Page 21 - Energize May 2022

NEWS

Africa’s growing demand for liquid fuel

needs greater storage facilities

hyssenkrupp Uhde has developed fuel that’s required to power passenger and commercial vehicles, machinery and equipment.
holistic, cost-effective and efficient We see great potential for our tank farm solutions in many African countries with growing
TLiquid Fuel Storage solutions to meet populations and industrialisation including South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria
Africa’s ongoing need for the responsible and Tanzania.” There is every likelihood that the African continent will see an increase in
and safe storage of this critical resource. refined fuel imports. Mohun explains: “This shift can be attributed to the fact that we are
The company incorporates engineering seeing ever-stricter environmental legislation and ageing infrastructure of refineries in South
expertise, technology know-how and Africa and the rest of Africa. Furthermore, imported fuel is produced in larger technologically
experience in fuel projects into the design advanced overseas refineries at lower costs and smaller environmental footprints. This makes
of its innovative tank farm solutions. it a much more attractive option.” It follows that an increase in refined fuel imports will in
Nithesh Mohun, a senior sales engineer turn drive interest in storage and distribution from smaller independent market players. “As
at thyssenkrupp Uhde, explains that while these players do not have access to funding when compared to large companies, they need
the ‘Go Green’ and ‘De-fossilisation’ an option that will enable them to determine the project viability of fuel storage facilities.
drives are in high gear worldwide, the This will give them the ability to move forward without a high upfront investment cost.”
immediate need for fuel resources in Recognising that this sector not only needs but is also ready for a cost effective, efficient
Africa and indeed in South Africa, still solution, thyssenkrupp Uhde took an innovative approach in the development of its tank
provides a requirement for the storage and farms. “We revisited our standard engineering expertise to be able to deliver an optimized
distribution of liquid fuel. holistic offering to customers,” explains thyssenkrupp Uhde’s Proposals Engineer, Yurisha
“First-world countries are moving Singh. “By developing an automated standardised tool, we are able to rapidly deliver front
away from fossils fuels and adopting green end loading (FEL) to our traditional EPC (engineering, procurement and construction)
technologies and renewable alternatives portfolio.” In the pre-feasibility (FEL 1) and feasibility (FEL 2) phases, the company delivers a
quite fast, but the scenario in Africa is tariff target-based tank farm solution to ensure customer competitiveness. “Our focus is on
different. While green initiatives are reducing the engineering time and effort required to develop a product so that we can get
underway in Africa, the immediate need it deployed as quickly as possible, all to the ultimate benefit of the customer,” states Singh.
for liquid fuels, driven largely by population “Owing to our smart engineering, customers will be able to determine a basic design as well
growth and industrialization, is expected as a costing of their tank farms without large upfront investment costs. Another added value
to continue for some time. This growing is that because it is automated, the design can be done quickly. This forwarding-thinking
demand, combined with an expected approach was a natural next step for us, given thyssenkrupp Uhde’s reputation for innovative
increase in imported refined fuel, dictates product development and specialist engineering.” Although the Liquid Fuel Storage Tool is a
the need for more independent storage new offering from thyssenkrupp Uhde, the solution is based on the company’s experience in
facilities.” Mohun points to the direct numerous successfully executed fuel projects. The solution is designed to the strict standards
correlation between growing populations of the fuel industry and incorporates technical expertise gathered from experienced industry
and an increased need and demand for specialists. “We have numerous references for blue-chip fuel projects,” affirms Singh. She
water, energy, infrastructure, agriculture, concludes, “In addition to the successful execution of many refinery projects for several of
transport, etc. the country’s leading refineries, thyssenkrupp Uhde’s South African team has also completed
“Tank farms are essential components large terminal and pipeline projects.”
in the value chain. They present safe bulk
liquid storage solutions and allow for Contact Daniel Martinho, thyssenkrupp Uhde, Phone 083 378-9650,
distribution of the large volumes of liquid daniel.martinho@thyssenkrupp.com, thyssenkrupp blog: https://engineered.thyssenkrupp.com

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