Dubai-based Emirates National Oil Company plans to invest Dh250 million of its capital expenditure on digital technology to optimise operations and identify synergies within its businesses.

Enoc, which is the largest fuel retailer in Dubai, will also look at using technology to identify new areas of growth, the company said.

The Covid-19 pandemic meant 2020 "was an unprecedented year for all", but it also presented opportunities, Enoc Group chief executive Saif Al Falasi said.

"It made us re-evaluate our operations and urged us to adopt innovative measures to keep up with the fast-paced transformation that our sector is going through.

"Understanding the current market realities allowed us to introduce changes to emerge as an agile, resilient and future- ready organisation," he added.

Enoc, which has more than 11,000 employees in 60 markets, said in 2019 that it planned to double the number of its existing service stations by the end of 2021, and add new revenue streams from the launch of on-demand fuel retail.

The company launched an on-demand fuel service called Enoc Link in October 2019, which delivers fuel directly to clients. The service began by delivering fuel to commercial customers who may find it difficult to access regular service stations.

Enoc plans to have 193 service stations across the UAE by end of 2021, from 136 in 2020.

In February, the company rolled out a sustainable service station at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai. It is the first in the region to be equipped with a wind turbine for generating power.

Enoc has already begun its digital transformation plans through a project known as Masar, which is aimed at integrating all of its divisions and providing a more focused service to customers. It is also training current and potential employees on the benefits of digitalisation and the role it will play in the company's growth over the next 15 to 20 years.

This article is reproduced at www.thenationalnews.com