Chris Hunt, director general of UKPIA
With the Government launching its green paper for a new Industrial Strategy for the UK last week, UKPIA was among the first to announce its intention to respond to the consultation from a downstream oil perspective.
Chris Hunt, director general of the UKPIA commented: “The UK Petroleum Industry Association welcomes the launch of a new industrial strategy for the UK and looks forward to responding to the consultation.”
“Designed correctly, a purposeful industrial strategy can help create an environment where industry can deliver and thrive. Above all, a long-term strategy should seek to address the competitiveness challenge affecting UK manufacturing and seek to establish regulatory stability and confidence for industry.”
“Our downstream oil sector in the UK plays a pivotal role in powering our nation’s mobility and fuelling our economic engine and national growth. We urge government to remain mindful of the essential processes and products provided by UKPIA members and similar key infrastructure providers that facilitate the solid industrial platform upon which the nation can build a bright post-Brexit future. To that end, we stand ready to engage in the development of a meaningful industrial and energy strategy for the future.”
Next month the Energy Institute (EI) will host International Petroleum (IP) Week 2017 in London. This year’s event will assess the future impact of the UK vote to leave the European Union, the ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change and Donald Trump’s election to the US presidency, on the global oil and gas sector
Industry-specific issues such as oil prices remaining low and OPEC’s production cuts and changes within OPEC, Russia and the unconventionals in the supply equation will also be debated along with the further political and economic milestones that lie ahead.
“IP Week 2017 will address some critical issues and trends for our industry,” said Raphael Vermeir CBE FEI, chairman, IP Week Programme Board.
“In particular, we are keen to address the question: who and what really affects our industry? So we will not only hear from NOCs, IOCs, independents but also trading houses and financial experts, as well as regulators and government leaders.”
Over the three days of conferences, roundtables and social events, delegates will receive insights from distinguished figures inclduing OPEC’s secretary general, Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo and Dr Hoesung Lee, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) together with leaders from many major oil and gas operators such as Rosneft and the Emirates National Oil Company.
Patrick Pouyanné, the chairman and CEO of Total will address guests at the IP Week dinner on 23 February.
“This year will be of particular interest considering the significant events of the past few months,” said Louise Kingham OBE FEI, EI’s chief executive.
“We are entering a new era in international relations and trade, and IP Week 2017 will represent a particularly valuable opportunity to gauge the mood and expectations of the oil and gas industry in these challenging times.”
www.ipweek.co.uk
Following the release of the ‘Bonfield Report – Each Home Counts’ – an independent review of consumer advice, protection, standards and enforcement for domestic energy efficiency and renewable energy, OFTEC, met with the Department for Communities and Local Government on 20th January to discuss the findings.
Along with other competent person scheme providers, OFTEC heard an overview of the report from the ‘Each Home Counts’ team and the next steps required to implement the proposed new quality mark. According to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee, this will begin late spring.
Commenting after the meeting, OFTEC registrations director Adrian Lightwood said: “OFTEC has always championed the importance of high industry standards alongside consumer confidence and so fully supports the aims of the ‘Each Homes Counts’ report. As one of the leading competent persons scheme providers in the country, OFTEC hopes to be involved in discussions about how best to introduce the new quality mark.
“We are pleased that our initial concerns over how the new mark would affect existing successful competent persons schemes have been somewhat allayed. The report clearly states that the recommendations are not intended to ‘reinvent existing organisations or duplicate the key roles they play’. Also that certification will continue in much the same way for installers as it does now, with the purpose of the new quality mark to ‘drive a higher minimum standard, where required, to protect consumers’.
“However, there are still many unanswered questions as to how the quality mark will work and what the new scheme will look like. Also, how the scheme will operate alongside established schemes such as MCS, ECO and PAS2030. As further information becomes available, which will hopefully be shaped by industry input, the picture should become clearer.
“For any new measures to work, buy-in from installers has to be secured. Therefore, it’s going to be important to maintain a balance between raising standards and placing further undue financial and bureaucratic pressure on heating businesses.”
http://bit.ly/2hFUEZ0
Team HOYER (l-r) Paul Noble, 28, operations manager (north), Mark Jepson, 44, SHEQ & compliance manager from Huddersfield, 42-year old fleet engineer Matthew Cox and 32-year old Duygu Bayrakci operations manager (south west and Midlands)
In March, a team of cyclists from HOYER Petrolog UK will embark on a 450km (280 mile) ride across South Africa to raise funds for Transaid.
The quartet, who are based across the UK, will tackle Transaid’s Cycle South Africa Challenge ride from Western Cape to Cape Agulhas, the southern-most tip of South Africa, from 10th-19th March.
Sports mad team member Paul Noble said: “I will get involved with any type of sport especially for a good cause.
“Through driver training Transaid aren’t just saving lives by improving road safety in less developed areas of the world, they’re also coming up with innovative ways to give people access to healthcare they’ve never had before.”
Not previously a cyclist, the team’s co-ordinator is operations manager Duygu Bayrakci.
“I’m doing my training at the weekends and have so far managed to cycle up to 30 miles in a day. There’s still room for improvement as we’ll be cycling an average of 50 – 60 miles a day for this challenge
In his words Mark Jepson is ‘an ageing sportsman with worn out knees’ who has been ‘training on a mountain bike since August’
“I am enjoying the different challenge which cycling presents and look forward to testing myself against the African terrain.”
The fourth member of the team is fleet engineer Matthew Cox who has worked for HOYER for three years supporting the Esso, Petrolog Fuels and Puma bitumen contracts.
Topping a target of raising £14,000 for Transaid during the ride, Team HOYER has so far raised more than £15,687.
If you would like to support the team please follow this link https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hoyercyclechallenge www.hoyer.uk.com
BP and Castrol – back in partnership with Renault Sport Racing
Last Thursday (26th January) BP and Renault Sport Racing announced a new partnership. BP joins the recently reformed Renault Sport Formula One Team in support of its ambition to fight for the World Championship in the next five years.
In March BP and Castrol will provide fuels and lubricants for the upcoming Formula 1 season which starts in Melbourne, Australia.
“Developing leading fuel and lubricant technologies is a key priority for BP,” commented Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of BP Downstream.
“This partnership creates exciting opportunities for the teams in Renault and BP to work together to further our cutting edge fuel and lubricant technologies in the highly competitive world of Formula 1.”
The last time the two companies worked together was during the 1997 season when Williams Renault won both the Formula 1 Constructors Championship and the Drivers Championship
“The return of BP and Castrol, brands with such strong heritage in motorsport, is very good news and opens new opportunities for our Formula 1 team,” said Jérôme Stoll, president of Renault Sport Racing.
“With the new aerodynamic regulations for the 2017 Formula One season, power sensitivity will increase,” said Cyril Abiteboul, managing director, Renault Sport Racing.
“Therefore fuels and lubricants will make an even greater difference to the overall performance of the car than they have since the new power unit regulations have been introduced in 2014.”www.bp.comwww.renaultsport.com
Team manager Andy Miller (l) with driver Mike Simmons with the Ice Bear during their visit to Morris Lubricants
Morris Lubricants has paired up with the world’s most powerful motorsport – tractor pulling. Totally rebuilt last year, the Bear Essential’s Ice bear was originally built in 1996 and is based on a 160hp Valtra tractor with wheel speeds of 90kmh.
Last season Ice Bear, which runs on diesel, was unbeaten in UK competition and finished fourth in the European championships.
Tractor pulling is simple – take one skilfully modified tractor and try to drag an increasingly heavy sledge as far as possible – up to 60 tonnes down a 100m track in 10 seconds!
To get over the line every inch of the tractor must perform to its maximum. The main product used in the Ice Bear is Morris Lubricants Versimax HD3 20W-50 diesel engine oil.
“Morris Lubricants has helped us grow and improve as a team to compete at the very top level of the Prostock class in UK and European competition,” said team manager Andy Miller.
“It’s incredible to see the sheer power of the tractor, a real achievement of human endeavour,” said Andrew Goddard, Morris Lubricants managing director.
“This is another example of how well our products perform in the agricultural market one of our key sectors, especially when they are put to the ultimate test like this.”
As latest figures show the number of households living in fuel poverty in England and Wales has increased to more than 10%, OFTEC is reigniting its calls on government to develop a heating strategy that is fair for all and will help those most in need.
Fuel poverty data released by the Office of National Statistics earlier this year shows that 2.38 million homes are currently classed as ‘fuel poor’, representing a 1.4% increase on previous figures. The statistics also underline that fuel poverty is more prevalent in rural areas where properties are typically older, poorly insulated and therefore harder to heat.
Additional figures confirmed earlier this month reveal that during winter 2014/15, there were 43,850 excess winter deaths (EWD) in England and Wales – the highest level seen in over 15 years. An important factor in these deaths each year is the high number of vulnerable people living in homes they can’t afford to adequately heat.
Although provisional EWD figures for last winter (2015/16) show a fall to 24,300 recorded deaths, this drop is largely due to the abnormal spike in deaths seen during 2014/15 which has been attributed to an ineffective flu vaccine. If this anomaly is removed, the estimated number of EWDs in 2015/16 is still 39% higher than 2013/14.
“Fuel poverty levels are higher in rural parts of the country – approximately 14% compared to around 10% in urban areas – even though the 1.4 million oil using households in the UK are enjoying by far the cheapest heating bills of all the major fuels,” said OFTEC CEO Paul Rose
“At present, the main energy efficiency scheme open to low income households is the ECO initiative but this is due to finish in April 2017. Meanwhile, the only option for rural, off-grid households that don’t qualify for ECO is the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). However, the focus of the RHI is firmly on carbon reduction by encouraging the take up of 100% renewable heating technologies such as heat pumps, rather than energy efficiency.
“The UK desperately needs a new heating strategy which combines energy efficiency measures with carbon reduction. Also, one that is affordable and practical for the majority of consumers otherwise take up will always be limited.
“Low oil prices make now the perfect time to invest in a modern boiler to secure long term savings. We would also like to see more support to better insulate rural homes to stop them ‘leaking’ heat.
“In the longer term, industry is also assessing the viability of producing a bio-oil which will deliver substantial carbon savings for households currently on oil. Greening the fuel is a credible solution for the future which government needs to recognise in the UK’s heat policy going forward.”
INEOS, which is importing shale gas from the USA, is currently progressing with surveys to evaluate the geology and gas potential of its sites across England. It is also planning the next stages of its extensive community consultation programme
Last week INEOS welcomed the decision of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that claims made by the Friends of the Earth (FOE) misled the public. The ruling comes after an exhaustive 14-month investigation found that FOE could not substantiate a number of scare stories.
“The false claims have formed the heart of the FOE’s wrongheaded opposition to fracking and we’re pleased to see the record corrected,” said Tom Pickering, INEOS shale operations director.
“INEOS is always happy to debate on the facts and answer any questions and concerns that members of the public or groups may have. However, as this ruling has made clear Friends of the Earth have been spreading false information and misleading the public about this important issue.
The ASA found that Friends of the Earth was unable to support claims that chemicals used in fracking were dangerous to humans and that a US fracking site caused an increase in asthma and that the public in Britain would be a similar risk if they lived near to a fracking site. FOE adverts that also claimed falling house prices and risks of cancer were as a result of fracking would also not be allowed to be run again.
“We have previously offered to meet with Friends of the Earth, and also Friends of the Earth Scotland, to have a grown-up science based discussion of the issues around shale gas extraction but unsurprisingly neither organisation wishes to engage with us,” added Tom.
“We will continue, however, to try to make this meeting happen as our energy and manufacturing sectors are too important to allow fake facts to influence the debate. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with all parties based on the true realities of shale gas.” www.ineos.com Also commenting on the ASA’s findings, Ken Cronin, chief executive of UKOOG, said:
“This is an important ruling by the authority, which consulted with numerous independent scientific, health and regulatory experts before concluding that the anti-fracking myths perpetrated by Friends of the Earth were fundamentally false.
“The opponents of onshore oil and gas development must withdraw their scaremongering rhetoric and argue on the basis of the facts, which quite clearly show that the risks associated with fracking can be mitigated by the strong regulation and world renowned best practice that we benefit from in the UK.” www.ukoog.org.uk
“This new facility will provide a convenient refuelling station for the haulage community when using our new Liverpool2 Container Terminal or any of our port facilities,” said Andrew Martin, group land and property director for Peel Ports Group
Once a disused piece of land, a new state-of-the-art facility providing diesel, gas oil and AdBlue® will open on Thursday in the Port of Liverpool, allowing up to 8 HGVs to refuel simultaneously.
“We’re delighted that our schedule of works has gone to plan and it is great to see the new site nearing completion,” said Andrew Goodwin, national bunker manager for Certas Energy.
“This is a major milestone for us in our strategy to develop a national network of refuelling locations. We’re looking forward to welcoming port users to this flagship facility and offering customers a convenient way to refuel whilst they’re within the port.
“We’re pleased with the partnership that we’ve built with Peel Ports Group and look forward to this continuing in the future”.
Maritime Transport, which will be using the refuelling site, stated:
“The site is just a few minutes’ drive from our Liverpool depot. This means that our drivers can fill up easily and not have to worry about filling up whilst enroute to their next job. The fact that fuel is pumped at 120 litres per minute means our drivers will be able to fill up in around three minutes.”www.certasenergy.co.ukwww.peelports.com
Martyn Lyons who will ‘continue to actively participate in the TSA and to reap the many benefits of membership’
At the end of 2016 Martyn Lyonsstepped down from the chairmanship of the UK Tank Storage Association (TSA)
On 1st January 2017 Andrew Amos, projects director for UM group, took over as president with Paul Denmead, director of UK terminal operations at World Fuel Services, becoming vice-president.
Martyn Lyons, who will remain on the TSA Executive Council, said:
“The past 11 years have seen considerable growth in the membership of the TSA with more than 20 full member companies actively participating in our association which can be proud of its abilities as the ‘go-to’ organisation. TSA has long held a reputation to punch above its weight and this was cemented by the considerable efforts and successes of our previous executive director, Hugh Bray.
“After a very enjoyable 11 years as TSA chairman, it’s time for me to hand over the reins to a new president, Andrew Amos who along with executive director Peter Davidson and vice president Paul Denmead are set for a year of growth.”www.tankstorage.org.uk
