Certa to fuel entire delivery fleet with HVO

Certa has transitioned its fleet of delivery vehicles in Ireland from running on diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). The company’s entire fleet of over 100 trucks will run on the secondgeneration biofuel by the end of March following a successful trial in 2022. Collectively, the company’s fleet travels over 3,000,000km annually. The switch to HVO is the equivalent of reducing its fleet to nine trucks in carbon emission terms.

The fuel itself is produced from waste plant matter and emits no new carbon into the atmosphere. Compared with regular diesel, HVO offers a reduction in carbon emissions by up to 90%.

“We want to be a real decarbonisation leader, so renewable fuels are incredibly important to us. The big advantage of HVO is that our customers can use it without going through much change, and there are no switch costs so for us this fuel is eminently important,” said Fabian Ziegler, CEO of DCC Energy.

Certa distributes heating oil from 22 depots across Ireland as well as supplying commercial fuels and lubricants to a wide range of businesses nationwide. In 2022, the company started to supply HVO to a range of sectors in Ireland as a sustainable alternative fuel to regular diesel.

Petrobras and Shell partner for energy transition

Petrobras and Shell signed a Memorandum of Understanding during CERAWeek, in Houston, to encourage discussion and collaboration between the companies.

Jean Paul Prates, the CEO of Petrobras, and Wael Sawan, the CEO of Shell, agreed the companies will work together on identifying potential upstream opportunities, sharing experience and best practices on reducing carbon emissions, social and environmental initiatives.

This non-binding agreement will last five years and focuses on potential exploration opportunities in and beyond the pre-salt, including the Equatorial Margin. It also contemplates energy transition efforts, with an emphasis on renewables and Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS).

“Being able to rely on partners, such as Shell, is vital for Petrobras’s future plans, because partners can add their strength to areas where the company is looking for profitable diversification, such as renewables and hydrogen. We will be looking to learn from the main players as we lead Petrobras towards a fair energy transition”, said Prates.

On the environmental front, Petrobras and Shell aim to establish projects to preserve and restore biodiversity, with the goal of issuing credits to offset carbon emissions. In addition, the companies will also look to work together on social investment projects.

“As Shell celebrates our 110th anniversary of working in Brazil, this exciting agreement reinforces both the significance of the country within our global portfolio, and our strong partnership with Petrobras,” added Sawan.

Petrobras and Shell have a long history of working together on research and development into technology of mutual interest, having signed in 2020 a Strategic Technical Cooperation Agreement.

Circle K signs new partnership with the Football Association of Ireland

Circle K has announced it will fuel Irish grassroots and elite football in a new agreement that will see the brand become the Official Fuel and Convenience Partner to the FAI, partner to the Men’s and Women’s National Teams and title sponsor of FAI Club Mark.

The partnership announcement comes at an exciting time for Irish football, with the men’s team about to embark on a European qualifying campaign and the women’s team preparing for their first ever World Cup appearance this summer.

“With a network of over 400 service stations in Ireland, Circle K is at the heart of communities in Ireland supporting our customers with essential products and services,” said Gordon Lawlor, Managing Director of Circle K Ireland.

As part of the deal, Circle K will sponsor the FAI Club Mark, an awards programme for best practice in the governance, management and administration of grassroots football clubs nationwide.

With a presence in every community in the Republic of Ireland, the partnership will enable Circle K to provide further support to communities, by supporting grassroots football and its many players, coaches, administrators and volunteers.