(CLE) BP & HERTZ TO CREATE EV CHARGING NETWORK

Rental giants Hertz are already big players in the electric vehicle space, having committed to purchasing hundreds of thousands of EVs from brands like GM, Polestar, and Tesla – and now, they’re planning to take on an even more active role in the electrification of America’s roads. 

They’re partnering with BP Pulse to install a national network of EV charging solutions for the brand and its customers.

Hertz and BP announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development of a national network of EV charging stations that will, it’s hoped, make charging their rented cars a more seamless, easily navigated experience for Hertz customers. The company hopes to have converted fully 25% of its national rental fleet to electric by 2024.

“Hertz is accelerating the adoption of electrification by investing in the largest rental fleet of electric vehicles in North America and expanding the availability of charging stations,” explains Stephen Scherr, Hertz CEO. “We are excited to partner with BP Pulse to create a national charging infrastructure for the Hertz EV fleet, thereby growing the number of charging options available to our customers and providing them with a premium electric experience and lower emission travel options.”

To their credit, BP – who, earlier this year, revealed that their BP Pulse charging stations were “on the cusp” of being more profitable than gas pumps – have expressed excitement in working with the rental company. “It’s brilliant to be joining forces with Hertz – quite simply, they are one of the biggest names on the road,” said Bernard Looney, BP’s chief executive. “Working together to deliver charging facilities and design solutions, we believe we can take the EV driving experience to the next level for US customers. And this is just the start for BP Pulse in the United States.”

It remains to be seen exactly what the Hertz and BP customer experience will ultimately look like, but anything that makes the EV rental experience better is going to lead to more EV sales – and that’s what we’re all about. CleanTechnica - link - Jo Borras - link - more Pulse brilliance - link - more like this (ev charging) - link - more like this (BP) - link

(BUG) BP & SHELL UNVEIL GREEN PLANS FOR UK

The UK's two largest oil and gas majors have this week unveiled plans to drastically ramp up their investment in low carbon infrastructure, as calls grow for the UK to curb its fossil fuel imports in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

City AM this morning reported comments from Shell UK country chair David Bunch indicating the energy giant is planning to "invest between £20bn and £25bn into the UK energy system over the next decade".

He added that 75 per cent of the investment would be in low and zero-carbon products and services, including offshore wind, hydrogen, and electric mobility.

The proposed investment, which is subject to board approval, comes as Shell faces growing calls to ramp up spending on domestic energy projects following its decision to exit Russian assets following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The oil and gas industry is also facing growing calls from the Labour opposition for a windfall tax on energy firms' profits to help fund measures to support fuel poor households struggling with soaring bills.

Bunch said he would be setting out more details on the multi-billion pound investment plan in "the months ahead", but he also stressed that fresh policy measures were required from government on a number of fronts to drive investment in new low carbon infrastructure.

"Shell cannot act alone," he said. "Investing this money requires urgency of action across government to deliver the enabling policy and business case frameworks. These must address both the supply and demand side of the energy transition (in areas such as hydrogen and CCS, for example)."

The news comes in the same day as the Carbon Capture and Storage Association warned that unless the government urgently clarifies the policy framework for new CCS and hydrogen projects they will struggle to be delivered in time to help the UK's meet its net zero targets.

Shell said the vast majority of its new investment plan would be focused on green energy sources such as offshore wind and hydrogen power, but the news also comes amidst reports that it is reconsidering its decision to exit the controversial Cambo oil field project, which could see a new field opened up off the coast of Shetland.

Separately, BP today announced plans to invest £1bn in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure to accelerate the expansion of its BP Pulse network of fast chargers. Timed to coincide with the release of the government's EV Infrastructure Strategy, the company said the investment would see BP deliver more rapid and ultra-fast chargers in key locations, expand fleet products and services, and launch new home charge digital products and services to enhance customer experience. Business Green - link - James Murray - link - more like this (UK investment) - link

(TIM) BP REINVESTING IN BRITAIN

Two decades ago, BP dropped the ‘British’ from its name and re-branded itself as Beyond Petroleum, in a multi-million pound marketing exercise.

The word ‘British’ may then have seemed redolent of a bygone era in the company’s history, with unwelcome imperialist associations.

But the name change also reflected the company’s dwindling presence in its home country and in the North Sea, where it had once been a huge player.

By the early years of this century, BP’s bosses were more interested in other markets, including Russia, where the company eventually acquired a 20 per cent stake in Kremlin-backed oil giant Rosneft.

Times have changed. What once looked like a lucrative, if risky, Russian investment now resembles an albatross. BP has promised to sever ties with Rosneft, though it is not clear how this will be achieved.

The big return to Britain pre-dates the invasion of Ukraine and is driven by the desire to become a clean energy player, rather than a response to the war.

Recent events, though, can only serve to underline the importance of reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and the likes of Putin, for our energy.

Having once viewed the UK as a sunset market, BP is planning to invest £10billion into windpower, hydrogen and other green energy ventures. Its familiar petrol station forecourts will host tens of thousands of electric vehicle charging points.

Bernard Looney, the chief executive, has vowed to invest £2 this decade for every £1 the company makes in the UK.

‘We are a UK company and we are betting on Britain,’ says Louise Kingham, head of BP’s UK business. ‘We want to showcase low carbon in the UK because it is our home and from an economic point of view, in terms of creating value.’ This Is Money - link - the excellent Ruth Sunderland - link - picture - link - more like this - link

(GUA) FUNDING INVASION

Never ones to let a good crisis go to waste, the fossil fuel industry and their allies have taken to the airwaves over the last few days to try and use the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an excuse for greater oil and gas development.

It’s the classic shock doctrine that we’ve come to expect from big oil, and unless our politicians are wise enough to see through it, it’s a strategy that will continue to undermine our ability to take action on climate change over the decade to come.

The fossil fuel industry’s attempt to exploit this particular crisis is all the more galling because of their central role in causing it. Putin’s ability to wage war in Ukraine and threaten the stability of Europe comes exclusively from his control over Russian oil and gas production. Forty per cent of Russia’s federal budget comes from oil and gas, which make up 60% of the country’s exports. This October, Russia was making more than $500m a day from fossil fuels, money that goes directly into funding Putin’s war machine.

No one in the oil and gas industry denies this. What they’d like us to conveniently forget is how they helped Putin get to this point.

Russia never could have become such an oil and gas superpower without the help of western oil companies like ExxonMobil and BP, which owns a 20% share of Rosneft, Russia’s state owned oil company. 

Back in 2014, when Rosneft’s oil and gas production was largely flat, ExxonMobil partnered with Rosneft to help them modernize operations and expand production in the Arctic. The partnership went so well that Putin awarded former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson the Order of Friendship, one of the highest honors Russia bestows on foreigners.

Exxon has returned the favor, joining with other US oil giants and their trade association, the American Petroleum Institute, to repeatedly lobby against Russian sanctions, including in 2018 when Congress tried to prevent future Russian meddling in US elections, and today, as Congress attempts to impose stricter sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Guardian - link - Jamie Henn - link - bp react to Rosneft criticism - link - more like this - link

(UPS) BP AUSTRALIA REPURPOSING KWINANA

UK supermajor BP is making steady progress with plans to produce renewable fuels and green hydrogen at a former oil refinery site in Kwinana, Western Australia.

Speaking at an Energy Club WA event this week in Perth, Justin Nash, senior manager City & Corporate Integrated Solutions at BP, told delegates that the company would be approaching the front-end engineering and design phase of the project within months.

BP first flagged plans in September to repurpose the 65-year-old oil refinery to help decarbonise Western Australia’s largest industrial cluster.

BP intends to use the site, which is currently being used as a fuel import terminal, to use waste based feedstock to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and hydrogenated vegetable oil, otherwise known as renewable diesel.

“This waste based feedstock will include things like tallow, animal fat, and used cooking oil that is sustainably sourced and certified,” Nash explained.

To produce these fuels will also need a source of hydrogen, and that will largely be generated from the pre-processing of these waste based feedstocks that will provide us some biogas to generate the hydrogen.”

Renewable fuels demand

BP claims renewable fuels can deliver carbon emission reductions of up to 90% over fossil fuels, and the UK energy giant is considering similar plants at locations around the globe, however, Nash highlights that the Kwinana site is the only such facility BP is considering in a country that does not have a renewables fuel mandate.

Despite the lack of a mandate, BP believes it has identified demand for the lower emissions fuel within Australia.

“The future demand for renewable fuels is the transport sector, particularly heavy transport operators and miners that have a need to decarbonise with an interim solution before new technology is developed,” Nash explained.

“Aviation, one of the hardest to abate sectors, particularly when you consider long haul flights, and there’s a bunch of long haul flights from Australia.

“There’s a bunch of rail that connects across this country, it’s generally using diesel, so there’s an opportunity there to decarbonise. And then finally, with Kwinana, the opportunity for marine bunkering displacing current diesel to produce and use lower emission products.

Green hydrogen potential

BP has also partnered with the world’s largest infrastructure asset manager, Macquarie Group, to carry out a feasibility study into the potential to integrate green hydrogen production at the Kwinana site. ” upstream - link - Josh Lewis - link - more like this (Australia) - link - more like this - link

(OSE) BP, ADNOC, MASDAR PARTNER UP FOR UK & UAE

Courtesy of BP

British oil and gas company BP, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and UAE-based renewable energy developer Masdar have teamed up to develop hydrogen hubs in the UK and UAE.

The parties have signed three agreements in regards to clean and low carbon energy. One of those will see them collaborate to develop two gigawatts of low-carbon hydrogen across hubs in UK and UAE. Also, the companies intend to expand as the project progresses.

Access to clean hydrogen can reduce emissions, ‎enable new, low-carbon products, and unlock future fuels. Therefore, this is a significant contribution to the UK Government’s target to develop five gigawatts of hydrogen production by 2030. 

It could also lead to the first international investment in the low carbon hydrogen facility in Teesside. H2Teesside aims to produce a gigawatt of blue hydrogen starting in 2027. The project will capture and store up to two million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year through the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) - link - Sanja Pekic - link - more like this - link