Energy Digital magazine - June 2016

www.energydigital.com | June 2016

10 brands

embracing renewable solutions

Smart Cities:

Green credentials and potential

Green Gas

How biomethane gas will help build a greener Britain

IN THIS ISSUE

EDITOR’S COMMENT

W E L C O M E T O J U N E ’ S E D I T I O N of

Energy Digital – and my first as editor.

I believe that given the wealth of dire climate change predictions we’re often inundated with, it’s important to occasionally turn our gaze to the many sustainable solutions gaining traction in the energy sector. This month’s magazine does just that: we highlight 10 major multinational brands embracing renewable technologies and take a tour through ‘smart cities’ in order to understand the technologies that will propel them to an efficient, green future.

Lastly, I examine the UK’s growing biomethaneto-grid sector with Dr. Kiara Zennaro of the Renewable Energy Association. The sustainable alternative to natural gas is often made using municipal food waste, thereby preventing wasted food from emitting noxious methane in a landfill.

In short, human innovation has given us a fair few things to be optimistic about.

Enjoy reading, and, as always, send us comments @EnergyDigital

Jennifer Johnson

Editor jennifer.johnson@bizclikmedia.com

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F E AT U R E S

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How biomethane gas will help build a greener Britain

Technology

14

Smart Cities: Green credentials and potential

22 10 BIG BRANDS EMBRACING RENEWABLE SOLUTIONS

Company profiles

TABREED OMAN Middle East

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GRUPO CBO Brazil

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How biomethane gas will help build a greener Britain  As an alternative to natural gas, biomethane is increasingly catching the eyes of UK businesses looking to make their operations more sustainable. We look at how and why the biofuel appeals to retailers and utilities alike

Written by JENNIFER JOHNSON

PROFILE

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PROFILE FOR MANY BRITONS, turning the heating on (or up) is a reflexive action for a large part of the year. So much so that approximately 47 percent of energy in the UK is used for heating – which is in turn responsible for one-third of the country’s carbon emissions. Suffice it to say that decarbonising heat is on the agenda for anyone seeking to reduce the UK’s carbon footprint, and one particular solution is increasingly sparking corporate interest: biomethane gas.

What is biomethane and how is it produced?

According to Dr. Kiara Zennaro, the Head of Biogas at the Renewable Energy Association, the UK has the fastest-growing biogas sector in the world. Biogas is produced through anaerobic digestion – a natural process in which plant and animal-derived material is broken down by microorganisms in an airtight container. It’s not wholly dissimilar to what occurs in your average garden compost heap, but an anaerobic digester must be a sealed vessel in which bacteria can work without the presence of oxygen.

“The microorganisms are pretty 8

June 2016

much the same”, Zennaro says of the difference between composting and anaerobic digestion. “They are already in the waste; you don’t have to add anything. In the absence of oxygen, they will break down material, though it will need some stirring and mechanical mixing to make it more effective”.

The type of organic matter ‘fed’ to a digester tends to fall into two categories: municipal food waste and so-called ‘grain crops’ grown solely to be used in the process of making biogas.

There are two major by-products of anaerobic digestion, the so-called ‘digestate’ matter and biogas. The former can be used as a crop fertiliser because of its nutrient-rich composition, while the latter, a methane-rich gas, can be burned at the site of the anaerobic digestion plant to generate both renewable power and heat.

However, biogas still contains a relatively large amount of methane, CO2 and other impurities. It must be processed in order to be injected into the National Grid, where it can be used for heat and electricity in much the same way as traditional natural gas. This purified form of biogas is referred to as biomethane.

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PROFILE

Which businesses and organisations in the UK are currently using biomethane?

In March of this year, the state-ofthe-art Leyland Filling Station, a collaboration between CNG Fuels and the National Grid, launched in Lancashire, with the facility set to 10

June 2016

open for business at the end of this year. It is the UK’s first high-pressure connected compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station and it exclusively supplies biomethane created from food waste. CNG can be used in place of traditional petrol, diesel or propane, and the station is capable of refuelling

HEADLINE

up to 500 HGVs in a single day.

“By being connected to the high pressure system, it means the carbon footprint is much lower when compared to other filling stations”, Zennaro adds.

With their large cumulative quantities of food waste, and long-distance

transport needs, major supermarket chains have naturally started to notice the potential of biomethane.

Waitrose is already powering two of the Scania tractors used at its regional distribution centre at Leyland using compressed biomethane from the nearby filling station.

Not to be outdone, Sainsbury’s has recently partnered with recycling and waste management company ReFood to power a handful of its stores with biomethane. Under the partnership, ReFood will collect food waste from two of the supermarket’s depots, convert it into gas and fertiliser at one of its anaerobic digestion facilities and inject the biomethane into the grid.

A third party will then export the gas to select Sainsbury’s locations where it will be used to generate carbon-neutral heat and electricity.

“I think we’re seeing an increased interest from energy consumers, from corporate companies like Diageo and big supermarkets,” says Zennaro of biomethane’s growing appeal. “So far they’re mainly interested in green electricity, but now the green gas element is starting to raise more interest.”

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PROFILE

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June 2016

HO HW O WB IBOI O MM ET EH TH AA NN E EGG A AS SWWI LI LLLHHEELLPP BBUUI ILLDD AA GGRREEEEN NEER R B BR RI T TA AIN

What are the challenges currently facing the sector?

Zennaro sees biomethane as one of a growing number of renewable solutions that will need to be utilised in order to further decarbonise the UK’s energy sector. However, there are a number of legislative obstacles to its growth “The main issue is that the policy landscape keeps changing,” she adds. “It’s very difficult for investors and developers to know what level of support we’ll have by the time they build a plant and the plant becomes operational.”

Biomethane plants are reliant upon the UK government’s Renewable Heat Incentive - a policy introduced in 2011 in which the government pays a tariff on each kilowatt hour of biomethane injected into the grid. In recent years, the tariff has been cut through a budget control mechanism designed to apply reductions if a particular technology is developing too quickly.

In addition, suitable fuel for an anaerobic digester can be surprisingly difficult to come by. The government intends to restrict the growth of energy crops because of concerns that they will displace land that could be used for

growing food crops. It follows that the industry could turn to food waste for fuel, but even that is easier said than done: “Forty-five percent of local authorities in England are not collecting food waste, because food waste collections are quite costly”, Zennaro says.

So, could biomethane ever become a market rival for traditional gas?

Policy restrictions aside, it is unlikely that biomethane will ever usurp natural gas singlehandedly. But this isn’t to say that it won’t account for an integral portion of the UK’s energy mix.

“We could probably meet 20 percent of the UK gas demand by 2030 or 2035”, Zennaro says. “There is a huge opportunity for biomethane to fuel heavy vehicles, buses, and decarbonise the transport sector, as well. We really lag behind in terms of achieving our target for renewable transport, and the Department for Transport really sees biomethane not just to decarbonise the transport sector, but to improve air quality, which is the other important issue.”

“There is huge potential, that’s the bottom line.”

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TECHNOLOGY

Smart Citi credentials a Written by: E N E RGY

ies: Green and potential D I G ITA L STA F F 15

TECHNOLOGY THE MOST CLEVER smart cities successfully integrate secure forms of information and communication technologies into municipal assets: educational facilities, law enforcement departments, utility plants and medical facilities. The goal of any smart city (or aspiring smart city) is to continually utilise technology to improve services; this is often accomplished using sensors integrated with real time monitoring systems, as well as data collected from city residents.

The foreseeable advantages of smart cities While the prospect of a clean, green, efficient city is certainly attractive, smart cities have both advantages and disadvantages. In short, commonly cited advantages include:

• Improved infrastructure • Increased safety for elderly and disabled people who live alone • Economic development and stability • Environmental protection and sustainability 16

June 2016

Barcelona is a prime example of how modern technology can be integrated into city infrastructure with numerous beneficial outcomes. Barcelona’s Ministry of Justice is able to instantly connect with local prisons, police stations, lawyers and hospitals at any time. Sensors in parking lots indicate when spaces are occupied or vacant

HEADLINE

and this information is displayed in real-time and is also accessible via an app which allows drivers to book spaces in advance. Sensors on bins indicate whether they are empty or full, thus speeding up the process of trash collection. In addition, sensors in the ground at local parks ensure that grass gets just the right

amount of water, leading Barcelona to anticipate a decrease of about 25 percent in water used for irrigation.

Singapore is one of the world’s best known smart cities. It gets high marks for offering nearly all government services online and providing a top notch public transportation system.

However, it continues to look for 17

TECHNOLOGY

ways to improve its standing and offer better services to citizens.

One recent development involves rolling out ‘smart boxes’ connected to fiber optic lines to deliver realtime information on air pollutants, heavy rainfall or traffic jams to all citizens. Singapore also continues to put a premium on creating an eco-friendly atmosphere. The city 18

June 2016

has well over 2,000 certified green buildings and has put laws in place to discourage personal vehicle use.

What are the vulnerabilities of a smart city?

At the same time, a smart city is not guaranteed to be a success story. Critics rightfully note that the technology used to provide faster

and better services to citizens is also vulnerable to hacking. What’s more, a hack or breakdown in one sector could easily lead to dominoeffect failures in other sectors because of how interconnected utilities and services are. Privacy rights groups are also concerned that the more information a city collects, the higher the odds are

of it being misused. While some simply trust the government to use personal information wisely, the truth is that local, state and federal laws are lagging far behind technology in every part of the world.

This puts governments in danger of infringing on citizens’ rights or making serious errors in moral judgment simply because there is no precedent for how a particular situation should be handled.

Experts also note that the increased popularity of smart cities is leading some countries to build them from scratch, despite evidence that this may be misguided. Masdar City, which is being built in the deserts of Abu Dhabi, has attracted criticism for being highly impractical. It has been noted that cities built using the latest technology could very well be outdated by the time they are completed — resulting in time and money wasted on a settlement that is not attractive to prospective settlers.

It remains to be seen whether South Korea’s Songdo City will be lauded or lambasted in years to come. The city was constructed in a highly affordable manner and offers citizens full integration with 19

TECHNOLOGY

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public services. Abundant green spaces make the city a pleasant place to live and a highly modern waste management system means that Songdo needs only seven waste management employees to serve a city with 35,000 residents. However, Songdo also has its drawbacks: its ultra-modern style gives the city a plain appearance that does not take cultural aesthetics and expectations into account. As sociologists have noted, this type of “one size fits all” city can create serious problems, among them an increased crime rate and heightened class divisions.

What does the future hold for smart cities?

It’s safe to say that the popularity of smart cities is increasing exponentially. In most cases, however, governments are opting to work with existing city structures instead of building brand new cities using ultramodern technologies. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently set plans in place to transform 100 Indian cities into smart cities by the year 2020. The selected cities would receive well over US $15 million towards development. Existing smart

cities like Copenhagen, Vienna, Vancouver, Helsinki and Brisbane are working towards new developments to increase efficiency and make life easier and more comfortable for residents. A number of American cities, including San Francisco — New York, San Antonio, Chicago and Miami — are increasing their use of cutting edge technology to improve traffic, safety and other services. However, the idea of building a smart city from scratch refuses to die, as evidenced by the fact that Google is making plans to build its own municipalities.

Technology’s rapid developments makes it impossible to foresee exactly what smart cities will look or behave like in five or ten years. However, recent trends indicate that smart cities will become both more popular and more abundant. The world’s metropolises will inevitably continue looking for ways to use technology to create a safe, eco-friendly, efficient environment for residents. However, the fact that privacy and hacking concerns have not been addressed at length means that even the world’s smartest cities will remain vulnerable to serious disruption.

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LIST

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BIG BRANDS EMBR RENEWABLE SOLU As companies come to realise that investing in energy efficient technology is a prudent business manoeuvre, an increasing number are taking the initiative in developing innovative solutions. Businesses are focusing their efforts on renewable technologies,

increasing the efficiency of existing resources and making those resources more accessible. In the process, they’re decreasing energy consumption and reducing carbon emissions.

Below are 10 brands that are transforming the energy sector today.

RACING UTIONS

Written by: Energy Digital Staff

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LIST

Google not only has data centres that are 50 percent more energy efficient than average, its also one of the largest corporate investors in renewable energy in the world. It has committed to invest more than US $2.5 billion in renewable energy projects, and it has set about powering all of their facilities with 100 percent renewable energy. To reach this goal, Google purchases electricity from wind and solar farms. It partners with the utilities to increase the production of clean energy for themselves and others.

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24 June 2016

9

General Electric

General Electric has a variety of ongoing energy projects, but one of the most notable is its ‘intelligent turbine’.

The first of its kind, the new wind turbine incorporates GE’s Industrial Internet into its design. The Industrial Internet, which combines Big Data analytics with the Internet of Things (IoT), is a network of sensors and analytics designed for machine optimisation. When used in conjunction with the wind turbine, it improves efficiency by as much as 25 percent and makes it possible to produce large amounts of power in low winds. The wind turbine also employs batteries to compensate for the variability of wind power.

10 BIG BRANDS

7 8 Phillips’ smart LED bulbs are the most efficient and highestquality in the industry: it uses approximately one-sixth the electricity of incandescent lighting, conserving energy and substantially reducing carbon emissions. Largescale implementation of the technology reportedly has the potential to reduce energy consumption in the US by 50 percent, resulting in $250 billion in savings. In addition, the company’s Hue system allows users to alter the color of light emitted from the bulbs.

Dow Chemical Dow Chemical created an alternative to bulky photovoltaic cells. Its Powerhouse Solar Shingles boast easier installation and a more slick appearance than traditional solar panels. Dow’s award-winning photovoltaic systems can lower energy costs up to 60 percent, and it offers a variety of innovative solar solutions — including its NuvoSun Flex PV Cells. These flexible photovoltaic cells provide high power conversion efficiencies and are available in a variety of dimensions.

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LIST

6 Mosaic makes it possible for homeowners, municipalities and other institutions to obtain solar energy installations through a crowdfunding model. It provides an online marketplace where investors can fund solar projects. Borrowers receive reduced rates and are not required to make a down payment. Once a prospective borrower submits an online application, Mosaic connects them to a network of solar installation contractors and provides a loan for the entire cost. It has crowdfunded over US $5.6 million in investments since their 2012 launch.

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5 Achates Power is developing a new opposed-piston engine that is 50 percent more efficient than conventional engines and reduces the cost of the powertrain. The engine‘s unique architecture features two pistons in one cylinder that move opposite one another.

This movement produces pressures so extreme that the gas and air mixture autoignites, so there is no need for spark plugs. The design also eliminates cylinder heads, a major source of heat loss in conventional engines.

10 BIG BRANDS

4

AltaRock Energy AltaRock Energy is a startup that is making significant advances in geothermal energy. Traditional geothermal energy uses steam produced by hot underground rocks and water to produce energy.

In the past, it has only been available in areas where this geological phenomenon occurs. AltaRock Energy employs a methodology whereby water is pumped into deep wells where it doesn’t occur naturally.

This technology could potentially make geothermal energy available in many more locations.

3 LED manufacturer Bridgelux is making LED technology more affordable while providing capabilities to support smart lighting applications.

The company has been instrumental in bringing LED technology to the market. It was the first to grow LEDs on silicon substrate on a large scale, and its chip-onboard architecture improved the quality of lighting and lowered production costs.

Now, the company has further reduced costs with its Vero platform, which also increases connectivity for the growing number of smart lighting technologies.

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LIST

2

Ioxus is a manufacturer of ultracapacitors, which are used in energy storage applications. Unlike batteries that rely on a chemical reaction, ultracapacitors operate by electrostatics. This allows them to be charged and discharged rapidly, and they can be used to provide a rapid burst of power. Ultracapacitors have the capability to improve fuel efficiency by delivering propulsion on acceleration. Ioxus ultracapacitors are now being used to supply additional voltage and reduce energy consumption for trains.

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10 BIG BRANDS

Silver Spring Networks

1

Silver Spring Networks manufactures wireless infrastructure for utility power grids. Its products enable energy consuming devices to be monitored and controlled by building occupants for maximum efficiency.

The company’s SilverLink Sensor Network provides data management across a network of smart grid devices and cloud systems to provide easily accessible data for utilities and consumers.

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Written by: Lucy Dixon Produced by: Richard Thomas

Keeping COOL

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TA B R E E D O M A N

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June 2016

MIDDLE EAST

Tabreed Oman is offering a dynamic approach to district cooling systems in Oman, as Business Review Middle East reports

W

ith summer temperatures soaring to 50 degrees Celsius and beyond, it is obvious that cooling is big business in the Middle East – accounting for the majority of the energy needs across the region in the peak season. And district cooling, with the ability to save considerable amounts of energy when compared to traditional systems, is suitable for a range of developments from business districts and airports to hotels and high-density residential buildings.

One centralised cooling system can pump chilled water to the buildings of numerous customers, reducing the inefficiencies that occur when every building needs to have its own cooling system.

Tabreed Oman, a subsidiary of Tabreed in the UAE, is currently spreading the district cooling message in Oman. The company’s

w w w. t a b r e e d o m a n . c o m

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TA B R E E D O M A N

Salim Al Farsi CEO

Salim Al Farsi, Chief Executive Officer, has BA (Honours) Accounting Degree University of Derby, UK and later became a fully qualified fellow charted accountant (ACCA UK), Salim brings with him fifteen years’ experience from different industry, started his working life in the Oil and Gas industry then to investment and construction industry and now to the utility business. Prior to joining Tabreed, he was the finance manager at Oman Oil Company E&P.

“The customer saw it in his benefit to spend that bit of extra cash to convert his buildings to be compatible to our system – so he could slice his electricity bill by half for the next 25 years” – Salim Al Farsi, CEO

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June 2016

CEO Salim Al Farsi explains its business model: “What we provide is a solution whereby we build a cooling plant that can serve multiple customers.

It’s owned by Tabreed Oman for the next 25 years, so it is in our best interest to look after it in the best possible way. The customer does not need to worry about anything except receiving the service.” This means that Tabreed Oman’s customers pay monthly energy bills in the same way they always have for other utilities such as power and water, without needing to concern themselves with maintenance of the equipment.

Energy-efficient cooling that saves building owners both money and hassle seems like a straightforward choice, and Al Farsi’s team is working hard to make sure the benefits are explained to potential clients throughout Oman.

It goes beyond cutting energy bills, he says, even meaning that a newbuild’s construction costs can

MIDDLE EAST

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TA B R E E D O M A N

“A lot of the time we get referred by our current customers, in fact our biggest customer came through referral” – Salim Al Farsi, CEO

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June 2016

MIDDLE EAST

25

The total number of staff employed by Tabreed Oman

that Tabreed Oman is conducting an educational campaign at the moment.

Al Farsi adds: “All the officials so far that we have seen love the concept.

Everybody appreciates what we do and everybody believes in what we do.” Turning this belief into firm orders is not quite as simple – but as Tabreed Oman’s happy customers are spreading the word, the company is steadily growing.

As we all know, word of mouth is a very powerful marketing tool.

So as the projects come in, Al Farsi is working on further expansion, building personal relationships with potential clients.

“My network is good and a lot of the time we get referred by our current customers, in fact our biggest customer came through referral.

Tabreed Oman is the only company in Oman offering district

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TA B R E E D O M A N

Musabah Al Siyabi

Operation & Maintenance Director Musabah Hamed Al Siyabi Has a BSc in Electrical Engineering from Sultan Qaboos University with over 17-years experience in design, operation and maintenance of Electrical & Mechanical Systems for Power & DC Plants & Building Services. He joined Tabreed Oman in 2009 as a Project Senior Engineer & prior to joining Tabreed, he was a Project Engineer for the Ministry of Defense Engineering Services.

be reduced. “As a rule of thumb, a building’s energy requirements will be 70/30 with the majority needed for the air conditioning system.

And the rest goes for the building remaining load. By removing up to 70 percent of the requirement,

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June 2016

all the electrical infrastructure will be reduced. By using a Tabreed system, the total building capital investment cost can be reduced by 15 percent to 20 percent.

Clearly a district cooling system can reduce costs significantly,

MIDDLE EAST

Abdullah Al-Hinai

Projects & Planning Director Abdullah Said Al-Hinai Has a Master degree (MSc) in Engineering Projects Management from Bournemouth University (UK), having more than 18 years of experience in the fields of Telecommunications and Civil Projects. Prior to his assignment with Tabreed Oman, Abdullah was an Equipments Engineer at MB Petroleum Services and before that he was Radio Supervisor and Projects Director Assistant in the Royal Navy of Oman.

but despite being around since the 19th century, it is a relatively new concept in Oman. Other benefits of district cooling include space saving, no chiller noise, a reduction of refrigerant emissions, improved building appearance and

reduced electrical infrastructure.

Despite these advantages, Al Farsi says: “It is a bit of challenge to convince people to sign up for our coolage solution, because not many people are aware of how it works.” So you could say

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TA B R E E D O M A N

2m OMR

The amount of revenue generated by Tabreed Oman 40

June 2016

cooling systems in this way. “The only competition we have is how to convince people not to buy the system themselves but to come to us. There are a lot of things we can bring on the table as benefits, our knowledge and experience.” Al Farsi points out that Tabreed Oman is the expert in this field and its business model means that customers are taking no risk themselves, as they aren’t responsible for the operation and maintenance of the equipment.

The company’s biggest project to date was

MIDDLE EAST

the Palm Mall, owned by Tamani Global Development & Investment LLC, The cooling system offered

by Tabreed Oman will utilize Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) water provided by Haya, resulting in a very green solution.

Another project is the Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM), a technology park which was opened in 2003, which involved a mix of newbuilds and existing buildings. Al Farsi explains: “For this particular

project we built a plant and connected new buildings. At the same time, we had two existing buildings already at that site, so we converted them to our new system. The customer saw it in his benefit to spend that bit of extra cash to convert those buildings to be compatible to our system – so they could slice their electricity bills by half for the next 25 years. That’s an awful lot of money to save.”

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ETHICS AND

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCY The Group seeks to become one of the leaders in the industry through a strong investment plan and expending its fleet in number and technology Written by: Flรกvia Brancato

|

Produced by: Carolina Majer

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CBO GROUP

R

ecognized by its excellency and the high quality on the provided services, the CBO Group today is one of the biggest Brazilian companies in shipping support. Focusing mainly on the construction and operation of medium size offshore supporting vessels, and submarine inspection and construction vessels, the company has a solid growth plan which involves expanding its fleet by constructing its own shipyard.

Supporting the market with PSVs (Platform Supply Vessel), AHTS (Anchor Handling, Tug and Supply), RSV (ROV Support Vessel), OSRV (Oil Spill Recovery Vessel), the CBO Group holds 33 vessels, 25 of which are operating and the other eight in the building stage.

LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION As leaders in Brazil, the PSVs are being built with an innovating project for the hulls called X-BOW from Ulstein. The hull’s shape is developed to improve the ship performance during the shipping, making gentle movements, speeding up less and with a potential to reduce fuel 44

June 2016

Oceana Shipyard - Construction of th

consumption.

Besides that, another innovation is the winches that use electrical engines instead of hydraulic engines – used in the AHTSs constructions.

“Following the trend and replacing

he first AHTS

the combustion engine or hydraulics, we are investing in this technology that brings benefits such as reduction in the installation costs and maintenance�, explains Edson Souki, CEO of CBO Group.

SHIPBUILDING CBO Group integrates a high tech structure and a great building capacity offering productivity and technical quality in building.

Aliança Shipyard is strategically w w w. g r u p o c b o . c o m . b r

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CBO GROUP located in an area of 60,000m2 at the highway BR 101 in Niterói, at Baía de Guanabara riverside. The shipyard has built around 16 ships and nowadays is the support base for the innovation strategy of the company’s fleet.

Oceana Shipyard – In an advanced technology structure, the shipyard is the most modern in terms of building processes and high tech installations, with more than 1,000 employees to build ships to the offshore support industry. The location, Itajaí in Santa

Catarina, was chosen because of its remarkable vocation to shipbuilding, specialized workforce availability and excellent location in relation to the supply chain and the clients.

“With a capacity to build until six ships in a year, Oceana was projected with important sustainability patterns and is full steam ahead,” observes Souki.

SHIPPING CBO Shipping operates a fleet of 25 ships, is present in the main Brazilian oil basin, and gives

Sales and Service Support specialized in the best Suppliers of Marine Equipment for offshore market.

Installation, comissioning, repair and maintanance of equipment.

Technical Support 24/7.

RADAR VMFT

FANBEAM

COMPRESSOR

FIRE DETECTION SYSTEM

REPRESENTATIONS

Bispo Lacerda Street, 35, Del Castilho, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brazil - CEP: 21051-120 Phone: +55 (21) 2111-8077 / Email: info@visionmarine.com.br Website: www.visionmarine.com.br

APOIO MARÍTIMO

Aliança Shipyard

support to the exploration and oil production platforms on the country’s coast. Having a crew with more than 800 marines, CBO acts at the Basins of Campos, Santos, Espírito Santo, Ceará and Potiguar.

To maintain its recognized quality, the company has one of the most modern Training Centers of Brazil.

The CBO Training Center offers

technical training and labor safety, on board simulations and some specialist training according to the client’s needs. The CEO highlights the investments importance on the simulator opened in 2013. “Our simulator technology boosts our operations and puts us ahead as a differential in quality and safety in our maritime workforce formation”. w w w. g r u p o c b o . c o m . b r

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Control Panel

BRAZIL

In order to get a better idea, through using simulation of the vessel operations it is possible to reduce the on board learning time by more than 50 percent.

INVESTMENT PLAN “In 2012 we won 10 building contracts totalizing an investment plan close to 832 million dollars. We started 2014 with a fleet of 23 ships and with these new contracts the company will see an expansion of around 45 percent of the fleet in the next two years”, says Souki. The new vessels are scheduled to be delivered in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Enjoying the ton potential of the vessels made in Brazil inside the company through the REB (Brazilian Special Register), the CBO Group has developed

strategical partnerships, in addition to cost efficiency work, putting the company in a new scenario at the oil barrel price.

The CEO also highlights that the company just redesigned a new strategic position and is expanding the client base. “We have worked with a commercial approach to the market taking into account the excellence of our operation, quality of our assets and years of high level business relationship experience.”

Consolidating even further, as a relevant player in support navigation in Brazil, the CBO Group is optimistic in regards to the future.

“We do not disclose revenues, but with this new growth plan the company will double its cash flow through revenue growth and margin improvement. In the coming years

“WITH A CAPACITY TO BUILD UNTIL SIX SHIPS IN A YEAR, OCEANA WAS PROJECTED WITH IMPORTANT SUSTAINABILITY PATTERNS AND IS FULL STEAM AHEAD.” – Edson Souki, CEO CBO Group w w w. g r u p o c b o . c o m . b r

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C O M PA N Y N A M E

Deck of CBO Oceana

“IN THE COMING YEARS WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE COMPANY WILL BE A CENTER OF OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH ITS SHIPYARD IN ITAJAÍ, SUPPORT BASE IN NITERÓI AND ITS 33 VESSELS.” – Edson Souki, CEO CBO Group 50

June 2016

we understand that the company will be a center of operational excellence through its shipyard in Itajaí, support base in Niterói and its 33 vessels,” he adds.

QUALIFICATION AND RECOGNITION Represented by executives with broad experience in the sector and

BRAZIL

CBO NiterĂłi: Command Panel detail

a highly qualified technical staff, the company follows the highest principles of QSMS (Quality, Security, Environment and Health) and operational efficiency, including accident prevention programsaligned with quality guidelines and processes of its controllers.

The CBO Group is always seeking to improve management,

strengthen security concepts, and increase quality and efficient growth. “We have a very positive return of our biggest clients, based on assessments from PEOTRAM- a Petrobras program that establishes management guidelines such as a Customer Satisfaction Index utilized by Statoil, in addition to the recognition of other clients through w w w. g r u p o c b o . c o m . b r

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CBO GROUP

Technical crew tests quality of lifeboat

diverse awards and testimonials received throughout all of our history�, says Souki.

Assuming that the Group is dedicated to the clients that present grand plans of growth in Brazil, including the biggest oil and 52

June 2016

gas operators of the country, the president then reveals that they continue investing in shipbuilding. “Besides the dedication to the growth of our own fleet, the CBO Group also considers ship building for others. We believe in a market

BRAZIL

Company Information NAME

CBO Group INDUSTRY

Offshore HEADQUARTERS

Rio de Janeiro - RJ E S TA B L I S H E D

1978

2.249 demand of certain classes of Brazilian vessels by 2020, and we are prepared to meet it with high quality vessels and high valueadded specifications. In addition we are fully convinced of the competitiveness of the Oceana Shipyard in the global market of vessel manufacturing,� he concludes.

Number of employees in the CBO Group

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