"I'm pretty sure the likes of NST have much more important...

"I'm pretty sure the likes of NST have much more important things to focus on than gambling on the rise and fall of the oil price."

Exactly. Which is what locking in a price with ERJ would be. Diesel is probably costing NST about 85c/l atm, so even if they pay all of that to ERJ it gives a 5 - 6 year payback per ORC installation.

A sliding price scale would be a neat idea - but that will make it more difficult for ERJ to raise loan finance when the income stream is dependent on the oil price.

I don't see the oil price recovering much from here. Maybe back to $60 in two years, more likely $25 - $30. The world economy is slowing, strategic reserves in China and the US are full, Russia is still increasing its oil reserves, the US is the top energy producer, reliance on the ME has faded - even a couple of wars over there cannot spike the OP - and oil demand growth is at it's lowest for 14 years, well behind the increase in reserves.

"LONDON, June 10 Russia added the most oil and gas reserves during the past year while the United States overtook it as the top energy producer, oil company BP said on Wednesday in its benchmark annual review of world energy.
The BP Statistical Review of World Energy, first published in 1951 and considered an industry handbook, showed Russia added as much as 10 billion barrels of reserves, enough to supply the world for more than 100 days.
The review also showed that world oil demand grew by just 843,000 barrels per day last year, the slowest pace in 14 years outside U.S. recessions. (link.reuters.com/hus84w)
Russian reserves jumped above 100 billion barrels for the first time with BP estimating proved reserves at 103 billion, up from 93 billion in the 2013 review, which is based on primary official sources, third party data and independent estimates.
"The big picture remains one of abundant reserves, with new sources of energy being discovered more quickly than they are consumed. Total proved reserves of oil and gas in 2014 were more than double their level in 1980, when our data begin," BP said."

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/06/10/bp-oil-stats-idUKL5N0YW2E620150610

So much for peak oil!