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an international retail petroleum news digest<br />
www.erpecnews.com<br />
Phoenix Petroleum to build 100 outlets in 2012<br />
Independent fuel retailer Phoenix Petroleum<br />
Philippines Inc. is embarking on an<br />
aggressive expansion plan that will see the<br />
construction of around 100 petrol stations<br />
in 2012. Phoenix Petroleum AVP Raymond<br />
T. Zorrilla said the company would spend<br />
roughly 500 million peso to put up around<br />
40 petrol stations in Luzon next year; 20 in<br />
the Visayas; and 40 more in Mindanao, in<br />
Smuggling Iranian petrol cannot be stopped<br />
Customs officials in Quetta, Pakistan have<br />
admitted that smuggling of Iranian petrol<br />
and diesel through borders cannot be stopped<br />
due to extreme pressure of influential mafias<br />
and powerful gangs in Balochistan for which<br />
policy measures such as a legalisation on<br />
import of diesel / petrol from Iran and joint<br />
check posts of all law enforcement agencies<br />
along the coastal belt of Balochistan and<br />
Pak-Iran border land routes are needed.<br />
Railway land could earn billions<br />
In a historic development and on a unique<br />
idea, the Pakistan Railways and Pakistan<br />
State Oil are planning to enter into a<br />
joint venture for establishing petrol filling<br />
stations on the Railways’ land. Pakistan<br />
State Oil (PSO) has already identified<br />
the plots in major cities to establish the<br />
state-of-the-art filling stations. However,<br />
the legal process is yet to be completed<br />
a bid “to formalize our claim to be the leading<br />
independent player. We have a vision<br />
to become the leading independent player<br />
both in terms of network share and market<br />
share”, Zorrilla explained. Should all the 100<br />
stations be completed within 2012, Phoenix<br />
Petroleum would have a total of 320 outlets<br />
by the end of next year, from an estimated<br />
retail network count of 220 stations in 2011.<br />
Sources say that the Federal Board of Revenue<br />
(FBR) has received a comprehensive<br />
report on smuggling of Iranian petrol / diesel<br />
from Model Customs Collectorate (MCC)<br />
Quetta which has exposed all those involved<br />
in smuggling including influential and powerful<br />
mafias of Balochistan who pressurised<br />
the customs in the province not to hinder<br />
non-stop smuggling of POL products through<br />
Pakistan-Iran border.<br />
and a Pakistan Railways (PR) official –<br />
related to the development – stated that<br />
the deal would be made after discussing<br />
all aspects of the agreement. An official<br />
has stated that thousands of acres of the<br />
PR land could be used to earn billions of<br />
rupees annually. “It is the need of the hour<br />
that PR should scientifically develop the<br />
land it has”, he said.<br />
Issue No 15 | January / February 2012<br />
AsiA, Middle eAst & AfricA edition<br />
Discount station opens<br />
in Korea<br />
Korea’s first independent discount gas station<br />
has opened amongst controversy over<br />
state intervention in petrol prices. The<br />
much-touted outlet is a by-product of the<br />
government’s ambitious drive to contain<br />
sky-high fuel prices and take apart four<br />
major refiners’ tight control over domestic<br />
petrol supplies. Prices at the new station<br />
are significantly lower. “Since this outlet<br />
is based on the concept of social contribution,<br />
our profit margin is just enough to<br />
pay five employees and keep the business<br />
sustainable”, Eric Choi, Managing Director<br />
of Kyung Dong’s new business promotion<br />
unit said. To maintain low price tags, the<br />
government teamed up with two state-run<br />
firms to buy petrol in bulk from refiners<br />
and resupply it to other vendors. It aims to<br />
supply about 1 300 discount gas stations<br />
nationwide, or 10 percent of outlets by 2015.<br />
Will Caltex abandon<br />
refining in Australia?<br />
Another profit downgrade by Caltex has<br />
fuelled speculation the company might exit<br />
the oil refining business in Australia, leaving<br />
it a convenience retailer. Caltex forecast an<br />
after-tax operating profit, on a replacement<br />
cost of sales basis and including significant<br />
items, in the range of $ 180 million to $ 200<br />
million for the 2011 calendar year.<br />
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McLean Events<br />
essar increases domestic network<br />
Essar Oil MD and CEO LK Gupta have said<br />
that the company was planning to build a<br />
5 – 7.5 million tons-a-year oil refinery in<br />
Uganda. “There is a big oil find in Uganda<br />
and we believe that there is a possibility of<br />
building a refinery there”, Gupta said and<br />
added “Essar Oil was already in talks with<br />
the Ugandan government in this regard”.<br />
Gupta also said that Essar Oil had decided<br />
Golez files for pump calibration<br />
Bacolod Rep. Anthony Golez Jr. confirms that<br />
he has filed a bill for the creation of a “Fuel<br />
Pumps Calibration Act” House Bill 5 483<br />
requires the calibration of fuel pumps in all<br />
filling stations twice a month and imposes<br />
penalties for violations. “The problem of<br />
high fuel prices is compounded by the devious<br />
acts of filling stations that do not have<br />
properly calibrated fuel pumps. Retail fuel<br />
bangladesh talks to secure fuel supplies<br />
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation is discussing<br />
long term contracts to import oil<br />
products to meet growing domestic demand<br />
in 2012. A team headed by BPC Chairman<br />
Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique has held<br />
talks with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation<br />
(KPC), Emirates National Oil Company<br />
(ENOC), Malaysia’s Petronas, Egypt’s Middle<br />
East Oil Refinery and Philippines National<br />
Oil Company (PNOC) to discuss quantities<br />
LAteSt NeWS, eveNtS, JobS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
to step up its retail petrol sales in India by<br />
increasing its network of filling stations<br />
by about 25 percent. “We are opening 300<br />
more filling stations across the country in<br />
addition to our existing network of 1 300<br />
outlets”, said Gupta. Essar is expanding its<br />
retail petrol sales to take advantage of the<br />
market-linked pricing for the fuel, which<br />
was introduced last June.<br />
consumers do not get their money’s worth<br />
when the fuel pumps serving them are not<br />
properly calibrated.” He has said. His bill<br />
provides penalties that will make sure that<br />
filing station operators and owners will no<br />
longer resort to defrauding the consuming<br />
public. The proposed law also has a provision<br />
penalizing government officials who connive<br />
with owners or operators of filing stations.<br />
and price details. Bangladesh’s fuel oil imports<br />
are likely to more than double next year to<br />
around 1.65 million tonnes, while overseas<br />
purchases of diesel may rise about 25 percent<br />
to 3.74 million tonnes on growing domestic<br />
demand, according to a senior BPC official.<br />
Besides diesel and fuel oil, Bangladesh will<br />
import 385 000 tonnes of jet fuel, 100 000<br />
tonnes of 95-octane gasoline and 90 000<br />
tonnes of kerosene in 2012.<br />
Choice Petroleum goes independent<br />
One of the biggest pieces of Australian<br />
industr y news recently was the announcement<br />
independent fuel company<br />
Choice Petroleum had been acquired by<br />
Ausfuel, also an independent company.<br />
Choice Petroleum was established by<br />
Gladstone businessman Evan Ryan and<br />
started operations in 2000 and operates<br />
21 company-owned service stations.<br />
Choice also operates a fleet of fuel tankers<br />
supplying bulk fuel directly to farming<br />
Nigeria to merge PeF with larger organisations<br />
To resolve the conflicts and duplication<br />
of duties in the oil and gas industry, the<br />
Federal Government Parastatals and<br />
Agencies Restructuring and Rationalisation<br />
Committee, has recommended in its<br />
preliminary report that the Petroleum<br />
Equalisation Fund (PEF), Weights and<br />
Measures, in the Ministry of Trade and<br />
Investment be merged with bigger organisations<br />
with similar functions. It also<br />
called for the streamlining of the duties of<br />
customers. Ausfuel Group CEO Brooke<br />
David said the company was delighted to<br />
acquire Choice Petroleum, as it ensured<br />
it remained in independent hands. “Like<br />
the Ausfuel Group, Choice has a proud<br />
history of providing competition and a<br />
viable alternative to the multi-national<br />
fuel companies”, Mr. Brooke said. Choice<br />
coming on board expands the Ausfuel<br />
network into strategic parts of Queensland<br />
in a significant way.<br />
the Department of Petroleum Resources<br />
(DPR). The committee has submitted its<br />
preliminary report to the Secretary to<br />
Federal Government.In the report the<br />
committee recommended that PEF, which<br />
oversees refunds for bridged petroleum<br />
products in the country, be merged with<br />
the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory<br />
Agency (PPPRA), while the Weights and<br />
Measures be fused with the Standards<br />
Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
Can foreign companies break Chinese duopoly?<br />
Gas station revenue in China is expected<br />
to total $ 173.4 billion by the end of 2012,<br />
up 13.5 percent on 2011, with an annualized<br />
growth rate of 16.4 percent in the past<br />
five years, according to IBISWorld. The<br />
industry currently consists of a duopoly<br />
of two state-owned oil companies, China<br />
Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) and<br />
China National Petroleum Corporation.<br />
Controversial station set to open in Malaysia<br />
A petrol station in Batu Ferringhi which was<br />
completed more than a year ago but could not<br />
operate because the local council refused to<br />
grant it a licence is now set to open. It was<br />
mired in controversy earlier as the residents<br />
were against the project which due to structural<br />
defects, caused underground water to overflow<br />
during piling works. Things came to a head<br />
last year when exasperated residents wrote to<br />
blended fuel back on market in zimbabwe<br />
Greenfuel has started distributing ethanol to fuel<br />
dealers for blending with petrol, which should see<br />
prices falling. The company announced this week<br />
that about 12 fuel stations were already selling<br />
blend fuel, a mixture of 10 percent ethanol and<br />
90 percent petroleum. The ethanol component<br />
New fuel prices in tanzania worries motorists<br />
Motorists in Tanzania will have to dig deeper<br />
to purchase petroleum products following a<br />
decision by the Energy and Water Utilities<br />
Regulatory Authority (Ewura) to raise prices.<br />
Price increases have been justified due to<br />
increases of wholesale on the world markets.<br />
totAL to launch solar powered fuel station<br />
TOTAL Ethiopia has inaugurated a solar<br />
powered fuel station in the Djibouti corridor<br />
according to Haile Eyesus, Communications<br />
and Public Affairs Manager of TOTAL. The<br />
fuel station will be the first solar powered station<br />
in East Africa he said. TOTAL selected<br />
the Diciotto area for constructing the fuel<br />
station because of it is high temperatures and<br />
sunshine. Dicotto was utilizing two generators<br />
PetroSA to enter downstream market<br />
National oil company PetroSA has “firmed up”<br />
plans to enter the local downstream market<br />
and is eyeing assets disposed of by major oil<br />
companies, says its acting CEO Yekani Tenza.<br />
This means that PetroSA is more interested<br />
in snapping up existing assets than building<br />
its own network from scratch, a move that<br />
could be costly and time-consuming. PetroSA<br />
The industry is heavily influenced by the<br />
vertical integration these companies, which<br />
control crude oil mining and the importation<br />
of petroleum products and own most of the<br />
large refineries in China. These two firms<br />
also jointly own over half of the gas stations<br />
in China. Sinopec and CNPC gas stations<br />
have competitive advantages in fuel supply,<br />
funding and technologies.<br />
the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP),<br />
calling for urgent repair works by the developer.<br />
Despite the completion of the petrol station,<br />
MPPP temporarily suspended the granting<br />
of Certificate of Fitness for occupation (OC),<br />
subject to the completion of remedial works.<br />
The developer had finished rectifying the<br />
damage recently to restore normalcy in the<br />
neighbourhood as instructed by MPPP.<br />
will replace imports in equal measure, saving<br />
the country foreign currency and cushioning it<br />
from global price shocks. Petrol blending will<br />
also enable dealers to cut significantly on the<br />
costs of transportation and reduce constraints<br />
associated with importation of petrol.<br />
However fuel companies have the freedom to<br />
sell their products at prices which give them<br />
a competitive advantage provided that the<br />
price does not surpass Ewura’s approved rates.<br />
Petrol station owners are obliged to publish<br />
new prices on clearly visible boards.<br />
previously but now generates power from solar<br />
panels during the day and the power supply<br />
from the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporations<br />
as back up explained Haile. The solar<br />
batteries that provide electricity for the fuel<br />
station can supply power for 12 hours he added.<br />
The TOTAL Ethiopia board will approve the<br />
launch of other solar fuel stations after the<br />
Diciotto station shows first operational results.<br />
is currently not involved in downstream market<br />
activities, even though it produces petrol,<br />
diesel, kerosene, fuel oil, liquefied petroleum<br />
gas and other products from its gas-to-liquids<br />
refinery at Mossel Bay in the Western Cape.<br />
The products from the refinery are distributed<br />
through oil companies under their own brand<br />
names in various Cape regions.<br />
LAteSt NeWS, eveNtS, JobS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
NeWS – MIDDLe eASt, AFRICA & ASIA<br />
3
NeWS – eURoPe<br />
4 LAteSt NeWS, eveNtS, JobS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM
Petron to invest in Malaysian fuel retailer<br />
Petron has said that it will make investments<br />
in the retail business of ExxonMobil Corp.<br />
in Malaysia. It was earlier reported that San<br />
Miguel Corp., the parent company of Petron,<br />
last year acquired ExxonMobil’s 65 percent<br />
stake in Malaysian oil refiner Esso for $ 610<br />
million. San Miguel said that the agreement<br />
also includes the acquisition ExxonMobil’s oil<br />
retail units in Malaysia, namely ExxonMobil<br />
Hundreds of petrol stations leaking fuel<br />
In Australia, more than 900 New South Wales<br />
petrol stations and depots could be leaking fuel<br />
into soil and groundwater official data shows.<br />
Figures contained in a NSW Auditor-General<br />
report released late last year show 770 service<br />
stations and 176 other petroleum sites were<br />
actually or potentially contaminated, with<br />
many leaking fuel from underground tanks. In<br />
two of the worst confirmed cases, high levels<br />
SoN begins testing of petroleum products<br />
As parts of efforts to ensure that adulterated<br />
petroleum products no longer get to<br />
the Nigerian market, Standards Organisation<br />
of Nigeria (SON) is looking closely at<br />
the distribution chain. Director-General<br />
of SON, Mr. Joseph Odumodu said “right<br />
from the landing point to the pump point,<br />
petroleum products will be tested and given<br />
Pertamina to build terminal in Riau Islands<br />
Indonesian State oil and gas firm PT Pertamina<br />
announced that it would set up a new fuel<br />
terminal on Sambu island, Riau Islands, with<br />
a total capacity of 300 000 kilolitres in a bid<br />
to strengthen the national fuel stock. The<br />
terminal, worth US $ 50 million, would consist<br />
of storage and three docks for vessels with a<br />
maximum capacity of 100 000 dead weight<br />
tons (DWT), the company’s Spokesperson,<br />
NUPeNG plans mega stations in 774 LGAs<br />
In order to make petroleum products available<br />
nationwide at the official pump price, the<br />
National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas<br />
Workers (NUPENG) has concluded plans to<br />
have its own mega filling stations in each of<br />
the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in<br />
the country. The President of the union, Igwe<br />
Achese, revealed this in Calabar during the<br />
Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Exxon Mobil Borneo.<br />
Physical assets include the Port Dickson refinery<br />
with a rated capacity of 88 000 barrels<br />
per day; seven fuel distribution terminals; and<br />
a network of roughly 560 branded service<br />
stations, 420 of which are company-owned.<br />
Petron has almost 1 800 service stations<br />
nationwide, the largest network in the fuel<br />
industry by far.<br />
of the cancer-causing agent benzene leaked<br />
from a petrol station were detected beneath a<br />
waterfront park and elevated concentrations<br />
of a toxic chemical mix were recorded inside a<br />
home near another service station. Some fuel<br />
companies, including BP, Caltex and Mobil,<br />
class all petrol station sites as potentially<br />
contaminated and refer them to authorities<br />
as a matter of precaution.<br />
pass mark or otherwise”. “Anyone or station<br />
found wanting should know that such station<br />
be closed and the people behind such<br />
irregularities will be made to face the law”,<br />
Odumodu warned. “We are not only carry<br />
out the testing at the landing points at the<br />
ports, we are also taking it to all 15 000<br />
filling stations across the country.”<br />
Mochamad Harun, reported. The construction<br />
of the facilities is expected to be completed<br />
in 2013 and is also expected to optimize the<br />
potential of Sambu Island as a fuel business<br />
hub in Southeast Asia. Pertamina distributes<br />
60 million kilolitres annually. It has six<br />
refineries, more than 130 tankers, 160 fuel<br />
terminals, 2 688 tank trucks, over 4 800 fuel<br />
stations and 15 000 employees.<br />
natio nal training workshop for saying the pro -<br />
ject tops the union’s investment agenda. Achese<br />
explained that the mega stations would help<br />
create employment opportunities for deserving<br />
Nigerians even as it would ensure that all<br />
marketers within sell according to government<br />
litre price and thus bring to an end disparity<br />
in the pump price of petroleum products.<br />
Mozambique launches tender for fuel stations<br />
The Mozambican National Energy Fund<br />
(Funae) has launched a public tender to hire<br />
a company to build fuel supply stations in<br />
rural areas. The project is expected to take<br />
six months to build once the tender has been<br />
awarded. The fuel stations will be built in<br />
17 rural districts in the south, centre and<br />
north of the country.<br />
LAteSt NeWS, eveNtS, JobS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
NeWS – MIDDLe eASt, AFRICA & ASIA<br />
Ptt talks expansion<br />
plans in Cambodia<br />
Thailand’s state-owned energy firm PTT<br />
Plc has said it will expand its oil retail<br />
operations in Cambodia. PTT plans to<br />
open more than 20 new petrol stations<br />
in Cambodia during the next five years,<br />
with up to six stations starting business<br />
in 2012, Bin May Mailia, a Manager for<br />
PTT in Cambodia, has said. “We want<br />
to have the complete business chain in<br />
Cambodia, both retail and oil production.”<br />
Competition among oil retailers in<br />
Cambodia is growing rapidly, a manager<br />
at Kampuchea Tela Co Ltd said that the<br />
Cambodian-owned company, which has<br />
about 40 service stations in the country,<br />
aims to open as many as 15 new stations<br />
this year, requesting anonymity<br />
because he was not authorised to speak<br />
to the media.<br />
vietnam checks<br />
gasoline quality<br />
Vietnam’s quality watchdog has said that<br />
it has started checking gasoline quality<br />
on suspicion that poor-quality fuel was<br />
related to recent vehicle fires. Tran Van<br />
Vinh, Deputy Chief of the Directorate<br />
for Standards, Metrology and Quality,<br />
said his agency took samples from the<br />
provinces and cities where the fires took<br />
place, especially at gasoline stations<br />
where the owners of burned vehicles<br />
made purchases before the incidents. In<br />
an interview Vinh said probably after 11<br />
fuel traders in Ho Chi Minh City were<br />
found selling low-performance gasoline<br />
(A83) under the labels of high-performing<br />
ones – A93 and A9, other traders mixed<br />
some additives into their products to increase<br />
performance. The additives were<br />
probably related to the fires, he said.<br />
Shell oman Retail<br />
record<br />
Shell Oman Marketing Company declared<br />
to have crossed a record retail sales volume<br />
of over 1.5 billion litres of fuel in 2011.<br />
Shell Oman has a growing network that<br />
currently consists of 144 stations. An independent<br />
market research conducted in Q3<br />
2011, indicated that Shell Oman successfully<br />
covers 95 percent of the population<br />
through its conveniently located stations.<br />
The market research also shows that Shell<br />
Oman is leading on key factors like brand<br />
preference and customer satisfaction.<br />
5
6<br />
NeWS – MIDDLe eASt, AFRICA, ASIA & eURoPe<br />
NeWS – MIDDLe eASt<br />
Sasol output and<br />
supply on track<br />
Sasol Ltd.’s production and supply of all<br />
fuel variants from its South African refineries<br />
are on track, spokeswoman Jacqui<br />
O’Sullivan said in an e-mailed statement<br />
from Johannesburg. Chevron Corp.’s South<br />
African unit, which operates Caltex fuel<br />
stations throughout the country, said the<br />
nation’s “inland refineries”, which aren’t<br />
operated by Chevron, are experiencing<br />
production problems.<br />
Libya builds economy<br />
beyond oil<br />
Libya’s new regime wants to move quickly<br />
to reshape a Libyan economy almost completely<br />
dependent on oil and gas. “We have<br />
had our political revolution. Now we need<br />
an economic revolution”, interim Economy<br />
Minister Tahar Sharkass has said. Petrol<br />
in Libya remains king, counting for more<br />
than 98 percent of export receipts. With<br />
oil companies, both national and international,<br />
hard at work to reopen the taps, oil<br />
production reached 700 000 barrels a day<br />
by the end of 2011, still only a fraction of<br />
the 1.6 million barrels per day that pumped<br />
out of Libya before the uprising.<br />
Government wants<br />
discount gas stations<br />
South Korea has been waging an uphill<br />
battle to bring down the prices of retail<br />
petroleum products. Its efforts have<br />
culminated with the Ministry of Knowledge<br />
Economy announcing a plan to<br />
convert 10 percent of Korea’s gas stations,<br />
1 300 outlets, into discount gas stations<br />
by 2015. The scheme is aimed at infusing<br />
competition in the domestic market, which<br />
the ministry thinks is being dominated<br />
by a cartel of four refiners, SK Energy,<br />
GS-Caltex, S-Oil and Hyundai Oilbank.<br />
These discount gas stations, ministry officials<br />
hope, would be able to pull down<br />
gas prices at the pump by up to 100 won<br />
per litre. To offer such a large price cut,<br />
the new stations will feature self-serve<br />
pumps and provide no promotional gifts.<br />
oMv appoints Deutsche bank<br />
Among other tasks, this includes the assess -<br />
ment of the divestment potential and the initiation<br />
of discussions with prospective buyers.<br />
In line with the OMV strategy, the possible<br />
sale of the 45 percent stake in the Bayernoil<br />
refinery network will also be evaluated. This<br />
would involve a reduction in the annual refining<br />
capacity by 4.6 to 17.7 million tones. The<br />
OMV strategy aims to sharpen and simplify<br />
the company portfolio. This includes gradu-<br />
Lotos to open more economyclass stations<br />
Polish retailer, Lotus fuel group plans to open<br />
another 50 economy-class stations known<br />
Romania antitrust body fines oil firms<br />
“Romania’s competition watchdog levied fines<br />
totalling 880 million lei (US $ 257 million)<br />
on oil companies including the country’s<br />
largest firm Petrom for breaking anti-trust<br />
rules”, the Agency’s Director has said. The<br />
watchdog also fined local units of OMV<br />
(Petrom’s owner) and Rompetrol Downstream,<br />
along with MOL, Lukoil and ENI,<br />
for having an understanding to withdraw a<br />
Ukraine fuel prices brought into line with europe<br />
Prices of petrol in Ukraine, not taking into<br />
account tax, are comparable to European<br />
prices, TNK-BP Commerce’s Vice President<br />
for Sales, Trading and Logistics Olena Alekseyeva<br />
has said. Alekseyeva said that the<br />
average price of A-95 petrol in Ukraine, not<br />
taking into account tax, is 0.58 euros per<br />
litre, while in most European countries it is<br />
Statoil expands network in Russia<br />
Statoil Nefto, a subsidiary of Statoil Fuel &<br />
Retail, has signed a purchase agreement to<br />
acquire seven strategically located service<br />
stations, strengthening its presence in northwest<br />
Russia. Following the purchase, Statoil<br />
Fuel & Retail now has 26 Statoil stations<br />
in Russia. “The acquisition offers us the<br />
opportunity to expand our existing network<br />
of well-maintained, new concept stores<br />
delivering best-in-class customer service in<br />
the north-west part of Russia”, says Sandis<br />
Steins, Business Unit Leader for Statoil<br />
Fuel & Retail in Russia. The stations will<br />
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ally shifting the portfolio away from R&M<br />
towards Exploration and Production and Gas<br />
and Power. In this context, OMV’s Turkish<br />
subsidiary, OMV Petrol Ofisi, already sold its<br />
52 percent stake in the Cypriot retail company<br />
Kibris Türk Petrolleri Limited Sirketi at the<br />
end of November 2011. Furthermore, a release<br />
issued on 6th December, 2011 announced the<br />
intention to sell the subsidiary companies in<br />
Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.<br />
as Lotos Optima in 2012, after launching<br />
the initial 50 in 2011, deputy CEO Maciej<br />
Szozda told a press conference. “We intend<br />
to double the number of Lotos Optima<br />
stations in 2012, we want to have 100 of<br />
them”, Szozda said. “We are also developing<br />
the premium chain and in 2011 opened 26<br />
new stations. At the end of 2011 the group<br />
had altogether 362 stations with the Lotos’<br />
share of the wholesale market at 33 percent”.<br />
certain type of fuel from the market in 2008.<br />
The fines amount to roughly 3 percent of<br />
the companies’ combined turnover in 2010,<br />
competition watchdog director Bogdan Chiritoiu<br />
has said. OMV has issued a statement<br />
saying that fines imposed on OMV Petrom<br />
SA and OMV Petrom Marketing SRL were<br />
unjustified and will therefore challenge the<br />
Competition Council’s decision in the courts.<br />
around 0.62 – 063 euros per litre. The level<br />
of tax for A-95 petrol in Ukraine reaches<br />
0.36 euros per litre and in Europe it is 0.60 –<br />
0.90 euros per litre and higher. “The pace of<br />
fuel prices in Ukrainian retail is following<br />
European trends. If we take the price of fuel<br />
without taxes in our country and in Europe,<br />
it would not be much lower.”<br />
be rebranded to Statoil. The agreement is<br />
subject to the approval of Russian competition<br />
authorities (FAS). Statoil Fuel & Retail<br />
launched its service station operations in<br />
Russia in 1993. It currently has a network of<br />
19 full-service stations in north-west Russia.
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Petrol Group opens<br />
new fuel stations<br />
Petrol Group d.d. has opened six new petrol<br />
stations in the Balkans to strengthen its<br />
foothold in the region operating now a<br />
fuel network of 455 outlets. The Slovenian<br />
company also plans to offer other sources<br />
of energy at its retail network. Petrol, Slovenia’s<br />
biggest public company by revenue<br />
last year, has been expanding its retail<br />
network in the Balkans as the region moves<br />
closer to the European Union to benefit<br />
from expanded business and trade. Last<br />
December the company sold 33 million<br />
euros (US $ 43 million) of corporate bonds<br />
to finance investment and adjust its debt.<br />
Resignations after<br />
turcas sells stake<br />
Turcas Petrol AS, a Turkish fuel retailer<br />
owned by Aksoy Holding AS, has sold its<br />
25 percent stake in Socar & Turcas Enerji<br />
to the State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan, known<br />
as Socar. Turcas also bought 18.5 percent of<br />
Socar & Turcas Rafineri AS from Socar &<br />
Turcas Enerji, as part of a plan to shift its<br />
business from petrochemicals to fuel retailing<br />
and refining. Erdal Aksoy and Saffet Batu<br />
Aksoy resigned from the executive board of<br />
Petkim Petrokimya Holding AS, Turkey’s<br />
biggest chemicals maker controlled by<br />
Socar & Turcas Enerji AS, Petkim said in<br />
a statement to the Istanbul Stock Exchange.<br />
oPW & FuelQuest<br />
OPW Fueling Components EMEA and<br />
FuelQuest Inc announce a global partnership<br />
agreement. Fuel operators are now<br />
able to enjoy the benefits of proactive tank<br />
monitoring integrated with fuel management<br />
automation software and services to<br />
reduce fuel costs, lower working capital<br />
requirements, identify incidences of theft,<br />
and improve environmental compliance.<br />
NIS to spend US $ 158 million in Serbia<br />
Naftna Industrija Srbije AD, a Serbian oil<br />
company controlled by OAO Gazprom Neft,<br />
plans to spend as much as 13 billion dinars<br />
bP buys into negative carbon fuel<br />
BP has invested in yet another biofuels<br />
startup. CoolPlanet BioFuels, a startup out<br />
of Camarillo, Calif., has developed so-called<br />
negative carbon fuels that look (chemically)<br />
like crude oil, but does not contain carbon.<br />
BP paid US $ 98.3 million last year to buy<br />
the biofuel unit of Verenium and has invested<br />
in Synthetic Genomics, among others. BP<br />
didn’t disclose the amount of this latest<br />
GFI Group & Petrol energetika agreement<br />
GFI Market Data, a division of GFI Group<br />
Inc., announced that it has entered into an<br />
agreement with Petrol Energetika, a leading<br />
Slovenian energy company and the principal<br />
supplier of oil and other energy products to<br />
the Slovenian market. Petrol Energetika will<br />
use GFI market data to gain an insight into<br />
markets with limited liquidity as well as<br />
Gazprom pursues oMv’s Croatian and bosnian assets<br />
OAO Gazprom Neft from Russia is interested<br />
in buying OMV AG’s filling stations in Bosnia-<br />
Herzegovina and Croatia. “We will pursue<br />
projects if they create added value”, Deputy<br />
Chief Executive Officer Vadim Yakovlev said<br />
in St. Petersburg. Gazprom Neft has the<br />
“financial capacity” for acquisitions, he said.<br />
OMV, announced recently that it plans to sell<br />
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(US $ 158 million) to renovate as many as<br />
250 of its gas stations in the country, the<br />
company’s chief executive officer said. Work<br />
to overhaul the stations should be complete<br />
by 2015. The company operates a network<br />
of more than 400 filling stations and are<br />
looking at the profitability of the remaining<br />
un-renovated stations and could either lease<br />
them out or sell them. NIS is 56.15 percent<br />
owned by Gazprom Neft and the Serbian<br />
government has a 29.87 percent stake.<br />
investment, which was part of a series C<br />
funding round led by Shea Ventures. However,<br />
CoolPlanet did say the financing round was<br />
wrapped up ahead of schedule so it could<br />
accelerate the development of its modular<br />
fuel production plants. The company says<br />
it expects to deploy hundreds of “relatively<br />
low-cost modular plants” around the U.S.<br />
in the next few years.<br />
those that are in the process of deregulating<br />
or have done so recently. Shai Popat, Head<br />
of European Sales at GFI Market Data said:<br />
“We will strive to provide them with the best<br />
quality data in energy and the commodities.<br />
Our data derives from EnergyMatch ® Europe,<br />
our world-class electronic trading platform<br />
for energy and commodities”.<br />
its Balkan subsidiaries as it seeks to dispose<br />
of 1 billion euros of less profitable assets.<br />
The Croatian unit has 63 filling stations and<br />
a market share of about 13 percent, while in<br />
Bosnia, OMV has 28 filling stations and an 8<br />
percent share. The sale also attracted interest<br />
from OAO Zarubezhneft, a Russian oil-pipeline<br />
operator, which submitted an offer last month.
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10<br />
Medvedev orders<br />
clampdown<br />
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has<br />
ordered the head of Russia’s anti-monopoly<br />
service (FAS) to closely monitor retail<br />
vehicle fuel prices, with any baseless<br />
increases met with swift legal measures.<br />
The Energy Ministry said: “The recent rise<br />
in excise duty on fuel products should not<br />
lead to a one-off ‘shock’ rise in gasoline<br />
and diesel prices.” A series of measures<br />
were taken in 2011 aimed at stabilizing<br />
the domestic fuel market. High-octane<br />
gasoline for the domestic market rose<br />
7.3 percent and winter diesel fuel 5 percent.<br />
Fuel stocks at oil refineries and oil<br />
depots last year almost doubled from<br />
2010. Fuel shortages occurred in Russia<br />
last year after oil companies suspended<br />
deliveries complaining that pressure from<br />
government to hold down retail prices<br />
made sales less profitable in the country<br />
than selling abroad.<br />
eU directive comes<br />
into effect<br />
On 1st January 2012, the EU directive<br />
(2009/126/EC) on vapour recovery became<br />
effective. This directive tightens<br />
the recovery efficiency, definings a maximum<br />
allowed deviation of +/- 5 percent.<br />
Monitoring is optional, but the mandatory<br />
inspection interval can be increased from<br />
once every two years to every third year<br />
when a monitoring system is installed. The<br />
requirements in this directive are for new<br />
or refurbished stations. It affects stations<br />
with a throughput exceeding 500 m³ per<br />
year, or 100 m³ if it is located under a<br />
building. Existing service stations with<br />
a throughput in excess of 3 000 m³ per<br />
year are required to be equipped with<br />
vapour recovery systems by no later than<br />
31st December 2018. Where a monitoring<br />
system is included, there will typically<br />
be a requirement to integrate this with<br />
the POS system.<br />
NIS opens petrol<br />
stations in bulgaria<br />
Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS) plans<br />
to buy 20 petrol stations in Bulgaria, Serbian<br />
newspapers report. According to NIS<br />
deputy general director Nicolaus Petri the<br />
company plans to buy petrol stations in<br />
Romania as well. He said, “NIS wanted<br />
to set up a chain of 80 petrol stations in<br />
Bulgaria in the next two years”.<br />
PKN orlen may join with Lotos<br />
The sale of Lotos Group, Poland’s second-largest<br />
refiner is slow and final bids were due by 20th<br />
December. But many expect the process will end<br />
without a winner, speculation is rising that the<br />
government will return to its time-worn formula of<br />
trying to join Lotos with its larger state controlled<br />
rival, PKN Orlen. Press reports have citied four<br />
bidders shortlisted for Lotos, which has a refinery<br />
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in northern Poland, a network of petrol stations<br />
and some extraction on the Baltic Sea: Russian<br />
TNK-BP, Hungary’s MOL, Mercuria Energy and<br />
Burgan Capital Investment of the UAE. The<br />
likeliest partners are thought to be Russian oil<br />
majors, as Lotos may make a decent fit into their<br />
central European strategy – but investments by<br />
Russia are still regarded with suspicion.<br />
tAtNeFt station network in belarus<br />
The first filling station of TATNEFT in the<br />
Republic of Belarus has opened and construction<br />
of the second filling station was<br />
completed. Both are now operational and at<br />
this time construction and installation works<br />
were approaching completion and preparing<br />
for commissioning of six other stations.<br />
Motorists are offered high-quality gasoline,<br />
diesel fuel & gas and plans envisage opening<br />
Imaging innovation talk of ‘new petroleum age’<br />
One of the world’s leading energy companies,<br />
Norway’s Statoil ASA, has gone public with a<br />
scientific innovation that it says will drastically<br />
reduce the costs and risks of discovering new<br />
deposits of fossil fuels. Already employed by<br />
Statoil worldwide over the past few years, the<br />
technique especially improves the odds of<br />
finding oil and gas in unexplored regions that<br />
have never felt the bite of a drill’s bit, said Helge<br />
optima considers buying oMv units<br />
Bosnia’s Optima is interested in taking over<br />
Austrian oil and gas group OMV AG’s petrol<br />
stations in Croatia and Bosnia as part of plans<br />
to expand across the Balkans. Jurij Belov, the<br />
General Manager of Optima Group, which<br />
operates Bosnia’s sole oil refinery Brod and<br />
the Nestro petrol retail chain, said regional<br />
expansion was one its strategic goals. “We<br />
are very interested in entering the Croatian<br />
shops soon. Additional equipment installed<br />
at the fuel-dispenser allows processing bank<br />
and fuel cards. Irek Gafiyatullin, Director of<br />
“Tatbelnefteprodukt”, the TATNEFT company’s<br />
regional structure, noted that the new station<br />
had been equipped with foreign equipment<br />
and all the instrumentation had been produced<br />
in Belarus. 21 new job positions have been<br />
created thanks to Tatarstan’s investor.<br />
Løseth, one of the Statoil geologists behind<br />
the innovation, published in last Decembers<br />
issue of the journal Geology. Everywhere, he<br />
said, “you increase the likelihood of striking<br />
oil quite significantly”. Independent geologists<br />
expect Statoil’s seismic leap, while perhaps not<br />
exclusive to the company, will ripple through<br />
the industry, becoming a standard tool over<br />
the next few years.<br />
market and taking over OMV’s retail chain<br />
there, as well as in Bosnia.” OMV operates<br />
63 retail units in Croatia and holds a 13 percent<br />
market share there, while in Bosnia it<br />
runs 13 units and has an 8 percent market<br />
share. Optima Group, owned by Russian<br />
firm Neftegazinkor, a unit of state-run Zarubezhneft,<br />
has a retail network of 88 petrol<br />
stations in Bosnia.<br />
No postponement for mandatory level gauges<br />
Bulgarian filling station owners will get no<br />
postponement for installing mandatory level<br />
gauges, said Rosen Bachvarov, Spokesperson<br />
of the National Revenue Agency (NRA)<br />
on Monday. Industry representatives have<br />
warned that the requirement to mount the<br />
equipment by end – March will lead to the<br />
Lithuania’s vakoil turnover almost doubles<br />
Vakoil, the Lithuanian chain of petrol stations,<br />
boosted its turnover by about 96 percent to<br />
25.7 million litas (7.33 million euros) over<br />
the first nine months of the year 2011. The<br />
growth of the turnover was determined by new<br />
forced closure of thousands of filling stations,<br />
leaving 4 000 workers unemployed. “We<br />
remain open to dialogue on the technical<br />
requirements”, Bachvarov said. Since taking<br />
office we have already uncovered some<br />
24 million leva in hidden turnover amid<br />
falling fuel consumption.<br />
contracts with more than 160 companies, the<br />
company’s head Povilas Ugianskis said. In the<br />
third quarter of 2011 the turnover of Vakoil<br />
totalled 9 million litas (2.56 million euros),<br />
an annual increase of 50 percent year-on-year.
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Gazprom Neft buys stations in bulgaria<br />
Last November it was reported that Gazprom<br />
Neft was planning to acquire seven filling<br />
stations in the country through NIS Petrol,<br />
a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft’s Serbian<br />
unit Naftna Industrija Srbije. At that time,<br />
the company asked Bulgaria’s competition<br />
regulator to approve the acquisition of the<br />
fuel stations. NIS Petrol has now filed a<br />
similar request to gain control over the other<br />
New owners at Motor Fuel Group<br />
Last December one of the UK’s leading<br />
independent forecourt operators, Motor<br />
Fuel Group (MFG), was acquired by a<br />
new management team. To support the<br />
MFG management team’s plans to grow<br />
the business via capital expenditure and<br />
acquisitions, MFG has agreed to appoint<br />
Jeremy Clarke as its managing director.<br />
Jeremy will join MFG once he has fulfilled<br />
his contractual obligations to Murco<br />
Rosneft wins trademark infringement suit<br />
A court has awarded Rosneft oil company<br />
US $ 95 000 in its trademark infringement<br />
lawsuit against EKA-AZS fuel company,<br />
which operates a large chain of filling stations,<br />
the Russian Legal Information Agency<br />
reported. The judge reduced the amount of<br />
compensation claimed by Rosneft. The oil<br />
giant initially sought to recover 5 million<br />
rubles (US $ 158 400). The parties told the<br />
court they entered into a franchise agree-<br />
Petroleum as Marketing Director. The<br />
new team is backed by the pan European<br />
institutional investor, Patron Capital and<br />
together they are focussed on growing<br />
and developing the MFG business into<br />
one of the most dynamic and profitable<br />
independent forecourt operators in the UK<br />
currently operating 58 stations throughout<br />
the UK operating under the BP, Shell, Esso,<br />
TOTAL and Jet brands.<br />
ment in 2005 for a term of 5 years, under<br />
which EKA-AZS paid US $ 1 000 for the<br />
right to use Rosneft’s trademarks to sell<br />
fuel at 40 filling stations. Rosneft maintains<br />
the defendant illegally used trademarks<br />
for five months after the contract expired<br />
on 29th September 2010. EKA-AZS fuel<br />
company was founded in 1992. It is engaged<br />
in oil products retail and wholesale<br />
distribution.<br />
Antimonopoly watchdog fines LUKoIL<br />
Russia’s antimonopoly service has fined<br />
LUKOIL US $ 19.5 million within the “third<br />
wave” of antitrust cases against Russian oil<br />
giants, the watchdog announced. LUKOIL<br />
is the fourth out of five oil companies which<br />
have been fined for manipulating fuel prices<br />
in 2011. The antimonopoly watchdog had<br />
already fined several oil companies. Rosneft<br />
was fined 1.75 billion rubles (US $ 56.2 million);<br />
Gazprom Neft – 979.3 million rubles<br />
zarubezhneft buying sites in Croatia & boznia<br />
OAO Zarubezhneft, a Russian oil pipeline<br />
operator, has offered to buy filling stations<br />
from OMV AG in Croatia and Bosnia-<br />
Herzegovina as part of its expansion in the<br />
Balkans. Zarubezhneft General Director<br />
Nikolay Brunich told reporters in Zagreb<br />
OMV of Austria is selling subsidiaries in<br />
Croatia and Bosnia as they have decided to<br />
focus more on exploration and production.<br />
The Moscow-based company also plans to<br />
invest more than 1 billion euros to build<br />
seven fuel stations. Gazprom Neft has so far<br />
declined to provide details about its future<br />
operations in Bulgaria. Market sources<br />
claim that the company targets to have 70<br />
filling stations by end-2013. According to<br />
Andrei Delchev, chairperson of the Bulgarian<br />
Petrol and Gas Association, Gazprom<br />
aims to capture an eight per cent share of<br />
the country’s retail fuel market.<br />
(US $ 31.5 million) and Bashneft – 778 million<br />
rubles (US $ 25 million). The watchdog has<br />
yet to impose a penalty on TNK-BP which<br />
was found guilty of fuel price manipulations.<br />
LUKOIL reported last November that the<br />
Federal Antimonopoly Service increased<br />
the total amount of penalties to be imposed<br />
on oil companies within the “third wave”<br />
of antitrust cases from US $ 17 to US $ 27<br />
million as of 30th September.<br />
an oil products pipeline. “The projected<br />
pipeline would increase export of oil derivatives<br />
from refineries in Brod and Sisak”,<br />
Brunich said. The link would pass through<br />
Bosanski Brod in Bosnia-Herzegovina and<br />
Zagreb. Zarubezhneft also plans to compete<br />
for oil and gas exploration licenses in nine<br />
locations in Croatia, according to Brunich.<br />
Some of the sites were explored by Industrija<br />
Nafte until the government revoked<br />
its license last year.<br />
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PRoDUCt NeWS All text on this page is submitted and written by suppliers. Please email product news to editor@erpecnews.com<br />
14<br />
GvR signs definitive<br />
contract<br />
Gilbarco Veeder-Root has signed a definitive<br />
agreement to acquire the shares of ACIS<br />
Benzinkuttechnika Kft., based in Budapest,<br />
Hungary and ACIS Petrolservice Srl., based<br />
in Vlahita, Romania, including their operations<br />
in Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro<br />
and Bulgaria. The agreement is subject<br />
to approval by anti-trust authorities and<br />
customary closing conditions. The ACIS<br />
group of companies is a leading forecourt<br />
construction and maintenance provider in<br />
Central Eastern Europe, a leader in sales<br />
and service of petrol station equipment and<br />
firmly established as supplier of POS and<br />
payment systems. ACIS has also developed<br />
highly successful and fast-growing subsidiaries<br />
and with its team of more than 280<br />
associates – including more than 170 highly<br />
experienced service engineers – ACIS has<br />
built up an industry-leading installed base,<br />
excellent customer references and a superb<br />
reputation for first-class forecourt solutions.<br />
Australian company<br />
is pumping up<br />
Fuel leaking onto cars and clothing could be<br />
a thing of the past thanks to a Maryborough<br />
company that has been awarded multi-million<br />
dollar contracts with two major fuel companies.<br />
Pacific Gauges has been awarded<br />
contracts to supply fuel nozzles to Caltex<br />
and United Fuels and expect other majors to<br />
sign up. The five-year-old business has been<br />
importing American-made fuel nozzles for the<br />
past three years compared to the European<br />
models currently used by many fuel stations.<br />
Fuel nozzles currently installed in Caltex and<br />
United Fuels will be replaced with nozzles<br />
imported by Pacific Gauges through their<br />
normal maintenance schedules.<br />
Multicard new fuel<br />
card program<br />
Multicard, a leading supplier of credential<br />
solutions, identity management and system<br />
integration services and a business unit<br />
of Identive Group, Inc, announced it has<br />
implemented a new fuel card program for<br />
Neumann Petroleum, a privately owned oil<br />
company based in Queensland, Australia.<br />
To date Multicard has rolled out the payment<br />
system to 130 locations throughout<br />
Queensland and New South Wales, Australia.<br />
The credit-based fuel cards are<br />
used by long-distance trucking fleets and<br />
individual consumers alike and can be used<br />
to purchase fuel and other items.<br />
KPS reports best year ever in 2011<br />
KPS had a busy year 2011 with many new<br />
products released. In Sweden KPS added<br />
production capacity for double-wall sockets,<br />
fittings and formed bends. Customers buying<br />
or specifying KPS conductive chambers<br />
included Petronas, TOTAL, Repsol, Shell<br />
DODOs as well as independent retailers<br />
supplying UK, Spain, South Africa, Malaysia,<br />
Indonesia, Philippines and Fiji. The conductive<br />
tank chamber also won the MATRADE<br />
elaflex new generation ‘sight glasses’<br />
A new range of sight glasses available from<br />
Elaflex are designed to enable motorists to<br />
see the fuel either at the dispenser or nozzle<br />
end inspiring confidence in the product<br />
dispensed. Elaflex sight glasses come in a<br />
range of thread sizes and versions either<br />
for standard or vapour recovery nozzles.<br />
The standard version is also available with<br />
a propeller to visualize the flow. The sight<br />
glass body is made of lightweight aluminium<br />
PSD Codax & Interchem help Galp<br />
UK-based PSD Codax is helping oil giant<br />
Galp control customer access to car wash<br />
equipment across Spain. Following talks<br />
with cleaning chemicals company and<br />
service provider Interchem, PSD have appointed<br />
them as a distributor in Spain, to<br />
replace outdated card reading technology<br />
on equipment at Galp forecourts with the<br />
Codax code access system. The Codax system<br />
works by issuing a unique code which<br />
tokheim refinancing and sale process news<br />
In recent months, Tokheim and its shareholders,<br />
advised by J.P. Morgan, carried out<br />
a strategic review that led to launching a<br />
refinancing process and a possible sale of the<br />
company. However, a worsening environment<br />
in the financial markets led certain banks to<br />
pull out for reasons unrelated to the company.<br />
Even if there was a firm funding commitment<br />
from the remaining group of banks, it became<br />
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2011 Innovation Award in November. With<br />
increasing volumes in important markets such<br />
as China, Africa and South East Asia, KPS<br />
managed to exceed the sales budget, making<br />
2011 the best year in company history. Based<br />
on the 2011 results and with new products and<br />
an improved market offering in place, KPS<br />
CEO Lars Selling is expecting this year to<br />
be at least as good as 2011, despite the insecurities<br />
in some European financial markets.<br />
with a high end coating to prevent oxidation<br />
in the field. The impact-resistant synthetic<br />
glass allows the sight glasses to have four<br />
large windows in order to have maximum<br />
visibility of the fuel. SG sight glasses are<br />
German TÜV approved to EN 13617-1.<br />
This also includes an impact test.<br />
Detailed information may be downloaded<br />
at www.elaflex.de/dokumente/download/<br />
CatPage531_532.pdf<br />
Gas Station tv and Wayne launch media platform<br />
Gas Station TV (GSTV), the largest national<br />
away-from-home television network at the<br />
pump and Wayne, a GE Energy business<br />
announced that they have installed their<br />
co-developed media platform, inOvationTV,<br />
at Bill Wolf Petroleum Corp. stations in<br />
New York “Wolf Petroleum has generated<br />
significant value with GSTV and has a track<br />
record of innovation within the industry”,<br />
said David Leider, CEO of Gas Station TV.<br />
“As the first retailer to launch inOvationTV<br />
we consider them critical to the continued<br />
growth of our business.” GSTV and Wayne<br />
launched inOvationTV in September with<br />
a Wayne investment valued at more than<br />
$ 50 million. Wayne’s investment makes<br />
inOvationTV available to qualified stations<br />
free-of-charge, to be installed either as a<br />
retrofit to stations currently using Wayne’s<br />
industry-leading Ovation dispensers, or to<br />
retailers installing new Ovation dispensers<br />
from the factory.<br />
customers key into a special touchpad to<br />
start the car wash services that they have<br />
purchased. This system will help Galp<br />
eliminate lost revenue from unauthorised<br />
usage and provide management reports that<br />
can be checked against takings. The system<br />
eliminates the problems associated with<br />
unreliable magnetic strip cards – which<br />
can be easily damaged and stops staff giving<br />
away free washes.<br />
apparent that the financial environment would<br />
negatively affect the sale process. Cognetas<br />
received final offers but considered that they<br />
did not fully reflect the company’s continued<br />
excellent performance and its prospects for<br />
the future. It was therefore decided that the<br />
current shareholders will retain ownership of<br />
Tokheim and proceed with the refinancing<br />
of the company, as planned.
All text on this page is submitted and written by suppliers. Please email product news to editor@erpecnews.com<br />
Saybernet develops new solutions<br />
The company reports that the new solution<br />
is called SayberNet YDM POS v2.0 and is<br />
intended for introduction in computer cash<br />
register systems IBM Sure POS 100. The<br />
software is provided to petrol stations free of<br />
charge. The solution blocks the process of sale<br />
of liquefied gas and petroleum products with -<br />
KSS Fuels expands traffic database<br />
KSS Fuels announced a major update to its<br />
globally recognized traffic database source,<br />
MPSI TrafficMetrix, which now contains<br />
almost 1.3 million traffic counts. The enhancements<br />
for 2012 continue to position<br />
MPSI TrafficMetrix as the number-one<br />
source for the most up-to-date traffic-related<br />
demand data intelligence in North America.<br />
In addition to refreshing and extending<br />
key traffic data, KSS Fuels has developed<br />
analytic tools to improve the accuracy<br />
Johnson Controls signs contract in oman<br />
Johnson Controls has secured the facility management<br />
contract to manage and maintain 400<br />
Shell filling stations in Oman. In March 2011<br />
Johnson Controls announced its partnership<br />
with Shell to manage and maintain 12 000<br />
out a receipt used in cash registers of fuel sta -<br />
tions. The system is able to serve three gasoline<br />
pumps of the station simultaneously, for each<br />
of them it can store 4 transactions and for<br />
each pump it can handle five nozzles filling oil<br />
products. The total number of nozzles that are<br />
connected to the system may not exceed 20 units.<br />
of the placement of traffic data on street<br />
files. Working to standards established by<br />
the Tiger Accuracy Improvement Program,<br />
this ensures that traffic intelligence is accurately<br />
plotted on maps for subsequent<br />
analysis. KSS Fuels now delivers two major<br />
components of traffic intelligence – actual<br />
traffic counts throughout North America<br />
and “Current Year Estimates”, a proprietary<br />
statistical technique to bring older traffic<br />
counts up-to-date.<br />
sites over 27 countries, the Oman agreement<br />
adds to that. The global agreement builds on<br />
an existing five-year relationship between the<br />
two companies and is one of the largest single<br />
deals in the fuel retail sector.<br />
LAteSt NeWS, eveNtS, JobS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
oPW adds “Fusion<br />
Works” to portfolio<br />
PRoDUCt NeWS<br />
OPW Fueling Components,is proud to<br />
add FusionWorks to its industry-leading<br />
portfolio of fuel piping and containment<br />
systems. OPW FusionWorks is an advanced<br />
semi-flexible fuel piping system designed<br />
to serve markets and applications where<br />
IP and European (EN) certified electrofusion<br />
piping technology is preferred. With<br />
the introduction of FusionWorks, OPW<br />
augments its best-in-class underground<br />
equipment package to meet the requirements<br />
of virtually any fueling application<br />
in any global market. From the fill point<br />
to the forecourt, from single wall suction<br />
to double wall pressure systems, OPW<br />
has the optimal fuel delivery solution for<br />
every application.<br />
New dispenser<br />
location in Germany<br />
GVR is pleased to announce that the production<br />
facility in Salzkotten, Germany, is<br />
the new home of the Horizon dispenser,<br />
moved from Greensboro, USA. Horizon<br />
dispensers will now be manufactured in<br />
Germany in the same production facility<br />
that manufactures the SK700-II.<br />
15
16<br />
LAteSt NeWS, eveNtS, JobS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM
All text on this page is submitted and written by suppliers. Please email product news to editor@erpecnews.com<br />
Nigeria tests payment system<br />
EasyFuel Limited, an integrated cashless fuelling company in<br />
the downstream oil and gas sector, has successfully conducted<br />
a pre-launch system test for its operations at Oando outlets. In<br />
a statement, the company, a Payment Terminal Service Provider<br />
(PTSP)-licensed operator, said the test, which was conducted across<br />
designated Oando service stations in Lagos, was done in preparation<br />
for the commercial launch of the service. Managing Director,<br />
Mr. Tayo Olajide, said: “We have just concluded the test run of<br />
our system. All the service stations that are live on our network<br />
were involved in the process and the feedback has been fantastic.<br />
The Point of Sales (PoS) terminals installed at the service stations<br />
are working perfectly as expected and coordinating well with our<br />
back-end platform.”<br />
KSS and PWM launch PriceSync<br />
KSS Fuels and PWM Electronic Price Signs announced the general<br />
availability of PriceSync, an integration module that supports<br />
the auto mated delivery and verification of fuel price changes<br />
from head office to the electronic price sign at a retail location.<br />
PriceSync will guarantee the accuracy of price displays, with immediate<br />
notification of any issues in the timing or update of price<br />
changes. PriceSync integrates KSS Fuels’ PriceNet software and<br />
PWM’s price signs, creating a closed-loop system and confirming<br />
successful implementation of new fuel prices at the sign as well<br />
as taking care of the synchronization with point-of-sale systems<br />
and fuel dispensers. PriceSync represents a major step forward in<br />
fuel price automation and will ensure fuel retailers can respond<br />
quickly to market or competitor changes.<br />
oRteC secures oPet deal in turkey<br />
Following an extensive return on investment analysis, OPET, a<br />
leading player in the petroleum and oil industry and part of Koc<br />
Holding, selects ORTEC to automate its lubricant distribution planning.<br />
Speaking about the selection, Murat Inci, Project Manager<br />
at OPET, explains: “From a group of several specialist suppliers,<br />
ORTEC outshone all the competition by clearly demonstrating the<br />
necessary capabilities to handle all of our planning constraints. The<br />
deciding factor, however, was the fact that ORTEC could deliver<br />
large reductions in transportation costs, by an estimated 5 percent<br />
compared with the previous year, which would equate to significant<br />
financial savings for our company. We expect the ROI time for this<br />
project to be approximately one year.”<br />
oPW LA and FuelQuest announce<br />
global partnership<br />
OPW Latin América, (a business unit of OPW) and FuelQuest Inc.<br />
announce a global partnership agreement to offer an end-to-end,<br />
centralized fuel network management solution. Fuel operators can<br />
now enjoy the benefits of proactive tank monitoring integrated with<br />
fuel management automation software and services to reduce fuel<br />
costs, lower working capital requirements, identify incidences of<br />
theft and improve environmental compliance. “Fuel operators face<br />
unique challenges in terms of procuring, monitoring and managing<br />
fuel, says Fernando Whitaker, Managing Director of OPW Latin<br />
América. “By combining forces, OPW and FuelQuest a solution that<br />
tackles these core fuel challenges by providing petroleum retailers<br />
and fleet operators with the greatest opportunity to reduce fuel<br />
costs and remain business compliant.”<br />
New bever appointment<br />
LAteSt NeWS, eveNtS, JobS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
PRoDUCt NeWS<br />
Clear2Pay and IFSF team results<br />
Clear2Pay, a provider of<br />
next generation payment<br />
solutions for financial<br />
institutions and the<br />
International Forecourt<br />
Standards Forum (IFSF),<br />
the non-profit standards<br />
organization of international<br />
petroleum retail,<br />
announce the result of their successful collaboration in the development<br />
of the technical specifications for the issuance of EMV-based fuel cards.<br />
The main aim of this co-operation was to facilitate petroleum retailers<br />
and other Fuel Card issuers to migrate seamlessly from magnetic<br />
stripe to chip-based Fuel Cards and enable a common way of working<br />
between Fuel Card issuers assuring worldwide interoperability. The<br />
specifications are based on the field-proven EMV technology, the global<br />
standard for chip-based payments and current IFSF EFT interface<br />
and security standards.<br />
Jyrki Löf, seven years working as Technical Director for Finnish<br />
LED Signs OY, responsible for the technical management and sales<br />
of LED products to European oil companies and resellers, has<br />
joined Bever Innovations bv as Business Devel opment Director<br />
Scandinavia and Baltic States. Based in Finland (Helsinki) Jyrki<br />
is responsible for the business development of all LED products<br />
in Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Baltic states such as Estonia,<br />
Latvia and Lithuania.<br />
17
INDUStRy CoMMeNt boARD<br />
2012 – Hopefully a year to<br />
18<br />
McLean events, Nick Needs, Managing Director<br />
nick<br />
needs<br />
robert<br />
Mazuga<br />
Batuhan<br />
Kiroglu<br />
So with 2011 well and truly behind<br />
us, be that a good or a bad thing for<br />
your organisation, let’s look forward<br />
to a prosperous 2012 in every sense.<br />
In the UK we have the Olympics<br />
in June, followed by the European<br />
Football Championships in the Ukraine and<br />
Poland. That’s many people’s summer sorted<br />
out! But in the industry it’s Automechanika<br />
year, which always causes a bit of a buzz in the<br />
markets, staged in Frankfurt as usual with the<br />
organisers doing as little as they possibly can to<br />
help lessen the burden exhibitors and visitors<br />
face with the shortage of accommodation. Not<br />
so much a problem, it must be said at PEI NACS,<br />
which is in Las Vegas this year, a location where<br />
you can book as many rooms as you like with<br />
your own personal slot machine for as little as<br />
US $ 50 a night! Its all off to Singapore shortly<br />
to spend some time in the company of Emma<br />
and Fiona, who in March are staging their Middle<br />
East & Asian PetrofForum, an event which<br />
alternates every two years with erpec. For your<br />
information, the dates and venue of the next<br />
erpec have just been announced as being Nice,<br />
Côte d’Azur, 16th – 18th April, 2013.<br />
In terms of trading performances and the<br />
economy generally, we thought it would be<br />
a good idea to ask a few of the more active<br />
companies in 2011, how good or bad last year<br />
was and for them to give us an indication of<br />
what they might expect from the coming year.<br />
Collectively it should be an interesting forecast<br />
of what the industry can look forward to, for<br />
better or worse, in 2012.<br />
Hectronic – Robert Mazuga, Director Sales eMeA<br />
Hectronic GmbH specialises in<br />
the development of intelligent<br />
system solutions for the refuelling<br />
sector. Since the foundation of<br />
the original company Kienzle, in<br />
1928, Hectronic has developed<br />
into an industrial company with<br />
operations in many countries. With close<br />
to 200 staff, 7 sales offices and around 90<br />
international sales partners around the globe,<br />
Hectronic solutions are now successfully<br />
marketed all over the world. For 2012 we<br />
have undertaken a reorganisation of our sales<br />
Turk ish brand MEPSAN is<br />
celebrating it’s 20th anniversary<br />
having been established as a<br />
service company in 1992 producing<br />
and supplying fuel station<br />
equipment, automation solutions<br />
and technical support to the<br />
international petroleum and oil equipment<br />
industry. MEPSAN is proud to have reached<br />
it’s 20th anniversary and looks to the future<br />
with confidence and belief on becoming more<br />
powerful than ever. Celebrating 20 years of<br />
success with it’s experience, knowledge and<br />
capabilities, MEPSAN continues towards<br />
structure so that we can continue to improve<br />
the company’s global market position. This<br />
restructuring strengthens our local sales<br />
activities and Regional representatives can<br />
now respond in a more targeted manner to<br />
the requirements and needs of our clients and<br />
business partners. Under the slogan “Smart<br />
refuelling”, Hectronic is offering intelligent<br />
and integrated system solutions, plus solutions<br />
and technical upgrades in the field<br />
of fill level gauging and high-performance<br />
auto-fuel terminals with a wide variety of<br />
payment options. An early highlight of this<br />
its vision of becoming a well-known reliable<br />
and respected Turkish brand worldwide.<br />
MEPSAN has suceeded in becoming a<br />
reliable solution partner, not just a supplier,<br />
by increasing the level of technology at it’s<br />
production plants with the new investment,<br />
maintaining and promoting R&D’s creativity,<br />
expanding and strengthening service teams<br />
in foreign markets. MEPSAN have expanded<br />
it’s operations in Turkey, by wining tenders<br />
and appointing distributors in more than<br />
30 countries in Europe including France,<br />
Spain, Greece, Balkans, North Africa,<br />
CIS Region, Middle East and the Far East.<br />
rafael<br />
tomá s<br />
Alfaro<br />
LAteSt NeWS, eveNtS, JobS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
Istobal –<br />
Rafael tomás Alfaro,<br />
Managing Director<br />
ISTOBAL is satisfied with 2011,<br />
our growth outside Spain has<br />
been of only 5 percent of turnover,<br />
but in such a difficult year we are<br />
happy. Our new range of M’NEX<br />
rollovers has proven itself highly<br />
successful and our R&D team has<br />
been able to work in two full new ranges of<br />
products that we will launch in Automechanika<br />
2012 in Frankfurt. Internally we have gone<br />
through a process of internal restructuring and<br />
change of ERP that will assist us to improve<br />
our competitiveness, giving us the chance of<br />
higher growth in 2012 and we would lie if we<br />
said that all that was easy, but once a difficult<br />
task is accomplished the satisfaction is there.<br />
year was without doubt the unveiling of the<br />
innovative PetroLine Service App. With the<br />
help of this application for smart phones<br />
and tablet PCs, petrol station owners can<br />
now gain access to data from their stations<br />
at any time and from any place – a market<br />
first. Further projects lined up for 2012<br />
give us cause for confidence and optimism.<br />
Positive feedback from our customers and<br />
widespread market interest in our innovative<br />
solutions are leading us to look forward<br />
very positively and enthusiastically to a<br />
successful year in 2012.<br />
Mepsan – batuhan Kiroglu, International Sales and Marketing Manager<br />
The customer portfolio includes all local<br />
petroleum distribution companies (OPET,<br />
Po, Shell, BP, TOTAL, M Oil, Kadoil ...),<br />
International oil companies ( Gulf, Lukoil,<br />
Socar, Petronas, Agil, OmanOil, Adnoc,<br />
Jordan Petroleum, NOC.) as well as transportation<br />
& logistics companies, municipalities<br />
for public transportation and state institutions.<br />
Besides being a reliable and creative<br />
dispenser manufacturer, MEPSAN is fast<br />
embracing new technologies. In this way,<br />
MEPSAN will develop it’s understanding<br />
and scope of automation activities and enter<br />
new fields of operation.
look forward to?<br />
Jörg M.<br />
Heilingbrunner<br />
damien<br />
tracey<br />
remko<br />
delfgaauw<br />
Arthur<br />
Wessels<br />
LAteSt NeWS, eveNtS, JobS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
INDUStRy CoMMeNt boARD<br />
Scheidt & bachmann – Jörg M. Heilingbrunner, Managing Director<br />
2011 was a very successful year for<br />
Scheidt & Bachmann. We are proud<br />
to say that we are very satisfied<br />
with the overall result which has<br />
been in line with our objectives.<br />
Scheidt & Bachmann was able<br />
to expand internationally and<br />
furthermore we could strengthen our market<br />
position in our domestic market Germany.<br />
We enter 2012 with strong momentum. All<br />
of our divisions already have very promising<br />
prospects in the area of outdoor payment<br />
and also our systems business shows much<br />
growth potential. We expect our new outdoor<br />
Wayne – Damian tracey, President, eMeA<br />
2011 was a game-changing year for<br />
Wayne. Not only did we acquire<br />
an ATG business, but we were<br />
also acquired by General Electric<br />
and greatly expanded our Fusion<br />
Forecourt System. A major part<br />
of our focus last year revolved around the<br />
integration of all parts of our business into GE,<br />
which has been a great success. Continuing our<br />
drive and commitment to improve customer<br />
satisfaction, we moved all our European Parts<br />
Center to our EMEA headquarters in Malmö,<br />
Sweden. Moving the Parts Center alongside<br />
our production facility enables us to improve<br />
both quality and lead times.<br />
Wayne had two major product introductions<br />
in 2011. First, we acquired the assets of<br />
4tech AS, a fuel tank measurement system<br />
company headquartered just outside Oslo,<br />
Norway. We also announced the expansion<br />
of the Fusion Forecourt System.<br />
Moving into 2012 we will continue the<br />
integration with GE, leveraging their comprehensive<br />
footprint across Europe. We see<br />
exciting opportunities to offer customers a<br />
much needed portfolio of technology product.<br />
In the dispenser category our Global Star<br />
V dispenser offers a wide range of options<br />
for regular and alternative fuels. Additionally,<br />
the Global Century dispenser offers a<br />
robust design and extreme reliability. Looking<br />
towards the end of this year, Wayne will<br />
launch a new global product that we expect<br />
will change the entire business; you will be<br />
hearing more about that in the upcoming<br />
months. With this I would like to take the<br />
opportunity to thank all customers for a great<br />
2011 and a very successful 2012.<br />
bever Innovations – Remko Delfgaauw,<br />
founder and Ceo of bever Innovations<br />
2011 was a successful year for<br />
Bever Innovations. Both product<br />
lines, LED price change units and<br />
LED under canopy illumination,<br />
flourished. Since 2010, Bever Innovations<br />
has been one of the key<br />
suppliers to Shell International. In 2011 we<br />
were awarded 2 other major contracts from<br />
BP Europe and Q8 Europe who chose Bever’s<br />
Luci Series to light up their retail networks.<br />
Remko Delfgaauw, founder and CEO of Bever<br />
Innovations said “We are one of the very few<br />
LED companies with a 100 percent focus on the<br />
petrol world. This focus is not only reflected in<br />
unique and patented features of our product,<br />
it is recognized by the oil companies we work<br />
with! It is my firm belief that our 100 percent<br />
commitment to this demanding market, com-<br />
bined with our innovative prowess makes us<br />
stand out from the competition. In the autumn<br />
of 2011 the biggest petrol site in the world,<br />
Shell Berchem in Luxembourg, was equipped<br />
with 150 Luci Series. The energy savings on<br />
this huge site total more than 40 000 euro per<br />
year! Bever’s outlook for 2012 builds further<br />
on the current strategy. “We will continue<br />
our goal to innovate outdoor LED lighting<br />
solutions and LED price change units for<br />
the petrol industry. Expanding our business<br />
globally and grow our international network of<br />
distributors. Our 100 percent commitment to<br />
the petrol world will stay un-changed.” Bever<br />
Innovations supplies its products worldwide,<br />
has a subdivision in Finland and partners<br />
in most European countries, Africa, South<br />
America, Australia and the Far East.<br />
payment terminal OPT 240 as well as new<br />
apps for mobile devices to be the main success<br />
factors in 2012. Scheidt & Bachmann is the<br />
leading automation system supplier for petrol<br />
stations in Germany and leading European<br />
system solution supplier. We offer you the<br />
complete product range for your petrol station.<br />
Washtec – Arthur<br />
Wessels, Managing Director<br />
Sales & Service<br />
Based on it’s long experience of<br />
50 years in manufacturing and<br />
car wash technology, WashTec<br />
will consolidate its position very<br />
clearly as an innovative leader in<br />
2012. From now until September<br />
WashTec will launch several com-<br />
pletely new products and product features<br />
that will contribute to better washing and<br />
drying results, plus higher profit opportunities.<br />
This month WashTec reveals a new feature<br />
“Express Programme” for roll-over gantry car<br />
washes. With these programmes operators<br />
will be able to offer high-quality washes,<br />
like a ShineTecs-polish in about 6.5 minutes,<br />
compared to 10 minutes for other established<br />
high-quality washes. This allows the operator<br />
to increase turnover and profit based on<br />
two advantages: higher machine speed and<br />
higher average price for the premium washes.<br />
All the new features WashTec will introduce<br />
this year will be visible at Automechanika<br />
2012 in Frankfurt, Germany at the WashTec<br />
stand A23 in the outdoor fairground area.<br />
WashTec will also continue to expand its sales<br />
activities in new markets. Therefore sales and<br />
service organizations, especially in Russia and<br />
China will be developed further. “WashTec<br />
aims to be the first choice for international<br />
working mineral oil companies for high-quality<br />
car wash products and services. Due to our<br />
worldwide activities and broad brand choice<br />
WashTec can provide the right machine for<br />
each requirement in different markets” says<br />
Arthur Wessels, Managing Director Sales &<br />
Service, WashTec. For more information<br />
please contact WashTec on +49-821-5584-0<br />
or www.washtec.de.<br />
19
20<br />
Algae.tec & Luftansa<br />
in biofuel trial<br />
Australia biofuels company Algae.Tec and German<br />
airline carrier Lufthansa have agreed to<br />
evaluate algae oil produced from Algae.Tec’s<br />
bioreactors as a sustainable source of aviation<br />
fuel. An MOU has been signed by the<br />
companies to seal the initial deal. Algae.Tec<br />
grows fast growing algae capable of producing<br />
high yields in converted shipping containers<br />
to produce an oil that can be turned into fuel.<br />
Significantly, the biofuel produced would<br />
likely cost a fraction of the cost of jet fuel.<br />
Lufthansa launched a 6-month biofuel trial<br />
last July on regular scheduled flights. The<br />
Lufthansa Airbus A321 is flying on a 50/50<br />
mix of biosynthetic kerosene and regular fuel.<br />
exxonMobil predicts<br />
future for hybrid cars<br />
One out of every two cars will be either hybrids<br />
or an alternative-fuel vehicle by 2040,<br />
ExxonMobil have predicted. Hybrids, which<br />
rely on both gas and electricity for power, now<br />
account for less than 1 percent of all vehicles<br />
on the world’s roads. They should move into<br />
the mainstream as governments boost fuelefficiency<br />
requirements, ExxonMobil said.<br />
Power for those hybrids, along with other<br />
vehicles and a growing number of households<br />
around the world, will increasingly come from<br />
natural gas, nuclear power and renewable<br />
energy sources like wind, ExxonMobil said in<br />
its closely watched annual long-term energy<br />
outlook. But the largest publicly traded oil<br />
company also makes clear that oil will remain<br />
king of the energy world for many years.<br />
ev fast chargers at<br />
Dutch bP sites<br />
ABB, the leading power and automation<br />
technology group, announced today that it<br />
has started installing multiple fast-charging<br />
systems for electric vehicles (EVs) at some BP<br />
service stations in the Netherlands as part of<br />
a nationwide trial. BP has an intention agreement<br />
with Dutch EV charging operator The<br />
New Motion to operate BP’s chargers as part<br />
of a larger network of DC charging stations<br />
throughout the Netherlands.<br />
ALTERNATIVEFUEL NEws<br />
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in berlin<br />
Berlin Airport will take centre stage in the<br />
latest market trial of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles<br />
by General Motors’ European brand,<br />
Opel. Its HydroGen4 vehicle will head to<br />
Berlin Brandenburg Airport, which Opel Vice<br />
President of Government Relations, Volker<br />
Hoff, has dubbed an “ideal partner” as it possesses<br />
the world’s first carbon dioxide neutral<br />
gas station, which offers green hydrogen<br />
totAL solar powered fuel station<br />
A 14-year old fuel station of TOTAL Ethiopia,<br />
located on the Djibouti corridor, has been<br />
outfitted to operate using solar power. The<br />
fuel station is the first of its kind in Ethiopia.<br />
TOTAL Ethiopia had approached Tenesol,<br />
a subsidiary company of TOTAL World<br />
Slovenia opens its first CNG station<br />
Slovenia’s first compressed natural gas (CNG)<br />
filling station has been opened in Ljubljana<br />
co-financed by the European Union under<br />
the CIVITAS ELAN project. Ljubljana is<br />
one of five cities participating in the CIVI-<br />
TAS ELAN project, the others being Ghent<br />
(Belgium), Zagreb (Croatia), Brno (Czech<br />
Republic) and Porto (Portugal), that joined<br />
together in a project “to ‘mobilise’ our citizens<br />
by developing with their support clean mobil-<br />
Professor creates hightech fuel cell<br />
Once-futuristic green energy sources may<br />
become main stream sooner than imagined,<br />
as a university engineering professor works<br />
to develop a versatile fuel cell. University engineering<br />
professor Eric Wachsman has been<br />
designing this fuel cell that can use multiple<br />
substances, such as natural gas, gasoline and<br />
hydrogen, to power cars. Wachsman said<br />
the public thinks of fuel cell technology as<br />
New liquefied methane gas station<br />
Greater Stockholm region’s first refuelling<br />
station for liquefied methane gas, LNG/<br />
LBG has opened. The filling station, Statoil<br />
Järna, is part of the BiMe Trucks project in<br />
which Volvo Trucks is one of the participating<br />
companies along with AGA, which supplies<br />
the liquefied gas. One of the project’s focus<br />
areas is to build the necessary infrastructure<br />
LAteSt NeWS, ALteRNAtIve eveNtS, FUeL JobS NeWS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
– WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
NeWS<br />
produced from wind energy. It’s not the first<br />
time that Opel has run a market trial on fuel<br />
cell vehicles – in fact it started them back in<br />
2008 and has involved a number of companies<br />
including the likes of ADAC, Allianz, Axel<br />
Springer AG/Bild, Coca-Cola, Hilton, Linde,<br />
Pace, Schindler, Veolia and the NH Hotel<br />
Friedrichstraße, all of which have tested the<br />
Opel HydroGen4.<br />
Group, to provide the photovoltaic solar<br />
technology. The project, which cost around<br />
one million birr, was undertaken by Vera<br />
International Business Plc, its local partner<br />
established in 2007 with a paid-up capital of<br />
8.5 million birr.<br />
ity solutions for vital cities, ensuring health<br />
and access for all”. The CNG station was the<br />
set up under cooperative agreement between<br />
Geoplin d.o.o., the biggest supplier of natural<br />
gas in Slovenia, Ljubljanski potniški promet<br />
d.o.o. (LPP), a public transportation company<br />
that serves the Municipality of Ljubljana and<br />
sixteen suburban municipalities and utilities<br />
provider Energetika Ljubljana d.o.o., part of<br />
Javni Holding Ljubljana (JHL).<br />
futuristic because hydrogen fuel cells, the<br />
most popular prototype, cannot be widely<br />
used until hydrogen filling stations are developed.<br />
“They’ve all thought of it as based<br />
on hydrogen and because of that they kept<br />
thinking of fuel cells as future technology<br />
because right now there’s nowhere to get<br />
hydrogen, you can’t go out and fill your car<br />
with hydrogen today.”<br />
for liquefied methane gas in Sweden. In October<br />
2010, Sweden’s first filling station for<br />
liquefied methane gas was opened at Stigs<br />
Center in Gothenburg. The project also encompasses<br />
the establishment of LNG stations<br />
in Malmö and Jönköping and there are plans<br />
for additional stations to keep pace with the<br />
increase in demand.
LAteSt NeWS, eveNtS, JobS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
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PeI joins e85 coalition<br />
The Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI)<br />
has joined the ‘Coalition for E85’ – a group of<br />
retailers, producers, equipment manufacturers<br />
and other supporters of E85 fuel. PEI executive<br />
Vice President Robert Renkes says the goal of<br />
the Coalition is to protect the investments of<br />
2 500 small businesses and stop a multimilliondollar<br />
tax hike on consumers. “Fuel marketers,<br />
equipment manufacturers and the motoring<br />
public have invested a significant amount of<br />
money in building the E85 infrastructure and<br />
flex-fuelled vehicles”, said Renkes. “We must not<br />
abandon E85 this close to self-sustainability.”<br />
Currently, other alternative fuels, such as<br />
compressed natural gas, propane and hydrogen,<br />
receive a US $ 0.50 per gallon tax credit as part<br />
of the Alternative Fuel Credit and the Coalition<br />
believes E85 should be included as well.<br />
Propel Fuels voted most<br />
promising company<br />
Propel Fuels, a leading retailer of renewable<br />
fuels, has been chosen by Forbes Magazine<br />
as one of the most promising companies in<br />
America. Forbes’ list of ‘America’s Most Promising<br />
Companies’ features 100 privately held<br />
up-and-comers with compelling business models,<br />
strong management teams, notable customers,<br />
strategic partners and investment capital. At<br />
42nd, Propel is the highest ranked renewable<br />
energy company on the list and was recognized<br />
for its ground breaking approach in a traditional<br />
industry and for the large market opportunity<br />
served by its fuelling stations. Today there<br />
are more than 20 million cars on the roads of<br />
America that can fill-up with alternative fuels<br />
and millions more in production each year.<br />
buchanan energy sell<br />
61 gas stations<br />
Buchanan Energy LLC has tapped NRC Realty<br />
& Capital Advisors LLC to sell 61 gas stations<br />
in the Chicago and St. Louis areas. The<br />
sites up for sale are 38 ExxonMobil-branded<br />
gas stations in the Greater Chicago area and<br />
23 BP-branded stations in the Greater St. Louis<br />
area. All 61 stations are being sold with branded<br />
fuel supply, according to NRC. The sale will be<br />
conducted using NRC’s “buy one, some or all”<br />
sealed bid sale process. The bid deadline for the<br />
St. Louis-area stores is 16th February, while the bid<br />
deadline for the Chicago-area stores is 8th March.<br />
USA NEws<br />
Midocean Partners announces acquisition<br />
MidOcean Partners, a leading private equity<br />
firm, announced that it has acquired a<br />
majority equity position in Jones & Frank, a<br />
leading value-add equipment distributor and<br />
repair, maintenance and installation services<br />
provider to the fueling infrastructure industry.<br />
Jones & Frank is one of the leading distributors,<br />
servicers and installers of fueling equipment<br />
such as fuel dispensers, fuel storage tanks,<br />
pumps, nozzles, hoses, valves, point of sale<br />
Seal Beach-based Clean Energy Fuels Corp.<br />
has raised another US $ 150 million from prior<br />
investors, including legendary Oilman and<br />
Corporate Raider T. Boone Pickens. Pickens<br />
exercised warrants to purchase 15 million shares<br />
of the company’s common stock at US $ 10<br />
per share. Pickens purchased 1.5 million of<br />
those shares and transferred the remaining lot<br />
to previous investors, including RRJ Capital,<br />
Seatown Holdings International Pte. Ltd.,<br />
Chevron will be encouraging customers to<br />
use their mobile devices near a fuel pump, at<br />
least if they’re paying for gas. Chevron Corp.<br />
will be testing Google Wallet in the San<br />
Francisco and Los Angeles markets at more<br />
than 600 gas stations with contactless readers<br />
on their pumps. Chevron is only promoting<br />
About seven months ago, Joe Davis stopped<br />
selling gasoline at his Sunoco station, Pro<br />
Automotive, because he could not turn a<br />
profit with the fluctuating fuel prices and<br />
other costs. Davis’ move follows a national<br />
trend that could lead to higher prices at<br />
pumps across the nation, according to experts.<br />
Throughout Ohio today, there are about<br />
7 600 gas stations – 1 800 fewer licensed<br />
gas retailers than in 2000 and 1 004 less<br />
Exxon sold 84 gas stations in Houston to a local<br />
company, forcing the stations to temporarily<br />
close as the new owner took over. Exxon sold<br />
the gas stations to Houston-based Landmark<br />
Industries, which has more than 170 gas sta-<br />
22<br />
LAteSt NeWS, LAteSt eveNtS, USA NeWS JobS – oNLINe WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
– WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
systems, electronic displays and related<br />
components to retail fueling stations, commercial<br />
and government fleets and emergency<br />
power customers. The Company’s network of<br />
12 branch locations, two distribution centers<br />
and 120 technicians across fourteen states<br />
positions Jones & Frank as one of the few<br />
companies capable of servicing retail and<br />
commercial customers with locations spanning<br />
multiple regions.<br />
Clean energy raises US $ 150 million<br />
Chevron to test Google Wallet<br />
Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy<br />
Corp. and Chief Capital LP, an investment<br />
fund owned by energy investor Trevor Rees-<br />
Jones. Clean Energy raised US $ 450 million<br />
in 2011 with the latest investment, Chief Executive<br />
Andrew Littlefair said. Clean Energy<br />
has annual revenue of more than US $ 200<br />
million and hopes to clear earnings hurdles<br />
by building a network of fueling stations for<br />
the largest segment of the market.<br />
the program at West Coast locations but all<br />
of its stores with NFC readers will be able<br />
to accept Google Wallet. A report quoted a<br />
Chevron spokesperson who said the “soft<br />
launch” of Google Wallet at Chevron locations<br />
will give consumers the ability to gain<br />
first-hand experience with mobile payments.<br />
Convenience stores replacing gas stations<br />
exxonMobil sells 84 gas stations<br />
than in 2005, according to Ohio’s Bureau<br />
of Underground Storage Tank Regulation.<br />
The recent reduction in gas stations in<br />
Ohio follows a similar pattern in the United<br />
States, though the market is holding steady<br />
as convenience stores have replaced the<br />
traditional stations and sell gas along with<br />
other merchandise. In the late 1970s, there<br />
were 215 000 U.S. gas stations and that<br />
dropped to 105 000 in 1994.<br />
tions in Texas under various brand names.<br />
Most of the stations are branded Time-wise.<br />
Exxon has been slowly pulling out of the fuel<br />
retail business since 2008, selling its companyowned<br />
gas stations.
www.alucobond.com<br />
www.bennettpump.com<br />
www.bennettsauser.ch<br />
www.beverinnovations.com<br />
www.brugg.de<br />
www.dresserwayne.com<br />
www.plxpipe.com<br />
www.eandsgroup.co.uk<br />
www.eurotank.eu.com<br />
www.fafnir.com<br />
www.franklinfueling.com<br />
www.gilbarco.eu<br />
www.hectronic.com<br />
www.iisltd.com<br />
www.istobal.com<br />
www.kpsystem.com<br />
www.kubald.com<br />
www.leightonobrien.com<br />
www.mepsan.com.tr<br />
www.emergy.net<br />
www.nupigeco.com<br />
www.opwfce.com<br />
LAteSt NeWS, eveNtS, JobS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM<br />
WebSIteS AND LoGoS – SUPPoRtING eRPeCNeWS<br />
www.christag.com<br />
www.planova.com<br />
www.psdcodax.com<br />
www.ruudlighting.net & www.ruudled.net<br />
www.scheidtbachmann.com<br />
www.secutech.at<br />
www.sloanled.com<br />
www.tanknology.com<br />
www.tokheim.com<br />
www.onooil.com www.turpak.com.tr<br />
www.washtec.de<br />
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