Praj, the India-based ethanol technology company, said it recently won a Bajaj Hindustan Ltd contract to install a large distillery attached to a sugar mill in northern India. Part of the output will be used for transportation biofuels. The order is worth over Rs. 250 million. (US$1=Rs43). The distillery, with a capacity to produce 160...

Australian upstream company Santos Limited said that oil production from the Mutineer-Exeter oil fields, 160 km off the coast of north-western Australia, will start next month, about three months ahead of schedule and 10% below budget.   It said that Mutineer-Exeter is expected to produce between 70,000 and 90,000 barrels of oil per day.  ...

Gas producers in the Katnook area of south east South Australia have declared force majeure event as a result of “a greater than anticipated fall” in the gas flows from producing fields. The Katnook joint venture, comprising operator Origin Energy Resources Limited (20%), SAGASCO South East Inc (55.7143%) and Omega Oil Pty Ltd (24.2857%), said...

Australia’s Clough engineering group said a consortium in which it has a stake has been awarded a project management services (PMS) contract by Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producing company. The consortium includes S&B from Houston, and Al Bilad and Zuhair Fayez Partnership Consultants (ZFP), both of Saudi Arabia.   The contract is for...

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has awarded a services contract for engineering, procurement and construction management of a petrochemical expansion project to UK’s Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd.   In a statement, SABIC vice chairman and CEO, Mohammed H. Al-Mady, said:   “After the expansion, Sharq will be one of the world’s largest petrochemical sites. Production...

The Philippine National Oil Company-Energy Development Corporation is due to be privatised this year, said its president, Paul Aquino.             According to the Philippines News Agency (PNA), Mr Aquino disclosed recently that the privatisation process will be undertaken in three phases. He said 60% of the company will be offered to private interests, 20% to...

The BP-operated Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) has announced the start-up of oil production from the Central Azeri development, part of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) field, in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea.   The parties to the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) production sharing agreement are BP (34.1%), Unocal (10.3%), SOCAR (10%), INPEX (10%), Statoil (8,6%), ExxonMobil...

Thai state energy giant PTT has made drastic changes to its master plan for gas facilities and gas pipelines as a result of rising demand and changing consumption patterns, The Nation reported.             Thai demand for natural gas is forecast to go up by some 7% a year, forcing PTT to look at co-investment with...

In stating its commitment to sustainable climate protection, Germany’s chemicals giant BASF Aktiengesellschaft has affirmed its support for the Kyoto Protocol, which comes into force tomorrow. “Global climate protection needs global efforts. We will be able to reach the Kyoto goals only if the global community joins forces and spreads the load fairly,” said JŸrgen...

Russia’s state railway firm, Russian Railways Company (RRC), is considering using the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) to increase the delivery of oil to China and the Pacific coast, TASS news agency reported.             Oil is now transported via the Trans-Siberian Mainline from Angarsk, which is the final point of the Omsk-Irkutsk oil pipeline. However, the Sukhovskaya...

The Indian government has approved the construction of six new pipelines from Reliance Industry Limited’s (RIL) Jamnagar refinery, a decision that will help the private oil major to sell its oil products in the Indian retail market, The Statesman reported.             The Petroleum Ministry said it has issued rights for the construction of six product...

The number of Thai drivers and mini-buses using biodiesel to power their vehicles is rising sharply and programmes to introduce the alternative fuel will be expanded, according to Thai media reports.             Bangchak and PTT fuel stations are leading the effort to promote biodiesel. They sold some 100 000 litre of the alternative fuel in...

India’s aviation ministry and the country’s state oil firms are locked in a bitter fight over control of re-fuelling infrastructure at the country’s airports as the ministry push for liberalisation of the business, Times of India reported. Aviation ministry officials recently told marketing executives from the three major state oil companies that Airports Authority of...

Thailand’s Bangchak Petroleum Plc is looking for a partner to help finance its massive US$200 million refinery upgrading project, The Nation reported. The upgrade is due to be completed by end-2007 but Bangchak does not have enough money to do the job on its own.             However, the paper added that any foreign partner is...

Beijing has yet to decide on whether to impose a tax on fuel oil from next year, China Daily reported.   State officials and analysts sharply differ on the issue although one high-level source told the newspaper that the tax might be brought forward and could be imposed as early as July 1.   An...

A top Chinese researcher said his country must urgently boost the efficiency of its coal production, promote use of cleaner energy sources and emphasise sustainable development, Xinhua new agency reported.             Chen Yao, a research fellow from the Institute of Industrial Economy with the elite Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted as saying that...

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) last year produced 30.1 million tonne of crude oil and 3.55 billion cubic metre of gas from its overseas oil assets, Xinhua news agency reported. The numbers reflect an increase over its 2003 overseas output by 20% and 84.6%, respectively, Xinhua said.   CNPC president Chen Geng told the agency...

Diesel quotas introduced to fight smuggling and the abuse of diesel subsidies are causing severe diesel shortages in Malaysia, with the transport sector in the southern state of Johor particularly affected, the New Straits Times reported.   According to the paper, transport firms have been badly hit by the diesel shortages that have resulted in...

Indian upstream company Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has been awarded a contract to build a US$1.2 billion oil refinery in Sudan, according to Indian news reports.   Sudanese Minister of Energy and Mining Awad Ahmed Al-Jazz told the Times of India:”We have mandated ONGC to build the refinery.”   The decision in favour...

Australian upstream company Bounty Oil & Gas NL said it has reached an agreement with Voyager Energy Limited whereby Voyager will acquire a 2.5% interest in WA-325-P and WA-327-P from Bounty in return for a cash payment of A$100,000 and funding half of Bounty’s drilling costs in the upcoming Hadda-1 and Flying Foam-1 exploration wells....

US energy consultant ESAI said China could be a net exporter of oil products this month. ESAI disclosed its finding in the latest edition of its Pacific Basin Stockwatch. “After surging to five-year highs in December, Chinese gasoil imports have slowed dramatically as higher refinery runs largely met domestic demand. As a consequence of this...

China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau (CPPLB), a key subsidiary under state China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), said its gross revenue for 2004 doubled to a record 6.8 billion yuan. CNPC is China’s largest oil and gas producer. Its profit of 220 million yuan was doubled that of 2003, reported Xinhuanet. “The tremendous achievements resulted mainly from...

OPEC’s warning last month that oil prices will stay high is music not only to the oil industry, but to an emerging coalition of farmers, biotech companies, engineering firms and traders promoting fuels made from crop — biofuels. Speaking on behalf of the oil producing cartel after its January 30 ministerial meeting, Kuwait’s oil minister...

One of north Africa’s most influential companies, the Boreh Group, has made its first venture into Asia’s downstream oil markets. Last month, the Djibouti-based diversified trading company took up an 8% stake in an international consortium that will be building an independent oil storage terminal on Singapore’s Jurong Island. The US$200 million terminal will store...

China’s energy companies are close to agreement to invest in a US$2 billion pipeline to deliver crude from Canada’s Alberta-based oilsands projects to British Columbia on the country’s west coast, from where the oil will be shipped to China and other Asian markets. This latest move underlines just how serious a player China will be...