NewS – eUROPe 4 LATeST NewS, eveNTS, jOBS ONLINe – www.PeTROLPLAzA.cOM
South Africa continues <strong>to</strong> allow collaboration The Competition Commission informed it had granted the petroleum and refinery industry its application for an exemption from certain provisions of the Competition Act in order <strong>to</strong> ensure security of fuel supply. The exemption is a major boost for the petroleum industry and will allow petroleum companies <strong>to</strong> collaborate, especially where they share infrastructure. The South African Petroleum Industry Association (Sapia) said Increased fuel demand in Ghana Ghana’s emerging oil industry is creating, as anticipated, new economic opportunities. More vehicles are expected <strong>to</strong> be imported in<strong>to</strong> the country, which reasonably means increased demand for petroleum products. This, perhaps, stimulates the growing <strong>invest</strong>ment in fuel retail stations. The upstream oil industry is barely 10 months old, but there is a proliferation of petroleum retail outlets and fuel service stations across the country. KenolKobil aims <strong>to</strong> become takeover target Fuel marketer KenolKobil is expanding along the east African coast with the hope of eventually becoming a takeover target for an Asian or Middle Eastern firm, its Chairman and Managing Direc<strong>to</strong>r said. Nairobi-listed delek Israel fires <strong>20</strong>0 attendants Delek Israel Fuel Corporation Ltd., the domestic fuel arm of Yitzhak Tshuva-controlled Delek Group Ltd., has fired <strong>20</strong>0 gas station attendants in the past two weeks in response <strong>to</strong> the directive cutting the fuel marketing margin by 25 percent lowering the companies’ profits. No additional layoffs are expected. Minister of Finance Yuval the move would enable companies <strong>to</strong> enter the collaborative exchange of information “necessary <strong>to</strong> ensure the stability of supply, as well as efficient use of the supply chain facilities”. Sapia said the exemption did not extend <strong>to</strong> the wholesale, commercial and retail trade of liquid fuels supply. Sapia members include BP Southern Africa, Chevron SA, Engen Petroleum, Sasol, <strong>Shell</strong> SA Marketing, PetroSA and TOTAL SA. Downstream market activities of supplying products, including bitumen and lubricants, have over the <strong>year</strong>s been handled by the oil marketing companies. The deregulation policy of the petroleum sec<strong>to</strong>r has however attracted indigenous entrepreneurs and other individual entrants. With increasing interest in s<strong>to</strong>rage, distribution and sales, there appears <strong>to</strong> be good prospects for inves<strong>to</strong>rs; fuel distribution has become an attraction for many people. KenolKobil is also looking <strong>to</strong> acquire more assets in southern part of the continent, Jacob Segman said in an interview this week. “The development of the company along the east coast of Africa has a strategy in mind,” Segman said on the sidelines of a Johannesburg <strong>invest</strong>ment conference. “We are developing a set of assets, an outfit, which would be a target for a takeover bid coming from India, China, Arabian Gulf players, or Malaysia.” Fast-growing Africa is drawing more interest from overseas inves<strong>to</strong>rs, especially as growth appears <strong>to</strong> be stalling in more developed economies. Steinitz and Minister of National Infrastructures Uzi Landau signed the directive in an effort <strong>to</strong> lower the price of gasoline. Following the firings, Delek Israel switched full-service points at gas stations <strong>to</strong> self-service or shut them down entirely. Sources at the company said that the firings were necessary <strong>to</strong> prevent heavy losses. z energy <strong>to</strong> spend $ 35 <strong>million</strong> on rebranding The Chief Executive of Z Energy, Mike Bennetts, has said that the company will be more attentive <strong>to</strong> cus<strong>to</strong>mers comments when considering measures <strong>to</strong> provide exactly what they seek from service stations, during the next few months. Mike Bennetts has also announced the existence of pilot service stations at different regions of the country in an attempt <strong>to</strong> understand regional differences among its cus<strong>to</strong>mers and then treat them accordingly. Sources have revealed that during the last <strong>year</strong>, Z Energy paid an amount of roughly $ 700 <strong>million</strong> for the retail and distribution assets of <strong>Shell</strong>. At this time it has successfully rebranded 10 out of 226 service stations across the country under the guise of a pilot scheme <strong>to</strong> test the brand. The complete rebranding process is expected <strong>to</strong> cost $ 35 <strong>million</strong>. LATeST NewS, eveNTS, jOBS ONLINe – www.PeTROLPLAzA.cOM NewS – MIddLe eAST, AFRIcA & ASIA z energy <strong>to</strong> go nationwide Z Energy could be rolling out its brand nationwide within six months, spelling the end of <strong>Shell</strong> – one of the most famous global brands in New Zealand. The Z brand was launched five months ago after <strong>Shell</strong>’s service stations and other assets were bought by the New Zealand Superannuation Fund and Infratil through Greens<strong>to</strong>ne Energy for $ 695 <strong>million</strong>. Chief executive Mike Bennetts says the rebranding of 230 <strong>Shell</strong> stations could happen within months and says the company needs <strong>to</strong> work on ways of being profitable on tight margins and lower fuel sales. ethiopia <strong>to</strong> expand station network National Oil Ethiopia Plc (NOC) is exploring the launch of operations in the East African Nations of Southern Sudan and Djibouti. NOC will install fuel stations and depots <strong>to</strong> provide complete fuel retailing services in these countries, once a final decision has been made. There have, however, been indications that the company may be seeking operational license in both markets from other sources. NOC managed <strong>to</strong> make a significant impact on the Ethiopian fuel market in its six and half <strong>year</strong>s in business. It is estimated by industry observers that NOC and TOTAL control over 40 percent of the national market. The majority shareholder of NOC is Sheik Al-Amoudi. National Oil currently runs more than 100 fuel stations across the country and has plans <strong>to</strong> open more. Forte Oil launches LPG refill stations Forte Oil PLC, (formerly known as African Petroleum PLC) one of Nigeria’s foremost indigenous oil marketers has introduced its Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) filling stations in major cities in the Country as part of its commitment <strong>to</strong>wards ensuring availability of the product <strong>to</strong> all Nigerians. The stations were built <strong>to</strong> exclusively dispense LPG (domestic) gas and are all situated at strategic locations. Speaking on how this operates, The Managing Direc<strong>to</strong>r of Forte Oil, Mr. Michael Ahme, said that the operations is au<strong>to</strong>mated and takes less than two minutes <strong>to</strong> fill a standard 12.5 kg cylinder. The cylinders are filled in the presence of the cus<strong>to</strong>mer and because the quantity is programmed in<strong>to</strong> the machine, the risk of the cus<strong>to</strong>mer being short changed is over ruled. 5
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