(EnergyAsia, June 17 2010, Thursday) — Singapore-listed oil and gas services and supply firms KS Energy (KSE), Aqua-Terra Supply (ATS) and SSH Corporation (SSH) are pushing ahead to consolidate their distribution businesses into a new S$320 million subsidiary. (US$1=S$1.4). In three separate meetings earlier this year, shareholders of the three companies approved the creation of...

(EnergyAsia, June 17 2010, Thursday) — There is a clear link between the existence of particulate matters that cause air pollution and cardiovascular health problems, according to the American Heart Association. People living in Singapore are at risk of increased incidence of strokes and heart diseases given their regular exposure to particulate matters released into...

(EnergyAsia, June 17 2010, Thursday) — Terrorism remains a real threat to the world’s oil supply system as highlighted by the arrest of more than 100 al-Qaida suspects earlier this year for allegedly planning to attack Saudi Arabia’s oil installations. The Saudi Arabian government’s announcement of counter-insurgency operations carried out in the Kingdom over recent...

(EnergyAsia, June 17 2010, Thursday) — India should wait a year or two before entering into contracts to buy natural gas from Qatar or Iran as international prices are expected to ease and domestic gas reserves provide a cheaper alternative, said industry executives and analysts. Qatar is seeking about US$11 per million British thermal units...

(EnergyAsia, June 17 2010, Thursday) — Indigenous groups have claimed that the government of Australia’s Queensland state and proponents of a A$60 billion natural gas deal of ripping them off. (US$1=A$1.2). China National Offshore Oil Corporation recently signed an agreement to buy A$60 billion worth of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Britain’s BG Group which...

(EnergyAsia, June 17 2010, Thursday) — The fallout from BP’s massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico may continue to be felt for years, spurring changes in regulations and potentially slowing deepwater drilling operations around the world. The slowdown – likely to come as a result of ensuing stringent requirements for rig permits, inspections...

(EnergyAsia, June 16 2010, Wednesday) — By Darrell Delamaide for Oilprice.com. As hurricane season begins in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, forecasters are predicting higher-than-usual activity that could disrupt oil and gas production in the Gulf and hinder efforts to clean up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.   The US Energy Information Administration said...

(EnergyAsia, June 16 2010, Wednesday) — By Darrell Delamaide for Oilprice.com.   Middle East oil countries should increase production of heavy oil as oil prices remain higher and improved technology makes it easier, those attending a recent industry conference in Bahrain were told.   Bahrain’s oil minister, Abdulhussain Mirza, told the Heavy Oil World MENA...

(EnergyAsia, June 16 2010, Wednesday) — The global economic recession drove energy consumption lower in 2009, making it the first such decline since 1982 as the world economy contracted for the first time since the Second World War, said BP. In releasing its 2010 BP Statistical Review of World Energy, BP chief economist Christof Ruehl...

(EnergyAsia, June 16 2010, Wednesday) — Macquarie Research has lowered its forecast for oil prices over the next three quarters, citing the weak global economic environment. The company said it now expects Brent futures to average reach US$79 a barrel (down US$4, -5%) for the second quarter, and to trade at US$83 a barrel in...

(EnergyAsia, June 16 2010, Wednesday) — Bangkok Solar Power Co Ltd (BSP), a leading Thai manufacturer of PV solar modules and engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contractor has agreed to acquire up to 6,639,063 shares of US-based Prime Sun Power Inc (PSP) at 7.73 euro per share. (US$1=0.83 euro). All shares issued to BSP...

(EnergyAsia, June 16 2010, Wednesday) — Japanese trading house Marubeni Corporation said it has been awarded a contract by Vietnam Electricity (EVN) to construct a 600MW coal-fired thermal power plant in Vietnam. The 90-billion-yen project in Nghi Son district, the largest power plant Marubeni has constructed in Vietnam, is expected to be commissioned in January...

(EnergyAsia, June 16 2010, Wednesday) — Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) have officially started up their joint petrochemical complex in Tianjin city in China. Sinopec SABIC Tianjin Petrochemical Company (SSTPC) was established as an equal joint venture last November to build and operate the new three-million-ton per year...

(EnergyAsia, June 16 2010, Wednesday) — Law firms Herbert Smith and Stibbe said they recently advised China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) on its acquisition of 35% interest in Syria Shell Petroleum Development (SSPD) previously 100% owned by Shell. SSPD has interests in three production licences including Deir-Ez-Zor, Fourth Annex and Ash Sham operated by the...

(EnergyAsia, June 15 2010, Tuesday) — Greenpeace has criticised Europe’s policies on biofuels as “broken” as the region’s new guidelines on sustainability do not go far enough to prevent “a dramatic increase in deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.” The guidelines and an associated certification scheme only address part of the picture, with indirect land-use change...

(EnergyAsia, June 15 2010, Tuesday) — Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd said it will build a wind turbine manufacturing plant in Fort Smith city in the US state of Arkansas. Due to start up in the second half of 2011 with an initial annual production capacity of 600 megawatts (MW), the plant will fabricate nacelles,...

(EnergyAsia, June 15 2010, Tuesday) —Ninety of America’s leading scientists today urged the US House and Senate to ensure that new climate and energy regulations accurately account for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from bioenergy including biofuels such as ethanol. In the letter to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Harry Reid and key Obama...

(EnergyAsia, June 15 2010, Tuesday) — In the absence of national policies and binding international agreements that would limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the world will be using more coal in the decades ahead, said the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).   In its latest International Energy Outlook report, the agency predicts world coal...

(EnergyAsia, June 15 2010, Tuesday) — The US biomass industry expanded by a mere 1.2% per year over the last decade, according to a new study by England-based GlobalData. It said the US biomass market had a cumulative installed capacity of 9,686 MW in 2009, up from 8,835 MW in 2001 for a per year...

(EnergyAsia, June 15 2010, Tuesday) — The Austria-based Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) said it has teamed up with Himin Solar, China’s largest solar water heating manufacturer and a major property developer, and Switzerland’s Bern University of Applied Sciences to deliver an energy efficiency training programme targeting Chinese design professionals.   The Best...

(EnergyAsia, June 15 2010, Tuesday) — Singapore’s average daily temperature could rise by between 2.7 to 4.2 degrees Celsius by 2100 from the current average of 26.8 degrees Celsius, according to a study commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA).   Conducted by the Tropical Marine Science Institute at the National University of Singapore, the...

(Energy Asia, June 14 2010, Monday) — Syndicates of a major insurance group in London have initiated legal action against BP Plc to block the oil giant from trying to claim on cover held by rig operator Transocean for the catastrophic oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. A total of 38 underwriting syndicates in...

(Energy Asia, June 14 2010, Monday)—Electric cars, such as the mass-produced compact 5-door hatchback electric car Nissan Leaf or the glamorous US Tesla, don’t make financial sense just yet for consumers due to their high ownership costs, post-warranty repair costs, poor resale value and lack of infrastructural support, said analysts. In the UK, Nissan recently...

(EnergyAsia, June 14 2010, Monday)—In a bid to cut reliance on fossil fuels, the Indonesian government is providing incentives to boost investments in renewable energy, the Finance Ministry said last month. The incentives include a 5% tax cut over six years for renewable energy producers as well as exemptions from value-added tax and import duties...