(EnergyAsia, May 16) — Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said the country’s three refineries will process 9.8 million tonnes of crude oil this year to meet growing demand by farmers during the harvest season.   Bakhyt Makhanov, a spokesman in the ministry’s oil procession department, said the refiners expect to produce 2.126 million...

(EnergyAsia, May16) — Gasoil-Dubai refining margins in Singapore remain strong at near $15/barrel, reported US-based consultant ESAI. In the latest issue of its Pacific Basin Stockwatch, ESAI said Indian imports will keep margins above $15/barrel, but will be capped by lower Chinese demand.             “The continued pull of low sulphur gasoil into India has kept...

(EnergyAsia, May 16) — Vietnam is building solar energy heaters, wind turbines, small hydropower stations, and bio- gas systems under an ambitious to power up all households by 2010, reported Xinhua news agency.   Vietnam, which has a daily solar radiation of 4-5 kwh, plans to increase its combined electricity capacity of bio-mass, geo- thermal,...

(EnergyAsia, May 16) — Revo International Inc, Japan’s leading biodiesel technology provider, is teaming up with Thai consulting firm Arab Afro Asia (AAA), to develop a one-billion-baht biodiesel refinery in Thailand’s Chon Buri province to produce diesel from used cooking oil. Tetsuya Koshikawa, Revo’s president told the Bangkok Post the plant, to be located on...

(EnergyAsia, May 16) — Qatar Petroleum (QP) is expanding its storage and export infrastructure on Halul island to support its growing offshore crude oil production. Halul is now home to tanks with the capacity to store five million barrels of crude and handle up to 200,000 barrels/day of exports.             Marking the 40th anniversary of...

(EnergyAsia, May 16) — Singapore was recently given the “Best Seaport in Asia” award at the 19th Asian Freight & Supply Chain Awards (AFSCA) in Hong Kong. This is the 17th time that Singapore has been conferred this prestigious award since the awards started. In a statement, Rear Admiral (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, chief executive...

(EnergyAsia, May 16) — London-listed Fortune Oil Plc, which invests in and manages oil and gas infrastructure projects in China, said its net profit doubled to £2.6 million last year on revenue of £118.1million (up 19%).   The company, which is headquartered in Hong Kong, said its earnings per share increased by 78% to 0.16p....

(EnergyAsia, May 16) — Finland’s Wartsila has named Jussi Heikkinen as marketing director for its power plants business. He reports to Jaakko Eskola, vice president for sales and marketing.             Mr Heikkinen has been working for W’rtsil’ since 1982 in various positions in the power plants business.   Previously, he held the position of President...

(EnergyAsia, May 16) — Financially-stricken China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corporation Ltd last week unveiled a 54% pay-out to its creditors, which it described as a “significant improvement” over previous scheme announced on January 24. The company lost an estimated US$550 million last year on oil derivatives trades.   The company said the latest proposal, based...

(EnergyAsia, May 16) — China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has offered to assist the construction of the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline as it will benefit all the partices involved, reported the Pakistan’s PPI agency. CNPC vice president Liao Yongyuan told Pakistani officials that China is convinced that the pipeline will further strengthen ties between China,...

(EnergyAsia, May 13) — The authorities have detained Wang Young-yong, a director of Korea Railroad (Korail), on charges of forging official documents related to an oil field development project on Sakhalin Island. The Korea Times reported that the prosecution is investigating into the failed oil project, which caused the state treasury a loss of $3.1...

(EnergyAsia, May 13) — Dubai-based Gulf Energy Maritime (GEM) has taken delivery of the first of four tankers it has on order from Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries three months ahead of schedule, reported the Khaleej Times. The ‘Gulf Pearl’, named after the region’s pearl diving and trading traditions, will immediately go into service with...

(EnergyAsia, May 13) — A natural gas separation plant which removes carbon dioxide using BASF’s activated methyldiethanolamine process (aMDEA¨) was recently brought on stream by Thailand’s PTT Public Company Limited. It marks the first application of this BASF process in Thailand. The facility, located about two hours’ drive from Bangkok in the Map Ta Phut...

(EnergyAsia, May 13) — A group of Japanese private and academic research institutes is looking into the possibility of developing a large seaweed plantation in the Pacific Ocean to absorb carbon dioxide and produce biofuel, reported The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.             The group, which includes the Mitsubishi Research Institute, Tokyo University and Tokyo University of...

(EnergyAsia, May 13) — Australian upstream company Carnarvon Petroleum Ltd will acquire Tiger Petroleum Inc, its joint venture partner and the operator of the Wichian Buri Oilfield joint venture in Thailand. Separately, Tiger has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Calgary-based Welwyn Resources Ltd in which Welwyn will acquire all of Tiger’s...

Shaw Broking http://www.egoli.com.au/egoli/egoliOpenBriefingPage.asp?PageID={B754B06D-4F33-4653-ACC8-4AD5EFC77428}   (EnergyAsia, May 13) — Australia’s Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited last month Brendan Dow, an experienced sales and marketing executive, as its CEO.   In an interview with www.Corporatefile.com.au, chairman Julian Dinsdale said he will concentrate on overall strategy and fund raising, leaving Mr Dow to look after daily operational matters. “Brendan’s...

(EnergyAsia May 13) — Dolphin Energy Limited said it has signed a gas sales agreement with the Dubai Supply Authority (DUSUP) to deliver natural gas from Qatar to DUSUP in Jebel Ali from 2007. The agreement covers the supply of up to 700 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (scf/day) of Dolphin natural...

(EnergyAsia, May 13) — China’s barren desert western province is increasingly dotted with solar and power facilities as it become the country’s new clean energy base, according to the Xinhua News Service.   Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur began building a wind power project with a generating capacity of 188,000 kw this year, said Wang Liming,...

(EnergyAsia, May 13) — Shareholders in Hong Kong-based China Light and Power (CLP) were told of the ‘real cost of burning fossil fuels’ by Greenpeace activists at the company’s annual general meeting last month. The environmental lobby group and people it says suffer from the devastating impacts from coal fired power stations across Asia claim...

(EnergyAsia, May 13) — Canada’s PetroKazakhstan Inc, which produces oil and gas in Kazakhstan, said its net profits jumped by 89.3% to US$165.6 million from year-ago levels. Revenue climbed to $502.5 million from $325.3 million previously. The company reported diluted net income per share of $2.16, cash flow per share (diluted) of $2.43. It had...

(EnergyAsia, May 12) — Sri Lanka’s fuel subsidy spendings could exceed last year’s Rs16 billion if oil prices remain continue at current levels, said the Central Bank, which warned in its annual review of the economy that wasteful subsidies are hindering public investment.             The bulk of the subsidies owed to the state owned Ceylon...

(EnergyAsia, May 12) — Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil and Edison have announced the signing of agreements for the Isola di Porto Levante liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal off the coast of Italy’s North Adriatic Sea. The terminal, scheduled for startup by year-end 2007, will have a regasification capacity of 8 billion cubic meters a year. The...

(EnergyAsia, May 12) — The New Zealand public will pay more for their fuel and power from 2007 as a result of a government decision to impose a new carbon tax. According to the New Zealand Herald, the tax on the carbon content of fossil fuels is expected to add 4 NZ cents a litre...

(EnergyAsia, May 12) — Kazakhstan is on the verge of joining the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project. In talks last month in Baku, Natig Aliyev, president of the State Oil Company (SOCAR), said he is focusing on exports of crude oil produced from the Kashagan field starting in 2008.             According to Baku Today newspaper, Kazakhstan...

(EnergyAsia, May 12) — India’s Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas said the government has approved plans for building the country’s strategic crude oil reserves totalling five million metric tonnes in three different locations. Manalore will hold 1.5 million tonnes, while Vizag will carry one million tonnes and another location near Mangalore will store 2.5...