NEW ZEALAND: Chevron supports biofuels, emissions reduction research

(EnergyAsia, June 30) — Chevron New Zealand, a unit of the US energy major, is leading the way in educational research into biofuels and emissions reduction in New Zealand with the announcement of the first-ever awards for Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) Vehicle Technology department. Chevron New Zealand chairman Nick Hannan said there are two...

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BIOFUELS: Washington-based Earth Policy says world grain stocks fall to 57 days of consumption, pres

(EnergyAsia, June 30) — This year’s world grain harvest is projected to fall short of consumption by 61 million tons, marking the sixth time in the last seven years that production has failed to satisfy demand, said the founder of Washington-based Earth Policy Institute.   As a result of these shortfalls, world carryover stocks at...

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AUSTRALIA: Black Range joint venture in two advanced US uranium projects

(EnergyAsia, June 30) — Australia’s Black Range Minerals Ltd said it has signed an agreement with US -based Uranerz Energy Corporation to form an equal joint venture to explore and develop the advanced Cyclone Rim and Eagle Uranium projects located in the Red Desert area of southwest Wyoming in the US.   In a statement,...

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OMAN: Gas Authority India Limited consortium lands E & P sharing agreement

(EnergyAsia, June 30) — A consortium comprising India’s state gas company, GAIL (India) Limited, Oilex Australia, Videocon, HPCL and BPCL has signed the Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA) with Oman’s government for onshore Block 56 in Muscat this week. The agreement was witnessed by Mohammed bin Hamed Al-Rumhy, Oman’s Minister of Oil and Gas,...

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AUSTRALIA: Study supports greater role for renewable energy in Western Australia state

(EnergyAsia, June 30) — Renewable energy should play a greater role in producing electricity in Western Australia state, said a recent study commissioned by the state government.   The report, “Maximising the penetration of intermittent generation in the SWIS”, resulted from a government-commissioned independent study into increasing the ability of the South West Interconnected System...

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ASIA: Regional organisations working to develop International Energy Efficiency Financing Protocol (

(EnergyAsia, June 30) — Expert working groups in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organisation are working to develop an International Energy Efficiency Financing Protocol (IEEFP) for member states. The IEEFP is being promoted through the Energy Valuation Organisation (EVO) under the guidance of Tom Dreessen, who is vastly experienced in establishing ESCOs.   He...

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INDIA: IndianOil starts building 275-km Panipat-Jalandhar LPG pipeline

(EnergyAsia, June 30) —IndianOil Corp has started construction of a 275-km liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) pipeline project from Panipat city in Haryana state to Jalandhar in Punjab. The Rs1.85 billion project will deliver LPG from IndianOil’s refinery at Panipat and to the bottling plants at Nabha and Jalandhar.   The project also calls for the...

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CHINA: China North East Petroleum Holdings Limited said output from new Qian 12-14 well exceeds expe

(EnergyAsia, June 30) — China North East Petroleum Holdings Limited, an oil producer in northern China, said its Qian 12-14 well is producing 38 barrels of crude oil per day, double the amount originally expected by its technicians. The company is listed on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol CNEH.   The Los Angeles,...

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MONGOLIA: Red Hill increases Ulaan Ovoo coal resource by 33% to 154.3 million tonnes

(EnergyAsia, June 30) — Canada’s Red Hill Energy Inc said its measured coal resources in the northern block of its Ulaan Ovoo coal deposit in northern Mongolia has increased by 33% to 17.9 million tones while overall total coal resources has risen by 13% following its recently completed exploration drilling programme.   The company said...

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AUSTRALIA: Origin Energy, Contact Energy call off merger plans

(EnergyAsia, June 30) — The proposed merger between Australian energy retailer Origin Energy Ltd and its 51.4%-owned New Zealand subsidiary, Contact Energy Ltd, has been called off due to a lack of support from Contact shareholders.   In announcing the deal’s collapse, Origin chief executive Grant King said Contact’s institutional shareholders rejected the proposal that...

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AUSTRALIA: High-level energy reform implementation group appointed

(EnergyAsia, June 29) — The Australian government has recently appointed a high-level group to look into the country’s energy security and reforms.   Prime Minister John Howard said the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Energy Reform Implementation Group (ERIG) aims to reform the country’s energy sector to yield significant efficiency and energy security benefits.  ...

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AUSTRALIA: PM Howard in China to celebrate arrival of first NorthWest Shelf LNG

(EnergyAsia, June 29) — The Prime Ministers of Australia and China were in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen yesterday to celebrate the arrival of the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipment from the NorthWest Shelf, heralding the start of one of Asia’s single largest trade deals. The 25-year deal worth A$25 billion was signed...

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ASIA: ADB seeks Kyrgyz inputs to Central Asia economic action plan

(EnergyAsia, June 29) — The Kyrgyz government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are preparing a comprehensive action plan for the Central Asian Regional Economic cooperation (CAREC) Program.   At a national workshop organised by CAREC in Bishkek in Kyrgyz, the government provided ADB officials feedback on the goals, objectives, expected results, priority investments and...

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PAKISTAN: SHV Energy plans to invest Rs350 million in LPG business

(EnergyAsia, June 29) — SHV Energy of the Netherlands plans to invest Rs350 million to expand its liquefied petroleum business (LPG) in Pakistan, said CEO Patrick J. Gregory. (US$1=Rs60).   On a recent visit, Mr Gregory called on Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Mir Muhammad Naseer Mengal, and spoke about his company’s...

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SAUDI ARABIA: Envoy claims there is surplus oil in storage now

(EnergyAsia, June 29) — Saudi Arabia now has surplus crude oil sitting in storage tanks and tankers as it cannot find buyers, said its ambassador to the US.   At a press conference in Houston, Texas, Prince Turki Al-Faisal claimed that state oil company Aramco has between 300,000 and 400,000 barrels per day of unsold...

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INDIA: ONGC pays record dividends

(EnergyAsia, June 29) — Indian upstream company, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC), has declared a final dividend of 200% to add to the earlier 250% pay-out for fiscal 2005-06, bringing the total dividend to 450%.   In total, the company will have paid out Rs64.17 billion, making this the highest-ever dividend pay-out in...

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EMISSIONS: BP on preparing for a world where carbon has a price

(EnergyAsia, June 29) — Vivienne Cox, BP’s chief executive for gas, power and renewables, recently spoke about the “necessary shift to the low-carbon, high technology industry of the future” at the World Gas Conference in Amsterdam. Her focus was on LNG and regulation as agents of change.   To realise this new future, Ms Cos...

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INDIA: MultiCommodity Exchange to offer Nymex-priced energy futures contracts

(EnergyAsia, June 29) — The Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) could soon offer energy futures contracts for domestic users based on prices settled on the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex). Early this month, the two exchanges signed an exclusive licensing agreement to allow MCX to offer Nymex-priced energy contracts.   The agreement, signed...

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COMPANY: DuPont solar programme aims to advances the science of renewable energy

(EnergyAsia, June 29) — DuPont has launched a solar energy programme at its Chestnut Run facilities in Wilmington, Delaware in the US to further its research in next-generation solar panel technology.   The company has installed three rows of large photovoltaic solar panels to convert the sun’s energy into electricity for an existing R&D and...

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THAILAND: Energy Ministry said LPG price to stay regulated

(EnergyAsia, June 29) — Thailand will continue to regulate the price of liquefied petroleum gas as freeing it will send cost soaring.   The Ministry of Energy’s Deputy Permanent Secretary, Pornchai Rujiprapa, ended speculation that the government was planning to float the LPG price on July 1 to align it with the international market.  ...

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CLIMATE CHANGE: Earth is at its warmest in 400 Years, says US National Research Council

(EnergyAsia, June 28) — There is sufficient evidence from tree rings, boreholes, retreating glaciers, and other “proxies” of past surface temperatures to say with a high level of confidence that the last few decades of the 20th century were warmer than any comparable period in the last 400 years, according to a new report from...

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INDIA: Saudi JV company wins $22.5 million in contracts to supply pipe systems for oil refineries, p

(EnergyAsia, June 28) — An engineering joint venture between Saudi Arabia’s Amiantit Company’s and India’s Goa-based Salgaocar Group has won a total of $22.5 million in contracts to supply pipe systems for oil refineries, power projects and tank systems for petroleum retail outlets in India.   Amiantit Fiberglass Industries India Limited (AFIIL) is forecasting a...

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AUSTRALIA: US-based PetroSun forms unit to develop algae-based biodiesel

(EnergyAsia, June 28) — US-based PetroSun Drilling Inc, a provider of oilfield services to oil and gas producers, said it has formed Algae BioFuels Inc to venture into the biofuels industry. Algae BioFuels will be engaged in the research and development of algae cultivation as an energy source in the production of biodiesel, an economically...

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INDONESIA: Jakarta to make early repayment of half its outstanding obligations to the IMF

(EnergyAsia, June 28) — The Indonesian government will make an advance repayment this week, about US$3.7 billion, equivalent to half of its outstanding obligations to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).   In a statement, the IMF said Jakarta informed the Washington-based agency of its their decision to make the advance repayment of its obligations under...

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JAPAN: Sanyo expands solar business, targets ‘next generation’ solar cells’

(EnergyAsia, June 28) — Japan’s Sanyo Electric Co Ltd, a world leader in photovoltaic technology, said it is embarking on a major expansion into the solar business in response to the fast expanding photovoltaic market. The world’s fourth largest solar cell maker said it aims to capture top spot, tripling its solar revenue to 180...

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