PUMA ENERGY TARGETS AVIATION SECTOR

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Wednesday April 13, 2016

Puma Energy, the fast-growing midstream and downstream energy company operating in 47 countries worldwide, has officially entered the Ghanaian market with the resolve to invest hugely in the aviation sector.

It officially opened its state-of-the-art fuel depot at the Kotoka International Airport, Accra on Monday and said it had added an extra capacity of 10,000m3 storage to the existing 750m3 aviation fuel depot.

Christophe Zyde, Chief Operating Officer for Puma Energy Africa, said that the company has invested significantly in Ghana’s oil and petroleum sector behind the scenes over the years, developing capacity, bringing efficiencies and stimulating economic growth.

He said that the development of the storage capacity has a significant impact on Ghana’s potential for trade and economic growth, saying “the increased capacity and security of supply provided by our investments at Kotoka Airport Terminal and Tema Ridge  Depot mean that Ghana can optimize its position as a hub for aviation  in the West Africa sub-region.” 

He said Puma Energy had formed a partnership with Blue Ocean Investments on the storage and supply side of the business, and UBI Petroleum, which has been taken up by Puma Energy Distribution Ghana on the retail side, is now an established majority Ghanaian-owned company.

Additionally, Mr. Zyde said Puma Energy has built a new terminal at Takoradi to improve regional fuel supply and it comes with new gasoline / gasoil terminals which added 32,000m3 capacity, servicing the west of the country.

He said there is also another 15,000m3 storage capacity created by the aviation fuel storage depot at Tema and they all reinforced security of supply as well as improving planning.

“This increased capacity means enhanced traffic with the resulting potential increase in economic activity. Security of supply at this airport makes Accra a contender for major airlines using it as a hub for the West African sub-region.”

Myles Bouvier-Baird, General Manager for Puma Energy in Ghana, said the company has built its reputation on delivering high quality fuel swiftly, reliably and at a fair price, saying “we have built a completely global integrated midstream and downstream oil company to serve our customers around the world.”

He said that the company is committed to a sustainable business model, which includes supporting local economic development, protecting the environment and investing in local communities.

He said the group’s corporate social investment is run through the Puma Energy Foundation, which is an autonomous entity run by charities in regions where Puma Energy does business.

“These programmes support long-lasting projects in health and safety, education and vocational training and the environment,” adding “the group has a special focus on road safety education programmes and in May 2016, this programme will be launched in Ghana as well.”