(EnergyAsia, February 8) — The Australian Gas Light Company (AGL) said it will build the country’s largest wind farm at Hallett, 220 kilometres north of Adelaide in South Australia state. The 95 megawatt (MW) facility will be located adjacent to AGL’s existing 180 MW gas-fired peaking power plant at Hallett.   The planned A$236 million...

(EnergyAsia, February 7) — Vancouver-based Cummins Westport Inc (CWI) and Cummins India Limited (CIL) has announced the successful limited production launch of CWI’s B Gas International (BGI) natural gas engine in India. Manufacturing takes place at CIL’s modern Daman facility in Western India.   The BGI engine was unveiled at the Auto Expo in New...

(EnergyAsia, February 7) — Singapore’s Keppel FELS Limited said it has received notice from Sinvest ASA’s wholly-owned subsidiary exercising its option signed this month for another KFELS Super B class jackup rig. The US$140 million project is to be completed in the first quarter of 2009.   The Super B Class jackup is Sinvest’s fifth...

(EnergyAsia, February 7) — Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) has reported a net loss of Rs58.3 million for the October-December quarter of the current financial year, against a net profit of Rs12,867.6 million for the same quarter the previous year. IOC’s gross turnover rose 23.7 %, to Rs488,950 million for the same period.   Its...

(Energy Asia, February 7) — Australia’s agreement with East Timor to share royalties from the oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea looks likely to hold.   After more than a year of negotiations over a maritime boundary and royalties, a deal was struck last December to share revenues from the Greater Sunrise energy...

(Energy Asia, February 7) — The Indian state of Maharashtra is encouraging four of its ports, Dharamtar, Dahanu, Revdanda and Dighi, to focus on handling coal as a result of the country’s rising demand for energy.   Like China, Indian imports of thermal and coking coal are rising rapidly due to a shortfall in the...

(EnergyAsia, February 7) — Calling Nigeria a ‘fraying nation’, New York-based consulting group Eurasia has rated political instability in the African state as the sixth biggest risk to the world oil markets this year.             Eurasia said that jockeying in the run-up to Nigeria’s first quarter 2007 presidential elections and swelling violence in the unstable...

(EnergyAsia, February 7) — Australia’s Origin Energy has declared itself pleased with the interest shown in its Environment Effects Statement (EES) prepared for the proposed Mortlake Power Station Project in western Victoria state.   The company said nine submissions had been submitted according to advice received from Planning Panels Victoria, the branch of the Victorian...

(EnergyAsia, February 7) — Production from the Santos-operated Casino gas project, off the coast of Australia’s Victoria state, has started with the delivery of first commissioning gas to TRUenergy’s Iona processing plant near Port Campbell.             Santos said Casino will be a major long-term supply source to Australia’s gas markets when full production is achieved...

(Energy Asia, February 7) — The East Malaysian state of Sabah hopes to be the location for the world’s biggest palm-based biodiesel complex with a yearly production capacity of 300,000 tonnes a year.   Malaysia’s POIC Sdn Bhd, Suria and Sama Resources Sdn Bhd together with South Korea’s Eco Solutions Co Ltd will jointly build...

(EnergyAsia, February 7) — Greenpeace said the International Atomic Energy Agency’s decision to report Iran to the UN Security Council will seriously increase the risk of escalating tensions in the region.   “Reporting Iran to the UN Security Council has created a vacuum of confidence building, a situation that IAEA head ElBaradei said he was intent on avoiding,” said...

(EnergyAsia, February 6) — “Foreign policy and its import for the war on terror remain the single key drivers for the Bush administration going forward,” said New York-based consultant Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer in a comment on the January 31 State of the Union Address by US President George W. Bush.   Dr Bremmer...

(EnergyAsia, February 6) — Russian energy major Lukoil said it has discovered a major oil and gas condensate field in the Severny licensed area, in the northern part of the Caspian Sea. The field was discovered with the first exploration well in Yuzhno-Rakushechnaya structure, 220 km from Astrakhan.   The primary well gave inflow of...

(EnergyAsia, February 6) — Hong Kong-listed Huaneng Power International Inc has named Guo Junming, the former deputy chief accountant, as chairman effective December 1 2005.His appointment was confirmed last month   Mr Guo previously served as vice manager and general manager of Huaneng Group’s financial department and as deputy general manager and general manager in...

(EnergyAsia, February 6) — India’s Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL) has appointed K. K. Acharya as managing director and a member of its board of directors.   CPCL has two refineries with a combined refining capacity of 10.5 million tonnes a year. The 9.5 million tonnes/year Manali refinery is one of the most complex refineries...

(EnergyAsia, February 6) — MayBan Securities has upgraded the stock of power company Tenaga Nasional Berhad to a ‘buy’.   In a research report, it said: “Despite the lower than expected results for the quarter, we maintain our forecast as first quarter is a seasonally low quarter for Tenaga. Performance is expected to be better...

(EnergyAsia, February 6) — Salamander Energy, a UK-based independent private exploration and production company operating exclusively in Southeast Asia, has agreed to purchase a 2.5% working interest in two Indonesian oil and gas production sharing contracts (PSCs), from Citigroup Financial Products Inc and has raised US$75 million of additional capital.   Spread over 90 oil...

(EnergyAsia, February 6) — International cooperation is needed on an unprecedented scale to address the world’s unsustainable energy economy and avoid future calamity, a leading environmentalist told a recent Asian Development Bank forum.   Maurice Strong, a senior advisor to various international organisations, corporations, and governments, said that developing countries, notably China and India, are...

(EnergyAsia, February 3) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it will help develop a competitive and efficient sub-regional power trade market in the Greater Mekong subregion through a EURO 1 million technical assistance grant provided by the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD). (US$1=EURO 0.85).   Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam are characterised...

(EnergyAsia, February 6) — Hong Kong-listed Datang International Power Generation Co Ltd said its electricity output grew 27.1% to 70.988 billion kWh last year while its on-grid power generation rose 27.13% to 66.68 billion kWh.   It attributed the increases to the start-up of new power units and rising demand for electricity throughout China. Last...

(EnergyAsia, February 6) —- A consortium comprising Indian engineering firm Larsen & Toubro Limited and Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd has bagged a Rs 21.17 billion (US$1=Rs40) order from Indian upstream company Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). The consortium will supply booster compressors and process facilities platform for use in waters off India’s...

(EnergyAsia, February 3) — Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) has reported a net loss of Rs 58.3 million for the October-December quarter for financial 2005, against a net profit of Rs 12,867.6 million for the same quarter the previous year. IOC said its gross turnover for the same period surged 23.7 % to Rs 488,950...

(EnergyAsia, February 3) — Malaysia-listed engineering firm KNM Group Bhd said it is expanding its production capacity to 87,000 tonnes from 46,500 now once it completes its acquisitions and improvements of facilities in the UAE and China by the end of 2006. The company manufactures oil and gas, petrochemical, and mineral processing and manufacturing processes...

(EnergyAsia, February 3) — The Japanese government wants to build a new fast-breeder nuclear reactor in 2030, succeeding the existing prototype in Monju, according to the Japan Times.   Officials at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said basic research at Monju will be completed around 2015. The reactor’s design and development policies for...

(EnergyAsia, February 3) — Shell Exploration Company BV, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India’s state upstream company ONGC to pursue joint business opportunities globally.   The agreement was signed in New Delhi by ONGC chairman Subir Raha and Shell chairman in India, Vikram Singh Mehta, in...