(EnergyAsia, November 22 2010, Monday) — In response to Iran’s constant threats to shut down the strategic Straits of Hormuz, the UAE has opened a naval base on its east coast to protect the passage of its crude oil exports. Iran has repeatedly stated it will stop all traffic through the straits if it is...

(EnergyAsia, November 22 2010, Monday) — China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Corporation (CGNPC) has announced that it will invest S$65 million in building an integrated solar-biomass power generation project. (US$1=S$1.3). The integrated solar-biomass power generation project, the first in Singapore, features a 19.8MW biomass power plant, fuelled by wood and horticultural waste, as well as...

(EnergyAsia, Oct 24 2010, Sunday) — Singapore power companies will have to sell 60% of their electricity output at or below ceiling prices next year despite the possibility of a shortfall due to an expected surge in demand. The Energy Market Authority (EMA) said it will raise the ceiling from this year’s 55% level to...

(EnergyAsia, November 22 2010, Monday) – With an eye to expanding in Asia, Lukoil, one of Russia’s largest energy companies, may list some of its shares in Hong Kong or Singapore as early as 2011. The move, set to widen the company’ shareholder base, would follow a buyback of its shares from Houston-based ConocoPhillips. Lukoil...

(EnergyAsia, November 22 2010, Monday) — Fed up with constant wranglings with the European Union while at the same time seeking to expand to new markets, Russia’s Gazprom, the world’s largest gas producer, is stepping up its focus on Asia. Gazprom feels threatened by the EU’s current attempt to consolidate the energy policies of its...

(EnergyAsia, November 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — China’s apparent oil demand in October rose by a strong 11.8% from a year ago to 37.88 million metric tons (mt), or an average of 8.95 million barrels per day (b/d), according to oil media Platts in an analysis of latest official China data. October demand was 3.1% higher...

(EnergyAsia, November 19 2010, Friday) — Malaysian engineering group Dialog Group said its subsidiary, Dialog E&C Sdn Bhd, has secured a contract to build and commission a new condensate tank and associated facilities at the Bintulu crude oil terminal. The RM60.66 million contract for the terminal in the Malaysian state of Sabah was awarded by...

(EnergyAsia, November 19 2010, Friday) — China Huaneng Group will be investing S$800 million to repower two oil-fired steam plants at its Tuas Power subsidiary in Singapore to use natural gas. (US$1=S$1.3). Tuas Power will replace a 10-year-old plant with a 400-megawatt combined-cycle gas turbine. Construction will start soon, and is expected to be finished...

(EnergyAsia, November 19 2010, Thursday) — Pakistan’s navy chief Noman Bashir wants his government to review its 40-year deal with Singapore’s port operator PSA International for the strategic deepwater port of Gwadar. Mr Bashir alleged that the Singapore firm, a unit of sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings, has not been performing to expectations since it...

(EnergyAsia, November 19 2010, Friday) — Australia’s Hunnu Coal Limited said it has raised A$40 million through a placement to institutional and sophisticated investors to accelerate the exploration and development of its coking and thermal coal projects in Mongolia. (US$1=A$1). The company has secured firm commitments from subscribers to participate in a placement by which...

(EnergyAsia, November 19 2010, Friday) — Australia’s Leighton Group said its subsidiary Leighton Offshore Private Limited has won a US$733 million contract from the Iraqi government to build a new oil export terminal in the southern city of Basra. The terminal has the capacity to handle 1.8 million barrels of crude oil a day, and...

(EnergyAsia, November 19 2010, Friday) — Finland’s Neste Oil said it has started up what it claims is the world’s largest renewable diesel plant in Singapore with the capacity to produce 800,000 tonnes of fuel a year. Neste said the 550-million-euro plant was completed on-schedule and on-budget, and will be gradually ramped up to produce...

(EnergyAsia, November 19 2010, Friday) — Indonesia could turn to building small liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminals to meet its energy needs and reduce dependence on costly oil imports. Thanks to improved technology and the lower cost of gas relative to other energy sources, it is increasingly feasible for companies to own and operate...

(EnergyAsia, November 18 2010, Thursday) — Engineering giant Foster Wheeler AG said its Global Engineering and Construction Group has been awarded a contract by Indonesia’s Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN) to provide project management consultancy (PMC) services for a new floating LNG (FLNG) receiving terminal in Medan in north Sumatra. Foster Wheeler declined to disclose the...

(EnergyAsia, November 18 2010, Thursday) — Singapore will have “no choice” but to adopt nuclear energy as a power source, said industry observers at a recent conference. Pointing out that neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia are hopping onto the nuclear bandwagon, a senior Sembcorp Industries executive said nuclear energy is “inevitable” and that Singapore should...

(EnergyAsia, November 18 2010, Thursday) — PetroChina’s unit PetroChina Tarim Oilfield Co said two large gas fields in the Tarim Basin in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will add 1.5 billion cubic metres of gas output a year. The company started production from the Kela gas field and the Tazhong NoGMT field early this month....

(EnergyAsia, November 18 2010, Thursday) — China needs Myanmar to meet its growing demand for energy and other resources, a message that was highlighted by the recent visit of Senior General Than Shwe to Beijing where he met with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. The meeting helped consolidate political and economic ties...

(EnergyAsia, November 18 2010, Thursday) — With Bangladesh’s fuel demand continuing to rise, its government has announced plans to increase the country’s diesel and fuel oil storage capacity by 200,000 tonnes from 400,000 tonnes now. The country expects to start up 28 rental power plants next year, boosting fuel demand by 160,000 tonnes to around...

(EnergyAsia, November 18 2010, Thursday) — Three global natural gas players predict Asia’s demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) will absorb new global supplies in the coming years. Dispelling any fears of a future supply glut, Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp and Qatar all expect China and India to lead Asia’s strong LNG demand...

(EnergyAsia, November 16 2010, Tuesday) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it is extending up to US$200 million to facilitate private sector participation in natural gas distribution infrastructure in China. The project will support the Chinese government’s push to reduce coal consumption and increase the use of natural gas, a cleaner fuel that is...

(EnergyAsia, November 16 2010, Tuesday) — BDP International, a leading global logistics and transportation management firm, said it has launched a new service to manage ISO-tanks and multiple element gas containers (MEGCs) of oil, gas and chemical companies. Called BDPSmart Tower and believed to be the first of its kind, the new service addresses the...

(EnergyAsia, November 16 2010, Tuesday) — Royal Dutch Shell plc said it will sell off 78.34 million shares in Australia’s Woodside Petroleum Limited at a price of A$42.23 per share for a total of A$3.308 billion. The sale, representing 29.18% of Shell’s interest in Woodside and 10% of the issued capital in Woodside, is being...

(EnergyAsia, November 16 2010, Tuesday) — Three state-owned oil marketing companies, Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, and Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) have formed a joint-venture company to set up and operate an integrated fuelling facility to serve India’s largest airport. The oil companies, who with MIAL will each...

(EnergyAsia, November 16 2010, Tuesday) — UK’s BG Group said it will begin work on the first phase of the US$15-billion Queensland Curtis Liquefied Natural Gas project (QCLNG) following receipt of environmental approvals from the Australian Federal and State governments. The project’s first phase encompasses the development of a two-train liquefaction plant on Curtis Island...