(EnergyAsia, June 10 2010, Thursday) — Prices in the world’s US$2.8-trillion petrochemical business reached six-month highs in early April before tapering off to register a price decline for the month, said global energy media group Platts. The Platts Global Petrochemical Index (PGPI), a basket of the most widely-used petrochemicals prices expressed in US dollars per...

(EnergyAsia, June 10 2010, Thursday) — Solar Frontier, a fully-owned subsidiary of Showa Shell Sekiyu KK, said it will install photovoltaic power generation equipment totalling two megawatts at its third plant in Japan’s Miyazaki prefecture. The company said it will be using its proprietary CIS thin-film solar panels at the plant, now under construction and...

(EnergyAsia, June 10 2010, Thursday) — China Huaneng Group said it has signed an agreement to buy wind turbines from six domestic suppliers in a deal worth 8.06 billion yuan to meet rising demand for clean energy. (US$1=6.83 yuan). Huaneng said Sinovel Wind Group Co., Shanghai Electric Group, Dongfang Electric Corp., China Shipbuilding Industry Corp.,...

(EnergyAsia, June 10 2010, Thursday) — China’s BYD Automobile Co and Germany’s Daimler AG have signed an agreement  to form a 600 million yuan  joint venture to develop electric vehicles in China. (US$1=6.83 yuan). The joint venture called Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co plans to introduce its first electric vehicles in 2013 to be...

(EnergyAsia, June 10 2010, Thursday) — A research report by Houston University of Texas state in the US has cast doubts on the viability of carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a weapon to fight global warming. The report said that it would take a reservoir the size of a small US state to capture...

(EnergyAsia, June 10 2010, Thursday) — Norway’s Scatec Solar and China’s Sanhe Group have established a joint venture firm, SanSca, to partner with China’s Datang Renewable Energy Corp (DREC) build a green energy farm and solar power plants in several Chinese provinces. Scatec Solar, the Norwegian developer and supplier of PV solar parks, and Sanhe...

(EnergyAsia, June 10 2010, Thursday) — Australia’s Solco and Israel’s SolarEdge have announced a partnership agreement to supply a distributed power harvesting solution that will maximise power generation throughout a solar photovoltaic system’s lifecycle, while dramatically reducing complexities and costs. The SolarEdge power harvesting solution includes PowerBoxes, which are PV module-integrated power optimizers, solar PV...

(EnergyAsia, June 9 2010, Wednesday) — The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and DNV’s Clean Technology Centre (CTC) said they have signed a partnership agreement to initiate and promote research, development and test-bedding projects in the areas of maritime environment and clean technologies. The two organisations aim to demonstrate their commitment to Singapore’s...

(EnergyAsia, June 9 2010, Wednesday) — Robert Bosch (SEA) Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of leading global technology and services supplier, the Bosch Group, last month officially opened its environmentally-friendly state-of-the-art Southeast Asian headquarters in Singapore. The Singapore office functions as the Asia Pacific hub for several Bosch divisions, including Corporate Research and Advance Engineering, Corporate...

(EnergyAsia, June 9 2010, Wednesday) — Taiwan’s Pihsiang Machinery Mfg Co Ltd is building the country’s first electric car manufacturing plant in the Sua free trade port in the northeastern part of the island. The plant, slated for completion by the end of this year and to be operational by the first quarter of 2011,...

(EnergyAsia, June 9 2010, Wednesday) — American Superconductor Corporation, a Nasdaq-listed global power technologies company, said it and Beijing-based Sinovel Wind Group Co Ltd are expanding its strategic partnership to include additional wind turbine designs for both the onshore and offshore markets. Sinovel and AMSC’s wholly-owned AMSC Windtec™ subsidiary will design and jointly develop a...

(EnergyAsia, June 9 2010, Wednesday) — NYSE-listed AU Optronics Corp said its board of directors has agreed to establish an equal joint venture to construct and operate a US$700 millionsolar cell manufacturing facility in Malaysia with SunPower Corp., the largest manufacturer of residential and commercial solar systems in the US. AUO said it needs to...

(EnergyAsia, June 9 2010, Wednesday) — By Fawzia Sheikh for Oilprice.com. As the US edges closer to issuing a fresh round of sanctions against Iran, foreign investors so far unmoved by international pressure will end up doing business with a Revolutionary Guard that makes even local firms nervous, an analyst warns. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard...

(EnergyAsia, June 9 2010, Wednesday) — Changzhou National Hi-Tech District (CND) said it is building a new industrial park in China’s Jiangsu Province for the research and development (R&D), and production of electric passenger cars, low-speed micro-pure electric vehicles, power battery series and related industries. The park, which will comprise an industrialisation base, a technological...

(EnergyAsia, June 9 2010, Wednesday) — Nicholas Stern, author of the influential Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, spoke recently at the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) headquarters on what the international community needs to do to make progress toward a meaningful global pact at 2010 UN climate change conference later this year in...

(EnergyAsia, June 8 2010, Tuesday) — Singapore-based companies that consume more than 15 gigawatts hours of electricity will now have to appoint energy managers to monitor power consumption and draw up efficiency improvement plans by 2013.   More than 130 companies mostly with manufacturing operations fall into this category of users, which is contained in...

(EnergyAsia, June 8 2010, Tuesday) — American Superconductor Corporation, a Nasdaq-listed global power technologies company, said it recently received a follow-on order for 30 sets of wind turbine power electronic components from South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries Co Ltd (HHI). The Korean Stock Exchange-listed company is the world’s largest shipbuilder, a global leader in turnkey...

(EnergyAsia, June 8 2010, Tuesday) — US-based Matinee Energy Inc recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and formed a strategic alliance with South Korean firms Hyundai Heavy Industries Company Ltd and LG Electronics Inc. Matinee said it has invited Hyundai and LG to join as lead partners for a total of 240 megawatts or...

(EnergyAsia, June 8 2010, Tuesday) — Australia-listed Hunnu Coal said it has acquired a 90% interest in the Tsant Uul coal project in Mongolia. The Tsant Uul Coal Project is located in the world class South Gobi coal province, located within 50 km of the producing giant Tavan Tolgoi coking coal field in Umnugobi Province...

(EnergyAsia, June 8 2010, Tuesday) — GE said it and China Power Engineering Consulting Group Corporation (CPECC) have signed agreements with the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to advance the deployment of “cleaner coal” technology in China,. Under the terms of the agreements, USTDA will fund a feasibility study that would support the advancement...

(EnergyAsia, June 8 2010, Tuesday) — Dutch oil and chemical logistics giant Royal Vopak is expanding its chemical storage business in China following its acquisition of a 50% stake in the Sealink Storage Company from Merit, a subsidiary of China’s industrial investment firm Lanwa Group. Sealink holds a concession from the local authorities and the...

(EnergyAsia, June 7 2010, Monday) — The Malaysian government said that all automated vehicles will have to use biofuels from the middle of next year. In a statement, the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry said the planned shift to biofuels and diesel with a 5% processed palm oil content would be implemented in stages in...

(EnergyAsia, June 7 2010, Monday) — The Japanese government has agreed to provide Laos grants totalling 955 million yen to help encourage the use of solar power and preservation of its rainforests. (US$1=90 yen). Under the energy agreement, a solar power system will be installed at the Laos Prime Minister’s Office and at the Wattay...

(EnergyAsia, June 7 2010, Monday) — China has included the development of a smart grid system into its long-term plan to increase reliance on renewable energy sources for power generation. According to a senior official of the China Electric Power Research Institute under the State Grid Corporation, the government is planning to build a nationwide...