Author: regroup

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What Is Fuel Uplifting?

It’s important to make sure that you know what your responsibilities are if you have fuels or oil onsite, as you can run into legal issues if spillages occur and waste enters the natural environment – and this is where fuel uplifting services really come into their own.

Preventative inspections and testing of the fuel tanks and generators on your site is necessary in order to prevent problems from manifesting themselves and a site audit is a good first step to take in order to make sure everything is working as it should.

To help you dispose of waste oil and fuel, a team can come out to your place of business and assess the material to work out the best way to handle it. It may well be possible for the fuel to be recycled, which involves removing oil and residuals, cleaning it up so it can be used for another application, such as eco-friendly biodiesel or as a power source.

Under the hazardous substances regulations, it is considered a criminal offence to dispose of waste oil without using an approved provider, as it can be hazardous to both the environment and human health.

Fuel uplifting may also be necessary if the diesel in your generator has been left standing for a long period of time and has turned into an unpleasant toxic sludge. This can clog your fuel lines and stop machinery from working, so it’s important to keep on top of this and call out professional services to clear it if necessary.

Regular testing, monitoring and cleaning of your tanks can help ensure that you minimise waste and won’t have to replace the contents and equipment.

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4 Common Fuel Mistakes You May Be Making

When it comes to your fuel tanks and their contents, it’s important that you know what your responsibilities are so that you can ensure you don’t contravene any laws and so that your business operations can continue to run uninterrupted. Here are some of the more common fuel mistakes that you may be making without even knowing about it.

 

Not securing your tank properly

Fuel theft is a big problem and if you have tanks onsite, you may well be targeted in the future. You can help prevent this by installing a tank alarm, putting gravel down around the tank so footsteps can be heard, installing CCTV and security lighting, and hiding the tank to make it hard to find.

 

Your tank runs dry

Without proper monitoring of your tank, it’s possible that you could run out of oil, bringing your operations to a grinding halt. Tank management is important so you know you’ll always have the quantities of fuels and lubricants you need in order to keep your business running successfully.

 

Not getting your orders in on time

Organisation is key to success and if you don’t ensure that you send your fuel orders in well before you run out, you could find your business has to shut up shop while you wait for the delivery. Keep on top of it by monitoring your fuel levels and ordering more before the tank is close to running dry.

 

Using dirty fuel

It’s important that the fuel you use is clean if your operations are to continue running as they should, but over time fuel can become contaminated or even turn to sludge – which can mean everything stops all of a sudden. Fuel testing and tank inspection should be carried out on a regular basis to help prevent this.

Looking for fuel oil companies at the moment? Get in touch with us today.

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4 Reasons To Switch From Gas Oil To Industrial Heating Oil

Companies out there looking into alternatives for gas oil may want to do some research into industrial heating oil, as this is actually an ideal replacement since it has many similar properties and can be used for commercial heating purposes, specifically in industrial boilers, heaters and dryers.

To help you decide whether this type of oil is right for you, here are just four reasons to make the move away from gas oil and consider our industrial heating oil, Multiburn Max.

 

It’s easy to switch

Because Multiburn Max has similar properties to gas oil, it couldn’t be easier to make the switch. You don’t even need to empty out your fuel tank – all you need to do is fill your tank up, since it’s fully compatible with gas oil. No burner adjustments are required!

 

It’s versatile

This kind of heating oil is ideal for commercial boilers, agricultural driers and furnace start-up, and it will work in almost any industrial application. Customers from a wide range of different industries make use of it, including breweries, distilleries and food processors.

 

It’s cheaper

If you’re looking to save money at the moment and want to find ways to cut back, switching oils could deliver the results you’re looking for, as you can make significant savings per litre in comparison to gas oil.

 

It’s greener

As we all know by now, reducing our impact on the planet is becoming increasingly important as time goes on and the realities of climate change present themselves. You can enjoy a reduction in carbon equivalent emissions of over three per cent by switching from gas oil to Multiburn Max.

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Surplus Oil Products ‘Risk Turning Ship Fuel To Sludge’

The quality of ship fuel is currently being called into question, as a result of surplus oil products like diesel and straight-run kerosene being used to make very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) for ships, with some blends becoming less viscous, which could affect the stability of the fuel.

Industry experts are now voicing concerns that this could potentially result in the fuel turning to sludge, which would then in turn overwhelm the engines on ships, Bloomberg Green reports.

Shippers have been turning to VLSFO as they adjust to new regulations stipulating that ships must only burn fuel with no more than 0.5 per cent sulphur content, unless they’ve been gifted with pollution-reduction kits (regulations known as IMO 2020).

It can be particularly tricky to identify unstable fuel, however, and it’s possible that a bad batch may only be discovered weeks after delivery, even if it passed initial specification requirements, fuel tester Steve Bee observed.

Unni Einemo, director of the International Bunker Industry Association, made further comments, saying “The shipping industry is still attempting to get used to new low-sulphur fuel oil blends. People are still trying to assess where the weak points are for the new fuels. IMO 2020 is not over.”

IMO regulations, designed to reduce sulphur oxide emissions from ships, were first introduced back in 2005 and since then, limits on emissions have been progressively tightened.

Benefits of these regulations include cleaner air, positive impacts on human health (such as reduced premature death rates and cardiovascular/respiratory diseases) and increased compliance with enforcement authorities.

Looking for fuel oil companies? Get in touch with RE:Group today.

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New Northern Endurance Partnership Established

A new Northern Endurance Partnership has been set up, led and operated by energy multinational BP, will see the development of offshore CO2 transport and storage infrastructure in the North Sea.

The conglomerate will partner with fellow industry players Total, Shell, National Grid, Equinor and Eni, with the initiative serving the Net Zero Teesside and Zero Carbon Humber projects, Investable Universe reports.

The aim of these two projects, which will become the first net-zero industrial clusters in the world, is to kickstart the decarbonisation of both industry and power in Teesside and Humberside, two of the country’s biggest industrial clusters, towns that are dependent upon energy-intensive industries such as chemicals, steel manufacturing and commodity production.

A bid for funding has now been submitted through Phase 2 of the government’s INdustrial Decarbonisation Challenge, an incentive scheme intended to accelerate development of an offshore pipeline network that will transport captured CO2 emissions to offshore geological storage in the North Sea.

It’s hoped that both projects will be up and running by 2026, with pathways to achieve net zero emissions achieved through technologies such as carbon capture, hydrogen and fuel switching. If successful, they will enable the decarbonisation of almost 50 per cent of the country’s industrial emissions.

Vice-president of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) at BP and managing director for Net Zero Teeside Andy Lane said: “The formation of the Northern Endurance Partnership is another significant milestone towards ‎developing the offshore infrastructure that will be needed to safely transport and store CO2 from ‎CCUS projects along England’s east coast. 

“The partnership and our joint bid demonstrate industry’s ‎willingness to come together and collaborate wherever possible to accelerate making CCUS a reality ‎in the UK, helping to decarbonize the local economy and contributing to the U.K.’s climate goals.”

Martin Cook, senior vice-president for business development for National Grid Ventures, made further comments, saying that National Grid is keen to contribute to the UK’s economic recovery by investing in solutions that will help support a net zero future.

The new partnership will make use of the experience of the coalition’s members to develop the infrastructure required to unlock the benefits of carbon capture, utilisation and storage across the region.

CCUS is critical to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 in the UK and is, as BP explains, the only way to decarbonise many industries.

In fact, the Humber is the most carbon-intensive industrial cluster in the country, emitting 12.5 million tonnes of CO2 each year, while industries in Teesside make up 5.6 per cent of the nation’s emissions. And five of the UK’s top 25 CO2 emitters can be found in the region, as well, so CCUS can make a huge difference in this part of the UK.

Looking for fuel oil suppliers at the moment? Get in touch with RE:Group today.

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Offshore Energy Integration ‘Could Boost Net Zero Carbon Targets’

Integrating offshore energy systems such as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage, renewables and oil and gas could help deliver around 30 per cent of the UK’s total carbon reduction requirements in order for it to hit its net zero carbon emissions target by 2050.

This is according to a new Energy Integration Report from the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), revealing that there are now more than 30 energy integration projects already underway across the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).

The conclusion was drawn that integration would help make technologies valuable where energy production is concerned, as well as reducing greenhouse gases and making them economically more attractive.

The white paper also highlighted the potential for offshore renewables such as tidal, wave and wind to contribute around 30 per cent towards the net zero target, as well – meaning the UKCS could support approximately 60 per cent of the country’s decarbonisation requirements.

OGA chief executive Dr Andy Samuel commented on the findings, saying: “The UKCS has the potential to make a deep and meaningful impact on the UK’s overall net zero target and offshore energy integration can be the game changer.

“By closely coordinating our energy systems, a secure energy supply can continue to be delivered from a diverse mix of production, while unlocking more and more of the green energy and carbon capture needed to help take the UK to net zero.”

Oil and gas capabilities, infrastructure and the supply chain are all essential for energy integration, the report found, with the potential to provide support for more offshore renewables expansion, such as floating wind power.

Carbon capture and storage can be accelerated by reusing oil and gas reservoirs and infrastructure, while blue hydrogen produced from natural gas could potentially decarbonise about 30 per cent of the country’s natural gas supply by 2050.

Production efficiency on the UKCS has improved for the seventh year in a row, reaching 80 per cent last year, three years ahead of its 2022 target. Every region of the UKCS saw a rise in 2019, apart from West of Shetland, which registered no change.

The rise was put down to a 25 per cent reduction in production losses, as well as a reduction in plant losses of 29 per cent, while planned shutdowns ran to schedule and just 1 per cent overran on planned time. Every region of the North Sea registered a rise in actual wellhead production, apart from the Southern North Sea.

Enhanced production efficiency is often linked to lower emissions intensity on production facilities. Since 2014, improvements of 23 per cent have been seen in this regard, contributing to approximately a ten per cent reduction in carbon emissions per barrel of oil produced over the same timeframe.

Looking for fuel oil distributors at the moment? Get in touch with Re:Group today.

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UK Lends Support To Mauritius Oil Spill Response

Ecology and marine legal experts from the UK’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) have been sent in to lend their support to the next phase of Mauritius’s response to its recent devastating oil spill, which saw a ship run aground and break up close to environmentally protected coral reefs.

The country is a biodiversity hotspot, with a high volume of animals and plants unique to the region – and the oil spill has caused significant damage to local marine ecosystems. The UK has also provided £10,000 in new emergency support to the Mauritius Wildlife FUnd to help local nature reserves that have been affected by the spill.

The ecology experts will assess the extent of the damage and help the island work out the best ways to protect the species at risk of oil pollution and restore the coastline to its former glory.

Dr Sue Ware, senior marine monitoring scientist at Cefas and who has gone out to the island to help, said: “We have been observing the oil spill in Mauritius closely and will be offering our support to assist in environmental impact assessment and monitoring to help tackle the pollution – thereby, helping protect livelihoods, the environment and marine life.

“We will work closely with the expert team on the ground, and our colleagues back in the UK laboratory, to apply our experience in marine emergency response to the situation.”

Cargo ship MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef in the Indian Ocean towards the end of July, with the Japanese-owned vessel leaking an estimated 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil into the sea on August 6th, when the hull of the ship cracked, according to the Nature journal.

This is apparently the first reported spill of a new kind of low-sulphur fuel, developed to help reduce air pollution, with 15km of the coastline affected by the incident.

President of the Mauritius Marine Conservation Society Jacqueline Sauzier spoke to the news source, explaining that because this is the first time this type of oil has been spilled, there are no long-term studies on the potential impacts it could have.

Because the island isn’t equipped to deal with an incident of this magnitude, other countries have flown in to offer their support, she continued. Teams from France, the UK and Japan have arrived, while the UN also sent in a team of experts to help, working with communities, the government and the private sector to help coordinate the cleanup.

Local Mauritians have also been very proactive in their efforts, as well, with almost 80km of ocean booms crafted out of cane trash over the course of a single weekend to help contain the oil.

Looking for industrial fuel oil suppliers? Get in touch with Re:Group today to see how we can help.

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How To Prevent Heating Oil Thefts

With news coming to us this week of yet another oil theft, this time from a property in Sudbury in Suffolk where hundreds of pounds worth of oil was stolen, there’s no time like the present to focus on site security so you can make sure your oil supplies are as safe as they can be.

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, the theft took place on April 14th between midnight and 2.20pm, with the oil taken from a tank on the property.

Police issued advice for anyone who may store oil on site in a similar fashion, suggesting putting lighting around any tanks, checking oil gauges regularly, investing in approved tank alarms and securing any fencing around the tanks themselves.

Rural properties may be particularly at risk from this kind of theft because they’re harder to monitor, which makes it easier for prospective thieves to sneak onto site under the cover of darkness (and even occasionally during the day) to drill holes in storage tanks and siphon fuel out.

You would be wise to make sure that oil tanks are placed within sight of occupied buildings, wherever possible. Consider setting up some fencing around the perimeter of the tank to act as a deterrent… thieves are easily put off so making it hard for them to gain access to your tank will prove very effective at protecting your heating oil.

If it’s possible to store your tank in a garage, shed or outbuilding, this would be a good idea and it will have the added benefit of protecting it from drops in temperature.

British Standards regulations allow you to keep domestic oil storage tanks inside as long as there is secondary containment, the tank has a capacity of under 3,500 litres, is located at the lowest level, is contained alone with a one-hour fire-resistant chamber and as long as there is good ventilation.

Another option, if you’re unable to store it in a building on site, is to consider installing it below ground instead. Be aware, however, that this brings with it an elevated risk of pollution so there are numerous government regulations you will need to comply with.

You can also help to safeguard your interests from the outset by choosing the right kind of tank. Plastic ones may well be cheaper and thus more attractive, but bear in mind that steel tanks offer a stronger storage solution as they’re harder to drill into and much harder to move because they’re heavier than their plastic counterparts.

It’s also essential that you have the appropriate oil tank insurance in place, just in case you are targeted by thieves. Damage is likely to be done to the tank and any security measures you’ve had installed, as well as the environment – so insurance is an absolute must.

For information and help relating to industrial heating oil, get in touch with Re:Group today.

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OGUK Welcomes Govt Help For Industry Workers & Companies

Industry organisation Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) has welcomed the government’s announcement of help for workers and companies in the country’s offshore oil and gas industry – which has been severely affected by the impact of COVID-19, the oil price crash and the lowest gas prices seen in the last decade.

Companies in the industry contribute approximately 50 per cent of UK gas, which is used for a large proportion of the country’s electricity production, heating the vast majority of our homes.

Not only that but they also produce a large proportion of the oil we need to fuel our cars, as well as in the manufacture of a vast proportion of the items we use day to day, from contact lenses to lightweight cases for our mobile phones.

Deirdre Michie, chief executive of OGUK, said: “Many of the companies in our industry, especially in the supply chain, are still financially fragile after the previous oil price crash, so the triple whammy we now face is particularly dangerous.

“In that context the strong response from the UK government and their clear determination to support both workers and companies is very welcome. It is now crucial to ensure companies can easily and rapidly access this money as for many businesses and individuals cash flow is now vital.”

Earlier this week (March 20th), the government announced that oil and gas workers were to be included on a list of key workers whose children will now be prioritised for education provision.

OGUK is now working to make sure that all its members and stakeholders are kept up to date with all the latest information relating to COVID-19. There are numerous schemes now available to help support those that have been affected by the pandemic, information about which you can find on the OGUK website.

These include the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (for businesses with turnover up to £45 million), the COVID-19 Corporate Financing Facility (for larger firms) and the Time to Pay service (to help businesses with paying tax).

There is also support available for businesses paying sick pay and through deferring VAT and income tax payments. OGUK is also working with members and regulators to develop industry-wide policy and advice on numerous issues, such as a helicopter transfer flowchart.

This sets out action plans for various situations. If no cases of COVID-19 are found, normal flying can take place. If an offshore installation has one or more cases, diagnosis will be made clinically by the installation medic or topside doctor. Symptomatic patients will either be sent home for self-care and isolation, not to hospital or to their GP.

Looking for industrial fuel oil suppliers? Get in touch with Re:Group UK today.

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Will Red Diesel’s Lower Fuel Duty Rate Be Scrapped?

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is apparently considering scrapping the reduced tax rate on red diesel, a fuel that’s widely used for registered off-road vehicles and machinery, a low-cost fuel that those in the construction and farming industries have come to rely on. It’s called red diesel because a red dye is added to it in order to prevent it from being used in road-going vehicles, although you may also hear it referred to as gas oil, tractor diesel, generator diesel or agricultural diesel.

According to a Financial Times report, seen by Farmers Weekly, Mr Sunak has plans in place to end the 11.1p/litre duty rate and charge the full 57.7p, expected to be announced in the forthcoming Budget.

Sales of red diesel make up around 15 per cent of all diesel sales, costing the Treasury £2.4 billion annually in revenue. Some media reports have suggested that only the construction industry would be affected by a duty rise – and it’s also being suggested that the chancellor will be ending the ten-year freeze on tax hikes for motorists.

If fuel duty is increased for red diesel, this would see average farm prices climb to over 98p/litre – a near-50 per cent hike in fuel costs.

Minette Batters, NFU president, said: “Red diesel is the primary fuel to run the majority of agricultural vehicles, and is absolutely crucial to farm businesses and to maintaining food production. The lower fuel duty on red diesel recognises this fact and, with such uncertainty and rising input costs, it is absolutely essential that the red diesel exemption is maintained.

“Changes to this duty [would] make us immediately uncompetitive with many countries, including EU member states, the US and Canada, which all provide their agricultural sectors with a lower fuel duty on red diesel.”

The next Budget will take place on March 11th, covering the nation’s finances and the government’s proposals for any changes being made to taxation. It will also include forecasts for the economy from the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Some measures, such as any changes to tax on tobacco and alcohol, come into effect on the day itself or soon after – so if red diesel duty changes are introduced, the impact could soon be felt in communities all over the UK.

Andrew Ward, an arable farmer in Lincolnshire, said that if these changes are implemented, his winter wheat and harvest fuel costs would climb from around £44/ha to £83/ha. He questioned whether the government actually wanted a UK agricultural industry, given that they’re already under pressure from climate change and subsidy cuts.

Are you looking for new fuel oil suppliers? Get in touch with us here at Re:Group to hear how we can help.