ASIA: Confident Apache leads race to develop and market LNG from Canada’s Kitimat terminal

(EnergyAsia, September 20 2012, Thursday) — Kitimat LNG Partners is claiming front-runner status in developing and marketing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from British Columbia province in Western Canada for export to Asia. Briefing reporters in Singapore last week, Doug Adams, the Perth, Australia-based vice president of Apache LNG Pty Ltd who is marketing Kitimat’s future...

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AUSTRALIA: Miners continue attack against Queensland for surprise hike in coal mining royalties

(EnergyAsia, September 19 2012, Wednesday) — Australian miners are still in shock over last week’s announcement by the conservative Queensland state government to raise coal mining royalties from October 1. Just six months after sweeping to power on a wave of public anger against the previous Labor Party-led government, the Liberal National Party stunned its...

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MARKETS: Mozambique must beef up infrastructure and legal system to become LNG exporter

(EnergyAsia, September 19 2012, Wednesday) — Mozambique, one of the world’s poorest countries, is in a strong position to cash in on its rich natural gas reserves, but it will need to first invest heavily in strengthening its legal system and building its infrastructure. According to natural resources consulting firm GlobalData, the East African country (more…)

CHINA: Uzbekistan starts pipeline export of natural gas

(EnergyAsia, September 19 2012, Wednesday) — Uzbekistan has begun diversifying its natural gas export from Russia with the start-up of pipeline sales to China in August. The volume and terms of export have not been disclosed but could be a source of concern for Uzbek citizens who have been hit by heating fuel shortages during...

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INDIA: Oil import bill up 43% to Rs 7,263 billion rupees in year to March 2012

(EnergyAsia, September 19 2012, Wednesday) — India’s total oil import bill surged more than 43% to a new high of 7,263.9 billion rupees in the last financial year to March 31 2012. (US$1=55 rupees). Officials blame the declining value of the rupee, increased oil prices and India’s growing fuel consumption for the record oil bill....

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CONFERENCE: POWER-GEN Asia gears up to celebrate 20 years with major conference & exhibition in Bangkok

(EnergyAsia, September 18 2012, Tuesday) — POWER-GEN Asia, the region’s premier conference and exhibition for the power generation, transmission and distribution industries, will open at the IMPACT Exhibition & Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand on October 3. Delegates, exhibitors and participants will have three days of opportunities to make deals as well as discuss issues (more…)

JAPAN: Despite plans end to nuclear energy use, public still at risk for another 18 years, says Greenpeace

(EnergyAsia, September 18 2012, Tuesday) — Greenpeace said it “cautiously welcomed” the Japanese government’s decision to phase out nuclear energy use by 2030 but warned the country remains exposed to disaster for another 18 years. The government has announced plans to expand the country’s production and consumption of renewable energy under its landmark new ‘energy (more…)

MALAYSIA: Dialog, Vopak to build US$1.3 billion LNG terminal in Johor

(EnergyAsia, September 18 2012, Tuesday) — Five months after starting construction of their oil storage project in the southern Malaysian state of Johor, engineering group Dialog and Dutch oil and chemical storage firm Royal Vopak are setting their sights on building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal near the same location. The proposed US$1.3 billion (more…)

US: Trucking demand for natural gas to rise sharply, predicts consultant PIRA

(EnergyAsia, September 18 2012, Tuesday) — Consulting group PIRA has given another reason for energy-hungry Asia to treat with caution all those rosy forecasts about being supplied with cheap natural gas from the US. According a new report by the New York firm, natural gas demand for trucks and fleet vehicles in the US could...

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MARKETS: Wood Mackenzie sees oil weak in near term, above US$100 a barrel through 2013

(EnergyAsia, September 17 2012, Monday) — Crude oil prices will face near-term weakness, but will recover to average more than US$100 a barrel next year, said consultant Wood Mackenzie. At last week’s APPEC 2012 conference in Singapore, Alan Gelder, the company’s head of downstream research, said the oil market would be influenced by two trends (more…)

AZERBAIJAN: India’s ONGC acquires Hess’ oilfield, pipeline stakes for US$1 billion

(EnergyAsia, September 17 2012, Monday) — Has Indian upstream company ONGC Videsh made the right move paying a total of US$1 billion for a 2.72% stake in mature Azerbaijan oilfields, and 2.36% interest in an oil pipeline? Analysts are asking this question after the subsidiary of state-owned ONGC announced it would be using the bulk (more…)

MARKETS: Now Citi says Saudis could be out of oil to export by 2030

(EnergyAsia, September 17 2012, Monday) — Six months after predicting that the US could overtake Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the world’s largest oil and liquids producer, Citi has dampened hopes for an energy-surplus world with a new report that says Saudi Arabia could have no oil left to export by 2030. The reports...

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MARKETS: WTI crude tops US$100 again, Brent exceeds US$117 after Fed stimulus pledge

(EnergyAsia, September 17 2012, Monday) — World oil prices closed last week sharply higher with WTI crude breaking US$100 for the first time since early May and Brent at more than US$117 after the US Federal Reserve promised to launch another round of stimulus. The oil markets have also been driven all week by escalating (more…)

SINGAPORE: Germany’s LANXESS starts construction of world’s largest Nd-PBR plant on Jurong Island

(EnergyAsia, September 14 2012, Friday) — Germany’s specialty chemicals company LANXESS began construction of its 200-million-euro neodymium-based performance butadiene rubber (Nd-PBR) plant on Singapore’s Jurong Island early this week. When completed in the first half of 2015, the 140,000 metric tons/year plant will be the largest of its kind globally, producing raw materials for use (more…)

MONGOLIA: SouthGobi Resources fires CEO after failed takeover attempt

(EnergyAsia, September 14 2012, Friday) — Mongolian coal miner SouthGobi Resources Ltd fired CEO Alexander Molyneux on September 12 as the fall-out continues over a failed takeover attempt of the company by Aluminum Corp of China Ltd or Chalco. Last week, state-owned Chalco called off its C$925 million takeover bid after months of trying unsuccessfully (more…)

AUSTRALIA: Tougher regulations will mean more costs and delays, said petroleum association

(EnergyAsia, September 14 2012, Friday) — More regulations around the production of natural coal seam gas in New South Wales (NSW) state will cause project delays and increase operating costs, the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) said. While it is aimed at ensuring a safe and secure gas industry, the state government’s NSW...

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AUSTRALIA: Coal association says carbon floor price does not fix pricing scheme flaws

(EnergyAsia, September 14 2012, Friday) — Australia’s coal industry said the government’s decision to remove the fixed carbon floor price is a small step in the right direction, but does not address what it says are the fundamental flaws in the national carbon pricing scheme that damages the industry’s competitiveness. The Australian Coal Association (ACA) (more…)

ASIA: Region to invest US$31 billion in LNG import terminals from 2012 to 2016, said Douglas West-wood

(EnergyAsia, September 13 2012, Thursday) — Capital expenditure in the global LNG market is expected to grow to US$169 billion between 2012-2016, with Asia as the main driver in developing import terminals with an investment estimated at US$31 billion, according to consultant Douglas-Westood. In its latest report, World LNG Market Forecast 2012-2016, the company said...

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SINGAPORE: Trade department chief on LNG trade

(EnergyAsia, September 13 2012, Thursday) — The following is an edited version of the speech by Teo Eng Cheong, chief executive of IE Singapore (IES), the country’s trade department, at the 4th Asia Pacific Summit of the World LNG Series held this week. IES is the government agency responsible for promoting Singapore’s trade as well (more…)

INDIA: Black Tuesday, a commentary by Enerdata

(EnergyAsia, September 13 2012, Thursday) — The following is an edited version of a comment by consultant EnerData on the recent massive power blackout in India. India’s Black Tuesday of July 31 marked the greatest power outage in history: the blackout occurred in 20 of the country’s 28 states and affected three of its five (more…)

AUSTRALIA: BHP Billiton to cease Gregory coal mine from October 10

(EnergyAsia, September 13 2012, Thursday) — BHP Billiton said its equal joint-venture operation with Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp would cease production at its Gregory open-cut coal mine near Emerald in Queensland state from October 10. BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) made the decision following a continuing operational review of the Gregory Crinum operations, which determined that (more…)

VIETNAM: Industry Ministry wants to raise prices of domestic coal sold to power plants

(EnergyAsia, September 12 2012, Wednesday) — Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade wants the government to raise the price of coal sold to power producers as well as reduce the export tax from the fourth quarter. State coal miner and trader Vinacomin has complained that it will be not able to continue supplying coal to...

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RUSSIA: Mechel to supply coal to RAO Energy, ties up partnership agreement with STX

(EnergyAsia, September 12 2012, Wednesday) — Russian mining and metals company Mechel OAO said it signed two agreements at last week’s Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the seaport of Vladivostok. The NYSE-listed company has agreed to supply coal to Russia’s RAO Energy Systems of East, and to cooperate with South Korea’s STX Group (more…)

DUBAI: Electricity production up 3%, demand rise 3.8% in second quarter

(EnergyAsia, September 12 2012, Wednesday) — Dubai consumed more electricity than it produced in the second quarter compared with the same period last year. According to utilities monopoly Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), the emirate’s peak electricity consumption grew 3.8% to 6,165 MW while production rose by 3% to 9,605 Gwh. The agency did (more…)

AUSTRALIA: Science agency CSIRO rejects APPEA ad regarding groundwater and coal seam gas

(EnergyAsia, September 12 2012, Wednesday) — Australian science agency CSIRO has issued a statement rejecting the claim made in a television commercial that ‘CSIRO [and government studies] have shown that groundwater is safe with coal seam gas.” CSIRO said that it has never made such a statement nor do the results of its research support (more…)