrolysis and ultimately to refuelling the vehicle with hydrogen – in the network of hydrogen filling stations being set up in the German feral state Baden-Württemberg.

twelve hydrogen stations added in 2011According to the latest annual market research, twelve new hydrogen refuelling stations opened throughout the world in 2011, bringing the total number of hydrogen refuelling stations in operation to 215. A further 122 refuelling stations are in the final planning stage around the world. In accordance with the information

available to Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik 85 hydrogen refuelling stations are currently operating in Europe, 80 in the USA and 47 in Asia Pacific. Another three hydrogen refuelling stations are located in Latin America, where a further 25 fuel cell buses are to be added to the existing fleet in Sao Paulo.

3M tanks for natural gas vehicles3M in partnership with a large natural gas producer, intends to develop less-expensive, higher-performance, lighter and higher-capacity fuel tanks, which it hopes will jump-start the market for natural gas-fuelled vehicles. 3M Company has partnered with the country’s second-largest natural gas producer, Chesa-peake Energy – and the companies intend to jointly create compressed fuel tanks for natural gas-fuelled vehicles. The tanks will

make use of 3M’s liners, thermoplastic materials, barrier films and coatings and damage-resistant films. “3M believes in the potential of natural gas and this agreement illustrates our commitment to the industry”, 3M Chairman, President and CEO George Buckley said in a statement. “We are excited about this collaboration to speed the develop-ment and adoption of natural gas-powered vehicles.”

Ireland says ‘No’ to hydrogen networkWith the UK government having just announced a £ 400 million (478 million euros) investment plan for hydrogen vehicle technology, the Irish Government barely seems to realise that such things exist The British plan is in reaction to the stated plans by several major car manufac-turers – Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and General Motors among them – to have hydrogen fuel cell cars on sale by 2015. Recent events have

moved hydrogen power for cars back up the agenda. Disappointing sales of electric cars in the UK and in Germany, apparently largely due to people not being willing to invest money in cars with restricted ranges, has brought hydrogen’s potential back to the forefront. The British government’s 478 million euros invest-ment will, it hopes, have a nationwide network of hydrogen re-fuelling stations in place by 2015.

sOCar plans Hydrogen fuelled cityThe State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has announced plans to develop Sumgair as the world’s first city where ur-ban transport relies on hydrogen fuel. The company has launched a joint study with the German Scientific-Research Institute on adapting SOCAR’s passenger buses to run on hydrogen and other alternative fuels. Last year, SOCAR’s ecologic specialists familiarised themselves with the principles of hydrogen transport and the necessary infrastructure. The company now plans to begin scientific-technical and economic-environmental assessments of adapting buses in its f leet to hydrogen fuel. The German Scientific-Research Institute is assisting in selecting technical equipment and marketing research.

Lola racing unveils electric race carAs fast as a Formula 1 racing car at over 200 mph the car will run for about 20 minutes at full speed and battery changing during pit stops could be just as quick as taking on fuel as in F1. But some will find it difficult to accept the electric motor racing cars with-out the noise of the engine and the smell of fuel. The race car was unveiled in January in Birmingham at which Martin Birrane, Lola Group Chairman said: “This innova-tive new project will evidence several new technologies with a variety of well-known technical suppliers, to show that zero car-bon, clean racing can be fast and exciting, whilst offering a stimulating engineering challenge.” With over 850 horsepower, it aims to be the fastest electric-powered race car to lap a circuit.

Clean Energy celebrates 15 yearsClean Energy 1st March celebrated its 15th year as a provider of natural gas for trans-portation. The company has grown from one CNG fueling station in Southern California fifteen years ago to 287 CNG and LNG fueling stations open today and 150 LNG truck fueling stations planned for America’s Natural Gas HighwayTM in 33 states. The company also has operations in 25 countries around the world.

LatEst NEws, EvENts, jObs ONLINE – www.PEtrOLPLaza.COM

USA NEws

22 LatEst Usa NEws – www.PEtrOLPLaza.COM22

retailers will not sell E15 without protectionAlthough the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently approved the re-quired health effects and emissions testing of ethanol / gasoline blend E15, a number of barriers still must be overcome before petro-leum retailers will sell the fuel for vehicles made 2001 and later, according to a recent report. These barriers include approval for a mis-fuelling mitigation plan. Additionally, state regulations must be changed to allow

the sale of the fuel to newer vehicles and retail infrastructure itself must be approved to store and dispense E15, the report stated. Retailers’ primary concerns about E15 include the potential for mis-fuelling liability, cost of equipment and consumer acceptance. Iowa may become the first state to permit E15 sales to 2001 and newer vehicles, due to E15’s existing presence in blender pumps for flex-fuel vehicles.

wawa continue expanding ‘Mega-stations’The popular Philadelphia gas and conveni-ence store chain named after a wild goose has a half-dozen stores under construction around Orlando. For the uninitiated, Wawa combines its mega-filling stations with C-stores four times the size of a 7-Eleven. Staffed by 30 people, each Wawa features made-on-site deli hoagies, gourmet coffees,

fresh-baked goods and groceries 24 / 7. While many 14- to 20-pump filling stations treat food-to-go as an afterthought, Wawa, which is leapfrogging into Florida after covering the mid-Atlantic with 600 locations, gives takeout and dashboard dining top priority.

“We’re a food retailer first”, Spokeswoman Lori Bruce said.

ExxonMobil to reward speedpass customers

To express appreciation to customers, Exxon-Mobil is repeating a favourite promotion of 15 cents per gallon rebate of gas purchased with a registered Speedpass account. Speedpass is a “contactless” system of payment. Each Speedpass key tag has a built-in chip and

radio frequency antenna that allows it to communicate with Speedpass readers at the pumps, convenience store terminals and car wash kiosks at Exxon and Mobil stations. A quick wave of a Speedpass key tag in front of the reader initiates the automatic transmission of a unique identification and security code to the Speedpass payment system. Payment is then instantly processed using the linked credit or debit card. Card information, prefer-ences and personal details are not stored in Speedpass devices, so information is protected from unauthorized use.

Lehigh gas continues with sales processFresh off a deal to sell 40 locations, Lehigh Gas Corp. is putting 26 more gas stations and convenience stores and one truck stop on the selling block. Lehigh owns the real estate at 21 of the locations (including the truck stop) and

leases the remaining six. Twelve of the stations and the truck stop are company operated, six are dealer operated and eight are currently closed. The structured sale process will be exclusively managed by Matrix Capital Markets Group Inc.

valero clinch 10 year distribution dealValero reported that its retail segment saw its most profitable year ever. Further that a 10 year distribution deal has been reached with Mobile-based GB Southern Oil LLC, which gives the company the first and only Valero-branded stores in the state. “We think going branded offers a lot”, Dennis Braswell, Co-owner of Mobile’s GB Southern Oil, said. He said the two entities started talks last

year, which developed into a distribution deal over the summer and fall. Braswell said his company’s biggest boon is working with a large company that advertises nationally and carries the potential for high brand recognition in local markets. Carrying the Valero brand will result in lower credit-card fees, more state-of-the art systems and the opportunity to distribute to other independent stations in the area.

Pollution programme threatenedFederal environmental officials have warned Connecticut they will begin to decertify a crucial pollution abatement program the day after the General Assembly session ends in May, unless state policymakers craft a solution first. At issue is a more than US $ 80 million backlog in applications for assistance through Connecticut’s Under-ground Storage Tank Petroleum Clean-up Program – and hundreds of gasoline sta-tions that fuel industry representatives say are at risk of going out of business. Since Congress toughened regulation of leaking underground tanks in 1984, state clean-up programs became a crucial alternative nationwide for gasoline stations often unable to get private insurance to cover their liabilities.

New limits for vehicle emissionsCalifornia regulators were considering new rules that would require dramatic cuts in emissions from most cars and trucks by 2025. Under new “advanced clean cars” regulations, proposed by the state Air Re-sources Board, cars and light trucks sold in 2025 must emit 75 percent fewer emis-sions of smog-forming pollutants and about a third less carbon dioxide. The program envisions that one in seven new cars sold in California in 2025 will run on electricity or hydrogen and produce no emissions, or run on electricity and gasoline to produce much lower emissions than conventional gasoline-fueled cars.

GE launches Micro LNG plantGE Oil & Gas has announced the develop-ment of a liquefied natural gas plant that it says meets the small-scale requirements of powering remote industrial and residential locations and fuelling motor vehicles. The Micro LNG produces in the range of 20 to 150 000 tons per year of liquefied natural gas. GE says that the biggest difference between traditional large plants, which produce in excess of 1 million tons per year and Micro LNG is the end user the product is destined for. Using LNG as a substitute for diesel or fuel oil can reduce combustion emissions up to 25 percent, say GE.


wEbsItEs aNd LOGOs – sUPPOrtING ErPECNEws

www.alucobond.com

www.washtec.de

www.plxpipe.com

www.eandsgroup.co.uk

www.brugg.de

www.beverinnovations.com

www.bennett-sauser.ch

www.bennettpump.com

www.hectronic.com

www.nupigeco.com

www.mepsan.com.tr

www.emergy.net

www.leightonobrien.com

www.kpsystem.com

www.kubald.com

www.opw-fce.com

www.christ-ag.com

www.eurotank.eu.com

www.franklinfueling.com

www.fafnir.com

If you have not yet sent us your logo and website address, please do so for the next issue by mailing [email protected]

www.ono-oil.com

www.iisltd.com

www.istobal.com

www.gilbarco.eu www.dresserwayne.com

www.secu-tech.at

www.psdcodax.com

www.planova.com

www.ruudlighting.net & www.ruudled.net

www.tokheim.com

www.scheidt-bachmann.com

www.sloanled.com

www.tanknology.com

www.turpak.com.tr

Ghana Oil discusses cooperation with Emarat New african ... · PDF filemake PSO a regional...

Documents

Transcript of Ghana Oil discusses cooperation with Emarat New african ... · PDF filemake PSO a regional...