News
Sale of refinery is close to collapse
ONLY one bidder remains as a possible buyer for Murphy Oil’s 130,000 barrels-per-day Milford Haven refinery, but the process is close to collapse, a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
The refinery, operated by U.S. oil and gas company Murphy Oil subsidiary Murco, is the latest British plant to face closure as the industry battles lower demand and increased competition from new, modern refineries in the Middle East and Asia.
Officials at Murphy Oil were not immediately available for comment. The source told the Herald a last bidder was still in the running to buy the plant as a going concern although the bid was seen as having little chance of success.
Many analysts believe the plant is likely to be turned into a storage terminal.
The refinery has been up for sale for three years, but Murphy Oil has failed to find a buyer for the plant, which employs nearly 400 in West Wales.
It is believed that at least two companies were offered the plant for free, plus a dowry worth tens of millions of pounds.
Fears that the refinery could close follow the battle to save the Grangemouth refinery complex, on the Firth of Forth, Scotland.
A spokesman for the Welsh government said: We maintain regular contact with Murco and will continue to communicate with them about their operation in Wales.
Pembrokeshire councillor John Allen-Mirehouse, former cabinet member for regeneration and economic development on Pembrokeshire County Council said: This is a turbulent time for oil refining and the industry in Pembrokeshire is not exempt from these pressures.
I would be horrified if the refinery closed. The jobs there are very skilled, well paid and very important to the community.
The Milford Haven refinery can process up to five million tonnes of crude oil per year. Murco bought 30% of the then Amoco refinery in 1981 and acquired the remaining 70% in December 2007.
It was first reported that the Milford Haven site was threatened last year when Murphy chief executive David Wood said that in the absence of an offer the company was evaluating the potential conversion of the facility into a storage terminal.
Since then, the plants economic performance has slipped further as oil margins in the UK have come under pressure.
In its preliminary results, published on October 30 this year, Murphy Oil planed weaker margins at the Milford Haven refinery for a loss of $22.7m (£14.23m) in its UK refining and marketing operations.
Production at the plant has fallen slightly in the last year to average 126,303 barrels a day over the last month, down from 132,282 barrels a day for the same period the previous year.
The Murco plant is one of two oil refineries in West Wales alongside the Valero plant at Pembroke which was sold by former owner Chevron in August 2011.
The possibility of a shutdown at the Milford Haven refinery is likely to cause fresh concern in Whitehall and with the Welsh Government.
The Scottish Government was quick to meet union leaders and management at Grangemouth, eventually averting the threat of closure.
Murco could not be contacted for comment.
Experts say that the refining industry, which was built up decades ago to convert North Sea crude into petrol and diesel, is struggling as domestic oil production falls and facilities age.
The number of refineries has dwindled from 18 to seven.
Milford Haven is the only refinery left in Murphy Oils empire after the company sold a pair of American sites.
The industry has also been weakened by the rise of diesel-powered cars as many refineries, including Murcos, mostly produce petrol.
In terms of size and complexity, the most marginal refinery Britain is Milford Haven because of its small capacity.
News
Two rescued from rocks near Pendine after tide alert
TWO PEOPLE were rescued from rocks near Pendine after Tenby’s lifeboats were called out on Monday evening.
Both the all-weather lifeboat and inshore lifeboat were requested to launch at 6:15pm on Monday (Apr 27), while crews were preparing for their weekly exercise.
The alarm was raised following a report that two people were possibly cut off by the tide at Gilman Point, near Pendine, around six miles north-east of Tenby.

Choppy conditions meant the inshore lifeboat made slower progress, with the all-weather lifeboat arriving first on scene.
As crews reached the area, members of Tenby Coastguard Rescue Team, who were positioned on the cliffs above, alerted them to two people on the rocks.
The all-weather lifeboat’s Y-boat was launched to get in close to the rocks and make contact with the pair. They confirmed they were in difficulty and were taken aboard the Y-boat before being brought safely ashore at Pendine, where Coastguards were waiting.
The inshore lifeboat arrived shortly afterwards and collected the casualties’ bags before also returning to shore.
Once everyone had been accounted for and it was confirmed nobody else was in difficulty, both lifeboats returned to Tenby and continued with their exercises.
News
Energy bills put at centre of Senedd election debate
CAMPAIGNERS are calling on Wales’ political leaders to act faster on energy bills, saying electrification could help cut costs for families, businesses and community institutions.
Electrify Cymru, the Welsh arm of Electrify Britain, has published an open letter to party leaders ahead of the Senedd election.
The campaign, backed by EDF, Octopus Energy and E.ON, is calling for greater support for solar panels, heat pumps and electric vehicles, arguing that the technology needed to reduce bills is already available.
Public First polling for Electrify Britain found that 44% of Welsh voters put energy bills among their top three concerns, ahead of NHS waiting times on 43% and growing the economy on 30%.
The campaign says the next Welsh Government will be judged on whether it makes electrification easier and more affordable for households, businesses and community organisations across Wales.
The call comes ahead of a live Senedd Sources debate at the Electric Brewery Field in Bridgend on Tuesday (Apr 28), where senior figures from Labour, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru will discuss energy, the economy and the election.
Those due to take part include Huw Irranca-Davies, Labour’s Deputy First Minister of Wales, Jason O’Connell from Reform UK, and Luke Fletcher from Plaid Cymru.
The venue is home to Bridgend Ravens, where Electrify Cymru recently became the club’s official stadium partner. The campaign says the historic rugby club, which is approaching its 150th anniversary and relies heavily on volunteers, is among the community institutions being squeezed by rising energy costs.
Electrify Cymru claims a club such as Bridgend Ravens could save hundreds of thousands of pounds over the next Senedd term through electrification, including solar power and heat pump technology.
Camilla Born MBE, chief executive of Electrify Britain said: “If we want lower bills, warmer homes and yes, better rugby, we have to Electrify Cymru.
“The next Welsh Government will be judged on this. Not on warm words, but on whether families and businesses are paying less, homes are warmer, and clubs like Bridgend Ravens are thriving.
“We are ambitious about what an electrified future for Wales can look like. It’s where the world has to go in the face of so much uncertainty, so let’s make Wales a leader, not a follower.”
In its open letter, Electrify Cymru asks party leaders to meet the campaign at the Brewery Field to discuss how electrification could be delivered across Wales.
It also calls on the next First Minister to put electrification on the agenda for their first meeting with the Prime Minister, arguing that the powers needed to deliver change sit across both Welsh and UK governments.
The Senedd Sources live podcast recording will take place at the Electric Brewery Field, Bridgend, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm on Tuesday (Apr 28). Street food will be available from 6:00pm and tickets are free through seneddsources.com/live.
News
Starmer faces Commons showdown over Mandelson vetting row
PRIME MINISTER ACCUSED OF MISLEADING PARLIAMENT OVER AMBASSADOR APPOINTMENT
SIR KEIR STARMER is facing a Commons vote over whether he should be investigated for allegedly misleading Parliament about the vetting of Lord Mandelson.
MPs are due to debate on Tuesday whether the Prime Minister should be referred to the powerful Commons Privileges Committee, which investigates claims that MPs have broken parliamentary rules.
The row centres on Sir Keir’s statements that “full due process” was followed when Lord Mandelson was appointed as Britain’s ambassador to the United States, and that there had been “no pressure whatsoever” on Foreign Office officials involved in the process.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has agreed to allow the debate after requests from a number of MPs, including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. He stressed that his decision did not amount to a judgment on whether the Prime Minister had done anything wrong.
Lord Mandelson was later sacked from the Washington post following renewed scrutiny of his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The appointment has since become a major political headache for Sir Keir, with questions over whether the vetting process was rushed and whether officials were put under pressure to approve the appointment.
Sir Olly Robbins, the former senior civil servant at the Foreign Office, told MPs last week that there had been “constant pressure”, although he said it did not affect his decision to approve Lord Mandelson’s security clearance.
Sir Keir has denied misleading Parliament and has sought to draw a distinction between improper pressure and the ordinary pressure of government to get things done quickly.
Downing Street dismissed the move as “a desperate political stunt by the Conservative Party” ahead of the May elections.
A No 10 spokesperson said the Government was already co-operating with parliamentary processes looking into Lord Mandelson’s appointment, adding that the Conservatives had “no answers on the cost of living or the NHS”.
Mrs Badenoch accused Sir Keir of misleading Parliament “multiple times” and urged Labour MPs to “look into their consciences” before voting.
The Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the Greens have also indicated support for an inquiry.
However, Labour’s large Commons majority means the motion is unlikely to pass unless a significant number of Labour MPs rebel or abstain.
If the matter is referred to the Privileges Committee, it could examine whether Sir Keir knowingly misled MPs or failed to correct the record quickly enough.
The Ministerial Code states that ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament are expected to resign, while inadvertent errors should be corrected at the earliest opportunity.
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