(EnergyAsia, April 17, Friday) — PT Adaro Indonesia, the country’s second largest coal producer, has joined the globalCOAL electronic trading platform. “We are extremely pleased to welcome PT Adaro Indonesia to the globalCOAL membership,” said Patrick Markey of globalCOAL. “As one of the earliest developers of the Indonesian coal industry, they truly represent another significant...

(EnergyAsia, April 17, Friday) — Engineering giant Foster Wheeler AG has announced today that a subsidiary of its Global Power Group has signed a 20-year agreement to provide an advanced technology licence for wall-fired subcritical and supercritical pulverised-coal steam generators to be sold in India. The agreement terms with BGR Boilers Private Limited, an affiliate...

(EnergyAsia, April 17, Friday) — Following a competitive bidding process, Canadian Solar said it has been selected to supply solar panels for 80,000 solar home systems for rural households in China’s Sichuan province. The 1.6MW order for the project was initiated and financed by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Sichuan provincial government. The solar...

(EnergyAsia, April 17, Friday) — China’s LDK Solar and Q-Cells SE said they have formed a joint venture focusing on developing and marketing PV systems in Europe and China. Given their complementary core business models and regional market expertise, the two companies said they plan to take advantage of value chain optimisation and integrated cost...

(EnergyAsia, April 17, Friday) — Australia’s Origin Energy and US ConocoPhillips said they plan to invest A$35 billion in a huge project in Queensland state to convert coal seam gas (CSG) to liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Australia. (US$1=A$1.45). Their equal joint venture operation, Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG), will make that investment through to 2020...

(EnergyAsia, April 16, Thursday) — Masdar, the Abu Dhabi’s state-owned green energy firm, has turned cautious in making further investments because of the global financial crisis. Also known as Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co, it will now focus on executing a list of announced solar, wind and hydrogen power and energy efficiency projects worth a...

(EnergyAsia, April 16, Thursday) — Indonesia’s Maluku region is looking to develop micro hydropower plants to help supply electricity to villages that are not yet connected to the grid. The region is notably short of power, with around 40% of an estimated 800 villages reported to be largely without electricity. Micro power generators are seen...

(EnergyAsia, April 16, Thursday) — The Indian government is hoping to attract more investments into its hydropower sector in the country’s water-rich north-eastern states. The plants would produce power from the rivers flowing into India from China. Despite the abundance of rivers and waterfalls, hydropower’s share in India’s electricity generation is declining. Analysts estimate that...

(EnergyAsia, April 16, Thursday) — China has decisively relegated environmental issues to the background as it pushes ahead with plans to stimulate the economy by encouraging vehicle sales and use. Chinese car sales growth slowed sharply to single-digit rates last year as the economy slowed and credit tightened, sharply contrasting the 10%-plus annual growth rates...

(EnergyAsia, April 16, Thursday) — High processing and transport costs are holding back the development of Malaysia’s biofuels industry, said government official. Malaysia is planning to produce and use diesel with a 5% biofuels mix by next year. Currently focused on government vehicles, the scheme is supposed to cover all vehicles. However, biodiesel plants are...

(EnergyAsia, April 16, Thursday) — The Indonesian government is aiming to receive some US$30 billion from developed countries under a carbon credit trading arrangement. Jakarta would use the money to finance more than $17 billion worth of energy projects under a special “fast-track programme” that would include a total of 99 power plants with the...

(EnergyAsia, April 16, Thursday) — China’s wind power capacity is projected to exceed 22 gigawatts (GW) by 2011, according to a local consulting firm. CCID Consulting also projected the nation’s fuel ethanol production could reach 2.44 million tonnes, and just under 7,000 MW of solar photovoltaic capacity by then. Today, China has 73 companies producing...

(EnergyAsia, April 16, Thursday) — While politicians hailed the G20’s decision at their recent London summit to inject a record US$1.1 trillion stimulus package into the world economy, environmentalists said the massive spending will sharply boost greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace charged that the summit early this...

(EnergyAsia, April 15, Wednesday) — Talisman Malaysia Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canada’s Talisman Energy Inc, said it has started producing crude oil from the Northern Fields development. The development is located in the PM-3 commercial arrangement area off the coast of Malaysia and Vietnam. Production is expected to reach 40,000-50,000 boe/d (gross sales) by...

(EnergyAsia, April 15, Wednesday) —- EOC Limited, a Norway-listed offshore oil and gas support services provider, said it has received an extension for its second offshore construction support accommodation crane barge, the Lewek Chancellor, after the completion of its current contract this month. EOC, an associate company of Singapore Exchange-listed Ezra Holdings Limited, said the...

(EnergyAsia, April 15, Wednesday) — Sembawang Shipyard, a fully-owned subsidiary of Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine, said it has landed the long-term maintenance and refit contract for the country’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal. The contract, awarded by Texas-based BG LNG Services, LLC, a subsidiary of the UK natural gas giant, was signed in Houston,...

HYDROPOWER: Global capacity to exceed 945 GW by 2015, says new report (EnergyAsia, April 15, Wednesday) — A sharp rise in world energy consumption, depleting reserves of fossil fuel, growing demand for energy supply security, and rising concerns over environmental damage caused by fossil fuels will contribute to boosting hydropower generation installed capacity to 945.8...

(EnergyAsia, April 15, Wednesday) — The three leading buyers of Indonesian liquefied natural gas (LNG) are seeking to redirect cargoes to other markets amid the global economic downturn. Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan could divert some 12 cargoes of Indonesian LNG, market sources said. The global economic downturn has reduced industrial activity, and thus LNG...

(EnergyAsia, April 13, Monday) — Asia-based offshore oil and gas support services provider EOC Limited said its second quarter net profit stayed above US$40 million due to construction projects and time charters for its pipelay vessel, the Lewek Champion. The company’s second quarter ended February 28. But EOC’s revenue fell to US$14.8 million due partly...

(EnergyAsia, April 15, Wednesday) — Japanese auto maker Mitsubishi Motors is hoping to take a lead over its competitors with its plans to launch a fully electric, four-passenger car for the world markets. Confirming months of speculation, Mitsubishi Motors North America President and CEO Shinichi Kurihara said the Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle (i MiEV) is...

(EnergyAsia, April 15, Wednesday) — Total E&P Canada Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of France’s Total SA, said it has sold a 10% interest in the Northern Lights Partnership (NLP) to SinoCanada Petroleum Corporation, a subsidiary of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec). With the transaction, NLP will be equally owned by Total Canada and SinoCanada....

(EnergyAsia, April 14, Tuesday) — China Sunergy, a specialised solar cell manufacturer based in Nanjing city, said it has signed a 10-year Sales Framework Agreement with asola Advanced and Automotive Solar Systems GmbH, a module producer based in Erfurt, Germany. Sunergy will produce and deliver up to 480MW of solar cells to the German firm...

(EnergyAsia, April 14, Tuesday) — Trina Solar Limited, a leading NYSE-listed integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic products, said it has completed and launched the largest roof mounted solar installation in North America. The installation at The Atlantic City Convention Center (ACCC) in the US is the continent’s largest single roof-mounted solar array, comprising more than...

(EnergyAsia, April 14, Tuesday) — US major ExxonMobil said it has inaugurated its newest high efficiency cogeneration plant at its Antwerp refinery in Belgium. Cogeneration is the simultaneous production of electricity and useful heat or steam used for industrial processes. With the start-up of this new plant, ExxonMobil said it now has interests in about...

(EnergyAsia, April 14, Tuesday) — Bioenergy, when produced on a small-scale in local communities, can play a significant role in rural development in poor countries, according to a new report jointly published by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). The study, “Small Scale Bioenergy Initiatives: Brief...