NEWS
Bio-refinery set for take-off at Stanlow
A new facility which will convert nonrecyclable household waste into sustainable aviation fuel ( SAF ) for use by airlines operating at UK airports has been created in a joint venture between Essar Oil ( UK ) Limited ( Essar ), Fulcrum BioEnergy Limited ( Fulcrum ) and Essar ’ s subsidiary company Stanlow Terminals Limited .
This innovative bio-refinery will convert several hundred thousand tonnes of preprocessed waste , which would have otherwise been destined for incineration or landfill , into approximately 100 million litres of low carbon SAF annually .
The project , which will see an investment of approximately £ 600m , will use Fulcrum ’ s proven waste-to-fuel process , which is already
Rix Group ’ s office acquisition is ‘ vote of confidence ’
One of Hull ’ s most modern office developments is to become home to one of the city ’ s oldest and best-known companies .
J . R . Rix & Sons Ltd has acquired Two Humber Quays , a five storey , grade A office building on the city ’ s waterfront , for an undisclosed sum .
The company , whose roots in Hull date back to the early 1880s , will move from its current base in Spyvee Street to Two Humber Quays later this year , taking over the ground floor and parts of the second and third floors .
Rory Clarke , managing director of J . R . Rix & Sons , said :
“ Although COVID has facilitated effective home working , we believe things will eventually return to a more normal way of doing business . For us , a well-designed office space is central to that .
“ The office is the heart of a company and the culture , its soul . Culture , which is very important to the Rix Group , is created and strengthened by having people working together in teams , which is very difficult to replicate when everyone works remotely .
“ Home working also makes it very difficult
4 Fuel Oil News | March 2021 being deployed at its pioneering facility outside of Reno , Nevada in the United States , where operations are due to begin later this year .
Fulcrum will construct , own and operate the plant within Essar ’ s Stanlow manufacturing complex in the North West of England and Essar will assist with the blending and supply the new SAF to airlines , with Stanlow Terminals Limited providing product storage and logistics solutions for the project under a long-term agreement .
UKPIA director-general , Stephen Marcos Jones , commented :
“ Today ’ s announcement demonstrates how critical Essar ’ s Stanlow Refinery is to the success of these efforts to decarbonise the economy of the North West , as well as showing more broadly how the downstream oil sector
Two Humber Quays
for new members of staff to become engrained in our culture , which we feel is essential .
“ Because of this , we see this acquisition as an investment in our business , an investment in our people and a vote of confidence in the future of our great city , Hull .”
Mr Clarke added that , with Rix ’ s origins as a shipping business , the location near the Humber estuary and the city ’ s picturesque marina ties the building to the company ’ s maritime heritage .
“ The business has expanded significantly over recent years and we have outgrown our base in Spyvee Street ,” he said . “ The biggest attraction is being on the water ’ s edge and adjacent to the marina where we will have the best views in the city .”
is an ally in the UK ’ s ambitions to reach ‘ Net Zero ’ emissions by 2050 , as outlined in UKPIA ’ s Transition , Transformation and Innovation report .
“ Aviation is going to be one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise , so this investment by Essar and Fulcrum to build a biorefinery in the UK is paramount to meeting the Net-Zero commitment .”
The project , named Fulcrum NorthPoint , will create 800 direct and indirect jobs during the design , build and commissioning process and over 100 permanent jobs during its operation . Plans for Fulcrum NorthPoint are expected to be complete at the end of this year and subject to planning consent , will be operational in late 2025 .
Lenham Storage agrees contract with Europump Maintenance Ltd
Kent-based logistics company Lenham Storage has signed a new 12-month fully comprehensive support contract with Europump Maintenance Ltd for all the fuel island equipment at its two main depots .
Speaking about the deal , Lenham Storage ’ s fleet manager , Steve Emsley , said :
“ We are delighted to have signed the deal with Europump Maintenance Ltd . We knew some of their personnel and knew they had a reputation for good service so it made sense to switch to them . We are very happy with how our relationship is progressing .” Martyn Gent , business development manager , Europump Maintenance Ltd , added :
“ It ’ s great to have been chosen by such a long-established logistics expert . We are very pleased to be working together .”