(EnergyAsia, June 7) — EPPCO Lubricants, which markets and distributes products of ENOC Lubricants throughout the UAE Ð has launched its newly revamped proprietary product range at Automechanika Gulf 2005 Ð the Middle East’s leading automotive aftermarket event at the Dubai World Trade Centre last month.   A specially-designed stand in the shape of the...

(EnergyAsia, June 7) — Australian upstream company Santos Limited said it has signed a long-term contract for the sale of gas from its 75% owned Maleo field in Indonesia to PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN). Santos (Madura Offshore) Pty Ltd, a wholly-owned Santos subsidiary and operator of the Madura Offshore PSC, has contracted to sell...

(EnergyAsia, June 7) — Australian resources company BHP Billiton said its board of directors will hold its June meeting in Beijing as part of a visit to gain first-hand insights into issues affecting China and the company’s Chinese customers.   This will be the first time that the BHP Billiton board has met in China....

(EnergyAsia, June 7) — Thai oil refining company Bangchak Petroleum Plc (BCP) said it plans to sell $250 million worth of new shares to allies, financial institutions and its existing shareholders, reported the Business Day.   The proceeds will be used to improved the efficiency of its refinery and to build a new cracking units...

(EnergyAsia, June 7) — Without a hint, Sri Lanka raised domestic fuel prices by an average 7.5% Sunday (June 5) as it attempts to rein in its rising budget deficit. The increase is the second this year when fuel prices were raised by 18% in May.   In the latest increases, gasoline price rose by...

(EnergyAsia, June 6) — Finland’s W’rtsil’ Corporation said it recently delivered the first two Auxpac generating sets that was launched last September. To date W’rtsil’ said it has more than 200 W’rtsil’ Auxpac generating sets on order, some 70 of which are destined for China. The Auxpac is a standard, pre-commissioned generating set designed to...

(EnergyAsia, June 6) — Record oil prices caused India’s crude oil import bill to jump 40% to Rs 1,170.32 billion for the financial year ending March 31 2005.   Petroleum Secretary S.C.Tripathi said: “The crude oil import bill has risen from Rs830,528 million in 2003-04 to Rs1,170.32 billion in 2004-05,” he said at a conference...

(EnergyAsia, June 6) — MayBan Securities has placed a ‘buy’ rating on Malaysian engineering firm KNM Group, which recently signed an agreement to build a second plant in China by early 2006.   KNM signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Changshu Administrative Committee of Economic Development Zone of Jiangsu Province (CEDZ) to build...

(EnergyAsia, June 6) — Malaysia’s state oil and gas company Petronas, Eni Pakistan Ltd and Pakistan’s Government Holdings Private Ltd last month opened their jointly-owned Rehmat gas plant in Ghotki in Pakistan’s Sindh province.   In a statement, Petronas said the gas plant is part of the Rehmat Gas Development project in the Mubarak Block 2769-4.  ...

(EnergyAsia, June 6) — At the the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Environment Day observance in San Franciso yesterday, mayors of the world cities declared several action plans including some affecting energy and waste reduction.             For energy, they said cities should:  adopt and implement a policy to increase the use of renewable energy to...

(EnergyAsia, June 6) — Caltex Australia said its clean fuels project currently under construction at the Lytton refinery reached a major milestone last month following the installation and lockdown of a 63 metre high, 300 tonne combined reactor and distillation column using one of the biggest cranes in Australia. The A$395 million project to upgrade...

(EnergyAsia, June 6) — There has been another collision of vessels on Singapore’s crowded waterways, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).   On June 4, the Taiwan-registered 12,405 gross tonne container ship, Uni Concord, collided with the Malaysia-registered 13,519 gross tonne bulk carrier, Everise Glory. The bulk carrier sank after the collision....

(EnergyAsia, June 6) — The United Nations Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has established scientific evidence that greenhouse gas emissions attributed to human activities have contributed to climate change. Some of you may recall the heat-wave in Europe in 2003 that resulted in 26,000 deaths and 13.5 billion euros in damages. Small low-lying island states like...

(EnergyAsia, June 6) — Singapore-listed PEARL Energy Limited recently appointed former journalist Tanya Pang to a newly created role of corporate communications manager. Based in Singapore, she will be responsible for corporate communications and will drive communications with the investment and media communities following PEARL’s successful listing on the main board of the Singapore Exchange...

(EnergyAsia, June 6) — The Thai Cabinet recently approved an energy master plan that aims to reduce the country’s energy use by 20% by 2009 in the face of rising oil and gas prices while boosting economic growth by 1% to 1.5% per year. The plan calls for an investment of up to 800 billion...

(EnergyAsia, June 3) — Thailand’s Bangkok Aviation Fuel Services Plc (BAFS) has predicted that its revenue could rise 14% this year in line with escalating jet fuel prices and sales volume.             BAFS deputy managing director Pugdee Manaves told Business Day that its 2005 revenue could rise to 1.16 billion baht from about one billion...

(EnergyAsia, June 3) — Declining European demand continues to encourage exports to the U.S., where demand remains on track to grow this year, said US energy consultants ESAI.   In the latest edition of its Atlantic Basin Stockwatch, ESAI said the key US figure to watch is the volume of blendstock imports from Europe, which...

(EnergyAsia, June 3) — Indian Oil Corp (IOC) is looking to buy a 50% stake in Turkish Petroleum Refineries Corp (Tupras), the country’s biggest refining company.   Tupras owns four refineries – Izmit, Izmir, Kirikkale and Batman – with a combined capacity of 27.6 million tonne per year, or 86% of Turkey’s total refining capacity. Tupras,...

(EnergyAsia, June 3) — Thai upstream company PTTEP said its subsidiary, PTTEP Hoan Vu Company Limited, and its partners have discovered oil and gas in the Block 9-2 offshore project in Vietnam.   PTTEP has 25% participation interest in Block 9-2 project, while partners SOCO Vietnam Limited owns 25%, and Petrovietnam Exploration and Production Company...

(EnergyAsia, June 3) — Singapore’s SembCorp Marine said its subsidiary, PPL Shipyard has secured a rig building contract worth US$130 million from Japan Drilling Co., Ltd (JDC) for the construction of a Baker Marine Pacific Class 375 deep drilling offshore jack-up rig.   Construction of the jack-up rig is expected to start in the third...

(EnergyAsia, June 3) — US company Air Products said it has formed a joint venture named Air Products Shanfeng with a leading Chinese chemicals supplier, Changzhou Shangfeng Chemical Industry Co Ltd (CZSF), to produce triethylenediamine (TEDA) for the fast growing polyurethane (PU) market in China. The new entity, majority owned and managed by Air Products,...

(EnergyAsia, June 3) — Qatar and Kuwait are planning to build jointly a $2 billion (Dh7.34 billion) petrochemical plant in Qatar, reported Gulf News. They are also seeking approval from Saudi Arabia to begin building a $2 billion gas pipeline across Saudi territory.   The project was jointly announced last month by officials from both...

(EnergyAsia, June 3) — MayBan Securities has placed a ‘hold’ rating on power company Ranhill Berhad, which recently entered into a 51/49 joint venture to build a 79MW hydropower plant in Pakistan. The US$120 million deal was signed by 70%-owned subsidiary Ranhill Power Bhd.   The project will be funded from borrowings and internal funds...

(EnergyAsia, June 3) — Gasoline sold in Australia could have a 4% ethanol content by July 1 2009 if a bill introduced into federal parliament last week is passed. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that independent MP Tony Windsor introduced the bill to mandate ethanol’s inclusion into gasoline, arguing that it would help the country...

(EnergyAsia, June 3) — The Malaysian government expects to save about 500 megawatt (MW) of new generation capacity by introducing energy efficiency measures under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, which begins next year, said Energy Commission chairman Mohd Annas Mohd Nor. The measures include tax incentives for energy efficiency activities, promulgating legal requirements on energy management...