(EnergyAsia, April 8 2010, Thursday) — American Superconductor Corporation, a US-based global power technologies company, said it has received an initial order for full wind turbine electrical control systems worth more than US$20 million from India’s Ghodawat Energy Pvt Ltd (GEPL). Nasdaq-listed AMSC will begin shipping the electrical control systems to Ghodawat around mid-2010 and...
LAOS: ADB grants $3.1 million to boost country’s resilience to climate change
(EnergyAsia, April 7 2010, Wednesday) — Laos will be receiving grantstotalling $3.1 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Nordic Development Fund to help it become more “climate resilient” in the face of droughts, floods and other extreme weather events. ADB said it will be providing $300,000 while the Nordic Development Fund counterpart...
CHINA: Sinovel placed order for 5MW wind turbine electrical control systems
(EnergyAsia, April 7 2010, Wednesday) — American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC), a US-based power technologies company, said it has received an initial order for full wind turbine electrical control systems from China’s largest wind turbine manufacturer, Sinovel Wind Group Co Ltd (Sinovel). The systems will be deployed in Sinovel’s first five-megawatt (MW) doubly fed induction wind...
JAPAN: Showa Shell Solar rebrands itself Solar Frontier, opens two overseas offices
(EnergyAsia, April 7 2010, Wednesday) — Showa Shell Solar KK, a fully-owned subsidiary of Japan’s Showa Shell Sekiyu KK, is changing its name to Solar Frontier and launched a new logo to reflect its core business. The Tokyo-based company has opened two overseas offices in Munich and northern California to expand its global network to...
CHINA: China WindPower profit increased 55% by growing demand
(EnergyAsia, April 7 2010, Wednesday) — Hong Kong-listed renewable energy company China WindPower Group Ltd has announced a 55% rise in its net income of HK$181.2 million for the nine-month period to December 2009. Corresponding revenues, derived mostly from its operations in China, increased to HK$562.6 million from HK$379.4 million. (US$1=HK$7.76) The company’s shares have...
CLIMATE CHANGE: World’s advisory bodies to investigate ‘climate gate’
(EnergyAsia, April 7 2010, We3dnesday) — Two of the world’s leading advisory bodies on climate change said they plan to launch independent reviews of their past research works which have been plunged into disrepute after revelations that scientists had exaggerated data to create alarm and fears about global warming threats. The investigations are aimed at...
ASIA: Drought blamed for power crisis in China and the Philippines
(EnergyAsia, April 7 2010, Wednesday) — Drought brought on by the El Nino phenomenon has been blamed for a massive power crisis in parts of China and the Philippines that rely heavily on hydro-electricity. In Southwest China, the lack of water has forced the closure of hydro electric dams. Yunnan’s local reservoir has dried up,...
ASIA: China and India sign up for Copenhagen climate accord
(EnergyAsia, April 7 2010, Wednesday) — China and India, two of the world’s largest polluters, have signed up for the climate accord hammered out in the Copenhagen summit last December. Nearly three months after the summit, the Chinese government has informed the UN’s Climate Change Secretariat that it has joined the list of more than...
AUSTRALIA: Singapore-listed Noble Group makes A$12.60 per share cash offer for Gloucester
(EnergyAsia, April 7 2010, Wednesday) — Singapore-listed Noble Group Limited said it is making a cash takeover offer to acquire all the shares in Australia’s Gloucester Coal Ltd for A$12.60 per share. Noble, which is making the offer through a wholly-owned subsidiary, already owns 87.7% of Gloucester shares. Noble said its offer represents a 35.3%...
SINGAPORE: Ministerial speech delivered at March 31 groundbreaking ceremony for LNG terminal
(EnergyAsia, April 6 2010, Tuesday) — This is an edited speech delivered by S. Iswaran, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education on Jurong Island on March 31. This event marks an important milestone in the evolution of Singapore’s energy policy and landscape. In 2006, we announced that Singapore would build a (more…)
UAE: eSolar, Ferrostaal AG to jointly provide turnkey solar thermal plants
(EnergyAsia, April 6 2010, Tuesday) — eSolar, a leading producer of modular, scalable concentrating solar thermal power technology, and Ferrostaal AG, one of the world’s largest power plant developers, said they will jointly deploy turnkey solar power plants in the UAE, Spain and South Africa. Under the agreement, eSolar will provide solar field and receiver...
SINGAPORE: MPA and university launched S$15 million maritime clean energy research programme
(EnergyAsia, April 6 2010, Tuesday) — The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will aim to raise up to S$15 million for their joint Maritime Clean Energy Research Programme (MCERP). (US$1=S$1.4). The two organisations said the programme will focus on research platforms that promote green carbon-neutral energy management solutions....
SINGAPORE: Keppel Shipyard secures conversion contracts worth S$160 million
(EnergyAsia, April 6 2010, Tuesday) — Keppel Shipyard Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore’s Keppel Corporation, said it has secured two contracts totalling $160 million to convert a ‘floating production storage and offloading’ (FPSO) vessel for Single Buoy Moorings Inc (SBM), and a livestock carrier for an affiliated company of Hijazi & Ghosheh Co....
INDONESIA: Renewable energy capacity gets $400 million boost from global climate fund
(EnergyAsia, April 6 2010, Tuesday) — Indonesia’s geothermal power capacity is set to nearly double with new investments from a $400 million climate fund endorsed by the Trust Fund Committee of the Clean Technology Fund (CTF). The plan aims to help the country transform its use of renewable energy as well as support the government’s...
AUSTRALIA: Santos sells Evans Shoal interest for up to $A200 million
(EnergyAsia, April 6 2010, Tuesday) — Australia’s leading gas producer Santos said it will be selling its entire working interest in NT/P 48 (Evans Shoal) in the Bonaparte Basin in offshore northern Australia to oil and gas exploration and production company, Magellan Petroleum Australia Limited (Magellan), for up to A$200 million. (US$1=A$1.1). Santos said it...
CHINA: Joint funding of $187.5 million with the US to support clean energy research
(EnergyAsia, April 6 2010, Tuesday) — The US and Chinese governments are allocating a total of $187.5 million over the next five years to support the US-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC), and research work to advance building energy efficiency, clean coal including carbon capture and storage, and clean vehicles. US Energy Secretary Stephen Chu...
CHINA: Our Group starts up five new wind farms
(EnergyAsia, April 1 2010, Thursday) — China’s Our Group said it has started up five new wind power plants, each with the capacity to produce 49.5MW. Fuxin Huashun WindPower Ltd, Fuxin Julonghu WindPower Ltd, Fuxin Qianfoshan WindPower Ltd, Fuxin Juhe WindPower Ltd and Tongliao Taihe WindPower Ltd are all equipped with 1.5MW wind turbines with...
YEMEN: Push into gas sector fails to excite investors, raises disturbing questions
(EnergyAsia, April 1 2010, Thursday) — By Fawzia Sheikh for OilPrice.com. With Yemen’s oil revenues plunging, the overnment’s push into the gas market seemed like an economic saving grace for a state wracked by poverty and terrorism, but analysts warn more thought should be given to carving out the country’s post-petroleum era. The infamous Christmas...
INDIA: UK and India invest in £10 million alliance for science, technology and innovation
(EnergyAsia, April 1 2010, Thursday) — The UK and Indian governments have launched two multi-million-pound joint research programmes to develop cost-effective and efficient solar energy solutions. Research Councils UK (RCUK) and the Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST) have each committed up to £5 million (US$1=UK£0.7) each over a three-year period for research projects...
RUSSIA: Oil and the Moscow metro bombings
(EnergyAsia, April 1 2010, Thursday) — This article was written by Dr John C.K. Daly for Oilprice.com. The tragic news of the March 29 twin suicide bombings of two Moscow Metro stations during the morning rush hour has produced outrage worldwide, with the Kremlin quickly adding that the attacks were carried out by the Caucasus...
CHINA: GC China Turbine Corp partners Baicheng, Jilin government for wind projects
(EnergyAsia, April 1 2010, Thursday) — GC China Turbine Corporation (GCHT), a Wuhan city-based manufacturer of two-bladed wind turbines, said it recently signed a cooperation agreement with Jilin Province’s Baicheng municipal government covering three wind development projects as part of its five-year development strategy. Construction of the first project, a 200MW wind farm in Sijianfang...
UAE: ENOC eyeing expansion into upstream oil business
(EnergyAsia, April 1 2010, Tuesday)— The UAE state-owned oil refiner Emirates National Oil Co (ENOC) plans to expand into the upstream oil business to diversify its revenues amidst lower refining margins. ENOC chief financial officer Petri Pentti said the company was still focused on establishing itself as a vertically integrated company despite having to abandon...
INDIA: Spain’s Gamesa sets up wind turbine unit in Chennai
(EnergyAsia, April 5 2010, Monday) — Expanding its Asian presence, Spanish sustainable energy specialist Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica SA (Gamesa) has launched its Indian subsidiary, Gamesa Wind Turbines Pvt Ltd, in Chennai city. The 31st of Gamesa’s production centres spread across Europe, Asia and the US, the Chennai plant will produce G58-850 kW wind turbines customised...
SINGAPORE: EMA unit begins construction work on S$1.5 billion LNG terminal
(EnergyAsia, April 5 2010, Monday) — Singapore has started work on building its S$1.5-billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on Jurong Island, said to be Asia’s first open-access multi-user terminal, capable of importing and re-exporting LNG from multiple suppliers. (US$1=S$1.4). The terminal is expected to start up in early 2013 with an initial capacity to...
CHINA: China WindPower Group starts up express O&M centre in Fuxin city
(EnergyAsia, April 5 2010, Monday) — China WindPower Group (CWG) said its subsidiary Fuxin WindPower has started up operations at its express operations and maintenance centre in Fuxin city in China’s northeastern Liaoning province. The centre’s wind turbine repair and assembly plant has been leased to Xinjiang Goldwind Science &Technology Co Ltd, which recently assembled...