UK energy major BP is building a new bunkering facility in southern Oman with an overall fuel storage capacity of 96,000 tonne, Lloyd’s List reported.             The facility is sited at the Salalah container terminal close to the border to Yemen and will be brought online this summer.             BP, the world’s second-largest oil company,...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 22) — Thailand’s National Ethanol Council (NEC) has rejected Picnic Ethanol Co’s plans to build a 500,000 litres/day ethanol plant in Prachin Buri due to a raw material shortage there, according to the Bangkok Post.             NEC said it fears that there is insufficient supply of cassava for use as feedstock for the...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 22) — State-run IndianOil plans to increase its retail network by 1,000 stations to 10,000 by March 31 2006, the Business Standard reported. The company had just added 1,000 stations last year.   IndianOil executive director S K Swaminathan told the newspaper: “We opened over 1,000 retail outlets in 2004 and in 2005...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 22) — India and China could sign a bilateral energy framework as early as March, according to Indian news agency reports. India is keen on Chinese energy investment in India, and it also wants a pipeline built to link the two countries, the reports said.             The two Asian superpowers will likely sign...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 22) — India’s gas major, GAIL, is set to buy over some of the country’s smaller private liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) marketers as it prepares to enter the LPG retail market, Hindu Businessline reported.             GAIL is reportedly looking at buying over so-called “parallel LPG marketers” who have been hit by losses in...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 22) — India’s Essar Projects has raised more than $200 million to help finance the construction of its long-delayed Vadinar refinery in Gujarat state, according to Indian media reports.             With the completion of the financing Essar now aims to complete the 10.5 million tonne/year refinery in March 2007.             The refinery project,...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 22) — Indonesian authorities insist that the country is still a net exporter of oil, refuting claims that it has become a net importer, Antara news agency reported.             Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro was quoted as telling Parliament that the country remains a net exporter. He said Indonesia is...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 21) — New Zealand’s Contact Energy said it is proposing to increase output from existing power stations by more than 100 megawatts as investment in more costly sources of electricity is becoming commercially viable. Chairman Grant King told shareholders at the company’s Annual Meeting in Wellington: “New generation proposals are leading to a...

EnergyAsia, Feb 21) — State oil company Sinopec has expanded the capacity of its Maoming port oil terminal in Guangdong province in southern China to 20 million tonnes of oil products a year. Maoming, with the biggest oil terminal in southern China, has two specialised berths serving tankers carrying oil products for export to Southeast...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 21) — Two Singapore companies, SMOE Pte Ltd and Sembawang Shipyard, have signed a letter of intent with ConocoPhillips China Inc. to fabricate and integrate topsides for a new build floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel for a major oil development in China’s Bohai Bay.   SOME Pte Ltd, the offshore engineering...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 21) — India’s oil refineries are not ready to meet the April 1 deadline of producing ultra-low sulphur diesel, according to the Indian Express newspaper.             Although they were told of the deadline as early as February 2002, the refiners failed to invest in the refining units to produce the so-called Bharat Stage...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 21) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs has announced plans to help domestic industries boost their energy efficiency and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The ministry’s Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) is leading the drive as part of Taiwan’s commitment to support the Kyoto Protocol which came into effect on Feb 16.             According...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 21) — InterOil Corporation, a Canadian company with operations in Papua New Guinea, said it has notified the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) and the Port Moresby Stock Exchange (POMSoX) that it intends to delist from those exchanges. InterOil started trading on the ASX on August 10, 2000 and on the POMSoX on October...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 21) — Dalian Petrochemicals Co plans to build a 150,000-ton class oil terminal in the coming 11th Five-Year Plan Period from 2006-2010, according to Xinhua News Agency. The terminal will be part of a liquid petrochemical berth group that now includes a 100,000-ton oil terminal. When completed, the company said it will raise...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 21) — Crude production from India’s Mumbai High field last year reached a five-year high of 270,000 barrels/day. Operator ONGC has been introducing new technology to prolong the production life of the field since it came onstream in 1976.             ONGC said: “With the adoption of new technologies, the production of Mumbai High...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 21) — Australian upstream company Woodside Petroleum Ltd said its proved and probable oil and gas reserves of 1,293.9 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe) as at December 31 2004 were 9.7mmboe lower than 2003. The company said the decline was due largely to its divestment of 124.2 mmboe from the some fields...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 21) — Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP) said it has sold its 40% equity in New Links Energy Resources Limited to Encore Int’l Limited for US$236.5 million in cash. The sale through subsidiary PTTEP Offshore Investment Company Limited (PTTEPO) was agreed on January 29 and completed on February 17....

Petrobras Singapore’s office, a representative of the Brazilian national oil and gas company, said it is moving to a new office from July 27.   Its new office will be at 435, Orchard Road, Unit19-05/06 Wisma Atria, Singapore 238877. Its telephone number is 65-67351140, while its fax number 65-67349087. Telex: 051 94076404 PSIN G.  ...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 21) — Australian upstream company Woodside and partners will push ahead with their A$2 billion expansion of the North-West Shelf gas project despite coming out empty-handed in the recent US$20 billion auction to supply Korea’s Kogas. (US$1=A$1.3). The company said competitors in Malaysia, Russia’s Sakhalin and Yemen were prepared to accept a far...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 18) — Saudi Arabia’s Hi-Tech International Group (HTIG) is planning a 200,000 b/d oil refinery in the city port of Chittagong in Bangladesh, the Khaleej Times reported. The plant is designed to produce liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, kerosene, gas oil and fuel oil to both meet demand from the domestic and export...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 18) — India’s state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) said it is looking into building a power plant in Sri Lanka.   “We are looking at setting up a 300 MW power plant in Sri Lanka. We have already submitted a proposal to the Sri Lankan government with regard to this,” said C.P....

(EnergyAsia, Feb 18) — The fuel distribution subsidiaries of Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon/Mobil have submitted their nominations to lift oil products from InterOil Corp’s refinery in Papua New Guines from March 7 through to September 2005. Toronto-based, Canada InterOil Corp said the nominations will be confirmed progressively in accordance with the established scheduling and...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 18) — India’s Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) will seek the advice of Korea and France in creating and maintaining the country’s strategic gas reserves. Appointed by the petroleum ministry to lead India’s gas storage build-up, GAIL plans to create one billion standard cubic metres of underground gas storage facilities in the...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 18) — Qatari Minister of Energy Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiya said his country and Kuwait have agreed to build a cross-border gas pipeline via Saudi Arabia, the Qatar News Agency reported.   The minister, recently in Kuwait for a regional forum on natural gas development, said Qatar is seeking permission to lay the...

(EnergyAsia, Feb 18) — Singapore’s Keppel FELS Limited has transferred its entire 75% interest in ENSCO Enterprises Ltd II (JVC) to ENSCO Offshore International Company (ENSCO) for US$80 million. The JVC is part of an alliance agreement with ENSCO to build, own and operate a jackup rig, ENSCO 106, valued at around US$105 million.  ...