CHINA: Government to invest US$7.3 billion in smart grid programme

(EnergyAsia, March 11 2010, Thursday) — China’s government said it plans to invest US$7.3 billion this year as part of a long-term plan to establish a national smart energy grid. If so, the country would be the world’s leading smart grid builder in 2010 as its investment will exceed the US government’s investment by US$200...

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CHINA: Everbright International to start building biomass energy project in Anhui province

(EnergyAsia, March 11 2010, Thursday) — China Everbright International Limited said it expects to begin constructing a RMB331 million waste straw-to-energy project in Dangshan county in China’s Anhui province. (US$1=RMB6.83). The Hong Kong-listed company will construct two 75 tonne/hour furnaces and two 18MW electricity generators in the project’s first phase. The plant, which is expected...

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AUSTRALIA: AGL, Meridian Energy to jointly construct Macarthur wind farm

(EnergyAsia, March 11 2010, Thursday) — Australia’s AGL Energy Limited (AGL) said it has entered into conditional arrangements to construct the Macarthur wind farm in south-west Victoria state following the Federal government’s announcement to amend the national Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme. AGL said it will form a joint venture with New Zealand’s Meridian Energy...

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CHINA: Renewed battle for the Falklands suits embattled British, Argentine leaders, Chinese interest

(EnergyAsia, March 10 2010, Wednesday) — By GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs Staff for oilprice.com. The artificially-engendered revival of the dispute, which began last month between Argentina and the UK over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, has been portrayed as posturing by embattled Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, taking advantage...

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ASIA: Energy intensity reduction goals could slow down demand growth in China, Singapore

(EnergyAsia, March 10 2010, Wednesday) — Energy demand growth in China and Singapore could slow down if both governments follow through on their plans to reduce their economies’ energy intensity. China said it plans to reduce energy use per unit of GDP by between 40% and 45% per unit of gross domestic product by 2020,...

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CHINA: Companies complete major wind power projects

(EnergyAsia, March 10 2010, Wednesday) — Two Chinese companies recently announced they have completed major wind farm projects in their country.   Shanghai Investigation, Design & Research Institute (SIDRI) said it has installed Asia’s first sea wind power plant in the sea off Shanghai city while China Wind Power International Corp has completed the first...

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VIETNAM: Cavico to build road for Nam Pan 5 hydropower plant

(EnergyAsia, March 10 2010, Wednesday) — Cavico Corp, a Vietnam-based infrastructure development company, said it has signed a $500,000 contract with energy joint stock firm Global Petroleum Power Company to build a road for a hydropower plant.  Cavico said its majority-owned subsidiary, Cavico Transport, will build the 2.5-kilometer service road that will lead to the...

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SRI LANKA: Country’s largest wind power project near completion

(EnergyAsia, March 10 2010, Wednesday) — Sri Lanka expects to start up its largest wind power project, a 20MW plant situated on the west coast of Puttalam, in May, according to state agency Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA). Seguwantivu Wind Power (Pvt) Ltd and Vidatamunai Wind Power (Pvt) Ltd are investing a total of Rs4.2 billion...

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VIETNAM: Japanese government to provide US$5 million funding for biomass project

(EnergyAsia, March 10 2010, Wednesday) — The Japanese government will provide US$5 million to fund a five-year project focused on developing biomass energy in Vietnam.   Researchers working on the Sustainable Integration of Local Agriculture and Biomass Industries project will research into producing bioethanol and biogas from straw, agricultural waste and organic waste in Ho...

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AUSTRALIA: Origin Energy and subsidiary in separate geothermal ventures with Geodynamics and Taheke

(EnergyAsia, March 10 2010, Wednesday) — Origin Energy Limited, Australia’s leading integrated energy company, said it has agreed to establish separate joint ventures exploring geothermal energy projects in Australia and New Zealand. The company and Australia-based Geodynamics Limited will establish an equal joint venture to explore for shallow geothermal resources in the Eromanga Basin with...

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QATAR: Solar energy to be used to boost agricultural output

(EnergyAsia, March 9 2010, Tuesday) — Qatar is looking to expand the use of solar energy in agriculture, which has been lagging behind the country’s other economic sectors such as manufacturing, engineering and services.   In a bid to increase the productivity of its arable land, the Gulf nation plans to tap solar power to...

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SRI LANKA: Hemas Power acquires 2.6 MW hydropower plant

(EnergyAsia, March 9 2010, Tuesday) — Sri Lanka’s publicly listed Hemas Power said it has bought a 2.6 megawatt (MW) hydropower plant in the Nuwara Eliya district from Senok Mark Hydro for 198.5 million rupees. (US$1=115 rupees).   In a filing with the local stock exchange, Hemas Power said it bought 9.92 million shares or...

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JAPAN: Mitsubishi Electric, Kyocera expand solar production capacity

(EnergyAsia, March 9 2010, Tuesday) — Two Japanese companies, Mitsubishi Electric and Kyocera Corp, have announced plans to expand and upgrade their solar cell production capacities to meet rising world demand for solar energy. Mitsubishi Electric, which recently completed a photovoltaic (PV) cell production facility at its Nakatsugawa Works Iida factory in Nagano prefecture, said...

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QATAR: SolarWorld to acquire stake in $500 million polysilicon producer

(EnergyAsia, March 9 2010, Tuesday) — SolarWorld said it is acquiring a 29% stake in the newly founded Joint Venture Qatar Solar Technologies headquartered in the Emirate of Qatar. The joint venture with Qatar Foundation (70%) and the Qatar Development Bank (1%) will establish the first production facility for polysilicon on the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar...

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SOUTH KOREA: Companies embark on solar energy projects

(EnergyAsia, March 9 2010, Tuesday) — Two South Korean firms, OSolar and OCI, are embarking on separate projects related to boosting solar energy use.   South Korea’s engineering, procurement and construction firm, OSolar, and Canada’s P2 Solar Inc have agreed to form a strategic alliance as part of a project team to build a 25MWp...

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CHINA: Foster Wheeler to supply circulating fluidised-bed steam generators for clean coal burning

(EnergyAsia, March 9 2010, Tuesday) — Engineering giant Foster Wheeler AG said a subsidiary of its Global Power Group has been awarded a contract by Sinopec Jiujiang Company to design and supply two circulating fluidised-bed (CFB) steam generators for the Sinopec Jiujiang fuel alteration project in Jiangxi province in south central China.  The generators are...

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CHINA: China Gogreen Assets Ltd starts construction of 100MW thin film plant

(EnergyAsia, March 9 2010, Tuesday) — China Gogreen Assets Investment Limited said it has started construction of its 100MW thin film plant in a development zone in Zhengzhou city in China’s Henan province.   Cogreen’s joint venture company with unidentified partners, Henan Gogreen Energy Limited, is building the RMB650 million plant to produce a-Si/SiGe thin-film...

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SINGAPORE: Navitas starts up NR-X marine fuels trading platform, offers use of non-dollar currency

(EnergyAsia, March 9 2010, Tuesday) — Following a very successful three-month trial by both bunker fuel suppliers and shipping companies, Singapore-based Navitas Resources Pte Ltd last week launched its NR-X trading platform to serve the bunker and marine fuels markets. Navitas Resources Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based specialist energy and climate commodity trade facilitator, had unveiled (more…)

CHINA: China Solar Power, Suzhou Industrial Park sign agreement for third thin film amorphous silico

(EnergyAsia, March 8 2010, Monday) — China Solar Power (CSP), a manufacturer of thin film amorphous silicon (aSi) photovoltaic solar modules, said it has signed an investment agreement with Suzhou Industrial Park to build its third solar cell manufacturing facility in China. The company said it plans to invest up to $180 million to build...

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JAPAN: Kyocera to manufacture solar modules in the US

(EnergyAsia, March 8 2010, Monday) — Kyocera Solar Inc, the US subsidiary of the Japanese firm, said it is planning to manufacture solar modules in San Diego in California state to serve the US market’s growing demand for clean energy. The US module manufacturing will support a new milestone for Kyocera’s solar energy business —...

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MARKETS: US jobs data keeps crude oil well above $80 a barrel

(EnergyAsia, March 8 2010, Monday) — by Darrell Delamaide for OilPrice.com. Jobs data indicating that US economic recovery might be picking up steam finally pushed crude oil futures decisively over the stubborn $80 a barrel threshold. Nymex’s benchmark West Texas Intermediate settled Friday, March 5, at $81.50 a barrel, a seven-week high, after topping $82...

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IRAQ: Elections to fuel ethnic tensions, further delay access to Kirkuk’s reserves

(EnergyAsia, March 8 2010, Monday) — by Gareth Jenkins for OilPrice.com. The elections in Iraq on March 7, 2010, are likely to serve as an important indicator of the prospects for a resolution of the long-running dispute over the administration of the ethnically mixed and resource-rich province of Kirkuk in the north of the country....

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SOUTH KOREA: Engineering and shipbuilding companies win orders for overseas wind power projects

(EnergyAsia, March 8 2010, Monday) — South Korean shipbuilding and engineering companies are winning overseas wind power projects in their efforts to diversify their businesses. Hyundai Heavy Industries Co, South Korea’s leading shipbuilder, said it recently secured a contract to provide 30 wind power generators to Pakistan with each generator worth an estimated 60 billion...

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SINGAPORE: Renewable energy seen to meet only 2% of peak demand by 2014

(EnergyAsia, March 8 2010, Monday) — Renewable power projects are expected to meet only 2% of Singapore’s peak electricity demand by 2014, according to industry practitioners. The high-level Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) recently recommended that 5% of peak electricity to be generated by renewable energy sources by 2020. The target is seen as a challenging...

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AUSTRALIA: AGL to supply renewable energy to Melbourne Water Corporation for 15 years

(EnergyAsia, March 8 2010, Monday) — Australia’s AGL Energy Limited (AGL) said it has been awarded a 15-year contract to provide renewable energy to the Melbourne Water Corporation (MWC) from July 1 2010. AGL will supply up to 180 GWh of electricity and associated renewable energy certificates (RECs) a year to MWC which provides wholesale...

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