(EnergyAsia, November 28) — MayBan Securities has maintained its ‘buy’ rating on engineering group KNM Group Berhad, which recently reported a 12% quarter-on-quarter rise in third quarter earnings and a 50% jump in turnover. On a year-to-year basis, turnover doubled while net profit increased by 2.5 times. MayBan said it believes KNM’s order book has...

(EnergyAsia, November 28) — Caltex Australia Limited said that some retail outlets in New South Wales have resumed diesel sales following tests showing that they were not contaminated. As of last Friday, Caltex said no sites have been identified as having contaminated diesel.   Diesel sales at more than 80 service stations in the Sydney...

(EnergyAsia, November 28) — China’s Shanghai Electric (Group) Company and Vietnam’s Quang Ninh Thermal Power Co Ltd recently signed a contract for the construction of the first-phase of a power plant project in the coal-rich province of Quang Ninh. Shanghai Electric will build two 300,000-kw generating units with a contractual value of US$450 million, reported...

(EnergyAsia, November 28) — D1 Oils plc (D1), the UK-based global producer of biodiesel from renewable energy crops, has signed an agreement with India’s PManek Biofarms Pvt for the supply of crude jatropha oil for biodiesel feedstock. PManek is a producer of essential oils based in the Indian state of Gujarat.             PManek will supply D1...

(EnergyAsia, November 28) — Singapore-listed Courage Marine Group Ltd said it has sealed an agreement to acquire its 10th vessel for US$7.85 million through wholly owned subsidiary, Courage Marine (Holdings) Co Ltd. It has entered a share purchase agreement with Asiafar International Inc, an international shipbroker, to acquire Pointlink Investment Ltd, a BVI-incorporated company.  ...

(EnergyAsia, November 25) — Anti-coal activists have vowed to step up their fight against coal-fired power plant projects in the Philippines island of Mindanao. Specifically, they are targeting the construction in Misamis Oriental of a 200 MW coal-fired plant. The US$300 million project is funded by Steag of Germany and the Japan Bank of International...

(EnergyAsia, November 25) — France’s AREVA T&D said it has signed two contracts with the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority, totaling US$233.5 million, to build the Middle East’s first high-voltage direct current (HVDC) station and a fully integrated grid automation solution.             The contracts are part of the first phase of a billion dollar project...

(EnergyAsia, November 25) — Stung by the recent fuel crisis, the Philippines is looking to develop renewable energy sources to help conserve foreign exchange reserves. If the country uses gasoline with a 5% ethanol mix, it could save about $300 million a year, said the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Program and the Sustainable Energy...

(EnergyAsia, November 25) — In a bid to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Japan is looking to convert agricultural products into biofuels such as ethanol-mixed gasoline and diesel fuel from used cooking oil. The government has revised its estimate for annual use of biofuels to the equivalent of 3.08 million...

(EnergyAsia,.November 25) — Law firm Holman Fenwick & Willan said it provided English law advice to Long Haul Holdings Ltd in the issue by Willow Finance Limiteda of a US$205 million exchangeable bond issue due 2010 and which are exchangeable for the ordinary shares of PT Bumi Resources Tbk. Bumi, through its operating companies, is...

(EnergyAsia, November 25) — Calgary, Canada-based Dynetek Industries Ltd, a leader in developing, producing and marketing lightweight compressed natural gas (CNG) and compressed hydrogen storage cylinders, said it is delivering three advanced lightweight fuel storage systems to Tsinghua University located in Beijing.   Dynetek said the delivery of the fuel storage systems is in direct...

(EnergyAsia, November 25) — Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) said it is interested to take a stake in a proposed 300,000 b/d oil refinery in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, according to the China Daily. KPC official Hamzah Bakhash told the newspaper that it is holding talks with Sinopec, BP and Shell about the project...

(EnergyAsia, November 25) — Tom James has been named Principal at consultants Deloitte & Touche LLP in London. Mr James joined the company’s Energy & Emissions market practice, advising governments and companies on issues affecting the energy markets.  ...

(EnergyAsia, November 14) — The recent International Symposium on Solar Energy in Developing Countries (ISSEDC) in Lanzhou in Gansu province was attended by industry experts from over 20 developing countries, including China, Pakistan, Egypt and Nigeria. The event was organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNDIO), UNDP...

(EnergyAsia, November 25) — US-based consultants Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) expects the LNG industry to grow more in the next seven years than it did in its first 40 years, and that LNG will be a critical vehicle for the larger oil and gas companies to achieve organic growth.   In a report, CERA...

(EnergyAsia, November 24) — Electronics giant Canon said it has developed prototype hydrogen fuel cells to power portable electronics products such as digital still cameras. The move pushes fuel cells further down the road towards commercialisation. Said to be more environmentally friendly, fuel cells provide more power than a comparable sized battery and can be...

(EnergyAsia, November 24) — Shell Eastern Petroleum Pte Ltd (SEPL) said it has awarded contracts for basic design and engineering to the ABB Lummus Global-Toyo Engineering Corporation JV for a world-scale ethylene cracker facility at its Pulau Bukom manufacturing complex in Singapore.   The complex, expected to begin operations in 2009, is planned as a...

(EnergyAsia, November 24) — US consultant ESAI said it remains bullish on refining margins this winter despite US distillate spreads having eased from their early October peaks.   In the latest edition of its Atlantic Basin Stockwatch, ESAI said it is forecasting a higher distillate deficit in the US this winter compared with recent years....

(EnergyAsia, November 24) — Singapore’s KS Energy Services Limited said that a subsidiary company has entered into an equal joint venture with Ezra Holdings Limited to take up a 25% interest in KSES (USA) Inc, a company operating offshore related assets to provide marine and offshore services to support the offshore drilling operations of international...

(EnergyAsia, November 24) — US engineering company Fluor Corporation said its subsidiaries have been awarded a contract by Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited to provide the initial phase of engineering, procurement and construction management services (EPCM) for its common off plot projects in Qatar. Fluor did not disclose the value of the project....

(EnergyAsia, November 24) — With the top bid of US$1.3438 billion, Singapore’s Sembcorp Utilities has emerged as favourite to land the contract for the privatisation of the Fujairah-based power plant run by Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA). According to the Khaleej Times, ADWEA received four bids for the power plant, which has the...

(EnergyAsia, November 24) — Singapore-listed China Petrotech Holdings Limited (CPHL) said it has entered into a partnership agreement with PetroChina Group’s EOR Research Center (EORRC) of the to engage in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects outside China. These projects involves the application of advanced recovery techniques such as chemical flooding and CO2 injection to increase...

(EnergyAsia, November 28) — Vietnam will launch the construction of its much delayed US$2.5 billion Dung Quat oil refinery complex in the central Quang Nam province November 28, local media reports said.             France’s Technip will lead an international consortium including Japan’s JGC Corp and Spain’s Tecnicas Reunidas to build the 130,000 b/d refinery, a...

(EnergyAsia, November 24) — Engku Hashim Al-Edrus, a former vice president of Malaysian power company Tenaga Nasional Bhd, has been named acting chairman of the country’s Energy Commission. He replaced Mohd Annas Mohd Nor who has completed his two terms as chairman on October 31.   Mr Hashim is among four Energy Commission members appointed...

(EnergyAsia, November 24) — Hong Kong will look to popularise the use of fuel cell vehicles to combat worsening air pollution although fuel cell technology is still in its infancy.             Hong Kong lack of hydrogen infrastructure is also a barrier, said Sarah Liao, the Secretary for Environment Works and Transport.   She told the...