(EnergyAsia, April 4) — The 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies, which represent more than a third of the world’s population, have agreed to jointly work on practical measures to reduce aviation greenhouse gas emissions. Chairing the APEC Transportation Ministers’ meeting in Adelaide, Australia last month, Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Vaile, said...
(EnergyAsia, April 4) — Kazakhstan is aiming to expand its investments in Georgia, with focus on oil and energy. The two countries affirmed their close ties following the recent visit to Astana by Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili who held detailed discussions on economic cooperation with Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Energy, oil and gas...
(EnergyAsia, April 4) — Governments must stop subsidising the use of fossil fuels as an essential step to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the Washington DC-based Earth Policy Institute urged. Fossil fuels receive innumerable subsidies or tax exemptions in countries around the world, the institute said. In Iran, for example, the government sets domestic...
(EnergyAsia, April 4) — Audco India Limited (AIL) has won the prestigious ‘National Award for Research and Development Efforts in Industry’ for 2006, awarded by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) in India’s Ministry of Science and Technology. AIL is a joint venture of US-based Flowserve Corporation, a global provider of fluid...
(EnergyAsia, April 4) — The Chinese government is considering imposing taxes on oil and other natural resources to reduce wasteful use and help achieve its energy savings targets. China accounted for 5.5% of world economic output last year, but was responsible for 15% of energy use and 30% of steel consumption Ma Kai,...
(EnergyAsia, April 4) — China Clean Energy Inc, a producer of biodiesel fuel and environmentally friendly specialty chemical products from renewable resources, said it has completed the upgrade of its biodiesel fuel plant. The plant’s capacity has been raised from 4,800 tons per year to 10,000 tons per year, 3 million gallons per year. ...
(EnergyAsia, April 3) — Thailand’s Rayong Refinery Public Company Limited (RRC) said it has obtained from a group of local financial institutions for long-term credit facilities worth a total amount of 7 billion baht. (US$1=31 baht). The financial institutions include Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited, Siam Commercial Bank Public Company Limited, Bangkok Bank...
(EnergyAsia, April 3) — Australia’s Tasmania state may be forced to raise electricity tariffs in 2008 as a result of prolonged drought in recent years, said Energy Minister David Llewellyn. A devastating 10-year drought has left lakes at less than a quarter of their capacity making it impossible for Hydro Tasmania to produce enough power...
(EnergyAsia, April 3) —- Japan’s Itochu Corp and Indonesian partner P T Molindo Raya are looking to invest a total of US$50 million in two ethanol plants in Indonesia next year. The proposed plants to be located in Lampung at the northern tip of Sumatra and Pacitan in East Java province will have an annual...
(EnergyAsia, April 3) — Nasdaq-listed Canadian Solar Inc said it has won a contract to supply a building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solar glass roof system to China’s Luoyang Polysilicon Company. The three-story building, located in Luoyang city in Henan Province, will house the Research Department of Luoyang Polysilicon and the China National Silicon Materials Engineering...
(EnergyAsia, April 3) — Emerson Process Management said its Ovation¨ expert control system has been successfully implemented at Huaneng’s Yuhuan Power Plant Units 1 and 2. US-based Emerson won the $7 million contract to automate the four unit, 4,000-MW, coal-fired plan in April 2005. The plant, which is owned by Huaneng Power International...
(EnergyAsia, April 3) — The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia is ready to provide clean technology to India and forge long-term ties in the field of renewable energy, said the state’s Minister of Economic Affairs Christa Thoben. “Pollution is a big problem here and we are ready to transfer clean air technologies to India....
(EnergyAsia, April 3) — Punj Lloyd Limited (PLL), an India-based EPC services provider for energy and infrastructure building, said it has received approval of extension of its existing contract with New Doha International Airport (NDIA). The extension will enhance the capacity of the airport’s fuel system for its second phase expansion. The new Rs6.18...
(EnergyAsia, April 3) — The Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (Inec) in the Philippines is moving to upgrade two mini hydro electric plants here to complement the power it derives from other power-generating plants. Since 1982, Inec has been operating the 5MW Agua-grande hydro power plant which is capable of supplying power to 72,000 households...
(EnergyAsia, April 3) — South Korea’s energy consumption edged up by 1.7% last year on the back of higher private and industrial demand. Total energy consumption was 232.4 million tonnes of oil equivalent. However, the increase in energy use was well behind country’s 5% economic growth in 2006. This was partially due...
(EnergyAsia, April 3) — India’s petroleum ministry has finally agreed to the import of ethanol and biodiesel fuels, reversing an earlier policy of complete reliance on local producers. A national ethanol-blending programme, which was to have been last year, has been plagued by pricing disputes resulting in a supply freeze. Ethanol producers refused...
(EnergyAsia, April 2) — The US is vulnerable to an oil supply shock and unprepared to deal with its consequences, warned the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a major report confirming the reality of peak oil —that world oil production will reach a maximum point and go into rapid decline. It is the first...
(EnergyAsia, April 2) — The Indian government has stated that investments in new refinery projects including proposals for projects in Rajasthan and other states will have to be decided primarily on a commercial basis. Petroleum Minister Shri Murli Deora said that while state-owned ONGC had approached the Rajasthan state government for assistance and incentives,...
(EnergyAsia, April 2) — India is seeking some 2.5 million tonnes/year in additional liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Iran. If Iran accedes, its deliveries to India would go up to 7.5 million tonnes/year, from 5 million tonnes/year under an earlier agreement. The two countries had signed an LNG supply agreement in 2005 but failed...
(EnergyAsia, April 2) — Australia’s plans to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the US suffered a setback after BHP’s proposal to set up a US$800 million receiving terminal about 22km off the coast of Los Angeles faced tough environmental questions from a US congressional committee. Legislators under a Congress controlled by the Democratic Party...
(EnergyAsia, April 2) — Shareholders of UK-based independent oil company Cairn Energy will receive 481 million sterling following the successful listing of its Indian subsidiary on the Mumbai Stock Exchange. (US$1=0.5 sterling). Cairn sold shares in its Indian arm in December to pay for the development of its largest oil fields in Rajasthan state....
(EnergyAsia, April 2) — US buyout firm Warburg Pincus has agreed to invest a total US$175 million in Hong Kong-based oil logistics, trading and storage firm, Titan Petrochemicals Group Limited. Titan, under financial pressure from high debt and poor results, said Warburg Pincus, one of the world’s leading private equity investors, will invest US$75...
(EnergyAsia, April 2) — China officially launched its oil refining and petrochemicals venture with ExxonMobil and Saudi Aramco at a special ceremony in Beijing last week. The government approved the joint venture contracts and business licences for the two joint ventures in Fujian province – Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Company Limited and Sinopec SenMei (Fujian) Petroleum...
(EnergyAsia, April 2) — Developing Asian economies will post robust growth in 2007, underpinned by strengthening domestic demand and a broadly favorable outlook for the international economy, said the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In its flagship annual publication, Asian Development Outlook (ADO), the ADB forecast developing Asian economies to expand at 7.6% in 2007...
(EnergyAsia, April 2) — A panel of regional experts will speak on pertinent energy issues at the upcoming Malaysia Energy Conference to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from April 16 to 17. Organised by Asia Business Forum Pte Ltd, the event will feature speakers from Malaysia’s Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications, Mukah...