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New HVO tanker for James D Bilsland

Croftamie based James D Bilsland recently shared images of its brand new tanker, running on HVO. Jodie Allan, manager, James D Bilsland commented: “We have just purchased a new truck from RTN and have made the decision to run this vehicle on HVO, enabling us to reduce our carbon emissions by up to 90% with this vehicle and start decarbonising the rest of our fleet. We are pleased to be able to offer this fuel to customers looking to decarbonise, as it is a great product that produces positive results without any modification to vehicles.” The company is currently partaking in the first trials of using HVO renewable fuels as an alternative to home heating oil in Scotland, as part of the future fuels trial. Jodie continued: “We are so far pleased with how HVO is performing as an alternative to Kerosene in the domestic market within a property that we have converted.”    
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News

Slicker Recycling shortlisted for award

A specialist Midlands oil and waste recycling firm has been shortlisted for a prestigious industry award. Slicker Recycling, which specialises in the collection and recycling of waste oils and commercial garage waste from across the UK, has been named as a finalist in this year’s National Awards for Excellence in recycling and waste management. The Stourport-On-Severn company, which handles over 75 million litres of used lubricating oil every year, is shortlisted in the ‘Circular Economy Success’ category for the successful launch of its £70 million base oil re-refinery in Denmark which it opened in July 2020 in a joint venture with its German partners, Avista AG. The state-of-the-art facility, which sees used lubricating oils transported from the UK, regenerates over 100,000 tonnes of used engine and machine oil annually – giving a variety of environmental benefits, including reduced CO2 emissions.
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News

UKIFDA shares award shortlist

UKIFDA is pleased to announce the shortlist for the inaugural UKIFDA Innovation Award, sponsored by Fuel Oil News. The successful nominations are from: Eliminox Crown Oil Mitchell & Webber Join the Awards Ceremony at UKIFDA EXPO 2021 & Future Fuels, taking place on 7th July, to find out who is the winner.    
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News

Multiple appointments for rapidly expanding Attis Credit Solutions

Attis Credit Solutions is a new name to the sector but is made up of a team of specialist credit insurance brokers whose experience spans over 70 years. Recently founded by Paul Martin and Steve Hamstead, you can read more about Attis in our July issue of Fuel Oil News.
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News

OTS Group delivers solutions for changing fuels

With UK developments in sustainable fuel increasing both the range available, as well as the ways in which they can be used, OTS Group identified the need to ensure that there are appropriate fuel delivery, storage and maintenance systems available for these sustainable fuels. Working with organisations like the Fuel Experts Association (FEA), which represents companies who are developing clean energy and clean liquid biofuels such as HVO, the group has developed its sustainable fuels storage offering. OTS Group, the UK distributor for the ‘Green’ storage tanks, is leading the way to aid end users with temporary (and permanent) storage solutions for sustainable fuels, which are available for purchase, hire or loan, while they evaluate their desired route for sustainability. The flagship products are the double-walled polyethylene tanks intended for storage and distribution of HVO (or other biodiesel fuels). These tanks are made of high-quality polyethylene, the main feature of which is resistance to various weather conditions and come with built in dispensing equipment stowed in a secure cabinet. The AdBlue® tanks are made of special materials compliant with DIN 70 070, a European Chemical Industry standard, due to the corrosive properties of the substance. “Throughout this constant evolution, innovation has remained the underlying principle to everything we do,” comments OTS Group chairman, Bruce Woodal, and managing director Steve Gain believes that there is a bright future for clean drop-in fuels: “One of the main opportunities for these fuels is that they can be manufactured to directly replace conventional fossil fuels (so called “drop-in” fuels) which means that the uptake is likely to be quick and widespread as it can be used by the existing fleet.” There are currently in excess of 34 million passenger vehicles on the road in the UK using conventional engines, and more will be added between now and 2035.  
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News

CTS Piusi range compatible with new fuels

As the official UK agent of Piusi and a leading supplier of fuel equipment to OEM tank manufacturers, Centre Tank Services Ltd (CTS) is happy to announce that all Piusi products for diesel are 100% compatible with HVO, GTL and other paraffinic fuels made according to EN 15940:2019. After months of in-house testing, CTS is also pleased to confirm that its own product range including tank alarms and levels probes is suitable for use with HVO and GTL fuels. This is a great step forward as, with no costly infrastructure changes in terms of storage, handling and vehicles, HVO and GTL are simply “drop-in” replacements for diesel. Given the UK Government’s ambitious emission targets, the future of the fuel industry relies on the uptake of these green liquid fuels over the coming years. Centre Tank Services Ltd hopes to see the adoption of a similar model to the Swedish one, whereby making HVO completely tax-exempt saw a 124% increase in usage. You can find the full statement from Centre Tank Services at www.centretank.com.    
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News

Nicholl Fuel Oils achieves a fuel first

Nicholl Fuel Oils has installed Northern Ireland’s first hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuelling facility at its Carryduff 24-hour forecourt with plans to make this new, renewable biofuel available across all of the Nicholl Auto 365 forecourts as well as available for bulk purchase in 2021/2022.
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News

LCM announces integration of IIS Tech

LCM Environmental, a leading fuel and tank infrastructure servicing company working with commercial and public sector clients of all sizes, has announced the integration of the team from IIS Tech, an environmental compliance and interceptor organisation.
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News

Is biomethane the answer to decarbonisation?

Could biomethane hold the key to reduction of HGV emissions? The Transport Policy Briefing, hosted by ADBA (Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association) has revealed its agenda, including a discussion on the potential of biomethane to decarbonise fleets and cities. The briefing, taking place on the 9th June 2021, will host panel discussions on the potential of biomethane, why it could be used to fuel vehicles and how switching to biomethane could save money as well as the planet. Guest speakers include Philip Fjeld, CEO of CNG Fuels, Gary Mason, engineering director of Nottingham City Transport, David Hurren, CEO of Air Liquide and more. If you would like to find out more about the potential of biomethane to decarbonise fleet operations, click here.  
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Market Report

Portland Market Report | Jun 2021

As a currently high-priced, niche fuel with limited mass environmental impact what is the true potential for HVO?
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News

OnlineFuels acquired by DTN

OnlineFuels, the leader in digital transformation solutions for the refined fuels market has been acquired by DTN, a leading data, analytics and technology company. With the addition of the OnlineFuels innovative online trading platform, DTN is now the leading provider of solutions that bring visibility where it hasn’t existed before. In the near future, refined fuels customers will be able to access their operational data in one seamless platform along with the ability to support end-to-end buying and selling transactions. James Stairmand, founder of OnlineFuels commented: “Proud to announce that after nearly 6 years of founding OnlineFuels, we have been acquired by DTN. A massive team effort to get this over the line. I’m excited for the next chapter and looking forward to joining the DTN team. “I started the business with a view of one day exiting, so I’m delighted with the outcome. Happy I took the risk and went on my own adventure!” The industry-leading solution solves a complex issue many commodity traders around the world face –how to complete transactions using real-time data to drive better profitability while also mitigating risk. Many transactions today are logged in separate programs or documents, leading to increased risks of human error. The end-to-end online marketplace –once added to the DTN suite of solutions –will alleviate that risk and allow customers to make confident decisions that impact their bottom line. “Our customers look to DTN to not only make sense of their data and deliver operational intelligence, but also to do so through innovative solutions that support complex decisions and give their business a competitive advantage,” said Marc Chesover, president of DTN. “Adding the OnlineFuels team and online trading platform to DTN solutions strengthens our ability to serve our customers around the world and solve a long-standing challenge of digitising their buying and selling transactions.” Once integrated, DTN will be able to seamlessly connect the buyers and sellers of commodities worldwide through a robust online marketplace. In the future, the company plans to leverage the OnlineFuels technology and offer it to additional markets and industries. “By joining the DTN team, we see a great opportunity to continue investing in our ability to support digital transformation within the refined fuels industry in Europe and, later, North America,” said James Stairmand. “Through the integration, we will match our solution with existing and future DTN platforms to give our customers the tools needed to confidently make decisions, mitigate risks and turn their operations into a competitive advantage.” The combined offering, once available, will provide a cohesive view of operations and the technology necessary to facilitate end-to-end transactions. This acquisition furthers the DTN mission of empowering customers with intelligent and actionable insights that result in confident decisions and a competitive advantage.    
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News

JET campaign targets new territories

JET, one of the UK’s leading fuel brands, is resurrecting its critically-acclaimed TV campaign – Keep on Moving. Originally launched in September 2020 and shown exclusively in the North East and Midlands, the second airing, that coincides with the nation opening up again, will target new territories including: Yorkshire, East of England and the North West. The ad will also feature nationally on SkySports cricket: England vs New Zealand Test Matches. Featuring a man ‘driving’ through the countryside on a grand piano while singing Joe Jackson’s iconic 80’s hit ‘Steppin’ Out’ – the memorable TV spot was praised for its ‘refreshingly absurd twist on the car commercial’ and for making ‘a visit to a gas station look epic’. Commenting on the decision to re-run the campaign Áine Corkery, manager, brand, Phillips 66 Limited says: “The campaign landed so strongly with both our JET dealers and consumers first time around that making the decision to bring it back this year was an easy one. It’s an ad that celebrates the joy of driving and the open road and it captures our ‘driver-first’ ethos perfectly.” The ‘Keep on Moving’ campaign will launch on Thursday 27th May on SKY and Virgin Media and will run until 4th July.    
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Opinion

UKPIA welcomes investments in hydrogen 

UKPIA welcomes the recent UK Government announcement of £166 million towards green technology projects. The association is particularly pleased to see the investment in hydrogen as a primary decarbonisation technology for manufacturing processes. As part of this announcement, it has been confirmed Essar Oil (UK) Limited will receive a grant of over £7 million towards the upgrade of a distillation unit with a new, net zero ready furnace at Stanlow. Phillips 66 Limited will also receive a grant of over £500,000 towards research into fuel switching in the Humber refinery’s gas fired heaters, to see how greater use could be made of hydrogen in that process. Find out more about Essar Oil UK’s project here. Whilst hydrogen is already an important part of the refining process, use of low carbon hydrogen would result in significant reductions of emissions at the refinery and, therefore, across the lifecycle of all of its products. UKPIA eagerly awaits the publication of the UK Government’s Hydrogen Strategy to help industry further to align long-term investment decisions with a low carbon future. UKPIA director-general, Stephen Marcos Jones, comments:
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News

Stanlow secures government backing

A new project that forms part of Essar’s plans to decarbonise the Stanlow Refinery in North West England has secured a £7.2m grant from the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund. The funding has been made available through the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and will be invested in a project to install a new furnace in the crude distillation unit at Stanlow that will be able to run on a 100% hydrogen fuel source. It will be the UK’s first refinery-based furnace able to be fuelled entirely by hydrogen. Once completed and operational, the net zero ready furnace will reduce Stanlow’s CO2 emissions by 11% per year and deliver immediate energy efficiency improvements. The furnace will use hydrogen produced by the HyNet North West project at Stanlow, with the first stage of the initiative set to come on stream in 2025. The new furnace is another element in Essar’s transition to becoming a ‘Low Carbon Energy Provider’ of the future. This will also include the construction of two blue hydrogen production hubs at Stanlow under the HyNet project, which will attract £750 million in total investment and support a hydrogen economy across North West England and North Wales. HyNet’s hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS) chain represents a major step forward for low carbon energy technology and innovation in the UK. Together with HyNet, Essar has also announced plans to create a new facility to convert non[1]recyclable household waste into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for use by airlines operating at UK airports. The £600m project involves Essar Oil UK, Fulcrum BioEnergy and Essar’s subsidiary company Stanlow Terminals Limited and will convert several hundred thousand tonnes of pre-processed waste, otherwise destined for incineration or landfill, into approximately 100 million litres of low carbon SAF annually. Essar chief operating officer Jon Barden commented: “This year has been about beginning to execute the strategy we’ve put in place to decarbonise Stanlow and position the site as a provider of sustainable fuels for the future. The investment into CD4, alongside the HyNet and Fulcrum projects, demonstrates our commitment to developing low carbon operations, with the ambition of becoming a net zero site by 2040. “The funding from BEIS is an endorsement of the steps we’re taking, as well as a signal of the Government’s intent to transform the North West into a clean energy hub supporting jobs and economic growth for years to come.”    
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News

Clear focus on future fuels for industry Expo

The key speakers and industry topics have been revealed by UKIFDA for the two-day Future Fuels conference during UKIFDA EXPO 2021 on 7-8 July which will include a ministerial address by Lord Callanan, minister for climate change & corporate responsibility. “We are very pleased with the plans for this year’s EXPO and what will be our first ever virtual event and Future Fuels conference – and delighted to reveal the line-up of speakers and talks for the two days,” says Ken Cronin, UKIFDA chief executive. “At its core, this year’s exhibition is focused on Future Fuels – the incredible investment our industry is making in renewable liquid fuels and the central issues associated with it, including the role of next generation renewable fuels in helping both the UK and Irish Governments achieve net zero targets and the transition to renewable liquid fuels.” Across the two days of the conference there will be a number of breaks to allow delegates to visit exhibitors’ booths and also for exhibitors to make announcements or invite people to specific presentations. The programmes for the two days are sponsored by Aon and Cobo Tankers and Services Ltd, who will each sponsor a day together with EXPO headline sponsor Phillips 66 Ltd. Ken Cronin will launch UKIFDA EXPO 2021 with an overview of how the two days will run, to make it as easy as possible for exhibitors, visitors, members, and delegates, to make the most of what’s on offer virtually this year. UKIFDA membership and events manager, Dawn Shakespeare, comments: “We will kick off day one with sponsors Aon who are providing our keynote speech to get everyone geared up for a great two days of knowledge sharing, networking, and business deals. “James Spencer, managing director of Portland, will then present an analysis of market trends that includes key trends of the past 2 years and highlights for the future, followed by an EU-focussed roundtable discussion on key events in the EU that will impact our industry over the next decade. Participating in these discussions are Kevin McPartlin of Fuels for Ireland, Nick Hayes of UKIFDA, and Thierry Javit of the European Confederation of Fuel Distributors. “There will also be a policy roundtable with the Department for Transport, BEIS and the treasury on the key themes of the current policy landscape covering heat, transport and taxation. “In the afternoon of day one a discussion on fuel poverty will take place, focusing on the goals for fuel poverty and how our industry help. This will feature representatives from the UK Government’s Committee on Fuel Poverty, National Energy Action, The Home Group, and the National Housing Federation. “Towards the end of the day, representatives of the trade associations and countries will be setting the scene for future fuels, what needs to be done and the new norm. Taking part will be Ken Cronin of UKIFDA, Paul Rose of OFTEC and David Blevings of NIOILS. “The day will end with awards being handed out by UKIFDA president Janet Kettlewell, for depot of the year, driver of the year, green award, and an award for innovation.” The format for UKIFDA EXPO 2021 is similar to the programme for previous EXPOs that have taken place during the past 40 years – only this time everything has been designed with the virtual experience in mind. “Day two will be opened with an address by Lord Callanan, who has ministerial oversight of our sector, followed by Simon Holt of headline sponsors Phillips 66 Ltd and a presentation from Fernando Gomis and Joby Clark of day two sponsors Cobo Tankers and Services Ltd,” adds Dawn Shakespeare. “A discussion on the key trends in the production of biofuels and next generation renewable fuels will be a highlight of the second day, with analytical contributions from representatives of Argus Media, Climate Change Committee and key suppliers Neste, Greenergy, Prax/Harvest, Phillips 66 Ltd and Argent Energy. “Day two will also feature an important and insightful roundtable Q&A on the how the industry trials of HVO renewable liquid fuel are progressing in UK homes. UKIFDA CEO Ken Cronin adds: “It’s a busy couple of days, to say the least – and we genuinely cannot wait to engage with exhibitors, members, visitors, and delegates during the exhibition and conference. “We have all worked extremely hard on the planning of this year’s virtual event and have put together a fantastic line-up of key speakers together with relevant, thought-provoking topics in a range of formats that include presentations, discussions, Q&As and informal exchanges. “The programmes for the two days will no doubt be fine-tuned between now and 7/8 July but we wanted to share our plans to-date and to encourage as many companies and individuals as possible to join us online and make our first virtual UKIFDA EXPO a huge success. As time gets closer to the event we will be using the conference app more and more to communicate information.” To register as a delegate please click here. Being a virtual conference we are able to take bookings to be an exhibitor much closer to the day so it is not too late! For further information please contact Dawn Shakespeare via email.    
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