(EnergyAsia, June 13, Friday) — A joint study by the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has warned of the worsening impact biofuels production will have on world food prices and supplies. In addition, biofuels would do little to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the study said....
INDIA: Tata Group, Mercator Singapore in US$320 million deal
(EnergyAsia, June 13, Friday) — Mercator Lines (Singapore) Limited said it has renegotiated the freight terms of its October 2006 contract with Tata Power Company Limited for the transportation of 1.9 million tons coal annually from Indonesia to India for four years. The enhanced deal is worth US$320 million. Based on Tata’s growing demand for...
MARKETS: Clean energy revolution underway, says New Energy Finance
(EnergyAsia, June 13, Friday) — The International Energy Agency (IEA) has called for a ‘global energy technology revolution’ to put the world on a sustainable path to 2050. Its ‘blue scenario’, indicating what would be needed to reduce world carbon emissions by 50% by 2050, implies the need for US$45 trillion of investment in clean...
INDIA: Chemicals group SRF starts up nine wind power units in Tamil Nadu state
(EnergyAsia, June 13, Friday) — A leading Indian chemicals group, SRF Ltd, said it has started up nine units of a 14 MW wind power plant in Tamil Nadu state. The Rs900 million plant in Tirunelveli district is expected to meet nearly half the company’s power requirement in Tamil Nadu, and reduce the emission of...
CHINA: Tianjin TEDA and TECID form environmental protection JV with Singapore’s KIE
(EnergyAsia, June 13, Friday) — Keppel Integrated Engineering (KIE), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore’s Keppel Corp Ltd, said it has signed an agreement to form a joint venture company, Tianjin Eco-City Environmental Protection Co Ltd (TECEP) with two Chinese firms, Tianjin TEDA Co Ltd and Tianjin Eco-City Investment & Development Co Ltd (TECID Co). With...
TAIWAN: AMSC licenses wind turbine technology to Teco Electric & Machinery Co Ltd
(EnergyAsia, June 12, Thursday) — Nasdaq-listed energy technologies company American Superconductor Corporation said it has licensed one of its proprietary wind turbine designs to Taiwan-based TECO Electric & Machinery Co Ltd (TECO), the world’s third largest motor manufacturer. AMSC’s wholly owned AMSC Windtec™ subsidiary will license the design for its FC-2000, a proprietary 2...
PHILIPPINES: ADB to fund Negros hydropower plants
(EnergyAsia, June 12, Thursday) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan government are expected to help finance new micro and mini hydro power plants in the Negros Occidental province of the Philippines. Local officials said the plants, with capacities ranging from one kilowatt (KW) each to 10 megawatts (MW), would help address...
PHILIPPINES: Trans-Asia evaluating 20MW wind power project in Guimaras island
(EnergyAsia, June 12, Thursday) — Philippines-listed Trans-Asia Power Generation Corp (TPGC) is evaluating a proposal to develop a 20-megawatt (MW) wind power project on the island province of Guimaras located in the Western Visayas region. TGPC said the project will be implemented by its sister company, Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp (TA Oil),...
CHINA: DuPont expands production of Solamet® for solar energy
(EnergyAsia, June 12, Thursday) — To meet the needs of the fast-growing photovoltaic (PV) solar energy market, DuPont said it will expand production of its proprietary Solamet® thick film metallisation pastes at its Electronic Materials DuPont Dongguan Ltd (EMDD) facility in Dongguan city in the Chinese province of Guangdong. The company will more than...
CHINA: Sinovel Wind placed $450 million order with AMSC
(EnergyAsia, June 12, Thursday) — Nasdaq-listed American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC), a leading energy technologies company, said it has received a $450 million order from Beijing-based Sinovel Wind Corporation Limited for core electrical components for 1.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbines. The contract calls for shipments to begin in January 2009 and increase in amount year-over-year...
SINGAPORE: Keppel awarded US$385 million semisubmersible rig contract
(EnergyAsia, June 12, Thursday) — Singapore’s Keppel FELS Limited said it has secured a US$385 million repeat order to build a semisubmersible drilling rig for Brazilian drilling contractor group Queiroz Galvão Óleo e Gás (QGOG). The price excludes the drilling and subsea equipment which will be supplied by QGOG. To be named Alpha Star,...
KUWAIT: Japan, South Korea firms win refinery contracts
(EnergyAsia, June 3) — Japan’s JGC and South Korean firms GS, Daelim, Hyundai and SK Engineering have won various contracts to build Kuwait’s planned 615,000 b/d grassroots refinery. The contracts are worth a total of around $9 billion. Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) said construction is due to begin within weeks, with completion of...
PAKISTAN: MWH awarded contract for $2.2 billion hydroelectric project
(EnergyAsia, June 12, Thursday) — MWH, a Colorado, US-based provider of environmental engineering, strategic consulting and construction services, said it has been selected by the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) to provide engineering and construction management services for the Neelum-Jhelum hydroelectric project. MWH is leading a joint venture, Neelum-Jhelum Consultants, that includes...
CHINA: Canadian Solar signs cell supply agreement with Neo Solar Power
(EnergyAsia, June 12, Thursday) — Chinese module manufacturer Canadian Solar (CSI) said it has signed a five-year contract to procure solar cells from Taiwanese cell manufacturer, Neo Solar Power (NSP). NSP will supply several hundred megawatts (MW) of solar cells through 2013. The total contract value exceeds $500 million. Quincy Lin, NSP chairman and...
BIOFUELS: Associations reply to criticisms at UN Food summit
(EnergyAsia, June 12, Thursday) — Biofuels associations from Canada, Europe and the US have issued a joint statement in response to criticisms and comments from last week’s UN Food and Agricultural Organization summit on food in Rome, Italy. The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA), the European Bioethanol Fuel Association (eBio), and the Renewable Fuels...
CLIMATE CHANGE: Oilsands used in US refineries will lead to higher output of greenhouse gases
(EnergyAsia, June 11, Wednesday) — Two green lobbies have charged that US refiners will produce much more greenhouse gases processing Canada’s oilsands than if they used ‘traditional’ crude oil. The Washington DC-based Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and Toronto-headquartered Environmental Defence Canada (EDC) said the emissions production increase would be the equivalent of 16 new refineries (more…)
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Kayan signs US$6 billion financing agreements for petrochemical complex
(EnergyAsia, June 11, Wednesday) — An affiliate of the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), the Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Company said it has signed US$6 billion worth of financing arrangements for 15 years with a group of banks and financial institutions to finance part of the cost of its new complex in Jubail Industrial City. The (more…)
MARKETS: Dow Chemical raised product prices by up to 20% in response to surging energy costs
(EnergyAsia, June 11, Wednesday) — The cost of many household goods has received another boost with Down Chemical’s decision to raise the price of all of its products by up to 20% from June 1. America’s largest chemical manufacturer, with annual sales of $54 billion and 46,000 employees worldwide, said it will review business terms...
KOREA: Solar Power Inc makes hardware sale to Seoul-based solar distributor and installer
(EnergyAsia, June 11, Wednesday) — US-based Solar Power Inc (SPI) said it has agreed to supply five megawatts of its SP200 solar modules to a large unidentified Korean distributor and installer. The modules will be used as part of a 10 MW solar park currently under development north east of Seoul, Korea and will be...
INDIA: PLG Power Limited orders solar module manufacturing line from Spire Corp
(EnergyAsia, June 11, Wednesday) — Nasdaq-listed Spire Corporation, a global solar company providing turnkey solar factories and capital equipment to manufacture photovoltaic cells and modules worldwide, said it has received a contract from PLG Power Limited (PLG Group) to provide a state-of-the-art, turnkey photovoltaic module assembly line in India. PLG Power Limited is the energy...
CHINA: Suntech signs 7GW wafer agreement, buys into Shunda Holdings
(EnergyAsia, June 11, Wednesday) — Suntech Power said it has signed a definitive 13-year silicon wafer supply agreement with a subsidiary of Shunda Holdings Co Ltd. Shunda will supply NYSE-listed Suntech a specified annual volume of silicon wafers with a total volume of seven-gigawatts (GW) from 2008 to 2020. Suntech Power also acquired a minority...
CHINA: Rotoblock acquires Hikom Gottell for energy efficient, environmental equipment manufacturing
(EnergyAsia, June 11, Wednesday) — US-based engine technology firm Rotoblock and China’s Hikom Gottell said they are planning to set up a manufacturing facility to produce advanced energy efficient and environmental machinery and equipment, including small engines, heat pumps and air-conditioning for the world markets. Earlier, Rotoblock announced an agreement to purchase controlling interest in...
CHINA: China Holdings provides update on TaiHu and Ongniute biomass power projects
(EnergyAsia, June 11, Wednesday) — US OTC-listed China Holdings Inc, a global diversified asset holdings company, and its China-focused subsidiaries has provided an update on the development of its TaiHu and Ongniute biomass power projects. China Holdings said it and wholly owned subsidiary China Power Inc have completed the fuel analysis for the 50MW TaiHu...
AZERBAIJAN: Finland’s Wartsila opens new office and workshop
(EnergyAsia, June 11, Wednesday) — Finland’s Wärtsilä Corporation has opened a new office and workshop in Baku city in oil-rich Azerbaijan. The need for the new premises arose with the rapid expansion of work involved with the growing number of Wärtsilä power plants in the country and the number of vessels on the Caspian Sea...
ASIA: ADB leads call for clean energy financing amid soaring prices, climate change threats
(EnergyAsia, June 11, Wednesday) – Energy experts, policymakers, financiers and project developers from across the Asia-Pacific are calling for massive new investments in clean energy amid spiraling costs for oil and coal and the growing threat of climate change. More than 500 experts met in Manila last week to scale up investments in clean energy...