(EnergyAsia, May 19, Tuesday) — In an effort to raise energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, China plans to shut down many of its smaller refineries by 2011. The move is aimed at privately owned ageing refineries of less than 20,000 b/d of capacity. Most are located in Shandong and Shaanxi provinces. Last year,...

(EnergyAsia, May 19, Tuesday) — Having fallen to about a sixth of its peak price from last summer, spot prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the world market could fall further this year. In a recent report, Francisco Blanch, a Merrill Lynch energy analyst, said it could fall further from current spot prices of...

(EnergyAsia, May 19, Tuesday) — US experts continue to debate the reasons for last year’s massive spike in crude oil prices to more than US$147 per barrel in July. At a recent conference in Washington DC, the experts at the US Energy Information Administration’s 2009 annual conference, however, agreed that speculators were not to be...

(EnergyAsia, May 19, Tuesday) — The joint venture between Japan’s INPEX and France’s Total will soon start work on the front end engineering and design (FEED) for the development of the Ichthys field, located in the Browse Basin about 200 km off the coast of northwestern Australia and 850 kilometres to the west of Darwin....

(EnergyAsia, May 19, Tuesday) — GE Hitachi (GEH) Nuclear Energy said it has signed two agreements with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to collaborate on building multiple GEH-designed nuclear reactors to help meet India’s energy production goals. GEH, a world-leading nuclear technology and services provider, signed separate...

(EnergyAsia, May 19, Tuesday) — Chinese oil companies could add almost 13 million b/d of new refining capacity over the next decade, said analysts. This would potentially set up China as an important exporter of refined oil products as the country’s domestic consumption is projected to grow by only 3% per year in the coming...

(EnergyAsia, May 18, Monday) — China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec) and Kuwait Petroleum International have agreed to jointly build a US$9 billion oil refinery in China’s southern Guangdong province. The 300,000 b/d plant, the single largest foreign investment, will likely include a third partner, which Chinese officials have identified as a major oil company...

(EnergyAsia, May 18, Monday) — The recent outbreak of swine flu around the world is not expected to cut into global oil markets, US research firm Newedge Group said in a recent report. The 2002/2003 SARS crisis hit oil markets hard, led by lower demand for aviation fuel. However, SARS is not a comparable precedent...

(EnergyAsia, May 18, Monday) — EnergyAustralia, Australia’s largest electricity distribution network, has agreed with IBM to jointly implement an energy network monitoring and control solution. One of the main projects calls for the roll-out of 12,000 sensing devices throughout the electricity distribution network, creating a smart grid within EnergyAustralia’s overall intelligent network programme, the Distribution...

(EnergyAsia, May 18, Monday) — The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has issued a circular with a revised recommendation on marine fuel oils for ship owners, managers, operators, agents, masters, crew members, surveyors, oil cargoes and marine fuel oil suppliers and operators of oil handling facilities. The circular is aimed at updating the...

(EnergyAsia, May 18, Monday) — Thailand’s leading coal miner, Banpu, said its first-quarter earnings rose by 132% to 4.798 billion baht, thanks to hedging gains and the full operation of a 50%-owned power plant in China. (US$1=35 baht). Banpu said its coal business generated a net profit of 3.632 billion baht, an increase of 2.872...

(EnergyAsia, May 18, Monday) — The global crisis has hit Asia hard, and economic recovery will not take place before mid-2010, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said today in its latest report on the Asia Pacific region. The IMF said that Asian growth will decelerate to 1.3% this year before rebounding to 4.3% in 2010,...

(EnergyAsia, May 18, Monday) — The impact of the global economic crisis on Asia has been swifter and often deeper than for other regions, partly because of Asia’s export dependence and close integration into the global economy, said a new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). GDP in emerging Asia, excluding China and India,...

(EnergyAsia, May 15, Friday) — Singapore has launched a long-term plan to improve the energy efficiency of at least 80% of its buildings, yielding savings totalling S$1.6 billion. (US$1=S$1.45). Under plan to 2030 set out by the Inter-ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development, the government will give out cash incentives worth S$100 million to building owners....

(EnergyAsia, May 15, Friday) — South Korean firms are planning to set up two biofuels plants in the Philippines, according to Philippine government officials. he unidentified companies will each invest around 4-billion pesos in the plants in General Santos city, and in Tarlac province. (US$1=47 peso). The proposed project in General Santos City will be...

(EnergyAsia, May 15, Friday) — The South Korean government has launched an ambitious 365-billion-won plan to develop and cultivate “seaweed forests” as a biomass feedstock. (US$1=1,260 won). Under the 10-year project, about 35,000 hectares off the country’s east and south coast will be set aside for the cultivation of seaweed forests. The Ministry for Food,...

(EnergyAsia, May 15, Friday) — Work on an offshore wind farm project in China’s Shanghai city is progressing as planned. The city said the first turbine was installed in March. When completed, the wind farm will have 34 generators, each with a capacity of 3,000 kilowatt (KW), making it the biggest offshore wind farm in...

(EnergyAsia, May 15, Friday) — Wärtsilä, a leading supplier of flexible power plants and services to the decentralised power generation market, said it has been awarded operations and maintenance (O&M) contracts by two manufacturing companies in the Philippines. The contracts were signed during the last quarter. CEMEX Strategic Philippines Inc, a subsidiary of building materials...

(EnergyAsia, May 15, Friday) — Hong Kong-listed China Resources Power Holdings Co Ltd has announced it has begun work on RMBMB1 billion worth of wind power projects in Fuxin city in China’s northeast Liaoning province. (US$1=RMB6.8). The company said the wind farms will consist of wind power generation sets of 300 to 500MW to be...

(EnergyAsia, May 15, Friday) — Nasdaq-listed Canadian Solar Inc said it has signed an agreement for a municipal government to fund local solar projects in a Chinese city. The Suzhou New District government has agreed to provide RMB7.5 million in matching funds in conjunction with the subsidies provided by China’s Ministry of Finance and Ministry...

(EnergyAsia, May 12, Thursday) — China aims to have 100 gigawatts (GW) of wind power capacity in place by 2020, up sharply from the previous target of 30 GW.According to a recent report by industry group Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) China is on track to soon become the world’s biggest market for wind power.China...

(EnergyAsia, May 14, Thursday) — A senior executive at biofuels firm D1 Oils has dismissed hopes that the jatropha crop could be a ‘miracle’ biodiesel crop that could flourish in poor conditions and provide farmers a steady stream of income. Oil-rich jatropha, which can be grown in semi-arid areas, has often been hailed as a...

 (EnergyAsia, May 14, Thursday) — The US and China have emerged as different threats to Europe as the world’s leader in the solar energy industry, said consultant Frost & Sullivan. In a new report, it said China has now cemented its role as a global solar manufacturing hub, while the US is becoming increasingly influential in...