Tanzania Oil companies want fuel testing Galp wants ... - ErpecNews

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www.erpecnews.com 

Tanzania Oil companies want fuel testing 

A number of oil companies operating in 

Zambia, including Gapco, Engen and Mogas, 

have sent oil samples for international testing. 

The companies have revealed their belief that 

petrol supplied by Swiss-based Augusta Energy 

between January and March was contaminated. 

Three separate samples of petrol have been sent 

to the chief government chemist for laboratory 

testing following complaints by the Tanzania 

Association of Oil Marketing Companies. The 

companies involved claim the oil was blended 

with ethanol and has damaged equipment, 

leading to financial losses. Augusta Energy 

denied accusations of contamination stating 

that they only supply fuel which has been 

tested by responsible agencies. 

Galp wants retailer with 5 million euros 

Galp Energia is looking for a franchisee or 

retailer who will manage and operate two of 

its service stations in its Swaziland network. 

Galp, which is one of the most recognised 

filling station brands in Swaziland, is looking 

for someone with an unencumbered cash of 

5 million euros which will cover the right to 

trade and the first consignment of fuel stock to 

the required Galp outlets.Commercial Director 

Fannie Mthethwa was quoted in a statement 

saying that the successful candidate must be 

ready to commence operations 1st May. Galp 

Energia has invested about 210 million euros 

in its three-year operation in Swaziland. The 

company’s investment includes re-branding, 

opening new filling stations, constructing of 

a LPG depot and funding different charities. 

Trafigura to invest $ 250 million in Nagarjuna 

International commodity trader Trafigura 

is to invest $ 250 million in Nagarjuna Oil 

Corporation, with $130 million going into 

developing a new refinery storage facility in 

eastern India. Nagarjuna will also partner 

the state government of Tamil Nadu and Tata 

Petrodyne Ltd on the project. Work on the 

121 000 barrel per day refinery will begin later 

this year, with operations expected to begin 

in the first half of 2013. Located on the coast, 

the new refinery will be able to accommodate 

super tankers, which are typically able to carry 

up to 2 million barrels of oil each. At present, 

Trafigura holds storage facilities capable of 

holding more than 45 million barrels of oil 

and has been building its capacity steadily. 

Issue No 17 | April 2012 

AsiA, Middle eAst & AfricA edition 

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PeF begins electronic tracking of fuel tankers 

As part of the measures to check diversion 

of fuel tankers and fraudulent claims in the 

disbursement of bridging funds to transporters, 

Nigerias Petroleum Equalisation Fund 

(PEF) has commenced electronic tracking 

of the loading and movement of fuel tankers 

across the country. This development comes 

after the electronic tracking solution named 

“Project Aquila” was subject to a nine-month 

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pilot testing, which commenced on 1st July 

2011. The Petroleum Equalisation Fund 

(Management) Board was established by the 

PEFMB Act to equalise the cost of transporting 

petroleum products from depots to filling 

stations in order to ensure uniform price of 

fuel in all parts of the country. The agency 

derives its fund from the net surplus revenue 

recovered from marketers. 

sinopec to cut deliveries to private fuel stations 

State-owned China Petroleum and Chemical 

Corporation (Sinopec Corp) is halting fuel 

sales to private gas stations in some parts of 

the country. By cutting deliveries to privately 

owned gas stations, their competitors in the 

downstream market, Sinopec aims to meet 

the expanding demands of its own growing 

network, while at the same time pushing 

up its sales revenues in a move to offset 

losses from its refining business. The oil 

giant has been curtailing its fuel wholesale 

operations for the past year, a crude oil 

analyst for Shanghai Cifco Futures said. 

Last year, Sinopec reduced the wholesale 

deliveries of fuel to privately held stations by 

13.53 percent, while revenues from its own 

gas stations grew by 14.39 percent during 

the same period. 

Chevron Malaysia to expand its fuel retail network 

Chevron Malaysia Ltd, the operator of Caltex 

petrol stations, is looking to further expand 

its network in the country by establishing 

100 new service stations in the Peninsular 

of Malaysia by 2015, Country Manager Jeremy 

Oh has said. The new stations will be 

100 percent owned and operated by franchised 

retailers, in line with Chevron’s aspiration 

Acquisition of Malaysian oil refiner 

An affiliate of San Miguel Corp. has completed 

the acquisition of ExxonMobil Malaysia’s 

65 percent stake in the Malaysian oil refiner 

Esso for $ 577.3 million. In a disclosure to 

the stock exchange, San Miguel said its affiliate 

Petron Oil & Gas International Sdn. 

(POGI) has acquired 65 percent of Esso 

Malaysia Berhad and its other downstream 

oil subsidiaries in Malaysia – ExxonMobil 

Malaysia SdnBhd and ExxonMobil Borneo 

POGI also informed it would implement an 

to allow greater business participation and 

dedication by retailers. “Currently, we have 

422 petrol stations and out of the total, some 

60 percent are owned by retailers and the rest 

by Chevron. We expect by 2015, 100 more 

service stations will be opened and out of the 

then total, 90 percent would be owned and 

operated by retailers”, said Oh. 

unconditional mandatory take-over offer by 

POGI to acquire the remaining 35 percent 

of Esso Malaysia shares at 3.59 malaysian 

ringgit each. San Miguel has diversified its 

portfolio in recent years, spinning off its 

traditional brewing business and moving 

into areas such as domestic power, telecommunications, 

infrastructure and energy. The 

company owns the Philippines’ largest oil 

refiner, Petron Corp with a network of over 

1 700 service stations nationwide. 

IOC completes first phase of automation 

State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) 

has completed the first phase of automation 

of its petrol pumps across the country and 

is “progressing very fast” in this regard, according 

to a top company official. Last year, 

IOC embarked on a plan to automate all its 

petrol stations. In the first phase the oil major 

identified about 1 600 petrol stations. “That is 

progressing very fast, we have already upgraded 

2 000 petrol pumps under this program”, IOC 

Chairman and Managing Director R S Butola 

said. “All petrol outlets selling more than 

200 kilolitres per month have been covered 

in the first phase. In the second phase, all 

pumps retailing about 100 kilolitres will be 

put under automation”, Butola said. IOC has 

about 19 000 fuel stations across the country 

set for automation.

should India regulate petrol prices again? 

In order to help the Oil Marketing Companies 

(OMCs) erase some of their losses, 

the Indian government deregulated petrol 

prices in June 2010. However the government 

still compensates the OMCs for selling 

diesel, kerosene and liquefied petroleum 

gas at government-fixed prices. In-spite of 

deregulation, OMCs like Oil India, HPCL 

and BPCL still have to get the government’s 

approval to raise petrol prices. As a result 

Petron acquires esso Malaysia 

Petron Oil & Gas International Sdn Bhd 

(Petron International), an offshore affiliate 

of oil refiner Petron Corp., has offered to buy 

an additional 35 percent of Esso Malaysia 

Berhad for 3.50 malaysian ringgit a share. 

Petron International under a “mandatory 

takeover” offered to purchase 94.5 million 

shares held by other stockholders of Esso 

Malaysia. “The mandatory takeover offer was 

due to elections the OMCs have been unable 

to raise petrol prices for the past 4 months. 

OMCs last raised petrol prices in December 

2011. Price of Brent crude has increased by 

11.06 percent since 1st January, 2012 which 

has resulted in significant losses for the 

OMCs. According to the oil ministry, OMCs 

are losing around 4.86 billion rupee a day 

on account of selling petroleum products at 

government-mandated prices. 

triggered by Petron International’s acquisition 

of 175 500 000 Esso Malaysia Berhad (EMB) 

shares, representing 65 percent of the voting 

shares of EMB”, Petron said in a disclosure 

to the Philippine Stock Exchange. Petron 

said the tender offer marked its entry “into 

the highly-attractive and dynamic Malaysian 

market and is a strategic opportunity for the 

company to increase its presence in Asia”. 

Leading downstream company by 2016 

ENGEN Ghana limited is targeting to become 

the leading downstream company in the sub- 

Saharan region by 2016. ENGEN is focusing 

on the downstream refined petroleum products 

market and related businesses. The company’s 

core functions are the refining of crude oil, the 

marketing of refined petroleum products and 

the provision of convenience services via an 

extensive retail network. ENGEN has pres- 

ence in 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Managing Director, Engen Ghana, Henry 

Akoboah said “The vision of the company is to 

become the number one downstream company 

in sub-Saharan Africa. This means that we 

are going to increase our market share and 

our presence. That is the reason why we also 

acquired Chevron’s assets in seven countries 

to expand our operations in the sub-region”. 

south Korea expands ‘bargain’ gas stations 

South Korea plans to open more “bargain” gas 

stations throughout the country to help control 

inflationary pressure and lighten living costs 

for ordinary citizens. At an economic policymakers 

meeting aimed at stabilizing consumer 

prices, the finance ministry said up to 433 

bargain gas station will be set up increasing 

from 385 the number currently in operation. 

The bargain gas stations sell fuel products 

at lower prices than their conventional rivals. 

These stations can undercut rivals because 

they receive their fuel directly from state-run 

agencies at cheaper prices. The government 

said the presence of such stations helps lower 

gasoline and diesel fuel prices across the board 

through open market competition. 

zambia shortlists 14 fuel supply companies 

Fourteen foreign firms among them Dalbit 

Petroleum and Kuwait’s Independent Petroleum 

Group (IPG) have been shortlisted for the 

two-year supply of diesel and unleaded petrol 

to Zambia. And nine foreign firms have been 

shortlisted for the supply of 1.4 million tonnes 

of petroleum feedstock to Indeni Petroleum 

Refinery over two years. The country is currently 

looking for firms to supply diesel and 

unleaded petrol side by side with the firm to 

supply 1.4 million tonnes of petroleum feedstock 

over two years. The tender constitutes 

for supply of finished petroleum comprising 

15 to 20 percent of the diesel and petrol that 

the country consumes. Sources said prominent 

bidders included Dalbit Petroleum of Kenya, 

Agipol Africa, Addax Oryxl, Trafigula, IPG 

and Kenol Kobil. 

sanctions boost business for Iranian tanker company 

Iranian oil stored at sea is building up due to sanc - 

tions which are proving a boon to its tanker oper- 

ator. Half of the large crude carriers owned by 

NITC are now storing oil instead of exporting it. 

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News – MIddLe eAsT, AFrICA & AsIA 

Local fuel retailers interested 

in Caltex assets 

Local players are flexing their muscles to 

acquire downstream assets of Chevron Corp. 

as the American oil marketing company 

(OMC) is considering disinvesting from Egypt, 

Pakistan and Australia, industry officials 

and analysts said. Chevron (Caltex brand) 

has recently announced it wants to sell off 

its downstream assets consisting of refining, 

marketing and retail sales outlets. Chevron 

(Caltex) has an extensive presence in Pakistan 

with a nationwide retail network consisting 

of 538 fuel outlets. Industry officials say Attock 

Petroleum (APL) and Byco appear to be 

the key contenders among existing players. 

Fauji Faoundation’s Fauji Fertilisers (FFC) 

is also considering acquiring Caltex operations 

in Pakistan as the company is actively 

pursuing its business diversification plan and 

has already ventured in the energy sector. 

essar Oil to produce 

euro-v grade diesel 

Essar Oil Ltd has commissioned a unit that 

will produce Euro-V grade diesel at its Vadinar 

refinery in Gujarat. The 4 million tons a year 

Diesel Hydrotreater Unit-I (DHDT-I) will 

upgrade diesel quality by treating the sour 

diesel streams, achieving reduction in sulphur 

as well as an improvement in the cetane index. 

The project will enhance the refinery’s 

capacity to 18 million tons per annum from 

current 14 million. The new unit will ensure 

that the diesel produced will be capable of 

meeting Euro V specifications. Essar Oil 

has already commissioned the Isomerisation 

Unit, which was the first expansion unit to 

be commissioned, that gives the refinery the 

capability to produce gasoline of high octane 

rating and almost zero sulphur content. 

Nigeria imports of 4.8 

billion litres of fuel 

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory 

Agency (PPPRA) has issued 42 petroleum 

product marketers, permits to import a 

total of 4.8 billion litres of petrol in the 

second quarter this year. This will be the 

first open tender announcement since the 

partial removal of subsidy in January. Experts 

estimate that the country consumes 

between 20 and 25 million litres of petrol 

every day. Before the issuance of these 

permits, the country relied on exchanges 

of crude oil for petrol and other products. 

Oil majors like ExxonMobil and TOTAL 

as well as state-owned Nigerian National 

Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) are among 

the companies approved to sell petrol in the 

country, the PPPRA said in a statement. 

3

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China wants oil company rights protected 

China urged Sudan and South Sudan to 

protect the rights and interests of Chinese 

oil companies that have established projects 

in the two countries. “Their legitimate rights 

and interests deserve substantial protection”, 

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Weimin 

has said. Liu said the oil industry is an 

economic lifeline for both Sudan and South 

Sudan, calling on the two nations to remain 

rational and appropriately resolve oil disputes 

through negotiation. “China will work with 

the international community to make efforts 

to promote this process”, Liu said, also saying 

China hopes both sides will remain “calm and 

restrained”, respect each other’s sovereignty, 

increase mutual trust, actively cooperate 

with international mediation endeavours and 

resume negotiations at an early date. 

Libyan interests in east Africa shrink 

Libyan interests in East Africa continue to 

shrink as it emerges that Kenya is pressing 

for complete disengagement with Tamoil East 

Africa Ltd. This is so that they may review 

progress on the proposed Eldoret-Kampala 

pipeline. Energy officials in Nairobi have 

said that Kenya wants the multi-million dollar 

deal terminated and the project floated 

afresh to attract new partners. Recently 

Libya launched a major diplomatic offensive 

hoping to persuade authorities in Nairobi 

to revive the deal claiming that Tamoil had 

already spent $15 million. Now doubts have 

emerged as to whether Tamoil still has the 

ability to undertake such a critical project 

especially after the Uganda government 

demanded that the scope of the project be 

altered to cater for an additional line to 

pump future refined Ugandan oil to export 

markets through Kenya. 

Nigerian government fund maintenance of refinery 

In an attempt to reduce reliance on imported 

petroleum products, the Nigerian Federal 

Government has provided 94.2 billion naira 

(US $ 600 million) for the Turn Around 

Maintenance (TAM) of Warri Refining and 

Petrochemicals Company (WRPC). Director 

of WRPC Samuel Babatunde announced the 

TAM, which will take between 2 to 3 years, to 

the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resource 

(Downstream). Babatunde said the TAM will 

be vital due to the current condition of Nigeria’s 

pipelines. “We are victims of continuous 

pipeline vandals and disruptions, it is a battle 

to keep our plants running at even 25 percent. 

The refineries are in a terrible state of disrepair 

but works are in progress.” 

shell wait for government policy change 

Shell India has said that it will continue to 

operate its fuel retail stores as normal and that 

it is going to wait for government policy changes 

before expanding its operations. Shell operates 

between 70 and 80 fuel service stations in 

the country. “We are operating retail outlets 

and we have not shut them. We will continue 

operating these outlets and may not expand 

unless some policy changes are made”, said 

Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta. “My hope 

is that the government will allow companies 

to raise prices. This is important because 

companies need to invest for expansion. Unless 

they do that we are going to face a crisis.” 

Despite the abolition of direct price controls 

in mid-2010, companies that wish to deviate 

from set crude prices need the government’s 

approval to do so. 



PsO win major contract 

for fuel farm 

Pakistan State Oil (PSO) have announced 

that they have been awarded the contract 

for the establishment of a fuel farm, maintenance 

of hydrant refuelling system and 

refuelling operations at the New Benazir 

Bhutto International Airport (Islamabad). 

The contract was awarded after a transparent, 

competitive and open bidding process 

that took place at the Infrastructure Project 

Development Facility (IPDF) headquarters 

in Islamabad. The entire procedure was 

carried out under the supervision of Civil 

Aviation Authority (CAA) representatives 

and was conducted between the three prequalified 

parties namely Shell Pakistan, 

Attock Petroleum and Pakistan State Oil. 

The IPDF had defined the criteria for the 

successful bidder as being pre-qualified in 

the initial stage and submitting the highest 

proposal amongst all bidding parties. In the 

process, PSO was declared as the highest 

bidder for the project. 

Nagarjuna Oil in 

pact with IOC 

India’s Nagarjuna Oil Corp (NOCL) has 

signed a fuel sales deal with the country’s 

biggest refiner Indian Oil Corp, a move that 

is hoped will reduce import dependence. 

India has surplus refining capacity but 

its private refiners prefer to export or sell 

in local markets through state-run firms, 

which only get compensation from the 

government for sale of fuel at subsidised 

rates. The agreement would help cut the 

current deficit of about 3 million tonnes for 

supplies of gasoline, diesel and liquefied 

petroleum gas (LPG) in the state, NOCL 

said in a statement. “The NOCL Refinery 

is designed to produce around 2.7 million 

tons of Diesel, 0.8 million tons of Petrol 

and 0.7 million tons of LPG, which would 

be sufficient to bridge this deficit”, it said. 

5


6 

Public oil companies 

receive compensation 

Several public oil companies in India will 

receive compensation of 15 000 rupee 

from the government for having to sell 

fuel below market prices in the last fiscal 

quarter. Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat 

Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan 

Petroleum Corporation are obliged to sell 

domestic LPG, diesel and kerosene at a 

controlled price based on a government 

subsidy programme. Over the course of 

this year the three companies are estimated 

to lose 1.38 rupee lakh because of the 

subsidy, although the government has said 

that more compensation will be paid out 

over the course of 2012 – 2013 and that a 

budgetary provision has been made. The 

government has given no indication that 

the private sector-only subsidy will be 

removed, despite public companies like 

Oil India and ONGC having to shoulder 

some of the burden. 

Korean government 

wants more discount 

fuel stations 

The Korean government is stepping up 

its push for discount fuel stations to help 

lighten household utility bills despite continuing 

scepticism over its efficacy and state 

intervention in petrol prices. State-backed 

self-service stations are a showpiece of the 

government’s battle against skyrocketing 

oil costs and a supply oligopoly by major 

refiners. It aims to set up some 1 300 outlets 

by 2015, of which about 430 are in operation 

now. However, a growing number of 

Koreans are casting doubt on the ambitious 

campaign’s effectiveness, calling instead 

for a fuel tax break. 

Guyana takes a firm 

stand on health & safety 

As part of efforts to ensure that consumers 

receive value for their money and at the 

same time protect their health and safety, 

the Guyana National Bureau of Standards 

(GNBS) announced that it will continue 

its surveillance at fuel stations. This 

was disclosed by the head of the Legal 

Metrology and Standards Compliance 

Department, Shailendra Rai who also 

reported on an update on the bureau’s 

weights and measures activities for the 

first quarter of this year. He said that a 

total of 771 petrol pumps, 66 bulk metres, 

25 storage tanks and 54 wagon compartments 

were verified of which 197 petrol 

pumps were calibrated. 

CNPC pursue venezuelan joint venture 

The Chinese State Council has granted China 

National Petroleum Corporation approval 

to pursue a joint venture with Venezuela’s 

Petroleos deVenezuela. The venture will see 

CNPC and PDVSA work together on building 

a $ 9.29 billion refinery in Guandong 

Province, capable of processing 20 million 

tonnes of crude oil annually. CNPC will hold 

a 60 percent stake in the new refinery, with 

PDVSA controlling the remaining 40 percent. 


The refinery, which the companies hope will 

eventually produce 50 billion tonnes per year, 

will allow CNPC to increase its presence in 

the south of the country. CNPC and China 

Petrochemical Corp, or Sinopec, together 

control 80 percent of the country’s oil industry. 

The Chinese government is in the process of 

implementing an ambitious five-year plan that 

it hopes will lead to the country being capable 

of refining 650 million tonnes of oil per year. 

samsung Total plan budget fuel stations 

Samsung Total Petrochemicals Co. is set to 

break into the tightly controlled retail petrol 

market as part of the government’s across-theboard 

drive to rein in skyrocketing gas prices 

and revamp Korea’s fuel supply structure. A 

pan-governmental task force headed by the 

Ministry of Knowledge Economy unveiled the 

proposal, which also envisages an upsurge in 

electronic transactions and tax cuts and other 

incentives for new operators of “discount” 

Taiwan fuel price subsidy ends 

The Taiwanese government has announced 

the end of fuel subsidies pushing up prices by 

around 10 percent and drawing condemnation 

from opposition parties. “This is a difficult 

decision, but we have to do this”, said Economic 

Affairs Minister Shih Yen-shiang. “As 

a minister, I have to take into consideration 

the country’s long-term development, which 

has been threatened by the subsidies.” Main 

fuel stations. The package is the latest in a 

string of the government’s measures to boost 

competition and pricing transparency in the 

local retail fuel industry as sky-high pump 

prices squeeze budgets of low-income earners 

and everyday drivers. The announcement 

comes less than a week after President Lee 

Myung-bak ordered ministers at a meeting to 

look into “if constantly creeping fuel prices 

stem from an oligopolistic distribution system”. 

opposition group the Democratic Progressive 

Party demanded the government overhaul the 

state-run CPC Corp. Taiwan, the island’s main 

oil supplier, rather than hike prices. Minister 

Shih said that since the subsidy was introduced 

in late 2010, CPC Corp., which controls some 

75 percent of the island’s petroleum market, 

had generated a loss of 48.6 taiwan dollar 

billion ($ 1.64 billion). 

TOTAL Philippines plans expansion of network 

Fuel retailer TOTAL (Philippines), Inc. will open 

20 new stations this year as part of its growth 

program. The company currently has 174 retail 

stations nationwide with majority of the stations 

located in Luzon. The estimated cost for one 

station is 30 million peso, according to earlier 

reports, an investment which partly goes into 

meeting safety standards. The company wants to 

grow its market share in the country particularly 

in areas near its depots. TOTAL earlier said it 

wants to build more stations so it can eventually 

reach a critical mass of 300 to 350 stations. The 

company’s market share is about 4.3 percent according 

to data from the Department of Energy. If 

it meets the critical mass of stations, the company 

could grow its market share to about 10 percent. 

Qatar Petroleum considers Macedonia 

Qatar Petroleum is considering opening 

fuel stations in Macedonia, a Macedonian 

newspaper has reported. The news broke 

after a recent visit of a Macedonian government 

delegation to Qatar headed by Prime 

Minister Nikola Gruevski. The company, 

which plans to open 20 fuel stations in 

the territory of the Balkan country, says 

the location of the new fuel stations have 

already been chosen. Qatar is also interested 

in launching studies for possible oil and 

natural gas fields in Macedonia, but also 

in acquiring 49 percent shares in ELEM – 

Macedonian Power Plants. 

essar Oil renews agreement with Bharat Petroleum 

Essar Energy plc, announced that its subsidiary 

Essar Oil Ltd has renewed a major product sale 

and purchase agreement with Bharat Petroleum 

Corporation Limited (BPCL). The agreement 

gives the two companies the option of sharing 

each other's distribution infrastructure.


7


8 

Fuel retailers must 

justify prices 

The Austrian Competition Authority 

(BWB) has asked the country’s leading oil 

companies and petrol station managers to 

comment on the current price developments. 

The BWB announced it had decided to 

take a closer look at recent pricing due 

to an increasing number of complaints. 

The authority is expected to await the 

reply of fuel retailers before deciding 

about a possible examination. If found 

guilty firms could face fines amounting 

to thousands of euros. 

Irish fuel industry 

wants change 

The Irish Petroleum Industry Association 

(IPIA) has proposed a suite of measures 

aimed at tackling the problem of illegal 

diesel washing in Ireland. In a statement, 

the industry body for Ireland’s fuel industry 

says that the practice is costing the 

Exchequer as much as 155 million euros 

annually in lost fuel duty. “While other 

jurisdictions have to tackle this sort of 

fraud, the sheer scale of criminal washing 

of diesel is a particularly Irish disease”, it 

said. The IPIA’s recommendations include 

the introduction of “a strong regulatory 

regime” to control the sale of rebated 

fuel, a new marker for off-road diesel 

that is harder to disguise or remove, the 

closure of unlicensed filling stations and a 

“radical overhaul” of the currently “absurd” 

penalties for offending retailers. 

Gazprom pledges 

to boost gas output 

next winter 

Gazprom’s Deputy Chief Executive Vitaly 

Markelov said the company planned to 

raise gas production after the launch of 

new fields. This year, Gazprom is set to 

commission the huge Bovanenkovo field, 

the biggest gas deposit in the Yamal 

Arctic region, with reserves of 4.9 trillion 

cubic metres of natural gas, enough 

to meet global demand for over a year. 

Severenergia, a joint venture between 

Gazprom’s oil arm Gazprom Neft and 

Russia’s top non-state gas producer 

Novatek as well as Italy’s Eni and Enel, 

are also set to launch Samburg field. 

“Taking into account all these launches, 

we expect that Gazprom’s output during 

winter of 2012 / 2013 could reach around 

1.644 billion cubic metres a day ... This 

is almost 2 percent higher than the last 

winter’s peak”, Markelov said. 

statoil pilots new fuel station shop format 

Leading Scandinavian forecourt retailer 

Statoil is piloting a new highway store 

format in Norway. Billed as a ‘test lab’, the 

site combines a modern interior design with 

an extensive food menu and contemporary 

seating area. Following a recent public offering, 

Statoil Fuel & Retail now operates 

as a standalone business concentrating on 

downstream operations. Statoil Fuel & Retail 

CEO Jacob Schram said that the ‘test lab’ 


site offers more seating, a children’s play area, 

better toilet facilities and a much broader 

menu, including sushi and breakfast products. 

“It’s very different to what you usually 

see in a fuel station”, he says. Statoil Fuel & 

Retail operates 2 300 sites in eight European 

markets. It has benefited from economic 

stability in its Scandinavian heartland and 

has a foothold in larger markets in Central 

Eastern Europe. 

Petrol’s 2011 net income rises to 48 percent 

Petrol Group d.d. said profit last year surged 

as Slovenia’s biggest energy company sold 

more oil products after it consolidated its 

units in the Balkans. Net income advanced 

48 percent to 52.3 million euros (US $ 68 

million) while revenue gained 17 percent to 

3.3 billion euros. The main driver was the 

rise of sales of fuel”, said Aleksander Salkic, 

a Petrol (PETG) spokesman. “We have also 

Chechnya woos Azerbaijan with oil 

Republic of Chechnya has invited Azerbaijan 

to tap its oil deposits. “Rosneft’s license 

to produce oil in Chechnya has expired. 

In this connection, we invite Azerbaijan 

to explore new deposits”, said Chechnya 

Finance Minister Ali Isayev. According to 

media reports, Chechen leader Ramzan 

Kadyrov has been annoyed by Rosneft’s slow 

response to a request to build a refinery 

with an annual capacity of 1 million tonnes, 

which would give him more independence 

consolidated our units in Montenegro, Croatia 

and bought new companies in Slovenia.” 

Petrol, which plans to increase the number 

of fuel stations to 527 by 2016, is benefiting 

from the acquisitions in the Balkans, where it 

has been expanding in the last decade having 

signed an MOU with Russia’s OAO Gazprom 

Neft (SIBN) to cooperate in the supply and 

distribution of oil products in that region. 

from Moscow. A Rosneft spokesman declined 

to comment. according to Russia’s 

Energy Ministry, Rosneft’s Chechnya 

subsidiary, Grozneftegaz, produced over 

800 000 tonnes of oil last year, accounting 

for around 7 percent of the parent company’s 

total output. Grozneftegaz’a proven 

reserves stand at 60 million tonnes of oil 

and 3 billion cubic metres of gas under 

Petroleum Resources Management System 

classification. 

russia’s oil producers actively acquiring 

During 2011 many industry players faced 

difficulties in the domestic market, some 

produced less oil, some failed to upgrade 

refineries in time, others did not get the tax 

incentives for field development and last 

spring’s “gasoline crisis” has drawn sharp 

criticism from government officials. This 

year, both problems and priorities will largely 

remain the same. However Rosneft got top 

marks on production, processing and sales 

according to the company’s head Edward 

Khudainatov referring to their 2011 results. 

In the Q4 2011 the company produced a 

record of 2 622 000 BOE / day and as a result 

has overtaken ExxonMobil as the world’s 

leading oil producer. Oil and gas condensate 

production for the year grew to 122.5 million 

tons (+2.5 percent on 2010), natural gas 

production – to 12.8 billion cubic metres 

(+3.6 percent). 

LUKOIL secures loan for Uzbek gas project 

Russia’s LUKOIL has signed a deal with 

a consortium of banks for a loan of up to 

US $ 500 million to develop the Kandym- 

Khauzak-Shady-Kungrad gas project in 

Uzbekistan. The loan will be used to finance 

development of the Kandym fields and to 

increase production in the Khauzak-Shady 

area. The banking consortium which will 

provide the financing includes the Asian 

Development Bank, the Islamic Develop- 

ment Bank, Credit Agricole, BNP Paribas 

and the Korean Development Bank. The 

company estimates the project’s recoverable 

reserves at 330 billion cubic metres of gas 

and is working with an expected production 

rate of 11 billion cubic metres per year of 

gas. LUKOIL holds a 90 percent stake in 

Khauzak-Shady-Kandym, with the remaining 

10 percent controlled by state-owned 

Uzbekneftegaz.

INA sees Croatian investment improving 

Croatian refiner INA-Indusrtija Nafte d.d. 

majority owned by MOL Nyrt. sees Croatia’ 

investment environment improving said INA 

Chairman Zoltan Aldott. The Croatian government, 

which has a 44.84 percent stake in 

INA, is also interested in raising the company’s 

market share and strengthening its position 

in the south-eastern European region. The 

firm plans to re-invest all of its 2011 profits of 

1.9 billion kuna (US $ 333 million) this year 

into developing its gas station network and 

its refineries in Sisak and Rijeka, as well as 

international and Croatian production. “INA 

is one of the few European companies that 

believes in the future of refineries”, Aldott 

said, adding the firm will start an investment 

program of about US $ 450 million at 

the refineries. 

Alimentation Couche-Tard bid for statoil 

Statoil ASA’s Board of Directors has decided 

to pre-accept, subject to certain conditions, 

a cash offer from Alimentation Couche-Tard 

for the shares in the listed energy and retail 

company Statoil Fuel & Retail ASA at a con- 

sideration of NOK 53 per share (adjusted for 

any dividends and other distributions after 31st 

December 2011). The proceeds for Statoil’s 

54 percent stake in the company are estimated 

to NOK 8.6 billion (US $ 1.5 billion), assuming 

successful closing of the transaction. The 

offer delivers a premium of 53 percent to the 

current trading price. The parties expect to 

complete the transaction during the second 

quarter of 2012. As a result of the transaction, 

Statoil Fuel & Retail will no longer be 

consolidated in Statoil ASA’s accounts. 

LUKOIL buys in Belgium & Netherlands 

LUKOIL has signed a deal with Dutch Verolma 

Groep to acquire 59 gas stations in Belgium and 

the Netherlands, but did not disclose financial 

details. LUKOIL already has 168 gas stations in 

Belgium and in 2009 it bought a 45 percent stake 

in the Zeeland oil refinery in the Netherlands 

in which French oil major TOTAL holds the 

other 55 percent. “Entering the Dutch market fits 

with LUKOIL’s gas station expansion strategy”, 

Bulat Subaev, Managing Director of LUKOIL 

Belgium, said in a statement. Els Ruysen, LU- 

KOIL Spokeswoman in Belgium, said the deal 

was due to be completed in the second quarter 

once cleared by the anti-competition authorities. 

russia wastes enough energy to power Britain 

The world’s top oil and gas producer may be 

watching its energy riches blow away in the 

wind. Russia, in 2008, was wasting enough 

energy to power Britain for a whole year. It 

was then that President Dmitry Medvedev 

set a target to reduce energy intensity by 

40 percent before 2020. Russian companies 

were 10 to 20 times less energy efficient than 

their foreign rivals, he said. Not enough has 

changed since Soviet times, critics say and 

wide-open windows remain a typical way of 

cooling overheated housing blocks. Even today 

around one-fifth of Russian boilers date back 

to the era of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s space 

flight in 1961, or earlier. “We are two and half 

times less energy efficient than other comparative 

modern countries in Europe”, said Vasily 

Belov, head of the energy efficiency cluster 

at the Skolkovo Foundation. 

Friesacher builds budget station in slovenia 

Free Energy Trading (FE) Boss Markus Friesacher 

has said his enterprise has started 

constructing new no-frill service stations in 

Slovenia. The company currently manages 30 

low-cost petrol stations across Austria. Customers 

pay by credit or bank card at the stations 

which do not offer any extra services like a 

shop, car wash facilities or toilets. “We invest 

a third less in our stations than our rivals do”, 

said Friesacher. He said that regular petrol 

stations situated near FE service stations 

were usually lowering their prices. Asked 

for his secret of success, the businessman 

said he was trying to underbid them by 1.5 

to 2.5 eurocents per litre regardless of the 

general price levels. 



YPF expropriation is unjustified 

& damaging 

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has 

said that Argentina’s decision to nationalize 

Spanish-controlled oil company YPF SA has 

no economic justification and damages the 

understanding between the two countries. 

“This regrettable decision has no economic 

justification or any reason”, Rajoy said at the 

World Economic Forum’s Latin America 

event in the Mexican Pacific resort of Puerto 

Vallarta. Argentine President Cristina 

Kirchner asked her country’s Congress to 

put 51 percent of YP, Argentina’s biggest 

oil company, in state hands, ousting flagship 

Spanish energy firm Repsol YPF SA 

as the majority shareholder. The Spanish 

prime minister said the decision by the 

Kirchner government, which accuses 

YPF of not producing enough from its 

concessions, sets a serious precedent and is 

negative for everyone. Rajoy said the “good 

understanding” with Argentina is broken 

following the expropriation. 

OMv predicts energy 

price jumps in europe 

OMV AG Chief Gerhard Roiss has claimed 

that psychological aspects often matter more 

regarding the price of oil than fundamental 

grounds. Roiss called the increase of car 

fuel prices a “delicate topic”. He said the 

price for mineral oil might rather drop in 

the future than rise further. But Roiss also 

stressed that he was not aware of trustworthy 

indicators for the development of oil 

prices in the coming years. He said that 

the price for energy products and services 

like car petrol and household heating could 

be twice as high as these days. The former 

OMV deputy chief – who has headed the 

Viennese company since 2011 – identified 

renewable energy sources as key factor for 

spiralling expenses. 

Hungarian government 

keeps excise tax 

Hungarian Economy Minister György 

Matolcsy has said that the government 

does not intend to lower the excise tax 

on petrol. Opposition MPs have urged 

the cabinet on numerous occasions to 

reduce the tax on fuel, the highest in 

the region. Matolcsy argued that lowering 

the excise tax would not significantly 

reduce prices at petrol stations and would 

cost the budget tens of billions of forints. 

Matolcsy also cited an EU directive that 

sets a minimum level of excise tax on fuel. 

High fuel prices are not a specifically 

Hungarian phenomenon, he said. 

9


10 

rosneft borrows Us $1 billion 

from Gazprombank 

OAO Rosneft (ROSN), Russia’s biggest 

oil producer, agreed to borrow US $ 1 

billion from OAO Gazprombank to fund 

operations. With interest, the deal totals 

US $ 1.19 billion, the state-controlled 

producer said. Tthe state-run natural-gas 

exporter and producers net debt climbed 

to US $ 15.9 billion at the end of last year, 

up 13 percent from the start of the fourth 

quarter and 16 percent from the start of 

the year, according to its website. Rosneft 

is boosting capital spending about 35 

percent to a record 480 billion rubles this 

year to help counter slowing production 

growth. Vladimir Putin called for Russia, 

the world’s biggest oil producer last year, 

to maintain output at more than 500 million 

metric tons (10 million barrels a day) 

for at least a decade. 

OMv Petrom expects 

record profits 

The leading Romanian oil company 

OMV Petrom (SNP.RO) has announced 

estimations for a new record high of its 

net profit, to reach 867.8 million euros 

in 2012, despite the slighter lower sales 

registered by the company and mirrored 

in a turnover estimated to decrease by 4.6 

percent, at 3.6 billion euros in 2012. The 

company forecast that local natural gas 

production will reach 5067 billion cube 

metres, less by 3 percent compared with 

the 5.214 billion cube metres registered 

last year. Petrom OMV has a budget of 1.2 

billion euros for this year, with 8.6 percent 

more compared with previous year. The 

largest investments will target operations 

and production, but the company also 

budgeted 777 million euros for refinery 

and marketing. 

Gazprom Neft may buy 

Hellenic Petroleum 

Gazprom Neft, is considering buying a 

stake in Greek oil refiner Hellenic Petroleum 

CEO Alexander Dyukov has said. 

Greece’s top privatisation official said last 

month that refiner Hellenic Petroleum, 

would be put up for sale by May to boost 

a much-delayed privatisation plan. “We 

are looking into the possibility of acquiring 

this asset. There are two decent plants 

with comparatively high capacity and refining 

depth”, Dyukov said. He added that 

Gazprom Neft’s investment programme 

for 2012 will be flat, comparing with 

2011. The Greek state owns 35.5 percent 

of Hellenic Petroleum. 

TNK-BP hydrotreater reconstruction 

TNK-BP’s Saratov oil refinery L-24-6 grade 

diesel capacity increased by almost 30 percent 

to 2.2Mta following reconstruction of its diesel 

fuel hydrotreater at the Saratov refinery, part 

of the large-scale upgrading programme of the 

company’s refining assets. The reconstruction 

of the two-train facility included the replacement 

of reactors, knockout drums, process 

equipment and heat exchangers. “With the 


hydrotreater, Saratov oil refinery can now 

produce all types of diesel fuel with improved 

operating and environmental characteristics 

of Euro 4 and Euro 5 standards”, says Vitaly 

Zuber, Director of TNK-BP refining department. 

The company produces over 20 types 

of products, including unleaded gasoline, 

diesel fuel, fuel oil of all key grades, bitumen, 

vacuum gas oil, technical suphur and naphtha. 

Keeping europe dependent on russian fuel 

Western Europe, already dependent on Russia 

for 40 percent of its oil and natural gas, is 

about to make itself even more dependent. 

Russian oil companies are buying European 

oil refineries, prompted by Europe’s need for 

major infusions of cash to offset the major 

economic downturn and to bring many insolvent 

refineries back into production. The 

Russian oil companies leading this effort are 

Gunvor, Rosneft and LUKOIL. One such 

refinery marked for a Russian buy-in is in 

Antwerp, Belgium. By acquiring the Antwerp 

refinery, the Russians will be expanding oil 

refining in Europe with Oil coming from 

Russia for refining. Another refinery is the 

Ingolstadt refinery in Germany on which 

Rosneft is bidding. The key both for Belgium 

and Germany is that the investor must also 

be able to provide the oil for refining. Rosneft 

already has other refinery investments in the 

Ingolstadt region. 

Fuel stations face forced closure in Bulgaria 

Some 500 fuel stations are facing forced closure 

over their failure to install level gauges, according 

to Ivaylo Nikolov, Chair of the Association of 

Traders at Small and Medium Filling Stations. 

In an interview Nikolov explained that a number 

of rural areas would be left without fuel stations 

and people would lose their jobs as a result. The 

deadline for the installation of the level gauges 

TOTAL extends ties with China 

French energy giant TOTAL SA has reached 

an agreement with China’s Sinopec on a joint 

venture for shale gas and refining. The news also 

quoted TOTAL’s Chief Executive Christophe de 

Margerie as saying that Chinese authorities now 

own a stake of 2 percent in the French company. 

TOTAL is in talks for the right to market fuel 

expired on 2nd April alongside the deadline for 

the mandatory electronic connection of all commercial 

sites to the information system of the 

National Revenue Agency (NRA). The revenue 

authority has not yet come up with summarized 

data on the number of electronic devices already 

mounted electronic but tax officials are adamant 

that the deadlines are realistic. 

and petrochemicals in China produced by a 

planned refinery complex in the country’s South, 

de Margerie was quoted as saying. TOTAL 

reached a pact with China Petrochemical Corp., 

or Sinopec, to search for and produce shale gas, 

a potentially lucrative market tapping natural 

gas trapped in rock formations. 

MOL not quitting gas transit pipeline 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was 

quoted by international media as breaking 

the surprising news that MOL is quitting 

Nabucco. The Nabucco Pipeline project is 

based on a treaty that was signed and ratified 

by the transit countries, including Hungary. 

The Intergovernmental Treaty establishes a 

unique and strong legal framework for lenders, 

producers and transportation customers. The 

Nabucco shareholder in Hungary is FGSZ, a 

MOL subsidiary and they have not had any 

indication that this will change. What is more, 

in addition to refuting the news about MOL’s 

quitting, the Consortium sought to make it clear 

that the project for the natural gas pipeline from 

Asia to Europe is making steady progress. “The 

project is seeing strong progress. The Project 

Support Agreements were signed by all transit 

countries in June 2011, thus finalizing the legal 

framework for the pipeline. In Hungary, three 

out of the four environmental permits have 

been granted”, the Vienna-based company said.



11


12 

LATesT News, eveNTs, jOBs ONLINe – www.PeTrOLPLAzA.COM

Austria plans regulation of fuel prices 

People’s Party’s (ÖVP) Economy Minister 

Reinhold Mitterlehner has called for the 

creation of a stricter fuel price monitoring 

programme. Mitterlehner explained that his 

ministry plans to set up a “price corridor” valid 

for periods such as heavy vehicle traffic like 

weekends or holidays. The system will mean 

that Austria’s fuel stations must not charge 

more than the average price they are given 

for a seven to ten days period. Mitterlehner 

dismissed fears that fuel stations would jack 

up their prices disproportionally in the time 

span when prices were checked. He claimed 

that competition would avert such action. 

Oil not for sale until 2018 says russia 

ExxonMobil and their Russian partners Rosneft 

have a few billion barrels of oil waiting 

to come to market out of the Black Sea and 

deep Arctic. Rosneft shattered BP’s hopes 

of exploiting Russian Arctic oil last May by 

pulling out of a planned joint venture with 

the British giant after losing patience with 

protracted negotiations. ExxonMobil gladly 

took their place. But the oil and gas won’t be 

coming to market anytime soon and not until 

2018 at the earliest says Russia’s Deputy Prime 

Minister Igor Sechin. According to Rosneft, 

the estimated oil in place is 35.8 billion barrels 

and the estimated natural gas in those fields 

is estimated to be close to 10 trillion cubic 

metres, or 364 trillion cubic feet. 

sainsbury to buy 18 TOTAL filling stations 

J Sainsbury plc in the UK is set to buy 18 filling 

stations currently under the TOTAL brand 

from private equity firm Rontec Investments 

LLP, highlighting the continued importance 

of fuel to supermarkets as they try to attract 

cash-strapped customers. The retailer said 

the deal is subject to approval from the Office 

of Fair Trading, but didn’t say how much it 

Cartel to investigate oil companies 

Germany’s competition authority has announced 

it has opened an investigation into 

five main oil refiners suspected of hampering 

smaller filling-station competitors. The Cartel 

Office said the five multinational oil companies, 

which also own most German filling stations, 

constituted an oligopoly. Soaring fuel prices 

have triggered political friction in Germany 

with some politicians advocating a form of 

price control or additional tax rebates to ease 

would be paying for the service stations “The 

acquisitions provide a unique opportunity to 

support our plans for growth and to extend the 

reach of the Sainsbury’s brand”, said Phillip 

Bell-Brown, Director of property development 

at the company. Currently Sainsbury has an 

8.7 percent share of the U.K. fuel market, 

with 262 outlets. 

the strain on commuters. The Federal Cartel 

Office in Bonn said independent retailers 

which buy petrol and diesel fuel from the five 

big oil groups had complained they sometimes 

had to pay a higher wholesale price than the 

retail price at filling stations. Independents 

sell about 13 percent of German fuel and, 

retail fuel prices sometimes change two or 

three times a day with motorists cruise to 

find the cheapest. 

exxonMobil continue sale of fuel stations 

ExxonMobil Corp has put 78 French gas 

stations up for sale, part of a wider effort to 

sell out of such activities in Europe. Esso 

France Chief Executive Francis Duseux has 

said there could be an agreement on the sale 

of the French service stations within weeks. 

ExxonMobil operates a total of 680 gas stations 

in France under the Esso brand name. Such 

gasoline distribution activities are seen as too 

unprofitable to justify tying up ExxonMobil’s 

capital and the stations will likely be sold to 

operators who would continue to operate under 

the Esso brand and be supplied through longterm 

contracts. In addition to independents, 

potential buyers for the service stations include 

Russia’s LUKOIL and Israel’s Delek. 

Timico expands Murco Petroleum network 

UK managed services provider Timico has rolled 

out additional technology to Murco Petroleum 

service stations. Murco has added 3G capability 

to its existing Timico WAN. The new Timico 

Mobile Access Management (MAM) service will 

allow systems in all of Murco Petroleum’s network 

of service stations across England, Scotland and 

Wales to automatically switch to the failsafe 

wireless back-up if connectivity is lost during 

business hours. Timico has provided Murco with 

a Private Wide Area Network (PWAN) to connect 

all of its retail sites to head office for seven years. 



welcome Break 

signs IT services deal 

UK service station group Welcome Break 

has signed a three-year IT services contract 

with Phoenix to support its network of 

27 motorway retail complexes. Contract 

covers maintenance, desktops and servers. 

The Welcome Break sites cover a total of 

265 units, including Starbucks, KFC, Burger 

King and Eat In catering units, Waitrose 

and WHSmith retail units, Days Inn hotels 

and Shell and BP fuel forecourts. Phoenix 

has been providing IT support to Welcome 

Break since 2005. The value of the latest 

contract extension has not been disclosed. 

David Willock, director of IT at Welcome 

Break, said all the company’s site units use 

Welcome Break systems and processes, 

including electronic point of sale (EPOS), 

stock control and payroll. 

First automated fuelling 

complex in Ukraine 

SOCAR Energy Ukraine has opened 

the first automated filling complex in 

Ukraine – SOCAR Rapid. It will be run 

without operators and service station attendants, 

“It will feature consistently high 

quality fuel at a lower price”, a statement 

said. Customers can fill cars by brand fuel 

Nano 95, Nano diesel, A 95 and A 92 at 

prices lower than usual. One person will 

oversee the operation of the equipment, 

if necessary, explain the customer rules 

for using equipment and monitor the 

cleanliness of the area.The station will 

operate 24 hours a day all year. 

Goodbye my friend 

The funeral of Alex Galanis, who was 

killed tragically in a motorcycle accident 

last month, took place in his home town 

of Tonbridge, Kent, UK, on April 19th. 

At a special memorial service, held on 

the same afternoon, over 400 mourners 

packed into the Tonbridge School 

chapel to hear readings and sing hymns 

to celebrate his life. His family have set 

up a website in his name to raise money 

for the many charities close to his heart 

www.alexgalanisfoundation.org He will 

be sadly missed by me a great many other 

people. Editor. 

13

PrOdUCT News All text on this page is submitted and written by suppliers. Please email product news to editor@erpecnews.com 

14 

The Co-operative selects 

Torex products 

Torex, integrated technology solutions to 

the retail marketplace, has provided The 

Co-operative Group with an innovative, 

three tiered solution for their forecourt 

business. The Fuel Wrapper solution which 

features EFT Link, SMS Reporting and an 

IP-Connected Forecourt controller has been 

awarded the Retail Systems Award for best 

EPOS Innovation of the Year 2011. The 

Co-operative added 142 forecourt sites to 

its estate when it acquired the Somerfield 

business in 2009. There was the desire 

to integrate “Fuel” functionality into the 

Co-operative’s InControl EPOS system 

and Torex was chosen to collaborate in 

this endeavour. Torex Fuel Wrapper was 

designed specifically to meet the challenges 

of a changing landscape as fuel and 

convenience retailing come together rapidly, 

creating the need to combine complex fuel 

POS with all its compliance requirements 

with normal convenience POS. 

Tokheim relies on its 

Ford transit fleet 

Tokheim a leading manufacturer and service 

provider of fuel dispensing equipment, 

has taken delivery of a new fleet of Transit 

commercial vehicles to help with their 

work in supplying and servicing installations 

at fuel retailers across Ireland. The 

contract includes the supply of 15 Transit 

models and a total fleet management and 

maintenance package covering road tax, 

tyre replacement, servicing, vehicle replacement 

and repairs. Casey King from 

Tokheim Ireland said: “The Transit is our 

favoured work vehicle which has proven to 

be dependable and fuel efficient, helping 

to keep our costs down.” 

Tanknology names 

new vice President 

Tanknology Inc a leading Underground 

Storage Tank (UST) environmental compliance 

services company, has announced 

the promotion of Ignacio Allende as the 

company’s Vice President of International 

Operations and Intellectual Property. Ignacio 

previously held the position of Director of 

International Operations, where he has been 

responsible for all aspects of Tanknology’s 

international presence. Under his leadership 

Tanknology has gained licensees in 

countries including Turkey, Mexico, South 

Africa and Nigeria. As a direct result of 

Ignacio’s success Tanknology now has a 

presence in more than 25 countries, covering 

6 continents. 

KPs launch Chinese production facility 

Swedish Ambassador Lars Fredén and and oil 

company VIP guests from Sinopec, Petrochina 

and TOTAL attended this launch to celebrate 

the start of production of KPS plastic petrol 

pipes in Beijing. Also present were specialists 

from the Chinese petrochemical standard 

organization SEI, from the Chinese test institute 

and from the Chinese environmental 

protection agency. The Chinese production 

facility will supply KPS piping to the Chinese 


market and is prepared for production of 

both single and double wall piping. Improved 

logistics with production closer to the rapidly 

growing Chinese market is the main reason 

for establishing a new pipe production hub. 

The pipes produced at the Beijing factory 

are already approved to EN 14125 by ERA 

Technology Ltd, UK and are of the same 

high quality as KPS pipes produced in the 

Swedish factory. 

New user interface improves customer service 

Tokheim has announced 

that its 

point of sale, Fuel 

POS, comes with 

a brand new graphical 

user interface 

in its latest release. 

The new look is a 

shift away from Fuel POS’s traditional blue 

screen to a more modern, sleek design. However, 

Fuel POS still follows the same intuitive 

layout of its predecessors to ensure existing 

users require no new training. Peter Van 

Nauw, System Product Marketing Director, 

says, “The new user interface is the result of 

more than a year of research with customers 

and design agencies”. Customers liked the 

ease of use of Fuel POS, but it was felt that 

we could improve its overall look and feel. 

The new design ensures a better. experience 

for staff through reduced eye fatigue, clearly 

marked icons and improved search options. 

OPw announce AvANCe fuelling nozzles 

OPW Fueling Components EMEA is proud to 

announce that its next generation nozzle and 

system solution, AVANCE, is now available for 

sale across the EMEA region. AVANCE is a 

direct result of extensive consumer research 

as well as industry customer’s input on how a 

next generation nozzle should ideally perform 

and look. AVANCE’s technical innovations 

claim to be able to increase profitability, 

decrease service and maintenance costs for 

operators and protect consumers and the environment 

during the filling process. AVANCE 

is available as a conventional nozzle, a vapor 

recovery nozzle and as a fully certified and 

complete system solution with AVANCE 

hose and AVANCE swivel. The multi-plane 

swivel breakaway rotates 360 degrees around 

its axis and 70 degrees from side to side. All 

components are of course fully backwards 

compatible with the installed base in the field. 

PriceAdvantage partners with POs provider 

PriceAdvantage, a division of Skyline Products, 

announced a partnership with AutoGas, 

the provider of Point of Sale solutions and 

dispenser control systems. A joint customer 

with over 100 fuel sites has already begun 

the implementation plan that will integrate 

PriceAdvantage with AutoGas POS and Auto- 

Gas Fuel Controller. The expected results are 

that they will cut down their pricing process 

by 3 hours per day, allowing them to change 

prices 2 – 3 per day as opposed to currently 

changing prices once a day. PriceAdvantage 

receives daily surveys from store managers; 

then price proposals are sent for approval and 

upon approval PriceAdvantage synchronizes 

with the AutoGas POS system and AutoGas 

Fuel Controller to ensure that prices are 

updated from the store to the street. 

Kss Fuels launch ‘Client success’ initiative 

KSS Fuels have announced the launch of a 

new global initiative designed to help clients 

maximize the benefits of their relationship 

with KSS Fuels. Client Success is a dedicated 

department of industry, pricing and location 

intelligence gathering information system, 

available to all KSS Fuels clients to ensure 

they’re able to get the most value from their use 

of KSS Fuels’ products and services. With the 

ever-changing dynamics of today’s retail and 

wholesale fuels markets, there are short-term 

challenges to address as well as opportunities 

to finesse fuels strategies and tactics to gain 

incremental litres or profit margin. Client 

Success is said to augment clients’ existing 

capabilities by offering insight, proactive 

recommendations or practical support to 

ensure they protect their existing business and 

capitalize on the opportunities while taking 

care of day-to-day operations.

All text on this page is submitted and written by suppliers. Please email product news to editor@erpecnews.com 

revolutionary secondary containment system 

Franklin Fueling Systems (FFS) has announced 

the launch of ‘Gemini’ which they 

are calling “a true revolution in fittings design 

for secondary contained pipe systems”. 

Gemini provides simpler and safer secondary 

containment installation as well as materials 

and installation cost savings. Gemini works by 

splitting the secondary fitting into two pieces, 

enabling the installer to slide the secondary 

fitting away so that the primary joint can be 

fully welded, pressure-tested and inspected 

before welding secondary fittings. This process 

makes installing secondary containment 

more efficient and provides up to a 50 percent 

reduction in primary and secondary fittings, 

further reducing the number of parts, welds, 

time and overall cost. A dedicated website has 

been launched to support Gemini, featuring 

in-depth product information, multi-lingual 

literature downloads and videos introducing 

this innovative new product. 

Visit www.franklinfueling.com/gemini 

Torex and Gilbarco veeder-root join forces 

Torex has announced a new partnership with 

Gilbarco Vedeer-Root to offer customers the 

latest in integrated Outdoor Payment Terminal 

(OPT) technology. For the first time, Torex 

EPoS technology is being linked to Gilbarco 

Veeder-Root’s modern and flexible stand-alone 

FlexPay NP3 OPT. As rising fuel prices increase 

industry competition and the risk of drive-offs, 

FlexPay NP3 OPT technology provides a pre- 

pay option. The OPT can also be used to create 

a “fast lane” on sites, that allows fuel-only 

customers to quickly re-fuel, pay and leave, thus 

increasing throughput. FlexPay NP3 can also 

be used in unmanned mode, allowing drivers 

to purchase fuel 24/7 when the forecourt shop 

might be closed. The technology can be installed 

in remote rural areas where staffed forecourt 

sites might not be an option. 

Mepsan leading the way in Georgia 

Mepsan say they are the leading petroleum 

equipment supplier in the Georgian 

Petroleum marketplace having won fuel 

dispenser and automation system tenders 

for GULF Company. Gulf Company entered 

the Georgian market aggressively 

by purchasing Magnati, Senta and ECO 

Companies in 2011 and by the beginning 

of 2012 had grown into a chain of 130 fuel 

stations. Mepsan’s International Sales and 

Marketing Director Batuhan Kıroglu said 

that their vision is to become a well-known, 

reliable and respected Turkish brand worldwide. 

Batuhan expressed that it is not easy 

to create a brand but Mepsan has a clear 

vision and determination to succeed. “Only 

regionally focused and flexible companies 

can grow in the geographical areas in which 

we operate” he said “the secret of Mepsan’s 

success is based on reliability and being a 

true partner, providing satisfaction, detecting 

customer needs and offering suggestions”. 

Morrison new 10-gallon remote fill box 

The Morrison 715 Series is a 10 gallon capacity 

remote fill box that provides containment 

of small spills during tank filling operations. 

All models are supplied with a male threaded 

connection inside and outside. The 715 may be 

ordered with a factory installed ball valve and 

a choice between a female quick disconnect 

check valve coupler with dust plug, or a dry 

disconnect adaptor and cap. Stainless steel 

models also available. 


Neotec launch 

new range of Fuel 

dispensers 

PrOdUCT News 

Neotec Ltd. Greece, has recently launched 

the new MPD 8000 Series of electronic 

retail fuel dispensers. MPD 8OOO Series 

is a Low Hose Multiproduct Fuel Dispenser 

offering advantages of the latest technology 

combined with innovative design. 

MPD 8000 Series complies fully with the 

highest safety standards and all products 

and production facilities have been certified 

according EN ISO 9001:2008 ATEX 

94/9/EC and MID 2004/22/EC directive. 

wayne appointment 

in russia & CIs 

Wayne, a GE Energy Business and a global 

innovator of fuel dispensers and technologies, 

recently announced the appointment of 

Andrei Belomestnykh as Regional Manager, 

Russia & CIS. Belomestnykh is a proven 

leader in the industry and brings to Wayne 

extensive management experience – most 

recently with Shell, where he served nearly 

12 years in a series of progressive roles in 

Russia and Central and Eastern Europe 

in both sales and business development. 

During his tenure there, Belomestnykh 

managed Shell’s retail petroleum portfolio 

for the Commonwealth of Independent 

States (CIS). In his new role, Belomestnykh 

will develop and expand Wayne business 

activity within the Russia / CIS region, 

focusing his organization on customer development, 

revenue growth and profitability. 

“Andrei’s leadership and significant expertise 

provide him with a keen understanding 

of how to build business and innovate to 

reach key Wayne audiences”, said Damian 

Tracey, president, Wayne EMEA. “Andrei’s 

depth of experience will make an immediate 

impact as we continue to establish and 

strengthen connections in Russia.” 

15

FeATUre – Bever INNOvATIONs 

16 

From caves to canopies – LED 

Remko Delfgaauw talking with Nick Needs at the recent Petroforum event in Singapore 

Lighting applications for the retail petroleum industry have been revolutionised over the last few years, with the 

arrival of Led technology. In the process several new specialist suppliers have been pushed to the forefront of their 

marketplace, almost overnight. One such company is Bever Innovations from the Netherlands, working out of a 

back garden shed in 1996, but now dealing day to day with some of the largest oil companies in the business. Bever 

claims to be the only organisation working 100 percent in the petrol world, which they say is reflected in the unique 

features of their products, such as the Luci series Led under canopy Illumination and I-Catcher Led displays which 

are now used on petrol stations in over 40 countries. In 2009, the european Union recognised Bever as an official 

‘Green Light endorser’ for their efforts in energy efficient lighting. 

At the recent PetroForum in Singapore, CEO 

Remko Delfgaauw, spoke about the need for 

companies working in the energy market like 

his, to share the responsibility for producing 

more environmentally friendly products. As 

if he does not have enough to do at the moment 

with the rapid growth of Bever, he is 

currently discussing the idea of dealers having 

leasing agreements with energy suppliers, 

where they pay nothing for the technology, 

but what they save each month in energy, 

is what they would pay each month for the 

lease. The idea certainly has a great deal 

of merit and for any company wishing to 

discuss the matter further, I’m sure Remko 

will be happy to talk at length about this 

and the many other new concepts he has. 

For someone working in the energy market, 

Remko has his own self-generating energy 

source, which relentlessly drives the company 


forward. I caught up with him for an hour in 

Singapore, to find out what makes him tick and 

to talk about the subject of his presentation at 

the event ‘Understanding the LED Revolution’. 

This certainly seemed to be a good place to 

start as to be honest I had no idea! 

Remko explained. “LED is in fact the fourth 

generation of lighting technology. After the caveman 

had pioneered fire, incandescent lighting

lighting 

followed in 1870, invented by Thomas Edison. 

Gas discharge arrived in 1920 i.e. fluorescent 

tubes and neon lighting and another 40 years 

later in 1960, General Electric discovered Light 

Emitting Diode technology, LED. An electrical 

reaction occurring when a negative electron 

particle enters a positive one. This releases 

a photon that in turn gives off instantaneous 

light. To be exact, the strict definition of LED 

is a diode/semi-conductor converting electrical 

current into light or sometimes more simply 

put, a digital light”. 

I asked Remko why he opted for this ‘almost 

introductory’ approach. He countered “My 

presentation attempted to answer a few very 

simple questions which I think many customers 

still have. LED is taking over the world at a 

very rapid rate and its fairly difficult for people 

to get a grasp on what exactly the LED market 

is all about. So for my talk I first worked out 

five basic questions. What’s LED? How much 

light does an LED give? Where can the biggest 

savings be found? What makes or breaks an 

LED luminaire? What will the future bring?” 

For the uneducated amongst us I had to ask 

Remko what a luminaire was and he pointed 

out that it is a big flood light, like those used 

on forecourt canopies or for perimeter lighting. 

The simplistic angle to his presentation 

surely paid off when several delegates I spoke 

to said that these questions were exactly the 

type they were becoming too embarrassed to 

ask, proving his point totally. 

I asked Remko to talk freely about the benefits 

of LED from his perspective and to illustrate 

the varying factors applicable to LED in different 

parts of the world. Having travelled most 

of it during the last few years, he digressed 

“The main quality of this lighting type is its 

durability. A diode or a semi-conductor is very 

small and light so when it gets shaken around, 

nothing happens. Because of this it is virtually 

shock proof. Semi-conductors also have a very 

long life span. 

Being turned on and off very quickly is also 

a feature of LED, which does not harm it in 

any way, whereas a normal lamp would break 

much faster in these circumstances. In the life 

of a retail petroleum site, say in Asia where the 

power supply is unreliable, especially in the rainy 

season, surges of power are not conducive to a 

An interview with Remko Delfgaauw, CEO Bever Innovations by Nick Needs 

continuous lighting solution. When I was in 

India recently I did not see one petrol station 

with all its lights in operation at any time. I 

believe that LED technology is a great fit for this 

part of the world, just because it is so robust”. 

In Europe and the western world generally, 

where power grids are far more reliable, it is 

the cost of electricity that makes LED so attractive, 

particularly when prices are predicted 

to rise fast in the coming years. Remko told 

me that in Australia and South Africa, the 

dealers that he speaks to are coping with 

increased electricity costs of over 30 percent 

per year. I asked him how much of a saving 

a petrol station with LED lighting would 

make bearing in mind the initial investment 

required. He commented “The older metal 

halide lamps typically the 400 watt units used 

widely on petrol stations today, use 75 percent 

more electricity than LED lamps. On a site 

which has 18 – 20 such units, the energy savings 

would be extremely impressive. There is 

also the life span of a bulb to consider with the 

normal metalhalide variety lasting typically 

only 20 000 hours. The LED equivalent will 

last up to 5 times longer.” 

As mentioned earlier in this article, Bever 

operates only in the petrol station market. I 

asked Remko why this was so important to 

him. He says “It’s still the cornerstone of our 

company. You can’t compare us in size with 

the big lighting organisations which turn over 

billions of euros each year, but because we 

work only in the retail petroleum sector we 

know exactly what our customers want. For 

example our new remote control device like the 

one you might use with your television set, can 

manage and program our lamps individually 

just by pointing and clicking. The remote can 

even change the wattage of each lamp if there 

is a light imbalance of any sort to make sure 

that each part of the forecourt is illuminated 

evenly. This device has been developed purely 

with the petrol station in mind. 

The focus we have in the retail petroleum business 

allows us to constantly look for specialised 

solutions, not standard ones”. After studying 

all the Bever product listings, the one product 

feature which caught my eye was the facility 

with the Luci series for it to respond to 

traffic arriving on the forecourt. A sensor 



automatically ‘sees’ customers at the pumps 

and then switches lights from dimmed to full 

power, making direct energy and cost savings. 

Simple but extremely effective. 

Luci series intelligent lighting 

A remote control to easily change light settings from 

ground level 

I suggested to Remko that the colour of light 

produced by LED lamps has been an issue 

in the marketplace, being maybe too white 

and not yellow enough as supposedly wanted 

by some people. Is there any truth in this I 

asked? He said “These days, contrary to what 

people might think, we can produce LED light 

in any colour you want, whether it is for the 

shop, where a warmer yellow light might work 

better, or for outside on the forecourt, where 

a white bright LED lamp promotes a clean 

modern environment”. 

Looking in the Bever corporate brochure, a 

photograph of a huge Shell site in Luxembourg 

showed clearly the light differences between 

the inside and the outside of a petrol station. 

Remko told me that this was an exceptional 

project for them on one of the largest petrol 

sites in Europe, selling over 300 million litres 

of tax advantaged fuel per annum. Over 180 

17


18 

luminaires were installed, which compares to 

a typical site usually requiring about 15 – 20. 

The saving on this one station alone, utilising 

LED lighting, was recently calculated at 

40 000 euros per year. 

How will you cope with the LED explosion if 

it carries on, considering you work all hours 

of the day, travelling thousands of miles in 

the process, was a question I put to Remko. 

He replied “I need to take care of my customer 

base and the people in my company. I am aware 

that when you move too fast you grow around 

the edges, but you lose your core strength and 

that’s what I don’t want to do. Of course we 

want to expand, but we want to stay only in 

Bever Innovations price change unit 

this marketplace and develop steadily over the 

coming years with a specific focus”. 

So what about other products, I asked, mentioning 

to Remko that Bever also sells price 

change units quite successfully. He pointed 

out that it was price signs that caused him and 

his partner to enter the LED market back in 

2004, carrying out maintenance programmes 

for another lighting company from Holland, LTI. 

Bever, once established, went on to develop 

units, which would show significant increases 

in the levels of quality being offered at the 

time. Starting off first in the Netherlands 

and then securing a contract in Norway with 

Kubald. They were then nominated as one of 

the ‘Evolution project’ suppliers to Shell in 

2007. From this springboard; it seems they 

never looked back. 

I suggested to Remko that when they received 

the Shell contract, it must have been a time 

for celebrating with a beer, or two that evening, 

but he pointed out that things just don’t 

happen in one day. “You cannot say that any 

specific point determined our success and like 

everyone else we have had contracts signed and 

sealed which did not deliver any business for a 

long time. It is just the way things are in this 

industry”, he told me. 

Price change units are still very much part of 

the Bever company portfolio of products and 

Remko summed the immediate opportunities 

by saying. “The marketplace in price sign units 

is defined and constant but it does not change 


so fast. It is just that at the moment the LED 

market is opening up far bigger opportunities”. 

Do you still manufacture your own products, 

I asked? He replied, seemingly proud “We 

manufacture our price change units and our 

Luci lighting systems in our home market. We 

buy in the LEDs, but we develop and install 

the product intelligence. Every system has in 

fact programmable intelligence on board. 

We have a very special production facility close 

to our offices in Zierikzee, which is a social 

factory, operated by workers who often may 

be overlooked for permanent positions in the 

work chain for a variety of different reasons. 

Supporting this initiative is very close to the 

ethos of the company and it is definitely a 

win-win situation for everyone. The products 

manufactured there are of the highest quality”. 

It certainly seems that the LED technology 

has a bright future, forgive the pun. The question 

of how many more suppliers, specialised 

or non-specialised will come into the market 

to service this huge appetite for lighting 

supremacy, remains to be seen. I imagine 

though that in any occurrence, Bever will 

be there, ahead of the field for a good many 

years to come. 

More details www.beverinnovations.com


20 


ALTERNATIVEFUEL NEws 

Boeing stage trans-Pacific biofuel flight 

Boeing and All Nippon Airways have declared 

their first ever trans-Pacific biofuel flight a success. 

In the inaugural crossing, a 787 Dreamliner 

aircraft flew from the Boeing Delivery Centre in 

Everett, Washington, to Tokyo Haneda Airport; 

fuelled by a mixture of biofuel derived from used 

cooking oil and conventional fuel. The flight 

cut about 30 percent off the standard carbon 

emissions for a trans-Pacific flight. 10 percent 

Germany’s green energy solutions 

Germany’s solution to a large part of its 

energy dilemma may lie in a muddy field in 

desolate, windswept flatlands in the northeast. 

In an area 75 miles north of Berlin that until 

now has attracted more birdwatchers than 

cutting-edge industries. Start-up Enertrag 

AG, with the help of partners Vattenfall, 

TOTAL and Deutsche Bahn, is operating one 

of the first plants to generate wind power and 

convert it into hydrogen. Politicians are said 

to be very interested and Hydrogen, among 

its many advantages, is predictable. It can 

be contained and transported without any 

carbon emissions. It can be used to generate 

of that reduction was credited to the biofuel 

used. While the remainder was attributed to 

the efficiency of the medium sized Dreamliner 

aircraft. Osamu Shinobe, ANA VP hailed the 

‘historic flight’ stating that “using sustainable 

biofuels across the Pacific Ocean highlights 

how innovative technology can be used to 

support our industry’s goal of carbon-neutral 

growth beyond 2020”. 

power and heat, fuel cars or go into natural 

gas pipelines as an extra ingredient. Hydrogen 

has been quoted as the only energy 

source that can safeguard energy supply over 

long periods. 

solar powered hydrogen fuel cell buses 

San Francisco Bay area transit agency, AC 

Transit, recently inaugurated on-site solarpowered 

hydrogen generation for fuelling for 

the agency’s fuel cell buses, using electrolysis 

equipment from Proton and a large 500 kilowatt 

solar power array. For years hydrogen fuel cell 

vehicles and the hydrogen economy were to be 

the way to clean up the transportation system. 

A new project run by AC Transit, the transit 

agency covering the eastern half of the San 

Francisco Bay Area is implementing on-site 

hydrogen production using solar electricity 

and water to provide fuel for the agency’s 

twelve hydrogen fuel cell buses. 

Hertz introduces CNG vehicle rentals 

If you’re traveling to Oklahoma City any time 

soon, Hertz will give you the option of renting 

a Honda Civic or GMC Yukon that runs on 

Compressed Natural Gas. The vehicles will 

have a Hertz Neverlost GPS System on-board 

that will assist with locating a CNG refuelling 

station. The state also has 70 CNG stations 

that are already in use or about to come 

south American flight uses biofuel 

Chile has taken a leading position in the race 

for more sustainable commercial aviation. Last 

week, a one-hour LAN Airlines flight from 

Santiago to Concepción used a biofuel that 

reduces carbon emissions. “The traditional 

aviation fuel comes from oil and it releases 

online. Hertz is, of course, playing up both 

the green angle and the fact that CNG is a 

domestically produced fuel. Hertz already 

rents CNG vehicles in Italy and the UK and 

CNG cars can be rented at a Hertz outlet at 

Oklahoma State University, but this marks 

the first time that the company has offered 

CNG cars at an airport location. 

CO 2 when used in planes. When using biofuel, 

the CO 2 released is almost the same as 

that captured by a plant during its growth, 

so there is no additional release of CO 2 into 

the atmosphere”, explained Enrique Guzman, 

environmental manager of LAN. 

Food waste to fuel 

Oslo’s city buses 

News 

Stale bread, banana peels, coffee grounds and 

other food waste will be transformed into green 

fuel for Oslo’s city buses starting next year. 

The Norwegian capital’s new biogas plant will 

supply the fuel and also provide nutrient-rich 

bio-fertilizer for agriculture. The plant will be 

able to process 50 000 tonnes of food waste 

annually, converting it to environment-friendly 

fuel for 135 municipal buses as well as enough 

bio-fertilizer for roughly 100 medium-sized 

local farms. Biogas is a carbon dioxide-neutral 

fuel produced from biomass such as food 

waste, sewage sludge and manure. Currently, 

65 Oslo buses are powered by biogas produced 

from sludge from the city’s sewage treatment 

plant. When the new biogas plant reaches its 

full capacity in 2013, the local bus company 

will have enough biogas for at least 200 buses. 

Fuel cell buses and 

cars begin operating 

Linde’s newest hydrogen fuelling station has 

officially opened at AC Transit’s municipal 

bus operating division in Emeryville, CA in 

the US. It is fuelling twelve fuel cell buses 

and up to twenty passenger cars a day. This 

is the first public hydrogen station in the San 

Francisco Bay area. It offers fast fuelling at 

both 700 bar and 350 bar pressure with a 

delivered gas temperature of -40°C. Daimler 

tested fuel cell cars at the station on several 

occasions to show that it successfully meets 

all requirements; the station can fill four fuel 

cell vehicles back-to-back at a fill time of three 

to four minutes per car. The station is one of 

two being supplied by Linde North America, 

a member of the Linde Group, to AC Transit. 

Athens converts to CNG 

The city is studying the possibility of buying 

garbage trucks powered by compressed natural 

gas with the idea of changing the city’s fleet of 

vehicles to the alternative fuel source in the 

next few years. The City Council has approved 

a resolution to seek prices for compressed 

natural gas fuelling stations, equipment and 

vehicles. The city would like to reduce its 

dependence on foreign fuel sources and spend 

less money on fuel for city vehicles. The city’s 

fuel budget this year is based on a $ 3.50 per 

gallon price, but the price of compressed 

natural gas is about only $1.40 a gallon. 

latest LATesT news, ALTerNATIve events, FUeL jobs News online – www.PeTrOLPLAzA.COM – www.PetrolPlaza.com 

21

Us looking to use its 

natural gas reserves 

The price of natural gas in the US has slumped 

below US $ 2.00, reaching its lowest level in 

more than a decade. It has quickly turned into 

a favourite among consumers, companies and 

futures’ traders. The problem now is what to 

do with it? The country’s supply of natural gas 

is growing faster than demand with analysts 

worrying the country’s underground storage 

facilities could reach capacity by this autumn. 

“The main problem the US is facing now is 

where to store all that gas, which is a lot 

less safe to store than oil, for example”, says 

Vladimir Rozhankovsky, Head of Research at 

Nord Capital in Moscow. U.S. possesses a 4.1 

trillion cubic feet storage system. 

ALAN Brands remove 

the FINA name 

Seeking to signal a change physically, but to 

also dispel any sense of instability, ALON 

Brands Inc. officially unveiled its new fuel 

brand, ALON. At the same time, it is retiring 

the FINA name in favour of its corporate 

parent’s identity. ALON Brands began removing 

the FINA name at its branded locations 

in eight states last month. In its place, the 

ALON brand has emerged, retaining the 

red-white-and-blue graphic imagery, but now 

more closely tied to its supply roots with its 

parent, Alon Israel Oil Co. Ltd. 

Quantum receives over 

Us $ 700 000 in orders 

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, 

Inc., a global leader in natural gas, hydrogen 

and hybrid electric vehicle technologies, announced 

it has received additional purchase 

orders exceeding US $700 000 for its ultra 

light-weight composite high pressure compressed 

natural gas (CNG) storage tanks for 

applications in heavy duty and light duty fleet 

vehicles. Alan Niedzwiecki, President and 

CEO of Quantum, stated, “The low natural 

gas prices, combined with the availability of 

new EPA-compliant natural gas trucks from 

major OEMs is prompting many corporations 

to re-evaluate their fleet strategies to include 

clean natural gas trucks. Natural gas vehicles 

are an ideal solution to meet corporate ‘greening’ 

and sustainability goals, while also benefiting 

from tremendous savings in fuel costs.” 

USA NEws 

Coles stops transmission of pump prices 

Retail giant Coles is refusing to release its daily 

petrol prices to the RAA fuel-finder website. The 

company that supplies the data to RAA said 

ColesExpress had made a “strategic decision” not 

to release the information. RAA senior analyst 

Chris West said the group was disappointed. 

“Transparency in fuel pricing is what motorists 

22 

LATesT News, LATesT eveNTs, UsA News jOBs – ONLINe www.PeTrOLPLAzA.COM 

– www.PeTrOLPLAzA.COM 

need to identify where they can access the 

cheapest price”, he said. “They (ColesExpress) 

are major competitors and it would have made 

sense for them to continue to provide their prices 

as a point of comparison and try and attract 

potential customers, but they have chosen to 

do that and that is their prerogative.” 

Gulf Oil expands partnership in Texas 

Less than a year since announcing its return 

to its Texas roots, Gulf Oil said that it is 

continuing its expansion in the Lone Star 

state through a partnership with Petroleum 

Wholesale LP. The agreement calls for an 

immediate re-branding of 50 service stations 

in the Houston area. Gulf’s new partnership 

with Petroleum Wholesale, a 41 year old, 

privately held, full service distributor offering 

branded and wholesale motor fuels to retail 

convenience stores and travel centres in ten 

states in the south western United States, also 

calls for adding 15 new Gulf locations each 

year for the next 10 years. 

Outcast and Gilbarco display film ratings 

Outcast, which provides television at the pump 

announced it will display film ratings from 

Flixster – a popular mobile movie application 

used by more than 29 million people every 

month. The information will be seen on over 

13 000 screens nationwide, including top-ofthe-line 

dispensers from their partner, Gilbarco 

Veeder-Root. Nathan Gill, Chief Revenue 

Officer from Outcast said: “With Flixster at 

the pump, we can keep our active audience 

informed about the most talked about movies 

of the week.” “Gilbarco is pleased to offer our 

customers using Applause TV with Outcast 

yet another outstanding content offering”, said 

Chris Whitley, Vice President Marketing at 

Gilbarco. “Outcast Media continues to bring 

retailers the best content to build loyalty with 

fuelling customers.” 

ePA approves e15 and 10 000 blender pumps 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

approved the first applications for registration 

of ethanol for use in making gasoline that 

contains up to 15 percent ethanol known as 

E15. To enable widespread use of E15, the 

Obama Administration has set a goal to help 

fuelling station owners install 10 000 blender 

pumps over the next 5 years. In addition, both 

through the Recovery Act and the 2008 Farm 

Bill, the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. 

Department of Agriculture have provided 

grants, loans and loan guarantees to spur 

American ingenuity on the next generation 

of bio-fuels. 

ArCO installs inOvationTv at 138 sites 

ARCO has signed to have inOvationTV 

installed at 138 of its stations immediately 

through a partnership with Gas Station TV 

(GSTV), a national away-from-home televi- 

sion network at the pump and Wayne, a GE 

Energy Business and global innovator of fuel 

dispensers and technologies. The new stations 

will add more than three million monthly 

impressions to the GSTV Network. As part 

of this relationship, ARCO is also making 

inOvationTV available at no charge to any of 

its 1 400 retailers that qualify. inOvationTV 

is available as a retrofit to existing Wayne 

Ovation fuel dispensers, or can be included 

at no charge with new Ovation dispenser 

purchases.

www.alucobond.com 

www.bennettpump.com 

www.bennett-sauser.ch 

www.beverinnovations.com 

www.brugg.de 

www.plxpipe.com 

www.eandsgroup.co.uk 

www.emergy.net 

www.eurotank.eu.com 

www.fafnir.com 

www.franklinfueling.com 

www.gilbarco.eu 

www.hectronic.com 

www.iisltd.com 

www.integration.co.nz 

www.istobal.com 

www.kpsystem.com 

www.kubald.com 

www.leightonobrien.com 

www.mepsan.com.tr 

www.nupigeco.com 

www.ono-oil.com 

www.opw-fce.com 

www.christ-ag.com 


weBsITes ANd LOGOs – sUPPOrTING erPeCNews 

www.planova.com 

www.psdcodax.com 

www.ruudlighting.net & 

www.ruudled.net 

www.scheidt-bachmann.com 

www.secu-tech.at 

www.sloanled.com 

www.tanknology.com 

www.tokheim.com 

www.turpak.com.tr 

www.washtec.de 

www.dresserwayne.com 

If you have not yet sent us your logo and website address, please do so for the next issue by mailing editor@erpecnews.com 

23

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