US: Coal use for power production to fall to 20-year low in 2012, says EIA

(EnergyAsia, August 14 2012, Tuesday) — US coal consumption for power generation will fall to 825 million short tons (MMst) in 2012, their lowest level in 20 years, predicts the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). With natural gas prices expected to remain cheap, power companies will continue to snub coal through next year, said the (more…)

AUSTRALIA: New South Wales pressured to follow Western Australia’s ban on coal exploration in Hunter Valley

(EnergyAsia, August 14 2012, Tuesday) — Australian farming and environmental groups want New South Wales (NSW) state to follow the example set by neighbour Western Australia (WA) in banning coal exploration and mining in its wine growing and tourist areas. WA mining minister Norman Moore announced last month a ban on coal mining within a (more…)

PHILIPPINES: Meralco and Thailand’s Egco in talks to expand coal-fired power plant

(EnergyAsia, August 14 2012, Tuesday) — Manila Electric Co (Meralco) and Thailand’s Electricity Generating Public Co Ltd (Egco) are in talks to jointly expand and upgrade a 460MW coal-fired power plant in the Philippines. Egco, the 98% owner of the Quezon Power Philippines Ltd plant in Mauban, Quezon, is looking to add a 500MW unit...

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PHILIPPINES: Investors, green groups clash over new coal power plants in Negros

(EnergyAsia, August 14 2012, Tuesday) — Environmental and local resident groups have vowed to stop the proposed construction of two new coal-fired power plants on the Philippine island of Negros Occidental. Greenpeace Southeast Asia is leading the campaign to halt separate proposals by Philippine Power Corp, a Sino-Filipino venture, to build a 70MW plant and...

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INDONESIA: Coal production below target

(EnergyAsia, August 14 2012, Tuesday) — Indonesia’s coal production may fall short of this year’s official target of 332 million metric tons, said the Energy and Mines Ministry. Production barely reached 150 million metric tons in the first half amid an increasingly bearish outlook on coal prices weighed down by the slowing global economy. According...

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MARKETS: World thermal coal trade to rise by 4% in 2012, by 5% in 2013, predicts Australian agency

 (EnergyAsia, August 13 2012, Monday) — The world thermal coal seaborne trade is forecast to increase by around 4% to 871 million tonnes in 2012, and by 5% to 919 million tonnes in 2013, predicts Australia’s Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE). Asia will provide the bulk of import growth while Australia, Indonesia and...

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CHINA: Coal exports down more than 35% on reduced domestic outpu

(EnergyAsia, August 13 2012, Monday) — Chinese coal exports plunged by more than 35% to 6.28 million metric tonnes for the first seven months of the year, according to preliminary customs data. Weak market conditions in China and abroad have led to lower domestic production and sales. China’s coal prices at the main port of...

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SINGAPORE: Sembcorp, Keppel units secure contracts worth nearly US$5 billion from Sete Brasil and Petrobras

(EnergyAsia, August 13 2012, Monday) — Singapore’s leading rig builders, Sembcorp Marine and Keppel O&M, said two subsidiaries have secured contracts worth a total of nearly US$5 billion from Brazilian companies. SembMarine said wholly owned Jurong Offshore Pte Ltd has been awarded contracts worth US$4.032 billion to design and build five drillships for Sete Brasil based (more…)

MONGOLIA: Prophecy Coal suspends mine operations, launched power division

 (EnergyAsia, August 13 2012, Monday) — Investors in Mongolia’s coal industry face more uncertainties, with Canada’s Prophecy Coal the latest to deliver a clouded outlook. The Vancouver, British Columbia company said it has temporarily suspended mining at its Ulaan Ovoo coal mine since July as it has built up a 187,000-tonne stockpile sufficient to meet (more…)

CHINA: US-based L & L Energy increase investment in Guizhou

(EnergyAsia, August 13 2012, Monday) — L & L Energy Inc, a Seattle, US-based company producing coal in China, said it is expanding its operations in southwestern Guizhou province through a strategic  agreement with a local coal supplier to build on an earlier purchase of a large stake in a coal miner. L&L Energy said (more…)

CHINA: First-half coal imports surged 66% to nearly 140 million mt

(EnergyAsia, August 10 2012, Friday) — China is taking advantage of low international coal prices to boost imports by more than 66% to 139.85 million metric tonnes in the first half of 2012. June’s imports alone were up 98% to 27.19 million metric tonnes compared with year-ago levels, according to the country’s Customs data. With...

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CHINA: Rail capacity for coal delivery to reach three billion tonnes by 2015

(EnergyAsia, August 10 2012, Friday) — The Chinese government is targeting to raise the country’s railway capacity for transporting coal to three billion tonnes a year by 2015. The government is looking to improve the nation’s coal delivery system as part of its development programme and energy security system under the current 12th five-year plan...

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SINGAPORE: Keppel O&M secures contracts to supply Sete Brasil five rigs for US$4.1 billion

(EnergyAsia, August 10 2012, Friday) — Singapore’s Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd said its subsidiary, Fernvale Pte Ltd, has secured contracts from Sete Brasil Participações SA for the design and construction of five semisubmersible drilling rigs for a total sum of approximately US$4.1 billion. The contracts for the rigs based on Keppel’s proprietary DSSTM 38E (more…)

INDONESIA: Adaro lowered 2012 forecast for thermal coal output to between 48 and 51 million mt

(EnergyAsia, August 10 2012, Friday) — Indonesia’s second largest thermal coal producer, Adaro Energy, said it now expects to produce between 48 and 51 million metric tonnes in 2012, down from an earlier forecast of 50 and 53 million mt. Citing “difficult market conditions” with coal prices down by more than 20% since last April, (more…)

VIETNAM: B&W JV awarded US$300 million contract for work on coal-fired plant

(EnergyAsia, August 10 2012, Friday) — US engineering firm Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) said a China-based joint venture has secured a contract worth more than $300 million to design and manufacture two coal-fired boilers, boiler auxiliaries and two wet flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) units for a power plant in Vietnam The North Carolina company (more…)

SINGAPORE: SGX to pay up to S$19.64 million for 49% stake in electricity market operator

(EnergyAsia, August 8 2012, Wednesday) — Singapore Exchange is expanding its portfolio of energy products and over-the-counter (OTC) clearing services with its purchase of a 49% stake in Energy Market Company Pte Ltd (EMC), the operator of the country’s wholesale electricity market. (US$1=S$1.25). SGX has agreed to acquire the stake held by The Marketplace Co (more…)

SINGAPORE: Specialty chemicals firm Evonik starts building methionine complex on Jurong Island

(EnergyAsia, August 8 2012, Wednesday) — Germany’s Evonik Industries is expanding amino-acid production for animal feed with the construction of a new 500-million-euro methionine complex on Singapore’s Jurong Island. When completed in the third quarter of 2014, the 150,000-metric ton/year complex will boost the company’s total annual capacity to 580,000 metric tons, enabling Evonik to (more…)

GAS: Bomin and Linde to jointly develop LNG infrastructure for marine fuels market in Europe

(EnergyAsia, August 8 2012, Wednesday) — Two German firms are planning to establish an equal joint venture company to develop infrastructure for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel in Europe. Bomin, a leading marine fuels supplier, and technology company The Linde Group aim to start up their Hamburg-based company later (more…)

ENVIRONMENT: Apple’s clean energy plans still cloudy despite coal-free pledge, says Greenpeace

(EnergyAsia, August 8 2012, Wednesday) — Apple’s clean energy policies have significantly improved, but the company still gets low scores for its energy choices when compared with sector leaders, said Greenpeace International. Despite a welcome commitment by Apple in May that its data centres will be coal-free and powered by 100% renewable energy, Greenpeace said (more…)

CHINA: Provinces cut down coal production, slash salaries to reduce oversupply

(EnergyAsia, August 8 2012, Wednesday) — China’s coal mining provinces have been reducing production and slashing staff costs in an attempt to keep a growing supply glut and price decline from worsening. Weighed down by slowing demand growth and rising imports, Chinese benchmark coal prices at Qinhuangdao port have fallen more than 30% from a...

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UPSTREAM: Chevron and partners to develop field off coasts of Angola and Congo, explore off Suriname

(EnergyAsia, August 7 2012) — US major Chevron Corp said it and its partners have approved plans to separately develop a field off the west African coasts of Congo and Angola, as well as explore off Suriname in Latin America. An international consortium led by subsidiary Chevron Overseas Congo Limited will invest US$2 billion to (more…)

CHINA: AVIC Sichuan, US-based L&L Energy agree to jointly explore business opportunities

(EnergyAsia, August 7 2012, Tuesday) — L&L Energy Inc, a US-based company with coal operations in China, said it recently signed a letter of intent with AVIC Sichuan Coal Logistics Co Ltd to jointly explore business opportunities in two of western China’s largest cities. As part of the agreement, AVIC Sichuan will share its customer (more…)

AUSTRALIA: QR National expands tonnages with Cockatoo Coal

(EnergyAsia, August 7 2012, Tuesday) — Australian freight operator QR National said it has signed a new long-term contract with miner Cockatoo Coal Ltd to transport from its Baralaba and Wonbindi mines. Under the 10-year contract, QR National will deliver an additional three million tonnes of coal a year to the Wiggins Island Coal Export (more…)

AUSTRALIA: Carbon pricing scheme to significantly benefit businesses and consumers, says RepuTex

(EnergyAsia, August 7 2012, Tuesday) — Companies liable under Australia’s newly launched carbon price mechanism will pay up to 45% less than initially expected, with cost savings totalling over A$10 billion translating into significantly reduced carbon price impacts for the country’s consumers and commodities buyers in Asia, said research firm RepuTex. (US$1=A$0.93). The carbon analytics (more…)

JAPAN: IMF said electricity supply problems could clip 0.25 percentage point off forecast for 2012 economic growth

(EnergyAsia, August 6 2012, Monday) — Helped by an improving electricity supply outlook, the Japanese economy is experiencing a domestic-led recovery, with growth expected to reach almost 2.5% this year, said the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, the fund warned that it could slash this by 0.25 percentage point if the country’s electricity supply outlook (more…)