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NeWS – MIDDLe eASt, AFRICA, ASIA & eURoPe
NeWS – MIDDLe eASt
Sasol output and
supply on track
Sasol Ltd.’s production and supply of all
fuel variants from its South African refineries
are on track, spokeswoman Jacqui
O’Sullivan said in an e-mailed statement
from Johannesburg. Chevron Corp.’s South
African unit, which operates Caltex fuel
stations throughout the country, said the
nation’s “inland refineries”, which aren’t
operated by Chevron, are experiencing
production problems.
Libya builds economy
beyond oil
Libya’s new regime wants to move quickly
to reshape a Libyan economy almost completely
dependent on oil and gas. “We have
had our political revolution. Now we need
an economic revolution”, interim Economy
Minister Tahar Sharkass has said. Petrol
in Libya remains king, counting for more
than 98 percent of export receipts. With
oil companies, both national and international,
hard at work to reopen the taps, oil
production reached 700 000 barrels a day
by the end of 2011, still only a fraction of
the 1.6 million barrels per day that pumped
out of Libya before the uprising.
Government wants
discount gas stations
South Korea has been waging an uphill
battle to bring down the prices of retail
petroleum products. Its efforts have
culminated with the Ministry of Knowledge
Economy announcing a plan to
convert 10 percent of Korea’s gas stations,
1 300 outlets, into discount gas stations
by 2015. The scheme is aimed at infusing
competition in the domestic market, which
the ministry thinks is being dominated
by a cartel of four refiners, SK Energy,
GS-Caltex, S-Oil and Hyundai Oilbank.
These discount gas stations, ministry officials
hope, would be able to pull down
gas prices at the pump by up to 100 won
per litre. To offer such a large price cut,
the new stations will feature self-serve
pumps and provide no promotional gifts.
oMv appoints Deutsche bank
Among other tasks, this includes the assess -
ment of the divestment potential and the initiation
of discussions with prospective buyers.
In line with the OMV strategy, the possible
sale of the 45 percent stake in the Bayernoil
refinery network will also be evaluated. This
would involve a reduction in the annual refining
capacity by 4.6 to 17.7 million tones. The
OMV strategy aims to sharpen and simplify
the company portfolio. This includes gradu-
Lotos to open more economy­class stations
Polish retailer, Lotus fuel group plans to open
another 50 economy-class stations known
Romania antitrust body fines oil firms
“Romania’s competition watchdog levied fines
totalling 880 million lei (US $ 257 million)
on oil companies including the country’s
largest firm Petrom for breaking anti-trust
rules”, the Agency’s Director has said. The
watchdog also fined local units of OMV
(Petrom’s owner) and Rompetrol Downstream,
along with MOL, Lukoil and ENI,
for having an understanding to withdraw a
Ukraine fuel prices brought into line with europe
Prices of petrol in Ukraine, not taking into
account tax, are comparable to European
prices, TNK-BP Commerce’s Vice President
for Sales, Trading and Logistics Olena Alekseyeva
has said. Alekseyeva said that the
average price of A-95 petrol in Ukraine, not
taking into account tax, is 0.58 euros per
litre, while in most European countries it is
Statoil expands network in Russia
Statoil Nefto, a subsidiary of Statoil Fuel &
Retail, has signed a purchase agreement to
acquire seven strategically located service
stations, strengthening its presence in northwest
Russia. Following the purchase, Statoil
Fuel & Retail now has 26 Statoil stations
in Russia. “The acquisition offers us the
opportunity to expand our existing network
of well-maintained, new concept stores
delivering best-in-class customer service in
the north-west part of Russia”, says Sandis
Steins, Business Unit Leader for Statoil
Fuel & Retail in Russia. The stations will
LAteSt NeWS, eveNtS, JobS oNLINe – WWW.PetRoLPLAzA.CoM
ally shifting the portfolio away from R&M
towards Exploration and Production and Gas
and Power. In this context, OMV’s Turkish
subsidiary, OMV Petrol Ofisi, already sold its
52 percent stake in the Cypriot retail company
Kibris Türk Petrolleri Limited Sirketi at the
end of November 2011. Furthermore, a release
issued on 6th December, 2011 announced the
intention to sell the subsidiary companies in
Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
as Lotos Optima in 2012, after launching
the initial 50 in 2011, deputy CEO Maciej
Szozda told a press conference. “We intend
to double the number of Lotos Optima
stations in 2012, we want to have 100 of
them”, Szozda said. “We are also developing
the premium chain and in 2011 opened 26
new stations. At the end of 2011 the group
had altogether 362 stations with the Lotos’
share of the wholesale market at 33 percent”.
certain type of fuel from the market in 2008.
The fines amount to roughly 3 percent of
the companies’ combined turnover in 2010,
competition watchdog director Bogdan Chiritoiu
has said. OMV has issued a statement
saying that fines imposed on OMV Petrom
SA and OMV Petrom Marketing SRL were
unjustified and will therefore challenge the
Competition Council’s decision in the courts.
around 0.62 – 063 euros per litre. The level
of tax for A-95 petrol in Ukraine reaches
0.36 euros per litre and in Europe it is 0.60 –
0.90 euros per litre and higher. “The pace of
fuel prices in Ukrainian retail is following
European trends. If we take the price of fuel
without taxes in our country and in Europe,
it would not be much lower.”
be rebranded to Statoil. The agreement is
subject to the approval of Russian competition
authorities (FAS). Statoil Fuel & Retail
launched its service station operations in
Russia in 1993. It currently has a network of
19 full-service stations in north-west Russia.