Latest
Varun is looking forward to working with colleagues old and new as Greenergy expands its low-cost/high service offer to marine fuel customers
Varun Chhabria has joined Greenergy as group head of marine fuels. Joining from Certas Energy, Varun is already well-known within Greenergy, having previously worked at Inver Energy.
As the UK’s largest fuel supplier, Greenergy has made significant infrastructure investments in order to import and supply its own fuel products. The company now intends to leverage these infrastructure capabilities to support marine customers.
Changes to marine fuel specifications in 2020 are making marine fuels more similar to the road fuels that we currently supply,” explained Andrew Owens, Greenergy chief executive.
“We therefore intend to build on our existing distillate supply chains to blend, store and supply marine fuels, both in the UK and further afield. Varun brings a wealth of experience to this project and we welcome him to the team.”
“The combination of Greenergy’s scale in the UK and its international expansion make this an exciting time to be joining the company,” added Varun.
“The company has strength and depth across its business and I look forward to working with colleagues old and new as we expand Greenergy’s low-cost/high service offer to marine fuel customers.”www.greenergy.com
Commercial director Jonathan Davies beside the new vehicles which have been named Glyndwr and Dai after former members of staff
Joining a fleet of 15 trucks, Ammanford-based DJ Davies Fuels has acquired its first Mercedes-Benz Actros tractor unit and a 3.5-tonne FUSO Canter from Euro Commercials.
Operating from a strategically located network of depots throughout South Wales, DJ Davies not only supplies domestic heating oil, industrial, commercial and agricultural fuel oils, but also premium solid fuels, including smokeless coal, multi-fuel briquettes and firewood logs.
The Canter is now undertaking local deliveries from Lampeter – and offers a nationwide solid fuel delivery service to retail customers via fuels4u.com.
The tractor unit is busy undertaking work for the Fuel Express consortium which specialises in the distribution of a pre-packed domestic fuel, barbecue charcoal, gas and ancillary products to national and independent forecourts and convenience stores. Recent expansion has seen DJ Davies not only covering Wales for Fuel Express, but also now having additional responsibility for south west England.
Commercial director Jonathan Davies whose grandfather Denzil founded the business in 1971, said:
“Both new trucks are named after former employees. The Actros is ‘Glyndwr’, in honour of Glyndwr Williams, a lorry enthusiast who worked for the company as a driver’s helper for more than 30 years, before retiring due to ill health in 2017.
The Canter is named after Dai Collins, who passed away in 2014 after losing his battle with cancer – Mr Collins had spent his working life at the Swansea branch which DJ Davies acquired 10 years ago.
“Glyndwr and Dai were both very popular with colleagues and these expressions of recognition for former members of staff have been very well received by those with whom they worked. Glyndwr is delighted to see his name on the Actros, and Dai’s family have thanked us for the gesture.”www.djdaviesfuels.co.uk
Credit: MrJub
With mid-October witnessing the first Green GB Week to promote action on climate change, OFTEC has received further evidence that its work to develop a low carbon liquid fuel to replace kerosene could provide the answer to reducing carbon emissions from heating rural homes.
Earlier this year, OFTEC commissioned a series of independent reports into the viability of liquid biofuels to meet the future needs of the 2.2 million homes across the UK and Republic of Ireland which currently rely on oil. The initial findings offer positive reading.
The reports outline the growing demand for biofuels from the UK and EU and the willingness of major suppliers to meet this, as well as their interest in new markets such as domestic heating.
Biodiesel from waste blends, primarily Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester (UCOME) and Tallow Methyl Ester (TME), would provide the most likely solution in the short term, moving to blends from other waste streams in the medium to longer term.
The reports recognise current concerns over sustainability of supply but suggest that this will be addressed as the biofuel market develops further and demand grows, technologies advance and other sources of raw material become more readily available.
Speaking during Green GB Week, OFTEC CEO Paul Rose said:
“We firmly believe the answer lies in biofuels and these latest reports add further credence to our thinking. The IPCC report starkly outlines the urgent need to ramp up action on climate change now. We are continuing our calls to government to support our work in transferring oil heated homes to a low carbon future in the most cost-effective way and will continue to channel our resources into making this happen.
“A liquid biofuel would offer these households an almost drop-in replacement for kerosene. We are working closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy alongside wider industry, to ensure that oil heated homes are provided with the right, future proof low carbon solution for their needs.”www.oftec.org
Brian Worrall, the new UPEI president looks forward to ‘engaging more deeply on the role that independent fuel suppliers can play in the energy transition’
At its general meeting held in Bonn on 18-19 October, the UPEI membership elected Brian Worrall as president of the presiding board, taking over from acting president Thierry De Meulder.
Director of corporate affairs for DCC/Certas Energy UK, Brian Worrall has held the office of vice president of UPEI since January 2018 with Mathias Ploetzke (MEW – Mittelständische Energiewirtschaft Deutschland) elected to Brian’s former position.
“I am delighted to take up the position of UPEI president and thank the membership for its confidence and support in this respect,” said Brian.
“I look forward to taking UPEI forward and engaging more deeply on the role that independent fuel suppliers can play in the energy transition, as well as the potential and benefits of liquid fuels in this context.
“I would like to pay tribute to my predecessors Thomas Johannsen and Thierry De Meulder and thank them for their commitment and hard work.”
Tim Doggett – ‘looking forward to exciting times ahead and to reaching our next fuel logistics landmark’
Clugston Distribution, which has recently hit the landmark figure of distributing over two billion litres of fuel, is on target to deliver another record result this year with the delivery of over 407 million litres of fuel; the highest figure since the company expanded into bulk fuel distribution in 2012.
The company’s dedicated bulk fuel logistics fleet now consists of 18 vehicles, 20 trailers, 32 drivers and two planners serving an ever-growing number of fuel customers with increasing demand from three strategic locations in Billingham in the north east, Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire and Upper Broughton in the East Midlands, with customers ranging from supermarkets, ship operators and vehicle manufacturers through to independent petrol stations and fuel suppliers across the UK and Europe.
“Since 2012, the bulk fuel sector has been an area we have excelled in,” said distribution director, Tim Doggett,
“The close proximity of our main distribution hub in Scunthorpe to the Immingham refineries is the ideal platform to further grow the fuel side of the business. Our expertise in delivering quality and timely logistics services to our customers has ensured steady progression and sustained growth.
“2018 has also seen us invest across the business, including the expansion of our international services with the introduction of new routes and capabilities across road, air and sea which further complements and adds to our well-established bulk fuel, powder and general distribution logistics services.”www.clugston.co.uk/logistics/
“Expansion of our involvement in aviation fuel supply is an important strategic step for Petrolog,” said Mark Binns, director of the business unit Petrolog. Credit: AlexeyPetrov
“We are very pleased to be able to add new business that further extends our relationship with long-standing customers,” said Mark Binns, director of the business unit Petrolog.
In the UK HOYER is reporting positive business developments through the signing of new contracts with Air BP and WFS (World Fuel Services) with TOTAL Deutschland GmbH in Germany, and Valero Energy at Dublin airport.
This year Petrolog was awarded a contract with Air BP for fuel deliveries to 96 airports throughout the UK with HOYER undertaking the whole of Air BP’s delivery logistics, including monitoring of stocks, generating and receiving orders, and delivery.WFS (World Fuel Services) has signed a three-year contract to supply four airports across the north of the UK.
HOYER has been responsible for deliveries to service station networks of BP and TOTAL for many years, and WFS more recently.
Since late August Petrolog has also been supplying aviation fuel on a daily basis to Berlin’s Tegel airport on behalf of TOTAL Deutschland GmbH.
The HOYER Group’s business unit Chemilog also helps to ensure smooth air traffic. During the winter months, the unit not only supplies several airports with de-icing agents for runways, but the division also covers almost the entire Europe-wide logistics for a leading manufacturer of aircraft de-icing agents. Due to the unpredictable and often short-term demand, HOYER offers a 24/7 on-call service and thus guarantees delivery times within a few hours.www.hoyer-group.com
Having recently acquired Birlem Oil, the Crown Oil Group’s Speedy Fuels brand is looking forward to expanding its presence in the south east
This month has seen Crown Oil acquire two fuel distributors – Oldbury-based Beesley Fuels and London-based Birlem Oil.
Run by the Beesley family for more than 50 years, Beesley Fuels which turns over £8.5m, was sold for an undisclosed sum. Having worked together for the past 20 years, when Andrew Beesley decided to retire, Crown made the decision to purchase.
“I’m delighted to see Beesley Fuels become part of another strong family business and looking forward to watching it flourish,” said Andrew.
Expanding its presence in the south east, the Crown Group’s Speedy Oil brand has also acquired Birlem Oil which has three depots east, west and north of London.
“We’re delighted with the acquisition of Birlem,” said Matthew Greensmith, managing director of the Crown Oil Group.
“We’ve worked with the Buckley family for a number of years and they share the same values as us, the business is a natural fit for the group.”
“Speedy has been a valued partner of Birlem for a number of years so it seemed only right that the business should continue its journey under its care,” added Kirk Buckley.
“We’re pleased to have been able to reach a deal with Crown and the Greensmith family and look forward to watching Birlem go from strength to strength under their ownership.”crownoil.co.uk
As NOx emissions legislation tightens, Viessmann’s proven, sophisticated blue flame burner technology future-proofs the Vitorondens oil boiler for the UK
Viessmann is formally adding a domestic oil boiler to its UK product range, having operated in the market for many years as a niche player.
The Vitorondens 200-T floor-standing oil-condensing boiler features Viessmann’s bespoke two-stage Vitoflame blue flame condensing oil technology and is future-proofed against tightening OFTEC laws on NOx emissions that come into force on 26th September and are set to become more stringent in the next five years.
“The exceptionally high standards of the Vitorondens 200-T has been proven in Germany and other international markets for many years,” said Viessmann’s marketing director, Darren McMahon.
“The time is now right for the Vitorondens boiler to be more widely introduced into the UK as an alternative to biomass and LPG boilers for off-grid customers and where renewable options aren’t always ideal – for example, in older and less well insulated buildings which need a high-temperature heating system.”
The Vitorondens boiler complies with the new OFTEC requirement for maximum flue gas NOx emissions of 120mg/kWh and it will meet the even lower NOx emissions levels expected to be legislated in the next five years.
“This will be good news for our installers, to whom we now provide a complete product range and access to technology that’s easy to install, well-proven and future-proofed against future changes in legislation,” added Darren.
“Sharing the same connections as our Vitodens gas boilers, the Vitorondens 200-T can be installed via Viessmann’s time-saving four-pipe system, which has no need for cut-off valves or cylinder-overheat thermostats.”
Where kerosene is used as a fuel, installers can acquire a conversion kit by contacting comsales-uk@viessmann.com or 01952 675090.
Greenergy has acquired 100% of the shares of Rexon Energy, a used cooking oil exporter based in Singapore. This is an upstream investment for Greenergy to provide raw materials for its biodiesel manufacturing operations including those at Immingham and Teesside.
“We have increased our purchasing of used cooking oils from around the world over a number of years and Rexon has become a significant supplier,” said Andrew Owens, Greenergy chief executive.
“Our acquisition of Rexon provides greater integration in this part of our supply chain.”
Greenergy continues to expand its manufacturing operations through incremental investment at its facilities on Teesside and at Immingham in the UK. The company has also recently acquired a biodiesel manufacturing facility in Amsterdam which is due to commence production in 2019.
www.greenergy.com
The Renewable Energy Association (REA) has called on the government to introduce E10 at the earliest possible opportunity as news emerged earlier this month of Vivergo Fuels’ plans to close its bioethanol plant in Hull.
Making the announcement, Mark Chesworth, Vivergo Fuels’ managing director, said:
“The government’s lack of pace to introduce E10 over the past decade has further undermined our ability to operate” and contributed to the decision to close a plant capable of producing up to 420m litres a year of bioethanol.
The government wants to see the introduction of greener petrol with twice the renewable ethanol content – known as E10 – and is currently running a consultation on the subject. E10 will deliver emissions savings equivalent to taking 700,000 cars off the road as well as bringing many other benefits.
However, the government has merely issued a call for evidence on introduction of E10, whereas the main proposal in the consultation document is a requirement on larger filling stations to ensure regular E5 petrol continues to remain available. The document acknowledges this requirement would have the consequence of delaying the introduction of E10.
“Introducing E10 should be a government priority,” said Gaynor Hartnell, REA’s head of renewable fuels.
“Vivergo is a part of the government’s Northern Powerhouse project and a great example of highly-skilled British manufacturing. At a time when the UK is facing substantial external energy risks government should be doing all it can to ensure a market for domestically-produced, environmentally sustainable fuels.
“A simple mandate is favoured by most of the relevant stakeholders, including the NFU and ourselves; had the current government consultation proposed this, perhaps Vivergo would not be making this announcement.”
vivergofuels.com
www.r-e-a.net
With almost 500 tractor units across the UK, HOYER is the market leader in fuel distribution
HOYER is expanding its Petrolog fleet in the UK with the arrival of 89 new MAN vehicles. The deliveries, set to complete this October, comprise 75 replacement vehicles plus 14 additional vehicles for the company’s recently attained business across the UK.
The new fleet additions are all Euro 6 TGS 24.420’s with a total of 85 day cabs and four sleeper cabs.
The MAN deal offers Petrolog a comprehensive fixed price repair and maintenance package across a mixture of three and five-year lease agreements.
“We are delighted to be bringing in new vehicles to replace our older tractor units and additional vehicles to support our growing aviation and ground fuels business and, in doing so, continuing our longstanding relationship with MAN,” said operations director Allan Davison.
The new TGS 24.420’s join an existing UK fleet of 500 HOYER vehicles. Operating nationally across the UK HOYER sites the new vehicles will be serviced and maintained by the strategically located nationwide MAN dealer network.
“With almost 500 tractor units across the UK, HOYER is the market leader in fuel distribution,” added Ian Mclean, head of international key accounts and special products.
“It is fantastic to see MAN vehicles and service underpinning this growth and delivering on the company’s requirements. As a manufacturer, MAN offer a robust and trusted ADR and pet-reg approved vehicle solution, which in turn has the support from a focused dealer network who provide the highest levels of after sales support to hazardous goods vehicles and operators.”www.hoyer.uk.com
The Silverstone Classic – a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of the JET brand
When the Silverstone Classic celebrated its 70th anniversary this summer JET was right at the heart of the action as the event’s official fuel partner for the fifth year running.
Over 100,000 people attended the three-day event with the JET Village Green attracting thousands of visitors who took advantage of the free entertainment laid on by JET, including traditional funfair rides, the JET Big Wheel which offered panoramic views of the circuit and, for the real race enthusiasts, an F1 Pitstop Challenge, a full motion VR simulator and high spec VR playseat challenge simulators.
JET was once again joined again by brand ambassador, race driver Nic Hamilton, who met customers in hospitality and signed autographs for visitors. As Nic’s title sponsor for the Renault Clio Cup, his race car was on display with JET also sponsoring the Super Touring Car Trophy.
Making the most of the social media opportunities throughout, JET’s brand team reached over 125,000 social media users across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, with more than 113,000 engaging with JET and Nic Hamilton throughout and since the event.
“Once again, we saw a terrific turnout of car enthusiasts and their families who attend the event each year,” said Mary Wolf, managing director, UK marketing for Phillips 66.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of the JET brand and for customers from across our entire business to meet up with their industry counterparts while enjoying the excitement of the event. Having Nic there in person and showcasing his car was one of the main highlights for everyone here at JET.”www.phillips66.co.uk/EN/jetbrand/Pages/index.aspx
In a multimillion-euro deal, Canadian Irving Oil, which owns the Whitegate refinery in Cork, has acquired Top Oil (formerly Tedcastles Oil Products), the brand owned by the Dublin-based Tedcastle Group.
Approval is now being sought from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
“This is a very significant day for the extended family and our business in Ireland,” said Tedcastle Holdings deputy chairman Raymond Reihill.
Top Oil, which has a 200-year trading history and sells over a billion litres of fuel every year to commercial and residential customers, also operates from 20 fuel depots, owns a terminal at Dublin Port and has over 200 service stations. Parent company Tedcastle Holdings had a €1.1 billion turnover in 2017 and employs over 400 people.
Gerard Boylan, CEO, Top Oil said: “We are looking forward to joining Irving Oil and continuing to grow and develop our business under its umbrella. We share a common commitment to our employees, customers and the wider community.”
Irving Oil has stated that the Top Oil brand will be retained and there will be no job losses.
“We’re excited about this opportunity to grow our business in Ireland and work with the Top Oil team,” said Ian Whitcomb, president of Irving Oil.
“We have worked hard to build strong customer relationships and establish meaningful community partnerships in Ireland and are delighted to continue to grow our business in this area. It’s a natural fit for us.”
ESL lab manager, Dave Barratt, carrying out fuel testing for third parties
A low energy process has been developed by ESL Fuels in laboratory space at the University of Chester’s Thornton Science Park. The new and innovative Molexis technology will complement large volume production of diesel, heating oil and marine fuels from sites across the UK.
The first production unit is currently being built and is expected to process up to 50 tonnes per hour and be capable of running on a 24/7 basis.
“I am extremely excited by the potential for our new Molexis process, something which we’ve been working on at Thornton Science Park for the past two years,” said Stephen Whittaker, managing director for ESL Fuels.
The Phillips 66 contract – ‘another important step in Petrolog achieving its strategic growth objectives in the fuels market’ says operations director, Allan Davison
HOYER is delighted to confirm that Petrolog UK has entered into an agreement to deliver commercial and retail fuels on behalf of Phillips 66 from the fuel supplier’s Bramhall Terminal.
Operations director at HOYER Petrolog UK, Allan Davison, said:
“This five-year agreement with Phillips 66 provides another important step in Petrolog achieving its strategic growth objectives in the fuels market.”
A diversified energy manufacturing and logistics company, Phillips 66 has a portfolio of Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties businesses.
The company processes, transports, stores and markets fuels and products globally.
Headquartered in Houston, the company has 14,800 employees committed to safety and operating excellence. Phillips 66 had $52 billion of assets as of Dec. 31, 2016. www.hoyer.uk.com/products-services/petrolog
Working hard to highlight the potential impact on the industry of the government’s strategy to reduce emissions from road transport and red diesel consultation, the FPS has put forward its members’ views by submitting evidence to HM Treasury with respect to The Road to Zero strategy.