Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
NewS – MIddLe eaSt, aFrICa & aSIa<br />
KP gas stations in<br />
Pakistan refuse to<br />
make weekly closure<br />
The All Pakistan CNG Association, Khyber-<br />
Pakhtukhwa chapter, has declined to<br />
close outlets for one day in a week, agreed<br />
with the government a couple of months<br />
ago. Addressing a press conference at the<br />
press club, the chairman of the association,<br />
Fayyaz Khan Mohammadzai, claimed that<br />
the Peshawar High Court had granted<br />
them relief on their petition against gas<br />
outages. “The decision of the high court<br />
has been handed over to the Sui Northern<br />
Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL)”, he said.<br />
However, after getting legal cover from the<br />
court they would not tolerate harassment<br />
of filling station owners. “In the face of the<br />
court’s relief, forcing the CNG stations to<br />
observe gas holiday will be sheer injustice”,<br />
he added. Elaborating, he said 350 million<br />
cubic feet (mmcf) of gas is produced<br />
in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa compared to its<br />
demand of 150 mmcf while only 20 mmcf<br />
is consumed by CNG stations.<br />
Privatized petrol sites<br />
in burma to open<br />
Some 250 petrol stations in Burma earmarked<br />
for privatization in January as<br />
part of a grand economic reshuffle by the<br />
government are to open next weekend.<br />
The stations are scattered throughout<br />
the country, with around 50 in Rangoon<br />
division, 40 in Mandalay division, 37 in<br />
Bago division, 27 in Irrawaddy division<br />
and 25 in Shan state. “It is a two-sided<br />
story: one side is that the government<br />
has monopolized the sector for a long<br />
time, since the military coup in 1962, so<br />
it is the government losing its monopoly”,<br />
said Burmese Economic Analyst, Aung<br />
Thu Nyein. “But at the same time the assets<br />
were only transferred to the cronies.<br />
I think there are less than ten companies<br />
who got licenses to run gas stations; some<br />
were transferred to agri-businesses and<br />
construction companies”, he added. The<br />
likely owners of the stations are suspected<br />
to be the Htoo Group, Asia World and the<br />
Eden Group, all of whom have close ties to<br />
the ruling junta. Burma is heavily reliant<br />
upon imported fuel as a result of a lack of<br />
refining capabilities in the country. The<br />
current privatization initiative is part of<br />
a move towards free trade of petroleum<br />
products, which has been overseen by<br />
the newly formed Fuel Oil Importers and<br />
Distributors Association (FOIDA).<br />
Mobil oil australia confirms agreement to sell<br />
retail fuels business to 7-eleven<br />
Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd., a subsidiary of<br />
ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd., confirmed it<br />
signed an agreement to sell its retail gas business<br />
to 7-Eleven Australia, less than a month<br />
after Caltex Australia Ltd. said it wouldn’t<br />
proceed with its offer for Mobil’s stations after<br />
competition regulators blocked its bid. The sale<br />
to 7-Eleven, for an undisclosed sum, includes<br />
295 company-owned or leased stations that<br />
are primarily located in metropolitan areas<br />
in east Australia. Caltex’s roughly A $ 300<br />
million offer was for 302 of Mobil’s stations<br />
al Maha plans 41 souks by year-end in oman<br />
Al Maha Petroleum Products Marketing Co<br />
in cooperation with Al Fair, is currently in the<br />
process of opening many retail shops at various<br />
Al Maha filling stations. The company is<br />
projecting to open 41 shops by the end of the<br />
current year, and most of these shops will be<br />
opened for 24 hours. These shops will provide<br />
job opportunities for many nationals who<br />
8<br />
LateSt NewS, aLterNatIve eveNtS, FueL JobS NewS oNLINe – www.PetroLPLaza.CoM<br />
– www.PetroLPLaza.CoM<br />
but was knocked back because the Australian<br />
Competition and Consumer Commission<br />
was concerned the acquisition could result in<br />
reduced competition at individual stations.<br />
“We are pleased to have been able to reach<br />
agreement for the sale of our retail business<br />
to 7-Eleven”, said Mobil’s Fuels Director Kim<br />
MacMillan. “The Australian retail fuels market<br />
is highly competitive and challenging. Mobil<br />
is now a relatively small participant in that<br />
sector of the market following the extensive<br />
rationalization of its company-owned service<br />
station network over the last few years. We<br />
continue to be a major fuel wholesaler to the<br />
commercial and industrial sectors of the market,<br />
including aviation, regional distributors and<br />
other independent resellers.” The deal with<br />
7-Eleven does not include any other part of<br />
ExxonMobil Australia’s operations. Similarly,<br />
Caltex’s offer didn’t include refining assets.<br />
are ready to grab them. Ahmad Al Shanfari<br />
Director General, Marketing and Operations<br />
in Al Maha, said that there was an agreement<br />
with Al Fair Co signed on 18th October 2009,<br />
where the latter should start the inauguration<br />
and operating the new retail shops and also<br />
reopening the existing ones to the customers<br />
with a new look.<br />
Gail asked not to set up filling stations<br />
Gail Gas is a wholly-owned subsidiary of India’s<br />
largest gas transmission and marketing<br />
company Gail India. Gail incorporated it in<br />
2008 for implementation of city gas distribution<br />
projects. City gas projects involve fuel supply<br />
to automobile, industries and households. The<br />
restraining order is limited to particular locations<br />
in a city for which the company does not<br />
have specific approval by the regulator, the<br />
official said. PNGRB secretary confirmed the<br />
development. “In geographic areas where the<br />
company has been authorised by the Board<br />
for setting up CGD networks, no further<br />
permission from the Board is required to<br />
set up CNG stations”, he clarified. Specific<br />
details of alleged unauthorised locations in<br />
these cities could not be ascertained. As per<br />
Gail Gas officials, setting up CNG stations<br />
on the highways is the real bone of contention.<br />
Gail Gas is already implementing projects in<br />
four cities as they do not require any specific<br />
permission from the regulator, a company official<br />
said. “We have authorisation for the CGD<br />
networks, so we do not need permission for<br />
specific connections”, he said. The regulator<br />
had authorised Gail Gas to implement CGD<br />
projects in four cities – Dewas, Kota, Merrut<br />
and Sonipat – in March 2009. Gail is yet to<br />
get authorisation for the rest of the cities. In<br />
March this year, Gail Gas had invited bids from<br />
land-owners in seven cities to set up CNG<br />
stations at various locations. The last date<br />
for submission of bids was 24th April 2010.<br />
State-owned Gail India is a major vehicle of<br />
the oil ministry to connect households of 201<br />
cities with piped natural gas (PNG) connections<br />
by 2015. Minister of state for petroleum<br />
Jitin Prasada has also assured Lok Sabha that<br />
clean fuel will be available to over 200 cities<br />
in the next five years. The ministry is certain<br />
about meeting the target after production of<br />
gas from Reliance Industries’ KG-D6.
Change language