Shell fuel supplier Viva Energy has celebrated its first year as Viva Energy Australia, with its CEO Scott Wyatt stating that the transition of ownership from Shell to Vitol (the world’s largest independent trader) has been a very exciting time for the company.
“I want to take this opportunity to personally thank you for your continued support of our business which we value greatly,” Mr Wyatt said.
“Viva Energy is a truly local company and we are proudly committed to our customer’s here in Australia. Although our name is only 12 months old, our experience goes back more than 110 years and we know what it takes to build trust and your diverse energy needs. We are continuing to invest in our business, and have already made significant steps over the last year.”
Mr Wyatt indicated that Viva Energy is about to commence the first of two major processing unit turnarounds at its Geelong refinery and has deployed projects to improve distribution of fuels from Geelong to customers in Victoria by more than 25%.
“We are also assessing the construction of a new crude storage tank. Over the next three years expect to spend around $300 million to help secure a future for manufacturing in Australia and more than 700 local jobs,” he said.
Other initiatives include investment to increase storage capacity and improve supply security, spending more than $150 million to upgrade the fuel terminal in Sydney, and construction of a new bulk lubricant import terminal in Brisbane.
Viva Energy operates more than 20 fuel import terminals around Australia and has a network of more than 860 Shell branded service stations to meet on-road refuelling and convenience needs.
Plans include upgrading service stations and significantly expanding the network over the next few years.
“All up we will invest $1 billion over the next five years in our refining, supply chain and service station businesses to ensure that we remain the safest, most dependable fuel and lubricant supplier to your business,” Mr Wyatt said.