The Shell Companies in the Philippines unveiled a plan to expand the retail network with additional 50 to 70 outlets and extend its newly-launched power business, a top executive said Monday night.
“As we continue to expand our core business, one key change that you may expect to see from Shell is a more diversified portfolio set to meet the cleaner energy needs of the country,” SCIP chairman Cesar Romero said during a virtual media appreciation event.
SCIP launched its power business under Shell Energy Philippines Inc. last year. Shell Energy filed a notice to proceed with its planned liquefied natural gas project, specifically a floating storage re-gasification unit.
“You can expect bigger things from Shell Energy Philippines Inc. as its focuses on delivering cleaner, flexible and innovative energy solutions to our commercial and industrial customers,” Romero said.
Romero said Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. was also looking at opening 50 to 70 sites this year.
“One of our key priorities is the continuous growth of our retail network. As of end of December 2020, we had over a thousand retail sites nationwide, and with the increase in retail sales especially during the last quarter of the year, it is reasonable to expect an additional 50 to 70 sites to open within 2021,” he said.
Romero said Pilipinas Shell was taking steps to reshape its portfolio to become more efficient. The company decided to transform its 110,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Batangas into an import terminal last year.
Pilipinas Shell opened the third import terminal in Subic last year which, along with the Tabangao Terminal in Batangas and the North Mindanao Import Facility in Cagayan de Oro, formed a robust supply triangle for the company.
Romero said the facilities would maximize efficiency and strengthen Pilipinas Shell’s world-class supply chain network.
“We are looking to increase in the next few years as we support government’s efforts to jumpstart the economy amidst the pandemic,” he said.
He said Pilipinas Shell products would continue to drive national development, from the fuels used by the construction, manufacturing, mining and transport sectors, to the bitumen products used for infrastructure.
“We will continuously seek to advance our offerings and drive innovation in our systems to satisfy our customers,” Romero said.
He SCIP was also focusing on being a net-zero emission energy business.
“The solar farm facility in Tabangao, which was successfully commissioned in December 2020, has produced over 84,000 kilowatt-hours to date. The facility’s 5,220 panels, with a peak capacity of 1.8 MW DC, will support 10 percent of the Tabangao import facility’s annual power requirement, which may even reach 45 percent in the summer with the expected peak operation of the solar farm during the sunny months,” Romero said.
He said reshaping Pilipinas Shell would enable it to adapt to a different future and lay down the foundations for a resilient, adaptive and future-ready organization.
Pilipinas Shell is the longest running energy company in the country, doing business for 107 years now.
“We continue to consider the Philippines as one of our most important and vibrant markets. I’ve said it before, and I will emphasize it again: we are here to stay,” Romero said.