(EnergyAsia, October 12, Monday) — Hong Kong-based CLP Group has announced it will develop its sixth Indian wind farm in Theni in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The 99 MW project will boost CLP India’s portfolio of committed wind energy investments to approximately 450MW, making CLP one of the largest wind energy developers in...
(EnergyAsia, October 12, Monday) — Japan’s electronics giant Panasonic Corp said it has developed a 1.5kWh battery module from 18650-type lithium-ion battery cells that are widely used in laptop computers to provide energy storage solutions for a wide range of applications including powering electric vehicles. Measuring 18 mm in diameter x 65 mm in length,...
(EnergyAsia, October 12, Monday) — China’s southwestern Yunnan province plans to build 30 wind power plants to meet the growing electricity demand of its largely rural population. The energy bureau of the Yunnan Development and Reform Commission has approved plans for the projects which will have a total installed capacity of 2,822 MW. The bureau...
(EnergyAsia, October 12, Monday) — UN officials have conceded that talks in the run-up to the historic climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark in December have made little progress on matters related to finance and mid-term targets. The penultimate negotiating session wrapped up last week in Bangkok, Thailand with progress made on what should constitute...
(EnergyAsia, October 9, Friday) — California, US-based startup SG Biofuels claims it has developed an economically viable strain of jatropha after building a library of genetic material of the crop from sources around the world. The company said its jatropha crop can produce oil at US$1.50 per gallon at a commercial scale before refining, and...
(EnergyAsia, October 9, Friday) — Japanese firms Itochu Corp and JGC, together with a Filipino group, will build a US$100 million ethanol plant in Isabela in northern Philippines. The sugarcane-based plant, which will be the largest ethanol plant in the country, will have a capacity to produce 54 million litres of ethanol per year when...
(EnergyAsia, October 9, Friday) — NYSE-listed Murphy Oil Corp said it has begun producing natural gas fields in Blocks SK 309 and SK 311 off the coast of Malaysia’s Sarawak state. Natural gas produced from the phased development of the fields will be supplied to the Petronas LNG Complex in Bintulu city. Murphy Sarawak Oil...
(EnergyAsia, October 9, Friday) — International Finance Corp, the investment arm of the World Bank, has suspended investments in palm oil businesses pending a review of its involvement in the controversial sector. The goal of the review is to develop a strategy that would define the basis and manner by which the organisation supports the...
(EnergyAsia, October 9, Friday) — The number of attacks in the South China Sea hit a five-year high of 10 so far this year or more than the previous record of 9 in 2005. Pirates boarded the ships in nine of the 10 incidents while one was an attempted boarding. In the Strait of Malacca...
(EnergyAsia, October 9, Friday) — Solarfun Power said it has signed a letter of intent with the government of Hohhot City, the capital city of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China, to develop two solar projects with a total capacity of 600MW. In support of these two projects, Solarfun said it will construct a...
(EnergyAsia, October 9, Friday) — Australia’s AGL Energy Limited said it will earn A$88 million from selling its 132.3 MW Hallett 4 wind farm to the Energy Infrastructure Investments (EII) consortium, made up of Japan’s Marubeni Corp (39.9%), Osaka Gas (39.9%) and Australia’s APA Group (20.2%). (US$1=A$1.13). The development fees will be recognised progressively on...
(EnergyAsia, October 9, Friday) — Home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies, Asia is also leading the world in the number of registered clean development mechanisms (CDM) projects. The region accounts for 74% of the 1,785 projects registered by the UNFCCC, taking a share of more than 80% CERs issued to date. Renewables Report...
(EnergyAsia, October 8, Thursday) — A South Korean consortium said it will invest 200-billion won to build an algae bioethanol plant in the southern coastal city of Yeosu by 2013. (US$1=1,165 won). Kumho Petrochemical Co, the South Jeolla provincial government and a local biotechnology firm will jointly build the 100,000-ton-per-year plant to spearhead the country’s...
(EnergyAsia, October 8, Thursday) — Norway’s REC Systems said it is co-operating with Zeco Systems to launch the first solar charging Electric Vehicle (EV) station in Singapore. Located at the Singapore Polytechnic, Zeco’s partner facility, Solar Greenlots, is an expansion of its open-source charging stations for EVs launched by Zeco in March 2009. While existing...
(EnergyAsia, October 8, Thursday) — Evergreen Solar Inc, a Nasdaq-listed manufacturer of String Ribbon™ solar power products, said it has appointed Henry Ng as the general manager for its Asian operations. Mr Ng was previously the general manager of the Suntech Power Holding Co Ltd factory in Wuxi, China – a position he held since...
(EnergyAsia, October 8, Thursday) — Showa Shell Sekiyu KK, Japan’s fifth-biggest oil company, said it plans to invest US$1.1 billion in a new thin-film solar cell plant in an attempt to boost revenues from its solar energy business. The plant, the company’s third solar cell facility, is expected to start operating by the second half...
(EnergyAsia, October 8, Thursday) — State-run Indian firms Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) said they will invest 20 billion rupees in a joint venture by next March to build a 250 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic production plant. (US$1=48 rupee). The two companies said they will initially be equal shareholders, but...
(EnergyAsia, October 8, Thursday) — US-listed VIASPACE Inc said a 30MW biomass power plant in Wangkiu near Harbin city in China will soon be fuelled by its specially cultivated giant king grass. The plant, owned by DP CleanTech, currently uses corn straw gathered from farms within a 50-km radius. VIASPACE CEO Carl Kukkonen who recently...
(EnergyAsia, October 8, Thursday) — Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co Ltd (SSTEC) said it is working with leading Singapore transport organisations to lay the foundation for a comprehensive and effective green transport system in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City in northern China. The green transport system which features public transport system and electric and...
(EnergyAsia, October 8, Thursday) — GT Solar International Inc, a Nasdaq-listed provider of specialised production equipment, process technology and turnkey manufacturing services for the solar power industry, said it has opened its new Asia headquarters in Shanghai, China. GT Solar said the new facility will make it easier to supply products, spare parts and service...
(EnergyAsia, October 7, Wednesday) — US GE said it has signed an agreement with South Korea’s NURI Telecom Ltd to build an advanced smart grid infrastructure in that country. South Korea is embarking on several smart grid initiatives including the development of a road map and a pilot project on Jeju Island. “GE recognises the...
(EnergyAsia, October 7, Wednesday) — New orders for 16 surveyed key contractors to the upstream oil and gas industry declined 52% in the first half of 2009 compared to the same period last year, said consulting firm ODS-Petrodata. Whereas some contractors have landed major orders over the last few months, securing work in the near...
(EnergyAsia, October 7, Wednesday) — American Superconductor Corp (AMSC), a Nasdaq-listed energy technology company, said it has formed a new division to serve South Korea’s growing wind energy and power grid markets. Headquartered in Busan, AMSC Korea will provide local applications engineering, sales, business development and field service support for its customers which include LS...
(EnergyAsia, October 7, Wednesday) — The biofuels industry in the US is collapsing under the weight of new economic realities ranging from lower oil prices to delayed implementation of fuel blending mandates. According to the National Biodiesl Board, two-thirds of domestic biodiesel production capacity is now sitting idle. Dozens of biodiesel plants have stopped operations...
(EnergyAsia, October 7, Wednesday) — BP said it has sold off its wind business in India to independent power producer Green Infra Limited to focus on developing its portfolio in the US. Green Infra Limited paid 4.622 billion rupees to acquire BP Energy India Private Limited (BPEIPL), which owns and operates three wind farms in...