The Bulletin September 2023

The Bulletin

APEA (The Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration)

Publications Information

Back to the Future How Hytek is Looking to the Past, to Thrive in the Future

The Petroleum and Enforcement Liaison Group (PELG) Update

FCEV vs CNG vs LNG vs EV, Which is the Right Future Fuel for You?

Health and Safety Working Smart from the Very Start

Size Matters Equipment Reliability & Convenience in a Large Estate

Case Study: Installation of CubiQ Luminaire and InMo LED Screen

As the Experts

Fuel Meters – It Pays to be Precise!

Starting Safety Education Young

The Future of UK Fuel Retailers after 2030

The Falkland Islands

Petrol Station Numbers

Why Does it Matter who Services my Equipment?

News

Press Releases Branches

Training

APEA Live 2023 Conference, Exhibition and Awards Dinner

Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the Association. The technical content is not an official endorsement by or on behalf of the APEA and are entirely the views of the authors.

Welcome

more members be nominated than the number of positions defined in our Articles of Association. Please do take the opportunity to include some words about your experience and what you would hope to bring to National Council to aid members voting.

Doreen Pooley APEA Chairman

It has been interesting watching the “future fuels” mumblings rumble on. While it is slightly outside the petroleum field an area that has been challenging one corner of our industry has been HVO (Hydrogenated/Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil). HVO producers tell their potential customers that it is a “drop-in replacement”. Equipment manufacturers tell us that they’ve not tested it yet so they can’t warranty their equipment for use with it. And then there’s the consideration of whether a mix of diesel and HVO actually meets any one fuel standard. That combined with the slightly lower autoignition temperature compared to diesel which nudges an ATEX temperature category boundary and it’s not as simple as the producers would have us think.

On another note, it’s that time of year where I beat the same old drum again regarding becoming involved in the APEA. As I approach the end of my tenure as Chairman of National Council this is my last opportunity to harp on about one thing I feel passionately about – the APEA is not an effective association unless members participate in its operation at Branch and National Level.

I would, once more, like to encouraging members to join National Council. As you will see there is a nomination form enclosed with this edition of the Bulletin. It is really important that anyone who would like to be part of the Council steps forwards. There is a process to allow members to choose who represents them should

APEA Business Manager (contact for all APEA Business and Bulletin advertising, design and typesetting)

Jane Mardell

APEA, PO Box 106

Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3XT

Tel: +44 (0) 345 603 5507

Mobile: +44 (0) 7815 055514

email: admin@apea.org.uk

In order to join National Council you must be either an Ordinary Member in your own right or a Fellow. Representatives of Corporate Members are not eligible. Neither are Retired members, Honorary members or Affiliated Associations. As a member of National Council you will need to become a Director of the APEA.

National Council meets 3 times per year in January, May and September. We have been investigating different face-to-face venues to see if we can find a travel compromise for current members. We have also introduced hybrid meetings to enable Council members to dial in if they are unable to attend – although we would encourage attendance whenever possible. Our day-today activities are mainly carried out using the collaboration platform Basecamp.

It really is very important that members attend the AGM. This is a Member Association and National Council is there to represent you. Please show your face, show your support for what National Council is doing and have a chat about what you would like to see happening. We moved the AGM from start of day to the lunchtime slot at APEA Live to give more members time to arrive and last year we introduced a light snack on entrance to the AGM so members don’t then have to find something to eat. We hope this will draw more of you to join the meeting.

As I mentioned in the last Bulletin my chosen charity that will benefit from APEA Live Awards Evening is The Safety Centre (Hazard Alley). You’ll find an article written by Tanya Sargent on page 30 of this edition. Please take the time to read it and donate generously on the night.

See you at the AGM!

Publications Chairman

Andy Kennedy

Mobile: 07469 212063

email: andykennedy@apea.org.uk

Editor

Brian Humm

Mobile: +44 (0) 7507 478533

email: b.humm@outlook.com

Editorial

for you members so it would be great to have an easy time of it for once (or forever!).

Brian Humm Editor

Welcome, I trust all our members are well. Here is the latest edition of the much anticipated APEA Bulletin magazine. Once again, this issue covers a multitude of topics; ask the experts, news stories and an interesting article on the numbers of filling stations within the UK, interesting as to where do we go from here?

Who knows, times they are a changing as Bob Dylan once sang about (one for the teenagers out there). Interesting indeed; as I write this introduction there is a short period of time before the Mayor of London is going to introduce his Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) into the whole of London. Basically, that is anywhere inside the M25, which will mean that if you do not have a car/vehicle that complies with the magic Nitrous Oxide emission figure of 0.08 then you will have to pay £12.50 per day, 364 days a year (you are allowed to pollute the air free on Christmas Day). This has caused a lot of consternation within London, but also other UK cities are looking at this as well; there is even now rumours of pay per mile motoring or 15-minute cities being introduced. The culmination of all this is that a high court challenge from five London boroughs is underway, which challenges the legality of the consultation process and the facts that have been produced to support the implementation of the charge. This might drag on, one of the good reasons I moved from London, however it would cost me £12.50 to go and support my football team!

In every Bulletin I edit I always put in my introduction a subtle plea for copy. I’m going to be a little more blatant now - we need articles, news, and anything that you think might be interesting for members to know!! Maybe a topic you would like to see covered from a technical point of view. Every edition now we really do struggle to fill. I know we always manage but when we near the deadline for inclusion there is usually a mad scramble for copy. Please, please consider submitting something, even a question for our experts; there is nothing like a stupid question (well I have had a couple, but I’ll keep quiet on that one). Seriously it’s the magazine

Training is continuing apace. We have recently completed the 3day audit course in Solihull, and a 2-day course in Ireland, both courses were extremely well received and the course review forms we ask the delegates to complete reflected this fact. Have you considered attending a course? I may be biased but they are really comprehensive, interesting and each day constitutes 6 hours of CPD, so the 3 day gets you 18 hours CPD, enough to satisfy most company/authority requirements for personal development purposes. You may not be aware but as a member you get a discount on the cost of the course. We can, if required, design a course for your needs, or hold a bespoke course for your company. If you think you or your company could benefit then please contact Tom Daly, the APEA training chairman, who’s details are on page 76 of this issue.

The ‘Blue Book’ working groups have finished the review process of the existing document. The amendments are being incorporated into the document and then it will be distributed to every interested party to comment upon the proposed alterations to the guidance, accept the changes as they are proposed or suggest a different approach etc. This could take a while; we have had no indication of the prospective date of release of the 5th edition but watch this space, it’s coming soon!

Are any members here on LinkedIn? Do you follow the APEA? You might have noticed more content from the APEA; a lot of the latest posts are regarding the APEA Awards. Yes, it’s that time of year again. Easy, and free to enter, why not give it a go? Prestigious within our industry and they garner a lot of publicity for the finalists as well as the winner, once again free, free publicity is not to be scoffed at in these challenging times. I also must reiterate that the awards are not just for “friends” of the APEA council, they are independently judged by respected peers within the industry and have strict guidance and criteria to be judged against. Go for it, you know you want to. Good luck to all members that enter. If any member, be it corporate or individual, would like more information on the awards or any assistance in entering then I’m sure we can assist. Drop me an email and I’ll see what I can do.

And finally, a few words of thanks for assistance with this production. Firstly Jane for her gentle cajoling and artwork typesetting to meet the copy and production deadlines; Gareth Bourhill, who looks out for news items; obviously Jamie Thompson for his articles and to the other copy contributors to this issue its very much appreciated. Thank you all, until next time…

Business Manager

of spare copies so you need to contact me by the end of October if you have not received your copy. Individual/Retired members in the UK and Corporate members overseas will be sent their Yearbooks by standard Royal Mail. Corporate members in the UK will receive their 5 copies by courier which are tracked, so we can follow up any non-deliveries.

Jane Mardell Business Manager

Hope you are currently enjoying the summer. Lots of work currently going on for APEA Live in November and I have detailed information below.

APEALive2023–16thNovember

Anyone wishing to book a place at the Conference, Exhibition or Awards Dinner should go to https://www.apealive.co.uk/2023/. Please note there are discounts for ‘early bird’ booking.

APEAAwards

The APEA Awards are live and you can enter the awards by going to https://www.apealive.co.uk/2023/awards/enter-the-awards/. Deadline for entries: 23rd September 2023.

APEAAGM16thNovember,12.10pm

With this issue of The Bulletin you have received an AGM invitation letter and nomination form. If you wish to make a nomination to Council please complete the form and scan and send with your CV to the Honorary Secretary Andy Kennedy as instructed on the form.

You can register attendance for the AGM and you will be able to view the APEA 2022 reduced accounts shortly and other documents for the AGM at the link below. There is also a link on the home page of the website at www.apea.org.uk.

https://apea.org.uk/pages/inside-apea/agm

If there is more than one person nominated for a post, instructions will be emailed to members on how to vote for their preferred choice. This process has to be completed two weeks before the AGM on 16th November.

2024Yearbook

The 2024 Yearbooks will be distributed on 1st October. If you have not received your copy by the end of October please let me know and I will chase up your delivery. We only have a limited amount

TheBulletin

We are always looking for press releases and articles for The Bulletin. If you have anything you think would interest our readers, please email it to me at admin@apea.org.uk and I will forward it to the editor Brian Humm to approve.

WebsiteBannerAdvertising

You can place your banner on the APEA website. This is £200 plus vat for one year. Please contact me at admin@apea.org.uk if you wish to make a booking.

Membershipinformation/Yourmembershipaccount

Please go to your membership account at www.apea.org.uk where you can do the following:

•Download a membership certificate in pdf format

•View previous purchases and invoices

•Change your membership

•Change your email address, contact details and password

•Change your Yearbook entry

•View your downloads

Unfortunately, we are having a few glitches with the website which are being worked on, so please bear with us. Any problems please email me at admin@apea.org.uk. We had to ask you to manually complete your membership renewals from 14th March 2022 for one year due to new SCA regulations.

TrainingCourses

All training courses can be viewed and booked on the APEA website at www.apea.org.uk. If you are interested in booking a bespoke training course please email Tom Daly (Chairman of Training Committee) at thomasdaly@apea.org.uk.

NewMembers

There have been 18 new members joining during April, May and June, details on page 10.

GeneralAssistance

If you need any assistance with general or technical matters, please do not hesitate to contact me at admin@apea.org.uk or on 0345 603 5507. There is comprehensive contact information on the APEA website too at www.apea.org.uk.

Jane

New Members (April - June)

CorporateMembership

Nicholas Barrett Ministry of Defence

Suzanne Born Newport City Council

Greg Kirkman

Tennals Environmental Services Ltd

Richard Quarmby

AKN Build Ltd

Tracy Ridley County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service

Valerie Wickett Staffordshire County Council

IndividualMembership

Chris Pidcock

Damian Jones

Sevenoaks Environmental Consultancy

Darren Walker

Elliot Barr

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

George Bain KGB ELECTRICAL

Julia McDonald Moray Council

Luke Smith Electrical Services and Testing Ltd

Malcolm McConaghie Henderson Group

Mark Sloan

Mark Thomson

Henderson Group Property

Richard Boyd cbre

Steven Bodys North Ayrshire Council

Publications Information

4th Edition of the Guidance for Design, Construction, Modification, Maintenance and Decommissioning of Filling Stations“Blue Book” (Revised 2018)

ISBN 978 0 85293 888 1

Price for hard copy

APEA Member rate - £75

Non APEA Member rate - £150

NB.Thepdfversioniscurrentlyunavailableuntilfurthernotice.

Price for pdf version (please note the pdf version is licensed to the purchaser only and cannot be shared or printed)

APEA Member rate - £75

Non APEA Member rate - pdf £150

If you wish to purchase the guide please go to the APEA website at www.apea.org.uk and click on the “Publications” page. You can select to pay by credit/debit card.

The APEA also publishes the Code of Practice for Ground floor, multi storey and underground car parks. This can be downloaded directly from the APEA website and is available to members at £11.00 and £21.00 to non APEA members.

Electric Vehicle Charging Installations at Filling Stations

Price for hard copy

APEA Member rate - £32.50

Non APEA Member rate - £50

NB.Thepdfversioniscurrentlyunavailableuntilfurther notice.

Price for pdf version (please note the pdf version is licensed to the purchaser only and cannot be shared or printed)

APEA Member rate - £32.50

Non APEA Member rate - pdf £50

This Code of Practice is an authoritative guide to all installations of electric vehicle charging equipment. It has been updated in line with recent changes in BS 7671 (IET Wiring Regulations) and reflects some major developments in this area including vehicle to grid, smart integration and inductive charging.

As part of the rapid growth and development of the whole electric vehicle charging infrastructure, filling stations are seen as an obvious place to provide charging facilities. However, it is recognised that difficult safety and logistical issues are linked to such installations.

When the 4th Edition of the Code of Practice for Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation was published, significant technical discussions were still underway about this area to help finalise and clarify the safety issues that needed to be addressed. The work behind these meetings was led by APEA (the Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration) who represent the major stakeholders in this sector. APEA and the IET are therefore now issuing this joint publication to help provide important guidance in this area.

ISBN-13: 978-1-83953-315-0

Publication Year: 2020

Pages: 30

About The Bulletin and how you can submit copy to be included

•The Bulletin is published four times a year with a print run of 2200

•Free issue to APEA members (approx 1200 members worldwide)

•Has international distribution and readership

•Respected source of industry specific news and information

•Contains relevant articles, news items, press releases and reports from UK and overseas

•Individual, Fellow and Retired members receive one copy each and Corporate members receive 5 copies each per quarter

The editor of The Bulletin, Brian Humm, is always on the look out for new material, so if you have something you want to be included, please email it to the APEA office at admin@apea.org.uk and it will be forwarded to Brian for approval.

Please email the text in Word format and any images as separate high resolution pdf or jpeg files to admin@apea.org.uk.

We are always pleased to receive contributions from our members and it ensures that The Bulletin remains an interesting and informative read.

Priorityisgivenforpressreleasesandarticlessubmittedby Bulletinadvertiserstobeincluded.

Deadline dates for copy and advertising artwork 2023/2024

Please note the deadline date for the March 2024 issue is early due to Christmas and New Year holidays.

Bulletin Advertising

If you would like to book advertising in The Bulletin, please email your requirements to admin@apea.org.uk or call the office on 0345 603 5507. Please ensure you send your artwork to admin@apea.org.uk.

PriorityisgivenforpressreleasesandarticlessubmittedbyBulletinadvertiserstobeincluded.

Discounts are available for booking in more than one issue, please contact Jane Mardell at admin@apea.org.uk for more information. Bulletin advertisers that book in 3 or more issues in one year also receive a 50% discount off rates for advertising in the annual Yearbook, see table below.

Sizeofadvert(allratesexcludeVAT)Advertfeein1issueAdvertfeein4issues

Full page (210mmw x 280mmh with 10mm border or with 3mm bleed)

½ page (185mmw x 125mmh)

¼ page (90mmw x 120mmh)

Back to the Future How Hytek is Looking to the Past, to Thrive in the Future

By Jacquie Davies, Managing Director, Hytek

Firstly, if you have seen our ad, I want to make it clear that we are not in the habit of fuelling DeLoreans. If you haven’t seen the ad yet, you’ll be wondering what on earth I am talking about. Hopefully all will become clear. Bear with me.

I’ve been the managing director of Hytek for almost a year now, having spent a good proportion of my career before that as someone on the other side of the fence; a customer of Hytek. I joined our industry in 2000, working in the commercial tank manufacturing sector. For some 14 years, I relied on Hytek; a key supplier for 90% of the tank equipment and ancillary products used to adorn our tanks. Quality fuelling equipment and reliable monitoring solutions. A brand you could unequivocally trust.

For so long, Hytek was rightly seen as the market leader in the field; unquestionably a preferred supplier. Known for quality products, first class service, product availability, next day collection and delivery, no-quibble warranties, exemplary field support, and perfect-pitched levels of communications. Across everything Hytek did, there was a clear commitment to always deliver for customers.

Yet, over the last 18 months, some of these standards have slipped. That may seem like a mildly odd thing for me to admit but, above everything else, we are a business that values honesty and so we are prepared to admit our mistakes.

We know that delays and a general lack of communication on deliveries of vital equipment would cost thousands, with field engineers coming to a standstill. Of course, that had a knock-on effect for our customers’ reputations with their customers. That’s simply not good enough. It has been a frustrating time for us and, more importantly, for you.

Yet, we are prepared to acknowledge this, because we are now confident; confident we are getting back to what we’ve always done best. Our high-quality products are on the shelves, and communication with you, the people we are privileged to call customers, is an unwavering priority. I’m confident you’ll see and experience that when you work with us.

One thing that has never changed in the business is the commitment to valuing good people. Be those our clients, our partners, or our employees. In fact, the people of Hytek have always been such a key part in making it the organisation it is. I remember my first encounter well; with Hytek’s own Emmett

Brown (I thought I had better get another tenuous BTTF reference in here), Ian Taylor. Introduced to me by Terry Barker, he was an incredibly positive personality, oozing the Hytek ethos of putting people first. I’d go so far as to say he has created a legacy. Because we are still a business packed with the very best people.

The word count does not permit me to mention them all by name, but there are a couple of people I’d like to highlight briefly. Andy Seal, or as we affectionately call him, “the oracle”, wows me daily with his encyclopaedic knowledge of our business, our products, and the commercial fuel sector at large. To say he goes above and beyond for customers would be an understatement of significant proportions. Andrew Olive, who joined our business when we acquired Pumptronics, remains at the forefront of product innovation. He has developed many great products including the Zeon and C Series, and is also responsible for the ongoing research and development of our Fuel Management Systems, ensuring we remain at the cutting edge of product innovation. He’s particularly excited about accurate live fuel management data right now but, again, I don’t have the word count to go into that here. Be sure to ask him about it if you speak to him.

Personally, I look forward to meeting many more of our customers soon. I wanted to end this article with perhaps the greatest quote from Back to the Future; “where we’re going, we don’t need roads”. But given what we do, that would be just plain wrong to say the very least. So, I’ll leave you with this. We are back. We very much look forward to proving that to you soon.

The Petroleum and Enforcement Liaison Group (PELG) Update

By Clare Scawthorn, Technical Manager, PRA

The Petroleum and Enforcement Liaison Group (PELG) met on Thursday 15 June. As some of you may know PELG has three key work activities to deliver, and the following is an update on where they currently stand:

1.Review and update guidance to support site operators.

-This work stream has seen the Red Guide re-structured and minor alterations made to cover changes in fire safety legislation, updates to legislative and guidance reference points and to add in guidance on payment for fuel by various means such as payment by phone or app. To support ease of reading, an executive summary has also been created and this will sit alongside the Red Guide. At the time of writing, it is expected for the revised guide to be published in Autumn 2023.

2.Establish training for regulators to better understand the legal frameworks and how to apply them.

-PELG has worked with the APEA on their existing online

training content to create a package aimed at regulators and cross referenced this against the role map of an inspector’s role, to make sure all key aspects are covered. Completion of the combined eight modules is deemed to provide inspectors with a foundation level of knowledge to support them in carrying out their role.

The eight modules include:

•Key Areas of the Filling Station

•The Future of Fuel

•Drainage Principles

•Road Tanker Delivery & Consignor Requirements

•Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014

•Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres

Regulations 2002

•Preparing for Inspection

•The Red Guide

More information on the courses can be found on the APEA website training page.

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3.Create a standardised risk-based inspection regime for national use.

-The last review of the Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014 identified that across the UK, petroleum enforcement authorities do not have a standard process to follow when carrying out inspections, how often they carry out inspections and what criteria they apply to determine the risk rating of a site. To address this, PELG has established a working group to create a risk-based framework which authorities can apply to sites to generate a risk ranking and in turn determine an appropriate re-inspection rate. The work in this area is in the early stages and it is expected for this work stream to be completed in 2024.

Other important updates to note are:

Petroleumstoragecertificates

The HSE has worked with PELG to create guidance to support regulators and keepers of petrol to understand when a petroleum storage certificate is needed for premises which do not meet the standard dispensing premises criteria i.e. a petrol filling station. A flowchart has been devised which allows users to work their way through the questions to determine if a certificate is required for their premises to be able to store and dispense petrol. When approved by the HSE policy and legal teams, this will be published on the Energy Institute website, and will be free to access.

Feeincreases

The fees petroleum enforcement authorities can recover for a premises with a storage certificate are set out in law and have been increased.

The new annual price operators pay from 1 April 2023 are:

•Band A – storage not exceeding 2,500 litres of petrol – £46 per annum.

•Band B – storage exceeding 2,500 but not exceeding 50,000 litres of petrol – £62 per annum.

•Band C – storage exceeding 50,000 litres of petrol – £131 per annum.

The increased fees are not retrospective and will only apply to sites when their current fee payment period comes to an end.

Legislationreview

It is also important to note that the Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014 will be reviewed again shortly. This is a legal requirement within the regulations, which stipulates they must be reviewed every five years to ensure they are still delivering their aims and there are no unwanted consequences i.e., there are no unforeseen and unnecessary burdens placed on any parties. The HSE will put out a questionnaire to gather information and feedback in the coming months to facilitate the review.

FCEV vs CNG vs LNG vs EV

Which is the Right Future Fuel for You?

By David McGuinness, Director of Product Management, Electric Vehicle Charging, Dover Fueling Solutions

Despite the move towards decarbonisation, internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles are still prevalent in most markets. Up to 2020, nearly 80% of all passenger vehicles sold in the leading European markets were petrol or diesel, with the average lifespan of road vehicles being 10 years.

Clearly, the road to carbon-neutrality is a rocky one with barriers to adoption including price, range and refuelling/charging anxieties. However, news that UK electric vehicles sales outpaced ICE sales for the first time in December 2022 offers cause for optimism in the race for adoption.

As motorists continue to embrace greener transport, many drivers will be considering which clean fuel is best for them. For fleet managers and sustainability directors, many will be wondering which is best for business.

At present, market leaders appear to be hydrogen, electric, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) – each with their own advantages. But which is right for you, your business sector or personal driving habits?

We drill down into the data and review what your fuel of the future might look like.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen would appear to be a strong choice for long-haul, heavyduty vehicles and other commercial transport and we are starting to see the first fuel cell trucks recently appearing on the European market.

The Hydrogen truck lends itself naturally to the mass mileage demands of HGV haulage. Hyundai’s current Xcient model, for instance, can travel 400 miles on a single tank, while Volvo is pouring millions into the development of its own hydrogenpowered alternative with a range of 1000 km.

Volvo’s simple nozzle-to-pump dispensation will also appeal to motorists, with no need for time-consuming charging which may complicate electric, battery-powered alternatives.

To fully flourish, however, greater infrastructure is needed to support future fuel development. Hydrogen investment is growing but not as quickly as that of electric vehicles (EV). Market leaders, Germany provide a neat case study with total German hydrogen refueling stations expected to reach 85 by 2025 and 300 by 2030.

Despite this, cumulative hydrogen investment totals €40 billion, which lags behind EV at €51 billion.

One other thing to note when it comes to this future fuel is cost. In Germany, the average price of fuel per 100km is 7.60 euros for Hydrogen, compared with 9.05 euros diesel and 11.74 euros for petrol.

CompressedNaturalGas

One lesser known option is CNG which is widely accepted to be the ‘cleanest fossil fuel’. Its chemical properties mean it’s compressed to less than 1% of its volume while it reduces carbon monoxide emissions by 90 to 97 percent.

Although it’s a non-renewable source, having been formed millions of years ago from decomposing plants and animals, CNG is nontoxic and has fiscal benefits too. Every 1% increase in natural gas production can create 35,000 jobs.

Statistically, CNG is 30% more efficient than petrol with a vehicle able to travel the same distance on 6/7 litres of CNG as 10 litres of petrol. As with any fuel, pricing is subject to global market conditions, but it remains the cheapest non-renewable energy source. Its nozzle-to-pump refuelling method is also a clear user benefit.

Despite this, CNG adoption is currently in its infancy. There are currently only 4,159 refilling stations across Europe, which makes it more of an option for fleet owners as opposed to the everyday motorist.

This is not to say that CNG doesn’t have mainstream potential, with the fuelling option accepted in Europe for passenger vehicles.

Almost any petrol vehicle can be retrofitted with a CNG system for around €3000 - €5000, which could make it a shrewd alternative to other clean fuels. This may appeal to businesses or commercial fleets that require its efficiency benefits.

In Germany – CNG market leaders – the fuel compares favourably in terms of price too. The average cost of fuel is 6.48 euros per 100km for CNG, compared to 9.05 euros for diesel and 11.74 euros, petrol.

LiquefiedNaturalGas

LNG is another derivative of the abundant natural gas, formed when natural gas is compressed and cooled to -162 degrees celsius. The International Energy Agency estimates that if consumption remains at present levels, there are enough resources to last 230 years.

Again, much like its counterpart CNG, LNG is a cleaner fossil fuel, producing 40% less carbon dioxide than coal and 30% less than oil. It’s clean and quiet burning, while its familiar refilling method should appeal to drivers.

LNG infrastructure may be embryonic, but it is fast growing. There are around 635 LNG stations on the continent with the bulk concentrated in Western Europe – Germany with 162, Italy with 130 and Spain with 90, This represents a network that has doubled in size in less than two years.

Ultimately, consumers want energy to be affordable, secure and capable of driving down carbon emissions. LNG ticks all these

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boxes. Its cost-competitive benefits mean it has strong potential for commercial transport.

Analternativeenergyspark–electricvehicles

While the hydrogen propulsion method first gained traction in the early 2000s, this has been supplanted in recent years by the rise of EVs.

The European market is currently leading the charge on the global stage with 1,390,000 units sold across the continent per year. By 2030, every second car sold is expected to be powered by electricity.

This has serious potential for the general motorist. Massive investments are being made across EMEA as countries pour billions into charging infrastructure. The Netherlands is currently blazing the trail with 90,000 charging points as of 2022, while Europe plans to have 1.3 million public chargers in place by 2025 and 2.9 million by 2030.

Price points also offer mainstream charging potential. In the Netherlands, the average cost of electricity per 100km is 5.31 euros compared to 8.66 euros for diesel and 12.32 euros, petrol. Home and workplace charging stations, meanwhile, remain safe

and easy to use where drivers can simply ‘plug in’ their vehicle to the charge point. Despite this, charging times, range anxieties and initial cost remain main barriers to adoption. David McGuinness, Director of Product Management, Electric Vehicle Charging at Dover Fueling Solutions expands on reasons for this: “While price and range concerns are being addressed by automotive manufacturers, more needs to be done by authorities to improve access to ‘the plug’.

“Dependable, renewable energy infrastructure is required to feed the grid with a need to create a consumer-centric recharging model that serves the practical needs of EV drivers. “As local governments begin to embrace this, companies can deliver high-quality fast chargers to market.”

Conclusion

As the world, and the transport industry, move towards Net-Zero, it’s likely all four options will be an integral part of the decarbonisation mix, each with their own distinct benefits.

In fact, each offers something unique, so you should take time to explore your options and make a well-informed decision on which of these future fuel alternatives will suit your business goals and lifestyle the best.

Health and Safety Working Smart from the Very Start

By Cheryl Ashton, Marketing Coordinator, TSG

Safety is no accident! Workplace health and safety starts with clear direction from a strong leadership team and encompasses management, employees, suppliers, contractors, and customers. Health and safety should always be a top priority, as the safety of the employees is crucial to the operational success of a business. The UK government requires employers to adhere to specified regulations and safety standards, however, taking responsibility for employee safety isn’t just the law, it is a moral duty.

It is important to have at least one fully qualified individual to control and manage policies, procedures and ongoing training and competence within the workforce. This elementary step will eradicate confusion and ambiguity surrounding the safety rules and regulations and assure senior management that the business has the necessary expertise to ensure risks are eliminated or appropriately managed.

Wheretostart

Providing a safe and secure work environment is a complex and multi-dimensional subject; there is no straightforward one size fits all solution. Every business must take a strategic and practical approach to health and safety, taking into account the individual requirements of each department, including any employees that work in the field or at home. Employers must consider all factors that affect their staff’s physical, mental, and occupational health, to mitigate the risk of falling foul of the government guidelines. All businesses should have a strong general health and safety policy in place, as it forms a platform on which to build explicit safety guidelines relevant to their industry sector. This policy also acts as

a benchmark from which to create robust working practices that can help to improve productivity and encourage employee engagement.

Spreadingtheword

Health and safety is not a box-ticking exercise, it is a crucial element in daily operations designed to help keep employees, suppliers, contractors and customers safe and well. The only questionable benefit of a tick-box culture is that the company is able to prove that safety policies and strategies are fully complicit with legislation – however, this method is simply not effective. Every business should distribute a safety policy document to all of its employees, typically at the time of the induction process. Many companies will request a signature from staff to confirm they have read and understood the policy’s contents. Such documentary evidence of compliance with health and safety regulations could prove vital in the event of litigation or as corroboration during a visit to the premises from an enforcement officer.

Despite the fact that all of the employees may have been made aware of the policy, it is essential to continue reinforcing the message with regular bulletins and training sessions throughout their employment at the company.

Policyspecifics

The health and safety policy should clearly set out the company’s objectives to meet legislation and safety best practices, determine the person(s) responsible for its enforcement and how the safety procedures will work.

Naturally, every policy will contain elements that are specific to the company and the sector within which it operates. But, as a general rule, the policy might include fire safety, manual handling, slips and trips, driving safety, risk assessments, working at height, equipment safety, near-miss reporting and control of hazardous substances, etc.

PersonalProtectiveEquipment(PPE)

There are many varieties of PPE in the workplace, such as hard hats, goggles, gloves, high visibility clothing and protective footwear, the choice is very much subject to the type of work being carried out. For instance, different goggles/glasses are needed depending on whether the work involves welding, cutting metals or drilling plastics and concrete materials. Employers providing a standard set of PPE may be caught out if the equipment is not designed to protect against the type of danger the operative is exposed to.

High-visibility (HV) clothing is a relatively easy and inexpensive precaution to implement, but it plays a major role in maintaining safety and preventing accidents, especially in busy environments with moving traffic.

A thorough risk assessment should be completed before every job, to ensure the correct PPE is handed out to everyone concerned before the work begins.

Failuretocomply

There are severe consequences for employers who choose to ignore health and safety regulations, especially if the case involves serious injury or loss of life. Failure to comply is punishable in criminal court and often results in significant fines or worse – imprisonment. Moreover, the reputation of the business can incur untold damage during and following an investigation.

Aligningtheculture

Health and safety is so much more than a set of rules, it should be an integral part of the culture of the organisation. In order to have a truly safe workplace, it is necessary to consider health, safety and mental wellbeing to be of the highest priority in all activities both on and off the premises.

Employee engagement is key to the success of any initiative and safety is no different. Staff should be encouraged to look for and report potential risks, propose new ideas and most importantly, take great care of themselves and their colleagues.

HealthandsafetyatTSGUK

TSG has over 30 years of experience in health and safety for the forecourt sector, with skilled professionals leading the team to safeguard all its employees against the potential dangers associated with the industry. A forecourt is an inherently risky place to work, with a potentially dangerous mix of explosive vapours, liquids, and airborne contaminants. It is therefore of paramount importance that TSG field technicians regularly undergo lengthy and intensive hazardous zone training to maintain a safe working environment for themselves, site staff and visiting motorists/shoppers. Annual safety days are held at TSG UK and TSG Group level to emphasise the company’s commitment to health and safety throughout Europe, Africa and the UK. These popular events are well supported across the board and provide necessary insight into new legislation and recommended best practices.

For more information on TSG, its products and services visit: https://www.tsg-solutions.com/uk/

Size Matters Equipment Reliability & Convenience in a Large Estate

By Philip Reese, Director, Evenlode

EquipmentReliability&Convenienceinalargeestate

In our article in June’s edition of The Bulletin we discussed the need for reliability of equipment with a focus on the reliability of EV charging. We provided a detailed review of some of the influencing factors, considering both why equipment fails in the first place, and why achieving prompt resolution can also be a challenge.

Reliability of any equipment provides the operator with:

-Best possible uptime of their equipment.

-The ability to meet their customer’s expectations for equipment availability

-The opportunity for increased revenue generation

-Brand reputation

-Lower and more predictable break fix costs

-Certainty over budgeting

As we move through the transition to clean energy PFS will come under more competition from non PFS locations as drivers of EVs have more choice and a wider footprint of where they can recharge, although, many PFS locations are well established and already have a good, loyal customer base. However, what remain critical consistent factors for the success of a PFS are the ability to provide a convenience offer in a good location with high levels of equipment availability.

Reliability of equipment can be a key part of how PFS’ maintain their market position through offering customer service and convenience.

Whatisreliability&howisitmeasured?

Reliability is often referred to in terms of “uptime” or “downtime”. The former term has become quite popular in recent years, especially with the emergence of IT and EV charging. In essence both terms are based on the same measurement – i.e., the proportion of time that equipment is either available or “up”, or unavailable (“down”).

Whatdouptimeratesmean?

Well-meaning targets are often set for “uptime” such as 95% or 99% for example.

In recent years, and thinking of EV charging, much has been debated and published, with the UK setting out a target for 99%, and in the USA, a broad requirement for 95% has been declared. Of course, relevant targets for other types of equipment have long been used, both industry wide, and within operator’s maintenance contracts. Depending on the criticality of the equipment in question, different targets or service levels (SLs) are used.

Butwhatistheappropriateuptimeleveltodeliver?

95% sounds good. We spend much of our early years, as we go through school thinking that an “A-grade” for 70 or 80% is brilliant. So, when someone suggests 95% to us, initially this sounds very appealing.

Buthowgoodis95%really?

Working out what this means in practice is actually relatively simple, being simply a multiplication of overall time by the uptime %.

The amount of “downtime” you (and your customers) would experience for a piece of equipment operating at 95% uptime can be shown in terms of:

Per Day1 hour 12 minutes

Per Week8 hours 24 minutes

Per Month1 day 12 hours and 13 minutes

Per Quarter (3 months)4 days 12 hours and 40 minutes

Per Year18 days 2 hours and 41 minutes

What does this correspond to, if you apply this to just one piece of equipment on your site?

Over the course of a day, just 1 hour might not sound like too much, so long as it’s not during a busy period – but is this in your control? Over a whole week, you could lose 8 hours, which is the best part of a working day if it occurs at the wrong time.

Now we’re assuming that these times refer to one event, but the

total downtime could relate to multiple events. If you are getting your equipment fixed promptly, say within a 4 or 8 hour service level, then when we get to the monthly, quarterly and annual downtime figures, this could mean disruption over multiple days, to you and your customers.

Are these amounts of downtime really acceptable for the one piece of equipment we’re thinking about?

WhatistheImpact?

Both the operator and customer (end user) suffer from downtime. The operator experiences:

-Reduced opportunity for revenue

-Increased overheads because someone has to take the time to resolve the repair

-Time wasted

-Unplanned expenditure

And the customer experiences:

-Inconvenience

-Negative brand perception

-Annoyance

-And if there are no alternatives, then this can really ruin their day

So,whydoessizematter?

Thus far we have only considered one piece of equipment, but

nearly all sites have far more items of equipment. If you are in the process of scaling your estate, or if you are considering new technology or retail offerings, such as EV charging for example, you will want to know that the level of reliability is going to be well managed.

As we scale our calculations to first 10, then 100 and more sites (and equipment), the cumulative downtime (at 95%) grows significantly.

An estate with 10 items of equipment (either 1 large site with ten items, or a few sites with fewer items of equipment), a service level of 95% would equate to 180 days per year out of action (OOA). That’s 180 days’ worth of all of the impacts we mentioned above. Scaling up to 100 items of equipment, and it becomes 1,800 days of equipment out of action per year across the network.

As estates grow (and some are growing exponentially currently) getting up toward 1,000 items means 18,000 days OOA, or for an estate with 10,000 items the impact is 180,000 days OOA.

Such downtime would have significant impact: -Loss of revenue

-High, unplanned repair costs

-And of importance to the people in the teams responsible for the sites (both locally and at head office) a significant volume of admin to keep on top of.

We recently came across a company that mentioned that each and every repair job was taking an average of 6 emails or phone calls to resolve each fault reported. Multiply that by the downtime days above and you don’t just get lost opportunity, your people will also lose their sanity.

As downtime is applied as a “blanket measure” of an estate’s performance in terms of equipment it is important to understand that it can mask individual equipment failure that can cause serious customer and profit issues for individual sites. As a CEO you may look at your estates and see reported 98.9% uptime – but what if all the downtime was coming from just one site or a few pieces of equipment?

As the scale of equipment grows you would need to see catastrophic equipment failures to start moving uptime figures by even a few percent. This can often cause a disconnect between what is being reported and what the customer is experiencing. So, when you see uptime figures being quoted, for example at 95%, think what the actual impact on your operations would really be.

IndustryTrends

With over 30 years’ experience of procuring & managing very high levels of performance for maintenance and uptime, we were interested to understand the uptime of the emerging EV charging networks. In recent months we have been publishing reviews of EV charger uptime and availability via social media. The results have been fascinating. You can find these reviews by following us on the usual social media channels such as LinkedIn.

Solutions

There are various components to the management and delivery of what is deemed acceptable uptime, which our experience has shown us can be delivered at levels far higher than 95% and often easily into the range of 99% and higher, whilst keeping control over both costs and your sanity.

Our team will work with you to ensure that you achieve improvement in your Uptime Reliability. We do this by:

1.Analysing current performance and contracts across 4 key factors.

2.Working with you to develop new Service Levels (SLs) and KPIs together with a roadmap for implementation.

3.Deep dive into equipment performance and repair costs at site level, to help shape equipment maintenance and replacement programs.

4.Procuring the contracts, systems and processes required for successful implementation.

5.Providing mentoring and coaching or even interim direct support to implement the new SLs, KPIs and supply chain management.

Please see www.evenloderoadside.com for more information and examples of what we can help you to achieve.

We have also produced a “How-To Guide to Maintenance” which is exclusively available to Operators.

Case Study: Installation of CubiQ Luminaire and InMo LED Screen

By Mieke van Chastelet, Marketing Manager, Bever

CLIENT: Shell Recharge

LOCATION: London, United Kingdom

In January 2022, Shell made headlines when the company opened its first EV hub on Fulham Road, London. The site, which features 9 high powered, 175kW charge points, also happens to be the largest in the world and is powered entirely by 100% certified renewable energy. The station also features a Little Waitrose & Partners convenience store and a Costa Coffee as well as comfortable seating and free wi-fi.

Sustainability

The EV hub was designed for sustainability. The canopy is made from sheets of timber glued together which uses much less energy to produce and transport than steel. Solar panels are built into the canopy roof to provide around a quarter of the site’s electricity needs, and all electricity supplied to the EV charge points and the station are from 100% certified renewable energy sources.

Bever’s under canopy lighting solutions are known for their long service life and minimum energy consumption making them an excellent choice for a sustainable site. The CubiQ luminaires used on the Shell Fulham Road site are a new development from Bever designed to meet the fuel station requirements of today and tomorrow. CubiQ is a small, flexible lighting solution making it the perfect fit for this innovative EV hub.

“Our new CubiQ lighting system is much smaller than our LS Downlights. We ran a lot of light simulations to ensure the end

product perfectly complements the site architecture,” explained Rutger van Dierendonck, Technical Director at Bever Innovations.

“The CubiQ fixtures are also equipped with Bever Smart Technology as standard which allows site managers to remotely monitor the assets on the site and ensure everything is running as it should be. Asset management is something that has become increasingly important for our customers,” he added.

All Bever Smart Tech connected devices can be remotely accessed via the Bever Dashboard, an intuitive web-based management system that gives users information about Bever Innovations products in real-time. Users can get an overview of all sites in their network, monitor the devices remotely and gain insights into device operating conditions.

Communication

The site also features Bever Innovation’s InMo LED screen, specifically developed for use in a price totem. The screen allows Shell to clearly communicate with their customers - displaying the number of EV chargers available as well as offers to drive traffic in store.

“The InMo video wall allows Shell to display a range of dynamic content to their customers. The system automatically updates to show the number of chargers available, something that was very important for them. The solution is extremely flexible and in the future could be used to show wait times or prices, anything is possible,” Rutger explained.

“The CubiQ fixtures are equipped with Bever Smart Technology, which allows site managers to remotely monitor the assets on site and ensure everything is running as it should be”.

Rutger van Dierendonck, Technical Director, Bever Innovations.

To learn more about Bever’s LED price displays and range of intelligent lighting products visit fuel.beverinnovations.com

Ask the Experts

By Clare Scawthorn, Technical Manager, PRA

I’m a petroleum inspector and have a site which has carried out prescribed material changes. What do I need to do with the petroleum storage certificate? Do I need to send a new copy every time even if there are no changes to it? Should I also re start their fee?

To answer the question it is best to look at them as two separate parts.

Firstly, when a site carries out a prescribed material change it is important to understand if it will impact the petroleum storage certificate (PSC) to know what steps you need to take next. If it does, then a new PSC will need to be issued as the existing one will be rendered invalid once the changes take place. For example, if a site permanently decommissions a tank which is listed on the PSC, then it will need to be removed and a new PSC issued listing the remaining tanks in use. However, if a new line of pipework for

petrol is installed this may not change the information on the PSC, it would be dependent on whether the drawings listed in section 2 of the PSC would change; where they are changed a new PSC will need to be issued with an updated drawing number in the table.

Now to the second part of the question, fees. When a PSC is issued for the very first time a petroleum fee starts and will be required to be paid in yearly increments (between 1 to 10 years), with the length of period to be determined by the site occupier. Once the fee has been paid, there is no additional payment to be made until the end of that period, even if the keeper of the site changes or the site is subject to prescribed material changes. So, to answer your question, you will need to issue a new PSC if the works alter the information on the certificate, but the collection of a new fee is not needed.

Fuel Meters – It Pays to be Precise!

By Cheryl Ashton, Marketing Coordinator, TSG

A large proportion of fuel retailers across the UK employ the services of a reputable wetstock management service to help monitor their fuel stocks. This type of specialist service can help to identify instances of fuel loss from a variety of sources including leaks, theft, short deliveries and meter drift. On detection of an issue, the site manager is informed, allowing for remedial action to be taken.

This article focuses on meter drift, its definition, the impact and how to mitigate the risk of it developing. Drift is a measurement error caused by the gradual shift in a gauge’s calculated values over time. The variance is generally caused by normal wear and tear on the meter’s components and is more likely to occur on ageing or high-usage fuel dispensers.

Impactonprofitability

Drift causes the meter to pump inaccurate measures of fuel, typically dispensing a greater amount than recorded on the display and consequently eroding the site’s profits. Conversely, if the meter drift results in less fuel being dispensed, it could be exposing the site to substantial fines for contravening weights and measures standards. In either event, meter drift has a severe impact on operational profitability, to say nothing of the potential damage to the site’s reputation.

Howtomanagedrift

Prevention is always better than cure – so investing in a proactive scheduled service and maintenance programme is recommended, to stop meter drift from becoming a real problem. Regular pump verification checks conducted by qualified technicians, approved by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), can provide peace of mind for site owners. If the meter is found to be over/under dispensing, it can be recalibrated and restamped on the same day, restoring integrity to the refuelling process. On completion, a full verification calibration report is supplied to the site and the Trading Standards Office is informed. Early identification of meter drift will ultimately save fuel retailers a significant amount of money and prevent unnecessary dispenser downtime.

Innovativemetertechnology

The meter is responsible for the fuel flow rate, accuracy and efficiency of a dispenser and as such, is arguably the most important active component during refuelling. Retailers in the market to upgrade their site equipment should take into consideration the calibre of the onboard meter during the dispenser selection process.

The Dover Fueling Solutions (DFS) industry-recognised, positive displacement piston meter delivers an improved flow rate, better accuracy, extended life and an outstanding return on investment (ROI). Engineered to retain its precision over time, ensuring lasting performance for a variety of fuel types and boasting a robust design to withstand an extreme operational temperature range of between minus 400C to plus 600C.

The piston meter has an embedded intelligent pulser with component authentication and encrypted communication for

security and protection against tampering. Manufactured with fewer moving parts, a durable crankshaft and optimised yoke guidance to minimise wear (which can impair accuracy) and assembled with fluorosilicone o-rings for excellent fluid compatibility, this meter provides superior lifetime stability for an outstanding total cost of ownership (TCO).

Advanced engineering and precision design combine to significantly reduce the amount of fuel that retailers give away through meter drift every year.

Choosingtherightdispenser

TSG is pleased to be able to offer two brand new dispenser ranges comprising Tokheim Quantium™ ML and Quantium™ FS and Wayne Helix™ 6000 II and Century™ 3, all of which incorporate the superior DFS piston meter. The next-generation Quantium, Helix and Century dispenser models showcase the latest in technological innovation, combined with a sleek modern outline to enhance any forecourt.

These trusted favourites have been redesigned to deliver outstanding performance and durability, with minimum service interventions to provide the lowest TCO in the industry. All three new model ranges offer unparalleled choice and modularity, with configurations available for both conventional and alternative fuels, making them the perfect fit for any forecourt, now and in the future.

Tokheim

The new range of Quantium dispensers will doubtless be a popular choice for retailers wishing to upgrade their ageing equipment to keep pace with the raised expectations of today’s drivers. With advanced inbuilt payment options to improve the traffic flow on busy forecourts and the opportunity to add media screens to drive incremental sales in the store.

Quantium™ML

The Tokheim Quantium™ ML fuel dispenser is the successor to the extremely popular Tokheim Quantium™ 510M model. The ML dispenser family offers more options through modularity, greater customer retention through reliability, and unfaltering customer loyalty through its clear emphasis on quality. The Quantium™ ML fuel dispenser is versatile, durable and highly configurable, offering superior nozzle availability that can dispense up to five fuel grades per side. It comes with an extended range of options to meet specific site requirements, from heavy-duty vehicle refuelling to fuel retailing.

Quantium™FS

Tokheim Quantium FS fuel dispenser is small but unbelievably powerful, with a vast range of configuration possibilities. Engineered with precision and flexibility in mind, this dispenser is perfect for small retail and commercial fleet environments, with a compact footprint to suit the layout of any forecourt. Comprising Tokheim quality components, the Quantium™ FS offers unparalleled meter stability, requires fewer service interventions and delivers a low TCO over its lifetime.

WayneFuelingSystems

TSG is the sole distributor of Wayne Fueling Systems products and solutions in the UK, and this new range of dispensers is already proving to be a great success with fuel retailers. The single global platform emphasises intelligent design, advanced technology, safety and security. All dispensers come with certified metering accuracy and electronic calibration to mitigate meter drift and provide complete stability.

Helix6000II

The Helix 6000 II is configurable for up to five fuel grades with a wide range of flow rates, providing up to 4 metre hose reach from a choice of hose management systems. This dispenser has been designed to require fewer service interventions, which adds up to a much lower TCO. Certified accuracy from advanced meter technology delivers exceptional stability for minimal drift. The Helix 6000 II benefits from an intuitive user interface, with the option to upgrade to digital media content.

Century™3

Century™ 3 fuel dispenser is designed to deliver powerful performance and operational reliability year after year. When configured for high-capacity fuelling, this dispenser delivers fuel at very high and ultra-high flow rates to meet the needs of busy HGV fleets. Century 3’s modularity capabilities support a large number of fuel types and flow rates, built with field-proven, corrosion-resistant componentry it provides an exceptionally smooth fuelling experience over its long lifetime.

Century™ 3 is also available as AdBlue® and LPG models, both built for durability and reliability for longer operational life. Constructed with corrosion-proof components, these dispensers will stand the test of time, even in the harshest conditions.

TSGisheretohelp

Retailers wishing to ensure their dispensers deliver an accurate fuel amount can book a pump verification check with TSG UK. Call: 0333 015 3001.

Alternatively, those looking to upgrade their equipment to the new Tokheim and Wayne dispenser range can find more information at https://www.tsg-solutions.com/uk.

Starting Safety Education Young

By Tanya Sargent, Zanshin Projects Services Ltd

Safety is something that our industry holds as a key value – the APEA tag line is Working for a Safer Environment – and throughout my career in construction and the petroleum industry there have been huge changes in the way we think about safety alongside the numerous improvements in regulation. In the late 1980’s it was not uncommon for construction workers to spend lunchtime in the pub and return to work afterwards and in the early 1990’s I was still trying to persuade people to keep their hard hats on and watching uncomfortably the daring feats of steelworker and scaffolders who thought themselves invincible!

Changing workers mindsets to care more about looking after themselves and others, to think about doing things differently to make them safer and making them prepared to stop work if something is not safe has been a challenge for a couple of decades now. With construction company Lendlease and their Global Alliance who worked with BP, the programme was called Incident and Injury Free, for others it was Achieving

Behavioural Change, and the Energy Institute call it Human Factors.

But would these programmes and conversations be easier if everyone got safety education from a young age?

The Hazard Alley Safety Centre in Milton Keynes is the world’s first interactive indoor safety education centre, and it has been operating to introduce children to risks, dangers and hazards in a totally safe environment for almost 30 years. Originally conceived by Bucks Fire & Rescue Service and Thames Valley Police the centre creates immersive scenarios where children explore, investigate, discover and imagine in complete safety and learn without even realising it about everyday safety.

I first came across Hazard Alley when my children visited with their school, and I went along as a parent helper. It was a memorable visit and working for BP at the time I was pleased to see a BP branded forecourt as one of the scenarios. (This has since been replaced with a scenario discussing knife crime which is unfortunately more relevant in this day and

age.) I then supported the centre a couple of times by booking meeting rooms for suitable work events, preferring to fund a worthy charity rather than the big hotel chains!

When my time became more flexible in 2021, I became a volunteer guide at the centre. The school tours rely on an army of volunteer guides who come from all backgrounds to take children between years 2 and 6 (ages 6 to 11) in groups of 6 on the 2-hour tour around the thirteen different scenarios in the Safety Centre “village”.

Schools visit from all over Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire but also from Northants, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and as far as Essex and Wiltshire and community groups from brownies/guides, scouts and refugee organisations also bring children to the centre.

The scenarios include:

•A house where fire safety is discussed, and children get to experience (a very small amount of) fake smoke and evacuating on hearing a smoke alarm and calling for help to rescue grandad upstairs.

•A house where the safety of small children in relation to everyday household hazards is looked at and kitchen safety.

•A video on internet safety and the importance of protecting personal information online.

•Roadworks construction risks with quizzes which the children do on tablets relating to following site rules and Personal Protective Equipment.

•A real puffin crossing (the one with traffic lights and a button to push) to talk about crossing the road safely, especially looking out for cars that are allowed to go through red lights and knowing that cars take a long way to stop if they brake suddenly. Bike safety, being seen in the dark and wearing a helmet.

•A section of railway with a tunnel and front of a train to demonstrate the risks associated with trespassing on the railway, overhead power lines and electrified rails.

•Making choices, encouraging children to think about the choices they make and the consequences and relating this to knife crime for the older ones and littering for the younger ones.

•In car safety, where a real car with the doors removed allows children to learn about using car seats and the height requirements, encouraging adults to not use handheld mobile phones or smoke and the dangers of loose objects in a car.

•Personal safety where the eponymous dark alley shows kids that they should listen to their early warning signs, gut feelings when deciding whether to do something and a (currently broken) large spider dropping down causes screams and giggles in equal measure.

•Water safety which emphasises the dangers of open water and icy lakes/ponds in winter and provides information on water safety at the beach.

•Learning the recovery position as a basic first aid skill.

•Safe places to cross, emphasising using suitable road crossing points using interactive screens.

•A mini Co-op shop where we discuss bullying and people that children can talk to if they are worried or need help, encouraging them to speak to someone whatever the problem.

During the tour all the children get the opportunity to make a 999 call relating to one of the scenarios, from the telephone box at the centre of the “village” or from the newly installed mobile phone demonstrator. The phone box connects the children to a real person within the safety centre who responds as a 999 operator would and gives them a realistic experience of calling for help. The new mobile phone demonstrator shows videos of real emergency operators and how they respond to calls.

As well as the immersive tours, the centre also provides classroombased education both alongside the tours and within schools. A dedicated team of education projects officers from the centre provide age-appropriate Early Knife Crime intervention, Drug and Alcohol Safety and Online Safety sessions among other subjects.

The experience of seeing children truly engaged with learning about safety and having fun doing it and sometimes the challenge of meeting a group’s specific needs is extremely rewarding as a

volunteer guide. Many children remember their visit as the best school trip ever, even into adulthood and teachers who visited as children are now bringing their classes to the centre. I am certain that this type of life education is super beneficial to children who get to experience it and take it with them into adulthood and it may well shape the way they think about workplace safety in the future.

Hazard Alley is a self-financing charity, relying on income coming from services offered, grants, donations and sponsorship. The centre also runs various first aid at work courses, at the centre or in your workplace, which help to fund the children’s safety education programmes.

Doreen Pooley, as outgoing chairman of the APEA is very kindly nominating Hazard Alley as the charity for the APEA awards dinner on 16th November at APEA Live at Milton Keynes and so there will be a chance to donate to this amazing charity then. But if you or your company would consider sponsoring, donating, or supporting the centre in any other way then please take a look at the website - safetycentre.co.uk – for more information on how you could help.

The Future of UK Fuel Retailers after 2030

By Cheryl Ashton, Marketing Coordinator, TSG

Does the impending government ban on the sale of new fossil fuel cars from 2030 spell the end for the UK’s forecourt sector? The answer is a resounding NO!

From 2030, the sale of new petrol and diesel cars/vans will be banned in the UK in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in support of the government’s idealistic goal of net zero by 2050. Sales of new hybrid vehicles will be suspended in 2035, with heavy goods vehicles to follow suit by 2040.

Without a doubt, the electric revolution is in full swing, with manufacturers including Ford, Jaguar, Volvo and Fiat committing to produce an all-electric version of every model in the range between 2025 and 2030. So, what does this mean for UK forecourts?

PenetrationofEVsales

Whilst the sales of EVs continue to increase, it is doubtful that by 2030, the electric vehicle parc will amount to more than one-third of all registered cars in the UK.

Even if EV sales hit 1.5 million annually between now and the

deadline, petrol and diesel vehicles will still be commonplace on British roads.

Furthermore, once we take into account the number of new fossil fuel cars that will be sold before the ban comes into effect, it is clear that UK forecourts will continue to prosper for many years to come.

Stayingaheadofthecurve

This news should reinvigorate fuel retailers across the UK and encourage them to consider expanding or enhancing their sites to remain competitive in the marketplace. This may include investing in more non-fuel retail (NFR) by taking advantage of partner synergies in the convenience store, adding a coffee shop or snack bar, postal services or car wash facilities. All of these added value components will certainly generate extra revenue, appeal to a wider audience and encourage motorists to spend more time on the forecourt.

The modern world is increasingly fast-paced with discerning consumers demanding swift, seamless and more personalised services. Gone are the days when customers would happily stand

in line at the checkout to pay for fuel and groceries. This shift in behaviour has prompted forward-thinking retailers to redefine the way they serve shoppers and embrace digitisation in an attempt to boost efficiency and improve customer satisfaction.

It is an undisputed fact that customers are attracted to clean and well-presented forecourts in preference to tired or neglected premises. It is important for retailers to maintain the appearance of the sites to signal their commitment to delivering superior customer service, whilst upholding a strong brand image in the community.

A proactive approach to regular site cleaning/maintenance is a must for all responsible retailers to build trust and loyalty amongst their customer base. A comprehensive care package typically features a deep clean of the forecourt, dispensers, car wash facilities, canopy, lighting and signage and may include minor repair work and the replacement of defective bulbs. Moreover, dispensing equipment that is damaged, faulty, or showing obvious signs of wear and tear can inadvertently act as a deterrent to passing motorists and should be replaced before they impact the site’s profitability. The latest models from Dover Fueling Solutions (DFS), Tokheim and Wayne Fueling Systems are highly configurable, modular, and versatile, supporting traditional fuels, AdBlue additive,

compressed natural gas (CNG), liquid natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen. These dispensers boast a wide range of options to enhance the customer experience, such as digital media screens to help drive incremental business into the store and/or provide a pay-at-the-pump solution for busy travellers.

Embracingchange

As established fuel suppliers, large forecourt networks and independent retailers are in the perfect position to capitalise on the prevailing transition to EVs. The installation of charge points will attract today’s EV drivers to the site and retain those customers who are soon to make the switch from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

Nevertheless, as with any significant investment, it is always recommended that retailers conduct a feasibility study to identify past and current trends of EV sales within a site’s vicinity to establish the viability of the initiative. It is also worth noting that forecourt owners planning to provide a charge point facility should partner with a reputable engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor to project manage the installation.

For more information on TSG UK and its products and services, visit: https://www.tsg-solutions.com/uk.

The Falkland Islands

By Jamie Thompson, Chairman of APEA Technical Committee

Having recently worked with Jamie Walker the Energy Institute Consultant dealing with the revision of the Blue Book, I was interested to learn of his frequent visits to the Falkland Islands and dealing with oil storage for the islands.

During these conversations he informed me that there was in fact only one public filling station on the Falkland Islands and he kindly arranged for this photograph to be sent to me.

The filling station is owned and operated by Stanley Services Ltd and serves those living on the islands.

There is a very well stocked shop on site along with workshops,

the Falklands very own TV station and also Falkland Island Holidays.

Looking carefully at the photo I can see a three-chamber separator by the store entrance, some drainage gulley’s and at least 5 dispensers and it appears the tank lids are in the site behind the wooden fence. I understand from Jamie that there is talk of a possible upgrade of this station, so keep a watch out for possible developments from one of the most remote petrol stations in the world.

Sincere thanks to Jamie Walker for providing this information and photograph.

Petrol Station Numbers

By Jamie Thompson, Chairman of APEA Technical Committee

The last 12 month have been a troubling time for petrol station operators with fuel supply problems and increased costs from suppliers which has meant rising prices with diesel prices far exceeding petrol for a long period. There has been quite widespread condemnation of what was perceived as profit making but the PRA has been quick to defend its members and explain the problems the industry was facing.

The number of petrol stations operating in the UK at the end of 2022 was 8,364 which was only 17 fewer than the previous year, rather surprising considering these supply problems and the supposed move towards electric vehicles.

Esso1238 sites

BP1195 sites

Shell1146 sites

Texaco703 sites

Tesco512 sites

No other operators had more than 500 sites, but 1633 forecourts were operated by supermarkets.

It is an interesting fact that supermarkets operate around 19% of the total number of petrol stations but they are calculated to sell around 45% of the fuel sold in the UK.

Energy Trends Table 3.5

https://www.gov.uk/government/stat istics/oil-and-oil-products-section-3energy-trends

ElectricVehiclesSales

As of the end of May 2023, there were more than 1,280,000 plug-in cars with over 780,000 battery electric vehicles and 500,000 PHEVs registered. Last year, more than 365,000 plug-in hybrid and batteryelectric cars were registered, showing a growth of 20% on 2021. This is around 2 to 3% of the total number of cars on the road in the UK, there being 40,772,000 cars on the road during 2022.

An interesting look at statistics reveals that some areas of the country have more electric charging facilities than others which many see as a problem with growing the electric vehicle market.

While there are a number of sites operating which are not connected to petrol stations a quick look at the

maps will demonstrate that many larger retail filling stations provide the charging facilities for those who wish to plan their longer journeys by stopping recharging their vehicles and using the catering facilities.

Electricvehiclechargingconnectorsbyspeedandtype Charging connectors by speed: Zap-Map, 2011-2022

Connector2022

Slow (3-6 Kw)11385

Fast (7 – 22Kw)35461

Rapid (43Kw +)14647

Total61493

It is estimated that the UK will need 300,000 publicly available charge points by 2030.

It is also estimated that 3.4 million chargers will be needed in the EU over that same period.

At a recent APEA training visit to Hong Kong we were asked about the EV charging situation in the UK, and we explained that around 70% of charging was carried out at home.

Although a small island which would be ideal for EV’s, the challenge for the industry and authorities in places like Hong Kong can be seen from the thousands of high-rise flats in the island!

Why Does it Matter who Services my Equipment?

By Matt Sidaway, Marketing & Communications, Merridale Ltd

Having your refuelling and fuel management equipment serviced regularly by its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) may not always seem necessary or a top priority. However, fuel pumps are critical components of a company’s operational and logistical processes, and a wellmaintained fuel pump is less likely to fail unexpectedly or perform inaccurately.

Regular servicing helps maintain the optimal performance and efficiency of fuel pumps. Over time, fuel pumps can develop wear and tear, leading to reduced efficiency and compromised performance. An annual service allows technicians to inspect, clean, and replace any worn-out components with genuine replacements, ensuring that the fuel pump continues to operate at its best.

By performing an annual service, potential issues can be detected and addressed early, increasing the overall reliability and durability of the fuel pump. If a fuel pump fails and the business has a break down situation, this can impact on their immediate ability to continue with their planned activities.

A well-maintained fuel pump also contributes to the safety of the fuel installation and onsite requirements. If a fuel pump malfunctions or fails, the site can have not only a safety hazard to deal with but also an environmental one. An annual OEM service helps identify and address any potential safety concerns in advance, ensuring the equipment continues to operate reliably and safely.

Some fuel pumps already come with manufacturer warranties and OEMs can also usually offer extended warranties, as well as an inspection and calibration visit. By following the recommended annual service schedule provided by the OEM, fuel pump owners can ensure that their fuel pump warranty remains intact, and they have the maximum protection available when it comes to equipment maintenance.

As the OEM for Merridale equipment, we have a history of how the equipment was manufactured, such as which version of software has been installed, which components have been used, and the precise specification of the equipment. Third parties would not always have this vital info. As well as this, Merridale have unique engineer’s access to all Merrirdale management systems, and we keep full work and equipment records that show if any subsequent upgrades have been performed. Third parties would not necessarily have the information or access rights to hand when trying to service equipment. This means that Merridale can arrive to any issue correctly armed with the right knowledge and the correct parts.

News

Durham car cleaning firm fined for putting workers at risk of electric shock

A County Durham car valeting company has been fined after failing to comply with enforcement notices and putting workers at risk of electrocution.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors visited UK Express Valeting Limited’s premises at Abraham Industrial Estate, Bishop Auckland, on 22 March 2022 after a previous visit in March 2020 resulted in enforcement action being taken. This was in relation to unsafe electrical installations and inadequate welfare facilities.

During the inspection in March 2022, several electrical installations were found to be badly maintained and dangerous. A prohibition notice was served by HSE, preventing the use of some of the work equipment which posed a risk of electric shock or electrocution.

HSE also served UK Express Valeting Limited with an improvement

notice requiring them to arrange for an electrically competent person to undertake a thorough electrical inspection and test of the fixed electrical installation and associated electrical equipment. The company was required to arrange for any defects identified to be rectified by an electrically competent person.

However, despite four other visits taking place over the following seven months, the company failed to take any action. At one of these visits, it was noted that the electrical installations had further deteriorated and two further prohibition notices were

Dangerous electrical wiring was one of the failings identified by inspectors

served on 26 July 2022, prohibiting the use of a roller shutter garage door control and a vacuum cleaner, as both had exposed live conductors which could cause an electric shock or electrocution.

The HSE investigation found workers at UK Express Valeting Limited were put at significant risk of electric shock or electrocution by the lack of maintenance and failure to put right the faults found with the electrical installations. It was also found that the company did not have valid employers’ liability compulsory insurance.

UK Express Valeting of Abraham Enterprise Park, Bishop Auckland, Durham, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 – for failing to comply with an Improvement Notice, Section 33(1)(g) and section 1(1) of the Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.

The company was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £4,239.80 in costs at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court on 16 May 2023.

HSE inspector Clare Maltby said: “Companies are responsible for making certain that their electrical installation and equipment are

maintained to prevent danger. All car wash and valeting centres must properly maintain their electrical installation and equipment. “Failure to comply with enforcement notices is a serious offence and HSE will not hesitate to prosecute where companies fail to take the action required.”

HSE inspectors were supported on visits to the company by police officers from North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU).

Following the investigation, Kev Benson, the North East GAIN Coordinator and Disruption Team Manager for NEROCU, is asking residents to be vigilant.

He said: “This is yet another example of the ongoing work with partners to safeguard workers. No one should have to work in conditions that are unsafe and a risk to themselves and others. Where necessary we will support action taken by partners to ensure no laws are being broken and any enforcement notices are complied with. I am asking members of the public to continue to remain vigilant and report any concerns or information you have about dangerous working conditions. By doing so you’re helping keep your community safe for everyone.”

Essar UK opens new flagship service station

The new site includes a Morrisons store alongside an EV charging bay and is set to cater to both passenger vehicles as well as heavyduty trucks.

Essar UK has unveiled a new flagship service station located near the city of Preston. The new site is equipped to meet fuelling needs of both passenger vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) and offers customers a range of food and cleaning services.

The forecourt has an 8-bay fuelling area for normal vehicles at the front and a second 4-bay area specifically for HDV at the for an alternative option, two Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging bays are also on site.

A 278m2 Morrisons store has also been installed to provide a daily

kitchen offering fresh sandwiches and bakery goods made on site as well as fresh hot and cold food to go.

“We are delighted to be opening our new flagship forecourt for customers at Lea Gate. Our whole approach is about driving customer convenience and we have made visiting this site an easy and value-added experience by creating numerous fuelling bays, a large convenience store, a Costa Express, having friendly staff and much more on offer,” said Carlos Rojas, Chief Marketing Officer at Essar UK.

For those wishing to clean their vehicles, a large 4-bay cleaning centre with Turtle wax pro cleaning solutions is also available. The facility includes air blasters as well as air fragrance and vacuum.

Element 2 to refuel commercial fleets across the UK

Element 2 has unveiled a new partnership with fuel card provider Radius and its UK Fuels network. This collaboration will enable over 100,000 commercial fleet customers to access a supply of fuel cell grade hydrogen across the UK.

“Hydrogen will play a major role in mitigating electricity grid constraints and complement the charging infrastructure in the UK. By adding hydrogen refuelling on to existing service areas, Element 2 and Radius will deliver a one-stop-shop for all road users as we transition to net-zero,” said Andrew Hagan, Chief Development Officer at Element 2.

The partnership will also let customers make payments with their

existing UK Fuels cards. Both companies will work together to develop a network of hydrogen refuelling solutions across Radius’ existing UK Fuels network.

“The simplicity of service for drivers and fleets offered through our expansive network means greater convenience for businesses. Adding hydrogen to our UK Fuels network supports our ongoing strategy to enable fleet customers to operate as normal whilst transitioning to carbon-friendly solutions,” adds Jonathan Haseler, Managing Director (UK, Ireland & SEA) at Radius.

As part of this collaboration, Element 2 will offer a combination of mobile and permanent hydrogen refuelling solutions.

CCC states government ‘off-track’ to hitting 2030 targets

Despite the UK government being more transparent on its netzero plans, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has said its confidence in meeting 2030 goals is “markedly less” than a year ago.

Specifically in the sectors of transport and energy, the committee said in its report ‘Progress in reducing emissions 2023 Report to Parliament’ that sales of new electric cars “continue to grow ahead of our pathway”, but it criticised commercial vehicle progress, saying “electric van sales are still lagging and remain significantly off track.”

It also said that although renewable electricity capacity increased in 2022, it was “not at the rate required to meet the Government’s stretching targets, particularly for solar”. The committee said an opportunity for rapid deployment of onshore wind and solar, which could have grown the UK’s clean energy supply, had been missed. Stating that “time is now very short”, it did say that the “glimmers of the net-zero transition can be seen in growing sales of electric cars” and renewables capacity, but the scale up was “worryingly slow”.

It also stated that support for a decarbonised industry was “lacking” in an era of global competition, and called for a rapid reform to planning rules so that essential upgrades to the electricity grid and other net-zero infrastructure wasn’t “stymied by restrictive planning rules”.

According to the CCC, there was also “still no clear plan to support industrial electrification” and “little evidence that industry is preparing to electrify at scale”.

Elsewhere in the report, the committee called for more work on hydrogen and electric heating as well as work on the decarbonisation of buildings and intensive agriculture.

Lord Deben, Chairman of the Climate Change Committee, said: “The lesson of my ten years at the Climate Change Committee is that early action benefits the people of this country and helps us to meet the challenges of the coming decades more cheaply and more easily. Yet, even in these times of extraordinary fossil fuel prices, Government has been too slow to embrace cleaner, cheaper alternatives and too keen to support new production of coal, oil, and gas.

“There is a worrying hesitancy by Ministers to lead the country to the next stage of Net Zero commitments. I urge the Government to regroup on Net Zero and commit to bolder delivery. This is a period when pace must be prioritised over perfection.”

Industry reaction:

The REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology) has welcomed the Climate Change Committee (CCC)’s report to Parliament on progress in reducing emissions. The report emphasises that better transparency and ambitious targets are no substitute for real delivery.

Chief Executive, Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, said: “As is highlighted in the CCC’s report, the UK has indeed sent confusing signals on its climate priorities to the global community. We agree with the CCC’s criticism of Government in the recent months of prioritising new fossil fuel exploration, while other advanced countries are

providing renewed fiscal support and legislation to advance the energy transition, such as the EU Green Deal Package and the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.

“It is clear that government should now use the upcoming Autumn Statement to respond to this report by delivering real polices designed to deliver against the Government’s own power, heat, transport and circular economy targets.

“The budget must respond to significant policy gaps that remain and focus on creating an attractive market for low carbon investment. The targets are there, but government must now crack on with delivery.”

UK100, the only UK-wide network of local authorities committed to ambitious Net Zero action, has welcomed the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) new report.

Jason Torrance, UK100’s Interim Chief Executive, said: “The Climate Change Committee’s report is a vital reminder of the crucial role of local authorities in reaching Net Zero. Some trailblazing local authorities are achieving enormous change despite the regulatory and resource challenges the report highlights — but many are still hamstrung by “Kafkaesque” rules and short-term competitive funding pots.

“The Progress report only reinforces the urgency of our call for an end to short-term competitive local authority funding and a Net Zero Powers Bill. This will capitalise on progress made by trailblazing councils and address the critical gaps still hampering wider local Net Zero delivery. Ministers must now take heed of both reports and prioritise local action that accelerates Britain towards Net Zero while halting investments that drive us further from our world-leading goals.”

Lawrence Slade, Chief Executive, Energy Networks Association, which represents the UK’s energy network operators, said: “This is a major wake-up call from the CCC. The country is risking decision paralysis if deadlines and milestones slip.

“I was pleased the committee continues to recognise there’s no one solution to get us to the government’s net zero targets and we agree the plans for a rapid expansion of zero-carbon generation and general electrification work should be supported by a correspondingly clear vision for the development of hydrogen production and storage infrastructure.

“To translate this to delivering the required infrastructure, we need Government to provide greater certainty for investors, more transparency around how decisions will be made and more speed to the creation of schemes that everyone agrees are needed.

“In particular, there’s a clear imperative for radical reform in planning policy so the government, regulators, local authorities and the energy sector can create a more straightforward and streamlined process for delivering vital projects and upgrades, such as grid infrastructure.”

Fiona Howarth, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles, comments: “The electric car market continues to skyrocket in the UK. As recognised by the Climate Change Committee, it’s one of the few shining lights in our journey towards a greener energy system, but now isn’t the

time to take our foot off the pedal. The Government must provide clear and firm policies and incentives to make the UK a global leader in our race to clean, green driving. The ZEV mandate has a big role to play. By setting a clear route to ban new dirty fossil fuel cars by 2030, the Government will ensure long-term investment in charging infrastructure, save UK drivers billions in running costs, and not to mention help to look after the planet.”

Gill Nowell, Head of EV Communications at ElectriX, part of LV= General Insurance comments: “Zero tailpipe emission vehicles are

essential in our drive towards net zero. As today’s Climate Change Committee report shows, what was once perceived as a useful steppingstone to all-electric, we now know that plug-in hybrids are up to five times more polluting than previously thought.

“With the range of fully electric cars increasing, with many EVs running for over 250 miles on a single charge, and public charging infrastructure also improving, our focus must be on helping the driving community make an easy, affordable, and enjoyable switch to all-electric.”

BP to roll out InPost lockers across 300 stations in the UK

After a successful pilot project of the automated parcel machines both companies have decided to extend their partnership.

BP will expand its partnership with InPost, a company that develops automated parcel machines (APMs), after a successful pilot project across its service station network in the United Kingdom.

A total of 300 service stations will be equipped with automated lockers throughout Wandsworth, Glasgow, Ashford, and Brentwood. Customers will be able to collect or return a parcel while they refuel or have something to eat at a forecourt M&S Food store.

“We know how precious time is for our customers and we are always looking for strong, compelling offers to meet their mobility and convenience needs — and make their lives that little bit easier. This trial has shown that customers on-the-move are looking for delivery solutions and I’m excited to see the rollout of InPost Lockers starting across our UK network of great roadside locations,” said Sonya Adams, vice president of Mobility and Convenience Retail UK at BP, according to a report by Talking Retail.

During the initial trial, thousands of parcels have been processed across five locations. Both parties expect to multiply this result after the rollout of the APMs throughout new locations.

Inver Energy rolls out HVO at selected Irish forecourts

The company is now able to supply priced Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) nationwide and support carbon emission reduction by up to 90%. Inver Energy, part of Greenergy Group, has extended its supply offer in Ireland with HVO at selected forecourts. The company is now able to supply competitively priced HVO nationwide and support customers in reducing their net carbon emissions by up to 90%.

The first three stations have begun operating the alternative fuel

across the cities of Cork, Kilkenny, and Limerick. The brand lets drivers purchase the fuel with Inver’s fuel card, which operates across the DCI network. “‘We are committed to providing our customers with a range of low carbon fuels that will help them reduce their carbon emissions and help support Ireland’s decarbonisation targets. Making HVO available at forecourts marks a significant step in meeting the rising demands for reliable supply of low carbon fuels closer to our customers,” said John O’Leary, Managing Director at Inver Energy.

Repsol to supply XPO with HVO in Spain

XPO customers will be able to access the advanced biofuel at any of their stations in Spain.

Repsol has signed an agreement to supply one million of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to U.S. transportation and logistics provider XPO. The company wants to offer a greener form of mobility through its LESS program (Low Emissions Sustainable Solution).

XPO customers will be able to access the advanced biofuel at any of their stations in Spain, which service over 2,500 vehicles working on transport and delivery.

“This alliance with XPO reinforces Repsol’s commitment to renewable fuels, one of the main axes to become a zero net emissions company by 2050. Renewable fuels are already a solution that immediately reduce CO2 emissions from transport and are compatible with the current fleet and existing distribution and refuelling infrastructures without the need for any modifications,” said Estíbaliz Pombo, Senior Manager of Mobility Energy Products at Repsol.

XPO offers multimodal transport solutions that combine road, rail, and shipping. It also has more efficient vehicles such as the duotrailer and the mega-truck. The latest centres inaugurated by the company in Madrid, Barcelona and Alicante have received Leed Gold certification, while all XPO centres in Spain consume 100% renewable energy, according to the transport company.

“We are proud to announce the launch of LESS in Spain and to do so in partnership with Repsol, a major multi-energy company and one of our main partners in the Iberian Peninsula,” commented Massimo Marsili, General Manager Southern Europe and Morocco at XPO.

Together with its European business, XPO serves around 48,000 customers through 558 locations and 38,000 employees.

Last year, Repsol announced plans to invest a total of €200 million in an advanced biofuels project that will have the capacity to produce 250,000 tons per year.

BP supports EV charging development via €7.5m investment

BP ventures has invested €7.5 million in Service4Charger GmbH, a Berlin-based provider for electric vehicles (EVs) charging infrastructure services. The mobility company is leading the supplier’s €10 million Series A funding round through this investment.

Service4Charger’s in-house trained and digitally equipped electrical engineers, “Mobile Heroes”, focus on the installation and maintenance of charging stations for EVs throughout Germany. The firm has grown to a team of over 85 employees and is already represented in 25 cities.

Germany, where BP’s e-mobility business operates under the Aral pulse brand, is a central pillar of BP’s EV offering, with around 1,500 ultrafast charging points across the country.

“As BP pulse rolls out EV charging it is essential that we have the right skill sets and expertise to make charging installations an efficient process and to service our growing network of EV charge points. The investment into Service4Charger brings BP a collaboration that can enable rapid and reliable installation and servicing of EV charge points in Germany,” said Gareth Burns, Vice president at BP ventures.

Aral pulse and Service4Charger intend to jointly offer Aral customers the planning and installation, operation and maintenance of charging point infrastructure.

EV charging is one of BP’s transition growth engines as the company currently offers 22,000 EV charging points and aims to have more than 100,000 worldwide by 2030.

RaceTrac partners with Old Navy for free fuel during summer

The apparel brand will take over a series of service stations on July 4th to give away gas during peak summer travel week.

Select RaceTrac service stations across five states will be teaming up with Old Navy to give away free gas in celebration of Independence Day. As one of the busiest holidays for car travel in the U.S. both brands will fuel up vehicles for free.

Road trips are a summer tradition, with nearly 205 million Americans planning a road trip this summer, according to a survey by The Vacationer platform. With experts forecasting additional hikes in gas prices in July, with new reports of global oil suppliers slashing production and further limiting supply, Old Navy aims to aid families traveling during the holidays.

Ahead of the Independence Day holiday, the apparel brand will fill

the tanks of cars at five RaceTrac stores spanning five states. Gas giveaways will take place at the select five stations, with the exact locations revealed earlier that morning in partnership with local radio broadcasts.

At each site, the first 250 cars will receive a $50 RaceTrac gift card when they pull up to the pumps that can be used towards filling up their tank and stocking up on snacks. Old Navy credit card holders will receive double the rewards - two $50 gift cards, totalling $100 in value - as a loyalty perk.

Old Navy will also surprise-and-delight social fans with gas cards to power their summer road trips. Instagram and TikTok followers will be prompted to share where they are cruising to this summer for a chance to win free fuel.

TotalEnergies accepts Couche-Tard’s European acquisition

The €3.1 billion transaction has been accepted by the French firm’s employee representative bodies and is now subject to be approved by European regulatory authorities.

Alimentation Couche-Tard announced that TotalEnergies has accepted the firm’s offer to acquire certain European retail assets from the mobility company. The purchase was announced earlier this year as the French firm confirmed it will focus on the transition of the energy market.

Following completion of the information and consultation process involving TotalEnergies employee representative bodies at European level in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, TotalEnergies has accepted Couche-Tard’s offer and will now enter into definitive agreements to affect the transaction.

This transaction remains subject to the approval of relevant European regulatory authorities and closing continues on track to occur before the end of 2023.

The financial terms and conditions announced previously remain unchanged, whereby Couche-Tard would acquire 100% of TotalEnergies retail assets in Germany and the Netherlands for approximately €3.1 billion. This also includes 60% controlling interest in the Belgium and Luxembourg entities.

All service stations will remain under the TotalEnergies brand while the fuel is supplied by them, with a minimum period of five years. The French player will still own off-station EV charging, hydrogen retail and wholesale fuel business, as well as the AS 24 service station network for trucks.

Shell service stations coming to Saudi Arabia

The British oil company has signed an agreement with ASYAD Group to enter the Saudi mobility market via trademark licensing.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will welcome the first Shell service stations in the country. The mobility company has signed a trademark licensing agreement with ASYAD Group to enter the fuel retail market.

The announcement is part of the Saudi Energy Ministry’s efforts to bring international companies into the Kingdom. The first sites are set to be opened in Riyadh by the fourth quarter of 2023, as stated by the ministry in a press release.

Both companies aim to create a new benchmark in service excellence within the energy industry. By leveraging the combined

strengths of ASYAD’s organization and the expertise of Shell, the firms aim to deliver an unparalleled customer experience. “Guided by ASYAD Group’s exceptional leadership and supported by our Shell experts, we are confident that this collaboration will enable customer satisfaction while maintaining the highest standards of safety,” said Mohammed Alzumaia, Country Chairman at Shell Saudi.

Shell is committed to working closely with ASYAD to ensure a seamless transition, providing customers with a range of innovative services, convenient amenities, and a heightened focus on safety. The companies will collaborate in a wide range of areas such as safety, customer proposition, operations, marketing, network planning, and non-fuel retailing (including shops, lubricants, and car wash services).

Petro-Canada stations hit by Suncor cyberattack

Customers were forced to pay by cash during the last weekend after the retailer’s parent company experienced a cyber security incident.

Calgary-based oil producer and gasoline refiner Suncor has announced that it was targeted by a cyberattack recently. The operator of the Petro-Canada fuel retail network is currently working with third-party experts to investigate the incident.

As local media reported, several customers who attended the service stations of the brand during the weekend were affected while trying to refuel on site. The company also shared on its social

media outlets that customers were having trouble paying with credit or debit cards and couldn’t use their loyalty points for car washes.

“At this time, we are not aware of any evidence that customer, supplier or employee data has been compromised or misused as a result of this situation,” stated a press release from Suncor published on Monday.

Up until now, the firm hasn’t provided any detail about the type of cyber security incident or if it was a ransomware incident that may have crashed its systems.

Oregon ends its 72-year ban on pumping your own petrol

If you’ve ever visited Oregon you have likely had the moment of cognitive dissonance in which you hop out of your vehicle at a petrol station to fill your tank just as you do anywhere else, then discover (or remember) that you must yield the pump handle to an earnest or sometimes surly station attendant who intercepts you and really doesn’t want you stealing their job.

That’s about to change. Oregon lawmakers last week gave final approval to a bill that ends the state’s ban on self-service gas pumps, a prohibition that has been in place since 1951. The change will take affect ASAP after Gov. Tina Kotek signs the bill into law. This leaves New Jersey as the only state remaining to require gas station attendants.

Having pump attendants at the ready is a vestige of the days in which most gas stations offered the option of “full service,” even if there was another line of pumps offering self-service (in those days, the attendant might do more than pump the gas; he would wash your windshield, check your oil, maybe even inflate a tyre). Pumping a flammable liquid was thought to be a bit dangerous for the average motorist.

Oregon’s clinging to the law also had to do with preserving entrylevel jobs; that said, in an economy that is enjoying near-full employment, stations have had a hard time filling these jobs, causing motorists longer waits as a few attendants flit between several pumps. As a result, the oil companies have wanted the law

changed. The Northwest Grocery Association argued that allowing self-service wouldn’t cost jobs, because understaffing had caused them to shut down half the available pumps anyway.

As a smaller matter, the present system is just plain clunky for motorists, even when staffing is solid. I filled up the other day, and the attendant was very nice; she asked what grade fuel and how much. But then she had to ask if I was in a gas discount plan, and she entered my phone number as I relayed it to her. She then took the credit card. But after all the number-punching, she had forgotten what grade and how much and had to ask again. Did I want a receipt? A car wash? There’s a lot of data entry involved in pumping gas these days.

House Bill 2426 does not do away with pump attendants; it requires at least half the available pumps to be available for customers who value the assistance (at home in Washington, I once had to show an older woman visiting from Oregon how to operate a pump; she hadn’t a clue). But the bill allows the other half of the pumps to be self-serve, which restores the old two-tier system most of us grew up with. Best of all, the bill restricts station operators from charging a higher price for full service.

Oregon has been chipping away at the self-service ban for a few years now, in 2015 allowing self-serve pumps at night in some rural counties, then in 2017 in all of them, and then in 2020 during emergency situations like wildfires.

Shell plans to exit Pakistan after 75 years

The company is looking to sell its retail network, lubricants, and aviation businesses in Pakistan. Shell is set to completely divest from Pakistan to “simplify its portfolio,” the multi-energy company announced on their website.

Shell Pakistan has been in the country for 75 years and has a strong lubricants business and a substantial retail footprint, which includes over 700 sites. The company is seeing strong interest from international buyers.

The announcement also said “any sale will be subject to a targeted sales process, the execution of binding documentation and the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals. Shell is seeing strong interest from international buyers.”

Shell Petroleum Company owns 77.42% of the shares in SPL, with the rest spread across several individuals. SPL will also sell its shares in other ventures, including a 26% stake in the Pak-Arab Pipeline company.

H2 Mobility opens new hydrogen station in Düren

The company has expanded its H2 refuelling network with the opening of a new site in a Shell service station after six months of optimization operations.

H2 Mobility has opened a new hydrogen refuelling station (HRS) at the Düren Shell service station. After six months of optimization operations, the site has started to fuel H2-powered vehicles at the site.

A total of five Rurtalbus hydrogen buses are already refuelling at 350 bar as well as various passenger cars and light commercial vehicles at 700 bar at the H2 station. These can refuel in about 15 minutes for ranges of about 300 kilometres, including five vehicles from the Düren district.

H2 MOBILITY Germany is responsible for the construction and operation of the hydrogen station. The refuelling technology at the

new H2 station comes from the industrial gasses and technology company Air Liquide. More than 600 kilograms of hydrogen are stored at the station, with refuelling possible via two pressure levels, 700 and 350 bar, at a total of 2 dispensing points.

“The Düren hydrogen filling station is one of the most powerful in the German hydrogen filling station network. We are proud that Rurtalbus and the district of Düren, among others, are using it for clean electromobility without restrictions,” said Lorenz Jung, Spokesman for the Management Board of H2 MOBILITY Germany.

The company continues to expand the hydrogen refuelling station infrastructure in focus regions and along the TEN-T corridors in line with demand. In addition, existing 700 bar hydrogen refuelling stations will be expanded in the short term to include a 350bar offering.

Press Releases

Dover Fueling Solutions Sign License Agreement with Bottomline

To Enable Wetstock Management Services in Benelux, France and Switzerland

AUSTIN, TEXAS – May 18, 2023 – Dover Fueling Solutions (DFS), a part of Dover Corporation and a leading global provider of advanced customer-focused technologies, services, and solutions in the fuel and convenience retail industry, is pleased to announce it has signed a licence agreement with Bottomline Scheduling (‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands), enabling Bottomline to deliver DFS wetstock management service to markets in Benelux, France and Switzerland. This agreement further strengthens the relationship between both companies, following last year’s statement where it was announced DFS would be able to bring Bottomline’s logistic solution to DFS customers.

Using real-time data and advanced analytics, the Fairbanks real-time wetstock monitoring service from DFS can quickly and accurately detect fuel loss incidents within a retailer’s fueling system. The ability to pinpoint where in the system a leak may occur helps to minimize fuel loss by enabling quick intervention and enhancing the customer’s efforts to make decisions, take appropriate action and resolve problems.

“This licence agreement means Bottomline can now provide extensive real time wetstock services to their customer base, and wider market, in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and France in combination with their logistics services,” commented Jeroen van Pelt, Global Sales Director, Wetstock Management, DFS. “This partnership continues to enable a true end to end solution to the market and provides their customers with unmatched insights to minimize losses, optimize business processes and ultimately make their business run smoother and more efficient.”

Andy Sullivan, Senior Director, Wetstock Management, DFS said, “Having already entered into a partnership for DFS to bring Bottomline Logistics to our wetstock customers, this new partnership will serve to bring the combined capabilities of both companies to a wider customer base seeking integrated wetstock services from terminal to tank”.

Bottomline is a leading supplier of inventory routing software, and in addition also offers two add-on services for efficient and in-time fuel station replenishment. The planning service is offered to companies that want to outsource their in-house truck planning department or are looking for an alternative for haulier planning. The transport service is offered to companies that want to profit from the shared truck concept Bottomline provides with a fleet of non-branded trucks. Part of the planning service and transport service is the wetstock management for trucks. Bottomline planners check continuously during the reconciliation process if delivered volumes are in line with loaded volumes with the objective to identify, understand and avoid product losses.

Léon van Rijswijk, CEO and Founder of Bottomline, added, “Bottomline now sees opportunities to expand on its existing service by offering customers wetstock management for fuel stations. A service that, in fact, helps them to avoid product losses throughout the whole logistics process, from depot tank to pump nozzle. Bottomline is delighted to have signed a licence agreement with DFS for the delivery of this new add-on service in the Benelux, France and Switzerland.”

Major expansion of Jotun’s fire protection coating R&D facilities

Flixborough, United Kingdom, 12 June 2023: Global paints and coatings manufacturer Jotun, one of the major providers of intumescent fire protection coatings for the infrastructure and energy industries, has announced the completion of major expansion of its Global Intumescent R&D Laboratory to advance new product innovation and technologies.

This ambitious expansion more than doubles the size of the Flixborough Global Intumescent R&D facility, aiming to increase Jotun’s product development and fire testing capacity and capabilities. The new facilities will accelerate the development of new innovations and more advanced products, whilst providing additional certification support to Jotun’s existing product range.

Jotun is determined to gain market share in this industry by accelerating development of new and advanced technologies. Its aim is to enter new markets through wider certification and regional product customisation in line with rapidly changing market requirements. This ensures its customer’s assets are fire protected to latest regulatory requirements and materials deliver high performance for their specific location.

Originally constructed in 2016 and now expanded to 2,900m2, the enhanced facility increases capacity and capability for Jotun’s ongoing development of intumescent fire protection coatingsSteelMaster for steel structures within the infrastructure market and Jotachar for vital assets in the energy industries. The one-year expansion program included the installation of new furnaces, with associated application and conditioning facilities, combined with new analytical, environment simulation and mechanical testing facilities.

Supported by Jotun’s R&D headquarters in Sandefjord, Norway, the enhanced global hub in Flixborough will continue to focus on leading edge R&D projects, driving breakthrough intumescent coatings technology.

In addition to the Global Intumescent Laboratory in Flixborough, Jotun has cemented its commitment to localised innovation ensuring differing certification and environmental requirements

are met within each market. Strategic investment in regional intumescent research, development and testing facilities span Norway, United Arab Emirates, China, Korea, USA, and Malaysia.

Jotun’s enhanced capabilities across its network of intumescent R&D facilities represents a significant milestone in its drive to advancing fire safety through research and development. Its growing team of dedicated scientists and industry specialists are capable of engaging with fire protection authorities, global regulators and certification bodies providing guidance on testing, certification and material performance.

A testament to this commitment was illustrated earlier this year when Jotun unveiled its latest advance in intumescent coatings, Jotachar JF570 XT - a patent pending all-climate capable intumescent coating, designed to protect oil, gas and energy installations from fire and cryogenic spills, in even the most extreme environments.

James Irving, R&D Manager Intumescent Coatings, said: “When we opened the Global Intumescent R&D Centre in 2016, our vision was for a facility that could evolve to support our customers across the globe as their structural fire protection requirements become more complex and regionalized. We are delighted with this major extension, more than doubling the size of our facility, we are now ready to further enable the development of fire protection coatings and technologies to meet these requirements. “Our Intumescent R&D team is expanding rapidly. These new facilities will allow our scientists, technicians, and industry specialists to reinforce our position as a global innovator in this safety-critical area of the coatings industry.

“This expansion is a key part of Jotun’s ambitious strategy to increase market share and grow sales of intumescent coatings by developing a global network of intumescent R&D facilities with Flixborough as the hub.”

For further information:

James Irving,R&D Manager Intumescent Coatings (+44) 1724 400071, james.irving@jotun.co.uk

Government should encourage all types of zero emission vehicles to achieve net zero

London 24/05/2023, UKPIA is calling on Government to allow all types of zero emission cars and vans (ZEVs) in the future rather than focus narrowly on electric vehicles to decarbonise transport.

In response to a Government consultation on the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, UKPIA says Government needs to take a ‘technology neutral’ approach to achieve the most efficient path to net zero.

The Department for Transport will only allow ZEVs with no exhaust emissions such as battery or fuel cell electric vehicles. This contrasts with the EU, which recently announced it will allow ZEVs powered by e-fuels after 2035 to help achieve net zero. UKPIA believes the UK should follow suit.

UKPIA CEO, Elizabeth de Jong, said: “Vehicles with no tailpipe emissions will have a hugely important role in decarbonising the UK’s transport sector and we have provided constructive feedback so that the Government’s Mandate can support their rollout.

“However, as the EU has already acknowledged, use of low carbon fuels can also meet sustainability requirements and offer combustion engine vehicles a route to net zero.

“A technology neutral policy would allow emissions from cars and vans to be correctly assessed over their full product lifecycle - from production, to use and recycling. It would also mean that consumer choice, rather than Government policy, would drive the multiple decarbonisation technologies needed for net zero.”

UNITI expo 2024 welcomes new and long-time cooperation partners

A total of 14 companies are already confirmed as cooperation partners for the next edition of the leading European trade fair for the retail petroleum and car wash industries.

[3 July 2023] – UNITI expo is pleased to welcome the cooperation partners for its 2024 edition, who continue to show their support by participating in the trade show’s tenth anniversary.

The 14 partners include leading companies and associations around the world such as CECOD, CompetenceCenter, eurodata, FRANKE, GenussGARTEN, HACK, Lantzerath-Group, Lekkerland, NSI, PDI, PWM, SONAX and Tank&Rast; joined by gourmetfein as its first partnership with the expo.

Their partnerships ensure a wealth of knowledge and experience for the event. As UNITI expo aims to build the best platform for the retail petroleum and car wash industries worldwide, deepening existing partnerships and creating new ones is a key aspect of this mission.

“We have been exhibiting at UNITI expo for many years with our gourmetfein brand and have experienced the convenience sector’s growth first-hand at the leading trade fair. The industry is moving towards the ‘Fast Good’ concept, in terms of sustainability. For

years, we have been focusing on a sustainable value chain, which our customers actively support. As a pioneer, we already offer ready-made solutions in the foodservice sector and have decided to support UNITI expo as a cooperation partner, thus contributing important content for the further development of the trade fair. We are already looking forward to an exciting event in 2024,” commented Mag. Florian Hippesroither, Managing Director of GF Fleischproduktion GmbH & Co KG.

UNITI expo has committed to work side by side with its cooperation partners by involving them in the planning process of the trade show to support the development of their brands.

“It is great to welcome once again leading companies from around the world as our cooperation partners. The support from both new and long-standing partners, some of them even present from the very beginning, is a solid statement of their commitment not only with UNITI expo but with the fuel retail and car wash industries as well,” adds Elmar Kühn, Managing Director of UNITI-Kraftstoff GmbH, organizer of the event.

UNITI expo 2024 is back next year on May 14 – 16. Constantly updated information for exhibitors and visitors can be found at www.uniti-expo.com.

PSD Codax names Matt Smith new manager of Business Development

BRISTOL, England – June 6, 2023 - PSD Codax, part of ICS and OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions, global leaders in vehicle wash and payment solutions technology, is pleased to announce the appointment of Matt Smith as its new Manager of Business Development.

In this role, Smith will be directly responsible for PSD Codax sales and marketing efforts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Scandinavian markets, as well as overseeing PSD Codax’s growth in the European market.

Smith joined PSD Codax in 2020, first as a customer-support technician before moving into the Lead Customer Support Technician role. Prior to joining PSD Codax, Smith was a customer support manager for Curry’s PC World, where he was the liaison between customers and staff, handling external inquiries and repairs.

“Matt’s exceptional track record with setting up our customers for success, as well as his logistics and technical support background in vehicle wash, make him a great fit for this role,” said Rob Deal, Vice President of Corporate Sales for ICS.

“Having worked with our car wash customers over the last three years, I feel well placed to understand the needs of our clients and assist them in understanding where our products can benefit them and grow their businesses with the features we have to offer,” said Smith.

OPW Vehicle wash solutions introduces LaserGlow Arch option

DePere, WI – June 29, 2023 – OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions is pleased to announce the development and availability of the new LaserWash® 360™ Plus LaserGlow Arch from PDQ Manufacturing, which is one of the most advanced lighting options currently available to the vehicle wash industry today. The LaserGlow Arch technology provides easy-to-understand guidance during the loading process that visually communicates to drivers when they should pull forward, back up or stop as they enter and position their vehicles in the wash bay. This creates a safer, less stressful wash experience for drivers, while their ability to more quickly and efficiently position their vehicle reduces the idle time spent in the bay, resulting in optimized throughput rates.

“PDQ has built a reputation as a brand that is synonymous with developing high-quality in-bay automatic wash systems and components designed to deliver a first-class wash experience for drivers while contributing to the ongoing success of our end users,” said David Dougherty, General Manager, In-Bay Automatics for OPW VWS. “The addition of the LaserGlow Arch lighting option for our LaserWash 360 Plus wash package is an exciting new wash component that gives our customers another competitive advantage.”

In addition to improving wash safety and throughput rates, the eye-

catching lighting of the LaserGlow Arch system can be used to attract potential customers from the street or parking lot, and with infinite colors and lighting patterns available, the LaserGlow Arch becomes a reliable 24/7 marketing tool. Specifically, the LaserGlow Arch features 61 individually controlled lighting segments with each segment capable of displaying more than 16 million different colors with the segments combining to create more than 1,100 lumens of brightness. With 13 pre-loaded programs and five operator-driven programs, the colors can be selected to match the wash brand, holidays, seasonal promotions and even the colors of hometown sports teams.

Technologically, the LaserGlow Arch has improved arch-rotation navigation that is easier to troubleshoot and more resistant to normal mechanical wear. It provides enhanced arch-impact detection that enables automatic testing of the impact-detection sensors. Finally, an improved arch-rotation drivetrain has a larger 1/2-horsepower motor that has a higher gear ratio for optimized torque output and control of the spray-arch position.

To learn more about the LaserGlow Arch or the complete range of vehicle wash equipment and payment systems offered by the companies of OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions, please visit opwvws.com.

Fuel Storage Solutions has achieved a King’s Award for Enterprise

Managing Director Jonathan Barnett said: “We’re delighted to be honoured with this award. It’s a tremendous achievement for our team, who’ve worked tirelessly to make APIApipe™ successful. APIApipe™ is the safest, most robust, and cost-effective system available on today’s market, being suitable for use by any business that stores fuels, liquids or gases that are transported through pipework. We’re proud to put Bradford on the map for innovation excellence.”

This fully bunded ‘fit and forget’ pipework system ensures 100% uptime and is typically only 40% of the cost of traditional welded pipework due to the simple assembly system. There are no hot works involved thereby avoiding special measures during installation. Corrosion-proof stainlesssteel pipework requires no additional surface protection which reduces costs further.

APIApipe™ is approved for use by Government agencies and specified for use by several consultancies.

The King’s Awards for Enterprise was previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise. The new name reflects His Majesty The King’s desire to continue the legacy of HM Queen Elizabeth II by recognising outstanding UK businesses. The Award programme, now in its 57th year, is the most prestigious business award in the country, with successful businesses able to use the esteemed King’s Awards Emblem for the next five years.

Bradford-based Fuel Storage Solutions Limited has been honoured with the first ever King’s Award for enterprise, recognising its excellence in innovation.

The award-winning OFTEC registered company, Fuel Storage Solutions, was recognised for inventing, designing, patenting, and bringing to market APIApipe™, a unique ‘pipe in a pipe’, fully bunded pipework system.

The company, which has operated since 2002 and employs 40 people, is one of 148 organisations nationally to be recognised with this highly prestigious accolade.

Applications for King’s Awards for Enterprise 2024 opened on His Majesty The King’s Coronation, 6th May 2023.

ISTOBAL completes its new generation of rollovers with M’WASH3 and M’WASH2

•The ISTOBAL M’WASH3 wash and dry rollover is an amalgamation of the M’NEX22 and FLEX5 equipment brought together to optimise vehicle cleaning in a more flexible, versatile and cost-effective manner.

•The company evolves its M’START model to present ISTOBAL M’WASH2, a rollover with new options that offers greater control and cleaning quality in a more compact design.

ISTOBAL completes its new generation of M’WASH rollovers with two new launches. These rollovers are positioned in the market with the most efficient and connected technology to increase the profitability of vehicle cleaning businesses and offer a better user experience.

Following the M’WASH4 and M’WASH3 PRO, the group presents the M’WASH3 and M’WASH2 rollovers. These products aim to provide a more comprehensive offering for all car wash needs through more productive, intuitive, reliable and safe technologies.

The connectivity of this innovative range of wash equipment allows for intelligent management and increased efficiency by providing

real-time installation data. Facilitated by its Smartwash technology to remotely maintain and monitor any rollover to increase productivity and uptime on the machinery.

Composed of two vertical brushes and one horizontal brush, the ISTOBAL M’WASH3 wash and dry rollover is the evolution of the M’NEX22 and FLEX5 equipment to optimize vehicle cleaning in a more flexible, versatile and cost-effective way.

ISTOBAL M’WASH3 offers greater cleaning precision and effectiveness due to its wide range of high-pressure options. Moreover, an improved chemical application that reaches the entire vehicle profile, two side brush tilt positions and 10° vertical brush tilt, plus multiple options.

Providing greater control in washing with frequency variators and a reduction in the wash and dry service time by perfecting the speed at which the machine moves. Likewise, its horizontal and vertical drying system maximizes performance, minimizing electrical consumption and the acoustic emission of the equipment.

ISTOBAL M’WASH3 is equipped with a flexible programming

system that comes as standard with ISTOBAL M’WASH rollovers, allowing each wash programme to be customized according to the specific needs of each customer.

A cleaner, more modern and sleeker aesthetic, the MWASH’3 provides a greater show in the car wash for the customer. The machine performs an LED lighting show with colour effects and the integrated infinite mousse foam arch to add an element of awe to the customer experience.

Furthermore, the design offers a greater visibility and the sense of spaciousness due to its central structure offering up to 12cm more vehicle clearance.

This equipment also stands out for its reliability and increased versatility, with various combinations of sizes and brushes to meet the differing cleaning needs of today’s car fleet.

The group has also evolved its M’START model to present ISTOBAL

M’WASH2. This evolution had made the machine more flexible and a more versatile rollover than it’s predecessor, w. With newer options that offer greater control over the machine cleaning quality. This innovative equipment has a configuration of up to 15 customizable programmes (previously up to 6 programmes in the M’START) to improve the commercial offering and value for money. On top of the development into the machine’s programming, the MWASH2 can use our pre-washing mosquitoes’ chemicals and high-pressure rotating nozzles that increases the value to the customer ticket.

This model introduces variable frequency drives for greater wash control, superior nozzles for better foam application to all areas of the vehicle, brush tilt, a wide range of high-pressure pre-wash and wheel wash options. In addition to the benefits already listed, the MWASH’2 optimizes the drying flow with reduced sound pressure.

With a more compact design, the new M’WASH2 features new fairings, lights and vinyls for a better user experience.

OPW vehicle wash solutions introduces updated QuickFire® SureShot wrap around model

Northville, MI – June 22, 2023 – OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions is pleased to announce the creation and availability of its new QuickFire® SureShot model, which is an extension of its bestin-class QuickFire Wrap Around technology. When it was introduced, the QuickFire became the wash industry’s first high-volume wash system as it possessed the ability to wash more than 200 vehicles an hour. This enabled it, even at high line speeds, to provide full wash coverage safely and reliably for the vehicle’s front, side and rear thanks to its ability to

Press Releases/Branches

“follow” the vehicle through the tunnel, resulting in a demonstrably cleaner wash process.

The QuickFire SureShot model includes the QuickFire’s patented DynaTrigger™ Sizer that enables the QuickFire SureShot to “fire” across the rear of the vehicle for taillight-to-taillight coverage that effectively eliminates “skunk striping” with no need for manual, and the Built-To-Tilt™ socket joint that pivots through a full 360 degrees for thorough coverage of all vehicle contours. These standout features are complemented by the following QuickFire SureShot design enhancements:

•Enhanced Roller Design: High-grade rollercoaster wheels travel unimpeded over a mill-finished rail that eliminates slippage during the wash process that can compromise the system’s cleaning ability.

•DynaTrigger™ Sizer: Improved performance makes it easier to dial in and maintain the performance parameters for optimal cleaning. Custom cleans every vehicle, every time as the sizer senses and adjusts to different vehicle widths and lengths.

•Air Over Oil System: The mountings for the wash-chemical canisters have been made more robust, which allows the injection head to move more smoothly and eliminates the risk of early failure.

•Larger Baseplate: The new 23-1/2” by 35-1/2” baseplate provides increased stability, which further improves reliability and safety in large-volume washes.

For those operators that are currently using the QuickFire technology, OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions is offering a Retrofit Kit that allows the existing system to be outfitted with the new QuickFire SureShot components.

The result will be a wash system that maintains its optimal cleaning parameters over longer periods of time, even when operating at demanding high-volume wash sites.

To learn more about the complete range of vehicle wash equipment and payment systems offered by the companies of OPW Vehicle Wash Solutions, please visit opwvws.com.

Branches

Yorkshire and Humberside

The Yorkshire and Humberside branch held their meeting at Global-MSI factory in Doncaster on the 17th of May. 22 delegates attended with the presentations having an electric vehicle charging theme by three excellent presenters.

BXEServicesLtd.–StuartTomkinson

Presentation on EV installations for petrol stations and beyond.

Three considerations:

•Regulators – relevant ACOP’s

•Site Surveys

•Have you the power?

Guidance: Regulators

BS 7671 IET Wiring regulations 18th edition

IET ACOP 4th edition

Blue Book section 9.5.11

IET supplement to ACOP

Site Surveys

The installation needs to be outside the hazard zones

All cabling outside the zones

DNO (Distribution Network Operator) supply cable to be outside of the zones

Trip hazards

Protection from impact

Accessible

Simultaneous contact assessment

Have you the Power?

Unusual if the existing PFS supply is enough for the installation

Early application for a DNO TN-C-S or TT earthing?

Other points discussed:

The installation must be linked to the site emergency stop The emergency stop must be fibre optics and not copper!

PetroAssist–KieranBradbury

Presentation on the EV market equipment for forecourts.

Introduction of HelloNext EV branded charging equipment.

Since April 2022 there are 37% more charging stations and 71% more rapid charging stations. The domestic market is migrating from 7kw (wall mounted) to 22kw (pedestal) charges. Commercial installations are migrating from 30kw to 180kw (+ DC fast charges). The range of PetroAssist charging equipment was shown and discussed.

EV-ExBox-GrahamWarnell

Presentation on the need for fire suppression to be included in EV charging design and installations.

In the rush to roll out EV charging hubs & charging locations little

or no consideration has been given to fire suppression, public safety, or environmental protection. Fires are a rare occurrence but as charging infrastructure & EV vehicles get older, battery related fires will become more common.

Instructions for installations outside recognised infrastructure (ie car parks) should meet the same regulations for safety and avoidance of electrocution. In essence the risks should be designed out.

Introduction of Thermal Runaway - is a phenomenon in which the lithium-ion cell enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state. Thermal runaway can result in: Ejection of gas, flames, smoke, shrapnel and/or particulates.

-Temperature of 2000º and above

-Jets of 2 to 3m

-Volatile gases

-Soot

-Highly toxic gases

-Vehicle movement whilst on fire

To tackle the fire, the flames need to be suppressed and the battery cooled (to stop thermal runaway carrying on reigniting). DO NOT TACKLE THE FIRE YOURSELF:

1.Do not tackle electrical fires personally

2.Call 999

3.Make sure you and the public are safe

4.Have a fire escape plan for electrical fires

Do not use a fire blanket on electrical fires.

Suggested design considerations:

•Local Authority input

•Consider public safety

•Access and Egress

•Monitoring

•Fire suppression

•What materials used

•Water retention from the environment (10,000 litres of water to suppress an electrical fire)

The company supplies the following services:

-Safety in electrical charging

-EV safety awareness course

On site surveys

-Installation of fire suppression systems

Global-MSI–Factorytour

After a buffet lunch provided at the event, members were invited to attend a factory tour of the GlobalMSI factory. Global-MSI was proud to explain their lean processes for the manufacture of forecourt canopies and shop buildings. With many stages being fully automated quality is greatly improved with minimum production time to produce these complicated structures. With a complete in-house workforce they have consistently been the market leaders in their field.

Graeme Warnell, Stuart Tomkinson and Kieran Bradbury

Branches

Eastern and Midlands

The APEA Eastern Branch and Midlands Branch meeting at Duxford.

The APEA Eastern Branch and Midlands Branch gathered on Wednesday, 26th April 2023, at Duxford, for their Spring/Summer Meeting and AGM. Anton Martiniussen and Rob Tunnicliff extended a warm welcome to members from both branches, underlining the value of the collaborative event. Attendees enjoyed a day of insightful talks from various industry experts, networking opportunities, and the branches’ AGMs.

Clare Scawthorn, Chair of the Eastern Branch, provided a comprehensive PELG update, emphasizing the critical importance of adequate training for regulators. She informed attendees about the upcoming review of the Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014, scheduled for 2024. Clare drew attention to the live training available on the APEA website and urged members to join working groups to contribute their expertise and experience.

Graeme Warnell, Director of EV-Box, discussed on-site solutions for EV fire suppression and firewater pollution prevention. He highlighted the risks of thermal runaway and the importance of proper fire response and environmental consideration during EV fire incidents. Warnell also touched on EV-Box’s collaborations with various organizations in the UK and abroad and their work in training, risk assessments, and fire suppression systems

APEA Chairman Doreen Pooley discussed the ongoing review of the APEA Blue Book, sharing that members will receive an invitation to review the draft once the committees complete their assessments. Doreen stressed the need for adding value to the Association and engaging new fresh members in various APEA activities. She also spoke about the role of the HSE in creating guidance for sites requiring petroleum storage certificates and the importance of staying informed about industry changes.

Jamie Thompson presented a talk on Leak Detection, emphasizing the lack of training and knowledge among forecourt staff regarding leak detection systems. Jamie highlighted several incidents where staff were unaware of existing systems, resulting in potential risks. He called for enforcement officers and staff to receive proper APEA training to prevent incidents and ensure safety on-site.

Dan McLaren, Business Training Lead at BP Pulse, detailed the company’s ambitious roadside strategy and the challenges of installing EV chargers on forecourts. BP Pulse aims to have 16 live forecourts in 2023 and has secured £1 billion to expand its network to 30,000 chargers. Dan also spoke about the company’s development of fast-charging chargers, their increasing popularity, and the importance of customer confidence in the brand.

installation. He stressed the need for awareness of new risks associated with EV charging and the importance of being prepared for potential incidents.

Alex Boudry, General Manager of PFS Fueltec, explored the advancements in Automatic Tank Gauging (ATG) technology in

Clare Scawthorn Eastern Branch Chairman Jamie Thompson Chairman of the APEA Technical Committee Graeme Warnell Director of EV-Box

Branches

2023. He explained how ATG systems manage and monitor fuel levels, temperature, and water levels through a central control system. Boudry discussed the challenges in educating site operators and emphasized the need for critical action by management and adequate staff training. He also presented the benefits of ATG systems, including simplified user interfaces and detailed information about fuel levels and deliveries.

In conclusion, the APEA Eastern and Midland Branches’ joint meeting offered valuable insights into the petroleum and EV industries’ current landscape and future developments. The event emphasised the importance of proper training and regulation, challenges and solutions for EV charging and fire suppression, and advancements in fuel management technology.

The success of this collaborative event demonstrated the APEA’s commitment to its members fostering knowledge sharing and innovation within the industry. As the forecourt energy sector continues to evolve, such events will remain crucial for maintaining awareness, improving safety, and regulations.

The Eastern Branch conducted its AGM.

There was no correspondence. The audited Branch accounts are healthy and were passed.

The following posts were declared for the year:

Eastern Branch Chair: Clare Scawthorn

Branch Representative: Alex Boudry

Hon Secretary and Treasurer: Anton Martiniussen.

Events Committee including the aforementioned, Jamie Thompson, Andrew Olive, Simon Smeeton, Tanya Sargent.

Thank you to Dawn James and Emma Boylen for support and auditing of accounts.

Anton Martiniussen Secretary and Treasurer

Alex Boudry, General Manager of PFS Fueltec

Dan McLaren, Business Training Lead at BP Pulse

Eastern & Midlands Branch members

Branches

Southern

APEA Southern Branch Meeting – at Brooklands Museum of British Motorsport 24th May 2023

The Southern Branch recently held a very successful meeting at Brooklands Museum in Surrey.

We are trying to organise at least one physical meeting each year at a venue with special interest to members and were therefore delighted to welcome a good number of members from the Southern branch and a few guests from other branches to hear some excellent presentations.

After our Chairman Doreen Pooley welcomed members, Mark Orr of the UK and Eire Spill Association gave us a fascinating insight into dealing with spills the professional way. Mark was able to show examples of good and bad practice from his extensive experience in the industry. More information is available at https://ukeirespill.org/

FMA Systems made the next presentation demonstrating how their experience in other markets has enabled them to produce an impressive wet stock management system which integrates tank level and temperature gauging, high level alarms, tank environmental products and effective stock control into one system. More information is available at www.fma-systems.com.

FMA Systems presenting their wetstock management system

Our final session of the morning came from Jeremy Kennett and David Sommers, both very experienced Petroleum Officers from Kent and Hampshire respectively who presented a session on what a Petroleum Officer does. This followed a request from some members for this type of presentation clarifying the actual day to day role of a PO and showing some of the issues regularly faced with practical advice on how to resolve them.

The morning meeting was followed by a buffet lunch and entry to the museum for members.

The branch would like to thank those who gave their time to make presentations and those who attended and made this an excellent meeting.

David Sommers Branch Secretary

Mark Orr of UK and Ireland Spill Association

Brooklands Museum. The birthplace of British Motorsport

Training

Training course dates and locations 2023/2024

3DayCombinedPetrolFillingStations–Construction,AuditandInspectionCourse

4 - 6 September 2023Stansted Airport

9 - 11 April 2024Manchester Airport

11 - 13 June 2024Solihull

3 - 5 September 2024 Stansted Airport

2dayElectricalInstallations-AnAwareness

15 -6 September 2023Swindon

ExplosivesandFireworks

5 October 2023Stansted Airport

5 October 2024Stansted Airport

Please contact the APEA office for a quotation for a bespoke course we can run at your offices, for any of the courses listed below, at admin@apea.org.uk, with an approximate number of delegates and preferred dates.

Course Fees

WetstockManagement

11 September 2023Stansted Airport

DSEAR

12 September 2023Stansted Airport

19 April 2024 Manchester Airport

11 September 2024 Stansted Airport

Petroleum(Consolidation)Regulations2014

7 September 2023Stansted Airport

18 March 2024Manchester Airport

PetrolFillingStationcoursesonrequest

Vapour Recovery Installations

Leak Investigation

Enforcement Procedures

Safe Installation and Use of LPG

Prices excluding VAT. More information and booking details on the “Training” page at www.apea.org.uk.

Anyone booking a training course that is not an APEA member will automatically receive complimentary “Individual” membership to the APEA for one year.

Courses will be designed around the (4th edition) Blue Book Guidance for the Design, Construction, Modification, Maintenance and Decommissioning of Filling Stations (May 2018).

A hard copy and a pdf version of the 4th Edition is available from the Publications page of the APEA website at www.apea.org.uk

The hardcopy is £75.00 to APEA Members and £150.00 to non APEA members. There is no VAT charged on the hardcopy or pdf formats. The pdf version can be purchased with a licence for individual use and cannot be shared or printed. It is strongly

recommended that attendees have access to this document during courses.

For details of this and any other training enquiry, please contact:

Jane Mardell - APEA Business Manager

email: admin@apea.org.uk

Tel: + 44 (0) 345 603 5507 or

Thomas Daly (Training Committee Chairman)

Tel: +353 876899281

email: thomasdaly@apea.org.uk

Online Training courses

To book go to the Training page on the APEA website at www.apea.org.uk for the link or to https://apea.org.uk/pages/training or https://apea.mykademy.com/

Key Areas of a Filling Station £50

The Future of Fuels £50

Drainage, Vapour Recovery and Leak Detection £50

Road Tanker Delivery and Consignor Requirements £50

Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulation 2014 £50

Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations

2002 £50

Inspection Preparation Online Training £50

The Red Guide £50

8in1 APEA Full Course Bundle £250

8 Courses

Key Areas of the Filling Station

The Future of Fuels

Drainage, Vapour Recovery and Leak Detection

Road Tanker Delivery & Consignor Requirements

Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulation 2014

Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulation

2002

Preparing for Inspection

The Red Guide

2 day bespoke traning course for Applegreen. Tom Daly (left) and Applegreen delegates

Above and below - Delegates from the 3 day combined Construction, Audit and Inspection course at Solihull in June