(EnergyAsia, November 7) — Mid America Bio Energy and Commodities LLC (MABE) of North Platte, Nebraska said it has completed the merger of Mid America Agri Products/Wheatland, LLC (Madrid, Nebraska) and Mid America Agri Products/Horizon, LLC (Cambridge, Nebraska) into Standard Ethanol LLC.   MABE is the principal owner of Standard Ethanol, LLC. Standard Ethanol plants...

(EnergyAsia, November 7) — Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co Ltd and subsidiary Mitsui & Co (USA) Inc said they will acquire the business of Kingston NY-based SunWize Technologies LLC, a solar technology company, specialising in the design and manufacture of integrated solar power systems, and associated project development and product distribution.   The acquisition is...

(EnergyAsia, November 7) — Japan’s Sharp Corporation said it has increased annual production capacity for solar cells at its Katsuragi Plant in Nara Prefecture by 100 MW to 600 MW, making it the world’s largest. The 3.5 billion yen expanded capacity has started full operations to meet rising demand for photovoltaic (PV) power generation in...

(EnergyAsia, November 7) — China’s LDK Solar Hi-Tech plans to raise some US$300 million in an initial public offering on the US Nasdaq stock market instead of Singapore, said local news reports. The Jiangxi province-based company has met with US investment banks as it prepares to proceed with the IPO next year.   With a...

(EnergyAsia, November 7) — Thailand is unable to produce enough ethanol to replace octane 95 gasoline by next year, the government has acknowledged.   The admission has forced an embarrassing climbdown for the Energy Ministry which earlier had insisted it was on course to with plans to completely replace octane 95 gasoline with ethanol.  ...

(EnergyAsia, November 6) — The UK has provided a way for companies from non-Kyoto Protocol countries to participate in the global carbon market through the Clean Development Mechanism, Climate Change Minister Ian Pearson announced in Beijing last week.   He told the Carbon Expo Asia that the UK would approve non-UK entities’ participation in Clean...

(EnergyAsia, November 6) — China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec Corp) has released its financial and operating results for the third quarter ending September 30. Its income rose 25.48% to RMB 273.2 billion while net profit was up 55.78% to RMB 13.1 billion. (U$1=RMB7.85).   The company said profit attributable to shareholders was RMB13 billion,...

(EnergyAsia, November 6) — Rodrigo de Rato, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has issued a statement praising the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries following a meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with its finance ministers and central bank governors. The GCC comprisesBahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates....

(EnergyAsia, November 6) — Canadian financial institution and energy trader ATB Financial is using SunGard’s Kiodex Risk Workbench for commodity pricing, position keeping and risk management of its commercial markets derivatives business. ATB, a regional financial institution based in Edmonton, Alberta, selected Kiodex to help support its newly established energy derivatives operation, which it launched...

(EnergyAsia, November 6) — Sembawang Shipyard, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore’s SembCorp Marine, has secured a S$30 million contract from Scotland’s Neptune Marine Oil & Gas Limited for the upgrading and reactivation of drill ship, Neptune Explorer. (US$1=S$1.55).   Neptune Marine Oil & Gas Limited is a quality offshore drilling contractor with product focus on...

(EnergyAsia, November 6) — US-based Alliant Energy Corp said it has agreed to sell its interest in Alliant Energy New Zealand Limited (AENZ) for NZ$445 million (US$290 million) to Infratil Limited. The purchase price is subject to certain adjustments through the closing date which is expected in December 2006. After payment of closing costs and...

(EnergyAsia, November 6) — Suzlon Energy A/S of Denmark (SEAS), the international business arm of India’s Suzlon Energy Limited, said it has landed its first sale order in South America.   The order from Brazilian energy company – SIIF Energies do Brasil Ltda (SIIF) marks Suzlon’s entry into another key high-growth market for wind energy....

(EnergyAsia, November 6) — Alstom said it has signed major agreements in its two main businesses of rail transport equipment and power generation during the recent visit of French President Jacques Chirac to China. These include the supply of 500 locomotives (300 million euros) and hydro-electricity generation equipment (100 million euros).   Patrick Kron, CEO of...

(EnergyAsia, November 6) — Australian Prime Minister John Howard has issued a statement announcing his government’s support for the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate Change. He also committed the government to set aside A$60 million for 42 collaborative projects. (US$1=A$1.3).   The projects cover a range of areas including renewable energies, improving environmental...

(EnergyAsia, November 3) — Swiber Holdings Limited, a Singapore-based niche service provider to the offshore oil and gas industry, has launched its initial public offering (IPO) of 94 million new shares at an issue price of S$0.355 per share in conjunction with its listing on the mainboard of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Ltd (SGX)....

(EnergyAsia, November 3) — While the US has chosen not to build up its stock in the final quarter of the year, China has begun filling up its newly finished storage terminal in Zhenhai port in Zhejiang province. The net impact of both decisions along with reports of renewed threats to a Saudi Arabia oil...

(EnergyAsia, November 3) — China and Indonesia last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to step up their cooperation in developing the energy and mineral resources sectors. Chinese Vice Premier Huang Ju and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono witnessed the signing ceremony at the second Sino-Indonesian energy forum held in Shanghai. The first forum...

(EnergyAsia, November 3) — Australian upstream company Santos said it has signed a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with state Petrovietnam for Block 101-100/04 in the Song Hong Basin off the coast of Vietnam.   Under this PSC, which was directly negotiated with Petrovietnam, Santos said it will operate the block and hold a 55% participating...

(EnergyAsia, November 3) — Oil prices could still slip further after sinking to their lowest levels for the year last month. For most of October, WTI benchmark crude futures kept below US$60 a barrel on growing fears the US economy could be headed for a nasty recession next year. Sentiments have turned sharply and unpredictably...

(EnergyAsia, November 3) — US-based GE said its technology has been selected for a new, 300-megawatt class hydropower plant to be located on the Bing Lang Jiang River in Baoshan city in China’s Yunnan Province. The Su Jia He Kou hydro power plant will feature three high-head vertical Francis hydro turbine-generators, each with a maximum...

(EnergyAsia, November 3) — Foster Wheeler Ltd said that subsidiaries Foster Wheeler Energy Limited and Foster Wheeler Arabia Limited have been awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) and project management services contract by Saudi Aramco for the Manifa Arabian Heavy crude oil programme in Saudi Arabia.   The Manifa programme, planned for mid-2011 completion, includes...

(EnergyAsia, November 3) — A consortium comprising Malaysian state energy company Petronas and Korean partners Korea Gas, Samsung and LG International, has been awarded a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) by the Timor Sea Designated Authority (TSDA) for an offshore exploration block in the Joint Petroleum Development Area (JPDA) between Timor Leste and Australia.   The...

(EnergyAsia, November 3) — The government of Denmark has announced making an initial grant of DKr20 million to establish the Second Danish Cooperation Fund for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Rural Areas. The fund is aimed at increasing the use of renewable energy in ADB’s developing member countries in Asia.             The first Danish...

(EnergyAsia, November 3) — PPL Shipyard, a subsidiary of Singapore’s SembCorp Marine, has secured a rig building contract worth US$155 million from Offshore Group Corp. for the construction of a Baker Marine Pacific Class 375 deep drilling offshore jack-up rig.   Ong Tian Khiam, managing director of PPL Shipyard, said: “The construction contract is an...

(EnergyAsia, November 2) — Grifco International Inc, a US-based provider of oil and gas service equipment to the oil and gas industry, said it has received a purchase order for equipment for use in a southwest oilfield operator by state Sinopec. Lee He, Grifco’s agent in China for the past 15 years, helped secure the...