Leak detection systems for petrol stations - ErpecNews

Credit card fees
further strain petrol
stations
Petrol at US $4 a gallon might be a
burden for consumers, but it is a windfall
for credit card companies, according
to industry experts
Caught in the middle are the gas station operators,
who must pass the credit card fees on
to their anguished and angry customers. The
profits enjoyed by the credit card companies
are from hidden fees they charge retailers,
according to Ross DiBono, executive director
of the 650-member Pennsylvania Association
of Gasoline Retailers and Allied Trades. So,
retailers say, don’t blame us, blame the credit
card companies. “We’re still selling gasoline
for only 8 to 12 cents more per gallon than
we pay for it – the same margin as 15 years
ago,” DiBono said.
BP to shift 1 000 jobs
to Chicago
oil company BP has tentatively agreed
to shift 1 000 jobs from the western
suburbs to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
on Wacker drive
The jobs that are likely to be moved into the
complex include those in BP´s energy trading,
supply and marketing operations. The company
believes that the move to a downtown location
will be beneficial for these units. According to
Elaine Melonides, international director for
the real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle and a
representative of BP in its negotiations with
the property owner, Tishman Speyer Properties,
the company plans to occupy 240,000
square feet on Wacker. Valerie Corr, spokesperson
of BP, maintained that the company
has signed a non-binding letter of intent for
discussing terms. Ms Corr also revealed that
BP expects to conclude the lease agreement
in the summer of 2008.
USA NEws
ConocoPhillips to rebuild StorageTek property
into research, teaching facility
Energy giant ConocoPhillips’ purchase of a 432-acre corporate campus in louisville
boosts Colorado‘s status as a clean-energy hub
The Houston-based oil and gas company plans
to rebuild the campus into a centre to research
hydrogen fuel cells, solar and wind power
and clean diesel fuel made from renewable
resources. It also plans to establish a learning
center to train employees from more than
40 countries. “We believe this demonstrates
what we’ve been saying about the new energy
economy of Colorado,” said Gov. Bill Ritter,
announcing the deal last month, at a hastily
called news conference at the Holiday Inn
Pennsylvania to allow half-gallon pricing at
older fuel pumps
Pennsylvania governor Edward Rendell has
given permission for fuel retailers with older
fuel pumps to display half-gallon prices, with
the total cost of petrol remaining the same
This comes as gas prices have exceeded US $4
Denver International Airport. “The company
recognizes that fossil fuels will be part of our
energy future for decades to come. They are
building a bridge to the future by investing in
new, cleaner technologies and in renewable
energy.” ConocoPhillips paid US $ 58.5 million
for the campus – among the largest in the world.
It houses numerous buildings, warehouses and
manufacturing facilities, most of which will
be razed. The new campus is expected to be
completed in three or four years.
Couche-Tard and Irving expand partnership
Irving oil and convenience store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard have announced
the expansion of their existing partnership to include 252 Irving oil
convenience retail sites across Atlantic Canada and New England
The expanded partnership will provide both
Couche-Tard and Irving Oil with opportunities
to serve more customers and to grow in the
Northeast, including the southern New England
states, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The transaction is anticipated to close in July
and is subject to standard regulatory approvals
and closing conditions.
Under the expanded partnership, 252 Irving Oil
convenience stores located in Atlantic Canada
and New England will be operated by Couche-
Tard. Of these stores, 128 are located in New
Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and
Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. The other
124 stores are located in Maine, New Hampshire,
Massachusetts and Vermont.
Irving Oil will retain ownership of the convenience
retail properties and Couche-Tard
will lease the properties at market value for
the next 20 years and buy the store equipment
and inventories by using internal available
cash dollars. Irving Oil will continue to supply
petroleum products to the sites. The fuel
16 lATEST USA NEWS – WWW.PETRolPlAzA.CoM
pumps and canopies at the sites will remain
Irving-branded and the stores will be operated
under a Couche-Tard brand.
Brian Hannasch, Couche-Tard’s senior vice
president of US operations, said: “Subsequent to
this transaction, Couche-Tard’s Eastern Canada
division would include a total of 693 companyoperated
stores and the Great Lakes division
would include 432 company-operated stores.
This transaction also marks Couche-Tard’s entry
into the Northeast US and Atlantic Canada and
the unique opportunity to do so with one of the
most well-recognized fuel brands and strongest
retail networks in this geography.”
Harry Hadiaris, director of the business to
consumer marketing business at Irving Oil,
said: “Expanding our existing partnership with
North American convenience retail industry
leader Couche-Tard is an exciting opportunity
for our company to create a greater platform
for growth in the Northeast and to focus on
our core business of providing clean fuels to
our customers.”
per gallon in some areas of the state. The
governor has said that older, non-digital fuel
dispensers cannot compute prices exceeding
US $3.99, making it necessary to allow halfgallon
pricing until upgrades can be made.