Its wholly owned subsidiary, Kreuz Engineering Limited has acquired two subsea support vessels and two deepwater anchor handling tug/supply (AHTS) vessels from Thaumas Marine Ltd. The US$108 million price tage does not include the equipment that Swiber will retrofit and purchase for the vessels. The two 78-metre DP2 subsea support vessels and the two deepwater...

The main contract of S$17 million includes the overall design of the process engineering, detailed engineering and calculations, procurement of major equipment, fabrication and construction for two modules of gas compression systems and one unit of gas treatment and processing module. (US$1=S$1.46). Each gas compression system will feature a premier 4,400 horsepower compressor by US...

The Thai company said it received official notification of its success from Bahrain’s National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA). The 2,228-sq km block is located off the waters in the north of Bahrain. The formal award will be finalised following the negotiation and formulation of the exploration and production sharing agreement (EPSA).PTTEP will be the...

(EnergyAsia, October 16, Tuesday) — Canada’s TransAlta Power, LP said it has agreed to be bought out by Hong Kong’s Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Limited (CKI) for $8.38 a share in cash for a total of $629 million. The purchase price represents a 15.7% premium over TransAlta Power’s closing share price on the Toronto Stock...

(EnergyAsia, October 15, Monday) — Last week’s crude oil rally looks “overdone”, said US commodities broker Fimat. Brent and WTI crude futures both soared to new nominal highs last week, propelled by news of a surprise weekly draw in US crude stocks and a broader, counter-seasonal, third-quarter slide in total OECD oil inventories. Both the...

  (EnergyAsia, October 15, Monday) — The partners in Australia’s huge Gorgon natural gas project, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell, have welcomed the Federal government’s environmental approval for the project. The Federal Minister for the Environment, Malcolm Turnbull, has issued Australian government approval for the Gorgon Development Proposal on Barrow Island sourcing gas from the Gorgon...

(EnergyAsia, October 15, Monday) — Thousands of northern Adelaide homes and businesses will be invited to become “Solar Citizens” and join the Adelaide Solar City program – a seven-year energy trial to reduce energy consumption and increase the use of green energy. Federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull unveiled the $80 million Adelaide Solar City programme...

(SPC Cambodia), and its partners have completed their acquisition of a combined 10% interest in Block B exploration block in Cambodia, further to an announcement earlier this year. This follows approvals by the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority. The additional 10% interest was acquired from CE Cambodia B Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cooper Energy...

(EnergyAsia, October 15, Monday) — Climate change won further recognition as a world issue when former US Vice President Al Gore and the UN climate panel’s 2,500 researchers were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last Friday for their work to fight global warming. An immediate beneficiary will be the renewable energy sector. Mr Gore, the...

(EnergyAsia, October 15, Monday) — NYSE-listed Evergreen Energy Inc, a leader in providing solutions for energy and environmental needs, has signed an “Agreement to Proceed” with specifications and design work that lead to the construction of a K-Fuel® lignite coal refinery in China’s Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. The agreement calls for a feasibility study followed...

(EnergyAsia, October 15, Monday) — BP’s new boss Tony Hayward has unveiled the company’s new corporate structure aimed at raising its competitiveness. The new structure will simplify the company’s structure, “ensuring that resources are increasingly shifted to the front line with operating managers freed from corporate bureaucracy and the burden of unnecessary overheads.” Calling it...

(EnergyAsia, October 15, Monday) — Australia-listed Mission Biofuels Limited said the commissioning of its first 100,000 tonnes/year biodiesel plant is progressing satisfactorily although slightly behind schedule. Having addressed the initial procedural delays in securing permits necessary for final commissioning, Mission Biofuels said the plant has received the requisite Safety, Health and Fire approvals after physical...

(EnergyAsia, October 15, Monday) — International wheat prices have increased sharply since June, hitting record highs in September in response to tightening world supplies, historically low levels of stocks and sustained demand, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation. In its latest Crop Prospects and Food Situation report, the FAO said the combination of...

(EnergyAsia, October 15, Monday) — China’s Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, a leading vertically integrated photovoltaic (PV) product manufacturer, said it has been added to the NASDAQ Clean Edge US Index and the NASDAQ Clean Edge US Liquid Series Index effective last month. Bryan Li, Yingli’s chief financial officer, said: “As a leading vertically...

(EnergyAsia, October 12, Friday) — Alstom Hydro said it has been awarded a 200 million euro contract to supply electro-and hydro-mechanical equipment for hydropower plants in China. These contracts have been booked in the first half backlog of the current fiscal year. The company said it recently signed four contracts to supply the following: –...

(EnergyAsia, October 12, Friday) — A small windpower farm is set to start operations in the resort town of Pattaya in southern Thailand. Comprising 45 wind turbines, the 4.5kw farm is the first to be developed by Thai engineers to suit the country’s specific climate and weather conditions. Initially, the 84 million baht project will...

(EnergyAsia, October 12, Friday) — NYSE-listed LDK Solar Co Ltd, a leading manufacturer of multicrystalline solar wafers, said it has signed a five-year contract to supply multicrystalline solar wafers to Taiwan-based Solartech Energy Corp. The US$224 million deal will start next year, with pricing fixed for the first three years. Multicrystalline solar wafers are the...

(EnergyAsia, October 12, Friday) — State-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has suspended work on exploring for a new hydropower dam on Myanmar’s Salween River until calm returns to the troubled country. While insisting the project would proceed, EGAT governor Kraisi Karnasuta said it had to put the Hatkyi project on hold indefinitely after...

(EnergyAsia, October 12, Friday) — Pakistan has signed an agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a $510 million multi-tranche loan for the development of renewable energy. The programme, the first of its kind in Pakistan, is one of the first to be developed under ADB’s evolving clean energy and efficiency initiative. Pakistan’s energy...

(EnergyAsia, October 12, Friday) — Japanese electronics giant and the world’s largest producer of solar cells, Sharp, is launching into India’s solar cells market. The company aims to achieve annual sales of Rs1.2 billion from its solar cell business in India by 2010. (US$1=Rs39). Sharp is targeting to sell its solar cells to India’s railways,...

(EnergyAsia, October 12, Friday) — The Indian government said it will provide financial and other incentives to major electronics makers to boost the development and production of solar cells. The programme should benefit companies such as Moser Baer which is planning a Rs20 billion solar photovoltaic fabrication facility in Chennai. (US$1=Rs39). SemIndia, a big semiconductor...

(EnergyAsia, October 12, Friday) — Four remote villages in India’s Uttar Pradesh state have been getting electricity from solar power supplies since 1999, proving that the alternative power source can play a big role in helping electrify the country’s vast rural areas. The villages are able to tap 100 kilowatt per hour (KWh) of electricity...

(EnergyAsia, October 12, Friday) — Eight local companies are planning to invest a total of 17.1 billion peso in biofuels projects in the Philippines to meet rising demand through 2010. (US$1 = Ps45). The companies include Bio-Energy NL, E-Cane, Pampanga Industrial Park Corporation, Philippine Agricultural Land Development and Mill, Zambo Norte Bioenergy, Philippine National Oil...

(EnergyAsia, October 12, Friday) — Taiwan could invest up to NT$100 billion in windpower projects through 2035 to reduce its dependence on imported coal, oil and gas. Coal and gas now fuel about two thirds of Taiwan’s power generators. Windpower is a favourite renewable energy among state planners as it is highly developed and its...

(EnergyAsia, October 11, Thursday) — GE Energy has announced it is investing US$50 million to build its first manufacturing facility in Vietnam. The factory, to be located near the seaport city of Hai Phong, will produce components for GE’s diverse portfolio of power generation equipment. The components produced in Vietnam will be sent to the...