(EnergyAsia, December 6) — Forget about its military build-up, trade practices or even its human rights record. China’s real threat to the world comes from its complete disregard for basic environmental, health and safety standards. In the rush to grow its economy, the Chinese government and its leading companies have shown little interest in protecting...

(EnergyAsia, December 6) — Winter has arrived strong and early just as oil prices started slackening in the second half of November. But that hasn’t stopped oil’s steady slide over the past two months. Crude oil futures slipped briefly to a five-month low below US$56 a barrel on November 18, down 22% from the peak...

(EnergyAsia, December 6) — Japan’s Osaka Gas is close to reaching a deal with US major Chevron for long-term natural gas supplies from Australia’s Greater Gorgon project, The Wall Street Journal reported.   If completed, the deal would help Osaka Gas reduce its reliance on Indonesia as its main source of LNG imports. Osaka also...

(EnergyAsia, December 6) — Oil majors led by ExxonMobil, Chevron and Shell are increasingly looking to West Africa for new reserves, The Wall Street Journal reported.   An increasing percentage of the world’s oil supplies are expected to come from the waters off West Africa – in particular, off Angola – as Western oil giants...

(EnergyAsia, December 6) — Holding company China Aviation Oil Holding Company (CAOHC), BP Investment Asia Ltd and Temasek Holdings subsidiary Aranda Investments Pte Ltd have agreed to buy a combined 59.1% stake in financially troubled China Aviation Oil Singapore Corp Ltd (CAO) for a total of US$130 million. In a statement, CAO said it has...

(EnergyAsia, December 6) — The rising cost of oil and other raw materials is worsening South Korea’s trade situation and adding pressure to the export-driven economy, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said. According to the Korea Times, the bank reported that the commodity terms-of-trade index on how much imports the country can buy with its...

(EnergyAsia, December 5) — Seatronics, a division of UK-based shipping and energy services firm The Craig Group, is investing £4 million in equipment, people and premises to cope with global expansion. (US$1=£0.85). This is a 25% increase on investment last year and ensures that the company, which specialises in the rental and sale of marine...

(EnergyAsia, December 5) — In the process of listing on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), Australian upstream company Central Petroleum Limited said it is planning to drill up to six wells over the next two years. It aims to raise up to A$25 million at A$0.2 per share with a free attaching option for each...

(EnergyAsia, December 5) — The first phase of a AED650 million (US$1=AED3.65) ambitious transmission project : Emirates Electricity Grid (EEG) : is expected to be completed next February when the grids of Abu Dhabi and Dubai will be linked, reported the Khaleej Times. The final phase is likely to be commissioned by the third quarter...

(EnergyAsia, December 5) — Chinese scientists have claimed to have made breakthroughs in the production of biodiesel as a low cost green fuel, said Wang Tao, an academic with the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).   He said a number of Chinese institutions have produced biodiesel from rape oil, soybean oil, rice brans and various...

(EnergyAsia, December 5) — By switching to coconut-based biodiesel fuel, Philippine President Arroyo said the country could reduce its dependence on imported fuels by 3%, create more jobs for coconut farmers and improve air quality, according to Flying V, a local retail fuels company promoting biofuels use.   Coco-methyl ester (CME) or coco-biodiesel is now...

(EnergyAsia, December 5) — State-owned Coal India Ltd. (CIL) has raised its production target to 363.8 million tons for the financial year to March 31 2006, the final year of the 10th five-year plan. During the formulation of the plan, CIL had set a production target of 350 million tons for FY 2006.   Under...

(EnergyAsia, December 5) — ABB, the Swiss power and automation technology group, said it has won a contract worth $220 million from the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) for phase one of the massive Gulf Grid project, linking the electricity networks of six Middle East states.   The Gulf Grid is the biggest power...

(EnergyAsia, December 5) — US chemical company Huntsman Corporation last week broke ground for its new world scale JEFFAMINE¨ polyetheramines manufacturing facility, the company’s first production site on Singapore’s Jurong Island. The ceremony was officiated by Don Stanutz, President of Huntsman Performance Products division, Arlan Emmert, group vice president, Asia of Jacobs Engineering Singapore Pte...

(EnergyAsia, December 5) — Spanish wind energy generation company Iberdrola intends to team up with local strategic partners to enter the renewable energy sector in both India and China, according to the Press Trust of India.   “Our goal is to achieve 8,000MW energy production until 2008 and, therefore, we are exploring new markets in...

(EnergyAsia, December 5) — Italy will invest four million euros in a solar energy system for use at the Olympics 2008 in China. The system will be jointly constructed by China’s Guoao Investment and Development Co Ltd and Italy’s Merloni TermoSanitari International Trading Co. Ltd. (US$1 = 0.85 euro). One of the co-operative projects in...

(EnergyAsia, December 2) — MayBan Securities has maintained its ‘hold’ rating on the stock of Malaysian power producer Tenaga Nasional Berhad despite the likelihood of it gaining from a tariff hike rate.             Malaysia’s Energy, Water and Communications Minister said the government is assessing TNB’s request for a tariff increase due to higher operating costs....

(EnergyAsia, December 2) — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) recently commissioned the hydrogen generation unit at its Panipat oil refinery as part of the project to double the plant’s to 12 million tonnes per annum (MMTPA). The unit is first major part of the Rs43 billion expansion project to go on stream. (US$1=Rs46).   With a...

(EnergyAsia, December 2) — UK major BP said the BP Urban Energy Systems project at the Imperial College will explore how money and energy could be saved in the future if cities integrated the systems that supply them with resources. The project was announced recently at the launch of the college’s Energy Futures Lab, which...

(EnergyAsia, December 2) — India’s renewable energy players will gain from the new global emission reduction initiatives, said Pushkala Lakshmi Ratan of Carbon Advisory Services, NEG Micon (India) Pvt Ltd, at a recent conference on environmental safety and health in Chennai.             “There are a large number of international buyers who are willing to enter...

(EnergyAsia, December 2) — Japan’s First Energy Service Company (FESCO) has announced a business plan, Green Fuel Initiative (GFI), to produce biomass fuels from recycling waste organic resources, according to The Japan Corporate News Network (JCN).             The company is constructing three wood biomass-fired power plants in Japan. It has declared its aim to make...

(EnergyAsia, December 2) — Hong Kong-listed piped gas distributor China Gas Holdings Ltd said it plans to sell 7.45% of its shares for HK$248million (US$1=HK$7.79) to an unnamed investor from the Sultanate of Oman. The investor has agreed to buy 210 million new shares at HK$1.185 each, representing a 10.23% discount to the company’s closing price...

(EnergyAsia, December 2) — Australian upstream company Bass Strait Oil Company Ltd (BAS) has agreed to farm in a 25% interest in the offshore PEP151 licence previously 100% held by Essential Petroleum Resources Limited. The permit is in the onshore Victorian Otway Basin, northwest of Portland. Both companies are listed on the Australian stock exchange....

(EnergyAsia, December 2) — Australian leading resources company BHP Billiton said it has approved development of the Stybarrow oil field located in licence block number WA-255-P(2) in the Exmouth Sub-basin, approximately 65 km from Exmouth, off the north west Australian coast.   At a water depth of 825 metres, it will be the deepest oil...

(EnergyAsia, December 2) — Singapore-listed PEARL Energy Limited said it and Chevron Indonesia Company have secured the jack-up rig, Shelf Explorer, from PT TransOcean Indonesia for a three-well exploration and appraisal drilling program on the Sebuku Production Sharing contract in the Makassar Straits to the east of Kalimantan in Indonesia.             The 75-day program to...