(EnergyAsia, January 22) — Nasdaq-listed Solarfun Power Holdings Co Ltd , a manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules in China, said it has landed a “significant” contract to sell approximately 140MW of photovoltaic modules to UB Garanty Project SL over the next three years. The contract is expected to have an estimated value of...
(EnergyAsia, January 22) — The Chinese government said it has launched a campaign to reduce the use of coal by industries by 100 million tonnes a year by 2010. The powerful National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) wants some 1,000 firms which account for one third of the country’s total energy consumption to submit...
(EnergyAsia, January 22) — US commodity broker Fimat said the recent decline in oil prices do not reflect a serious bearish tone. In a research note, it said: “Oil markets resumed their downtrend on January 18 following the release of seemingly bearish US oil statistics, but their slide was relatively small compared to the...
(EnergyAsia, January 22) — The Chinese government said it has allocated an additional 2.58 billion yuan for funding the development of green projects. The money will go to 17 clean energy projects that utilize locally developed alternative energy technology. (US$1=7.7 yuan). The projects include a 50 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic cell project and a 1.5...
(EnergyAsia, January 22) — Canada’s Alcoa said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with India’s Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) to collaborate on research projects that address critical global issues such as energy efficiency, alternative and renewable energy sources, environmental technologies as well as multi-material engineered solutions. The MOU establishes...
(EnergyAsia, January 19) — The West Australian (WA) state government could save up to 6,000 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions going into the atmosphere if it allowed access to its large reserves of uranium, said the Federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Ian Campbell. “This is 10 times what the whole of Australia...
(EnergyAsia, January 19) — Greenfuel Technologies Corporation, a US-company developing algae bioreactor technology for recycling carbon dioxide in flue gases into clean, renewable biofuels, announcedthat it has signed a strategic alliance agreement with IGV, a private industrial research institute headquartered in Potsdam, Germany. IGV is a pioneer in micro-algae research and production with more than...
(EnergyAsia, January 19) — Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the country’s largest downstream company, is setting aside Rs75 billion to upgrade and expand its oil refineries for the next financial year starting April 1 2008, said chairman Sarthak Behuria. (US$1=Rs45). Most of that investment will focus on building a naphtha cracker unit at the company’s largest...
(EnergyAsia, January 19) —The Oxford Princeton Programme Inc, the world’s leader in training solutions to the energy, commodities and derivatives industries, is establishing a regional office and new company in Singapore. From next month, The Oxford Princeton Programme Singapore Private Ltd. Will begin operating at 7 Temasek Boulevard, Suntec City Tower One, Unit 06-01....
(EnergyAsia, January 19) — The opening up of India’s nuclear industry, following the landmark deal with the US, could drive up uranium prices on the world markets. India’s 15 reactors operate at around 65% of capacity as it is unable to get enough uranium supply. With India allowed to enter the global uranium...
(EnergyAsia, January 19) — PetroChina is looking to more than double the capacity at three liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals that is planning to build by 2015. The company is building the terminals in northern and eastern China which have a combined initial capacity of 10.5 million tonnes/year. The plants are located in Rudong...
(EnergyAsia, January 19) — Singapore’s upstream support company KS Energy Services Limited has named Goh Boon Chye, 54, as an executive director and a member of the board from January 16. Mr Goh is also the company’s chief business development officer. The 10-member board includes Kris Wiluan (chairman and CEO), Chew Thiam Keng (managing...
(EnergyAsia, January 19) — Rodrigo de Rato, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, made the following comments at a press conference this week. Accompanying him at the briefing was John Lipsky, IMF First Deputy Managing Director, and Masood Ahmed, IMF External Relations Department Director. “After four consecutive years of strong growth, what we...
(EnergyAsia, January 19) — Norwegian energy giant Statoil said it has signed a production sharing contract (PSC) for a 40% share in the deepwater Kuma block off Indonesia. This is the first time the group has been awarded exploration acreage in Indonesia. Operator ConocoPhillips of the US holds the majority 60% stake. The signing...
(EnergyAsia, January 19) — The Indian government is considering allocating two coal blocks in Assam to South Africa’s energy and petrochemicals major Sasol. Sasol has expressed interest to build a US$6 billion coal-to-liquids project in India. If realised, it would be the largest single foreign investment project in India to date. The two...
(EnergyAsia, January 18) — IndianOil Crop said its subsidiary, Lanka IOC Ltd, will receive compensation from the government of Sri Lanka for selling oil products at below market prices. A settlement agreement was signed in Colombo early this month by K. Ramakrishnan, Lanka IOC’s managing director, and Abeysinghe, deputy secretary to the Treasury for the...
(EnergyAsia, January 18) — Las Vegas, US-based AlgoDyne Ethanol Energy Inc said it was recently in contact with a consortium of Asian investors who have shown a strong interest in its proprietary mico-algae-based (phytoplankton) process for making ethanol. AlgoDyne said its technology provides a powerful means to produce clean, renewable energy from the continual...
(EnergyAsia, January 18) — A declaration on regional energy security signed by 16 Asian leaders including members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was a first step in a process towards addressing reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of climate change, said the WWF. The Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy...
(EnergyAsia, January 18) — Australia’s Origin Energy is offering shareholders the opportunity to purchase up to A$5,000 worth of additional shares through a special purchase plan to help it partly fund the acquisition of Sun Retail from the Queensland state government. The offer will provide shareholders the opportunity to participate in its capital raising initiatives...
(EnergyAsia, January 18) — CLSA capital has launched its Clean Resources Asia Fund to take advantage of the Asia-Pacific region’s rising trend towards greater resource efficiency. The fund will focus on high growth public and private companies that offer technological solutions to the world’s growing environmental, energy security and resource challenges. The company said...
(EnergyAsia, January 18) — California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has issued an executive order establishing a groundbreaking low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) for transportation fuels sold in the state. The move is aimed at reducing the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reliance on foreign oil. By 2020, the standard will reduce the carbon intensity...
(EnergyAsia, January 18) — A newly published study by US consultants Nexant Inc, “Liquid Biofuels: Substituting for Petroleum”, looks at current, emerging, and potential future technologies to produce biogasoline and biodiesel, considering all key elements of the value chain, including agricultural, logistical, and processing. Emphasising techno-economic modeling, the study details development trends around the...
(EnergyAsia, January 18) — An Australian parliamentary panel has come out in support of exporting the country’s uranium to China, saying that some US$250 million/year in export sales are at stake. Australian policymakers are also debating if they should allow the export of uranium to India. Watchdog groups and some politicians are worried...
(EnergyAsia, January 18) — China’s wholesale market for crude oil and refined oil products is set to be opened up this year to foreign investors. New regulations will abolish the monopoly of state-owned majors China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec Corp) over the domestic markets. China is...
(EnergyAsia, January 18) — Leaders of 16 Asian countries who met in the Philippines early this week have agreed to study the possibility of setting up a regional fuel stockpile to boost the region’s energy security. The 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations together with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand...