PEOPLE: Hong Kong’s Meiya Power names Dubuc to succeed Alan Chan as CEO

(EnergyAsia, June 11, Thursday) — Hong Kong-based Meiya Power Company Limited (MPC) said it has named Manuel Perez Dubuc as CEO, replacing Alan W. Chan who will be retiring on June 15 but will remain as non-executive chairman in transition. In a statement, MPC described Mr Perez as a seasoned executive with many years of...

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INDIA: Britain’s Clenergen to secures 15-year contract to supply biomass-based power to PTC

(EnergyAsia, June 11, Thursday) — Bbiomass power provider Clenergen India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Britain’s Clenergen Corp Ltd, said it has signed an agreement to supply India’s Power Trading Corporation (PTC) 71 MW of power. The power will be generated by Clenergen’s new biomass based power project in Tamil Nadu state. The...

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COMPANY: Shell claims first to sell gasoline blended with advanced biofuel

(EnergyAsia, June 11, Thursday) — Shell said it has begun selling gasoline blended with advanced biofuel made from wheat straw, making it the first in the world to offer advanced biofuel to motorists. For one month starting June 10, the regular gasoline purchased at a Shell service station in Ottawa, Canada will contain 10% cellulosic...

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CHINA: Yingli Green Energy’s PV modules to power 13MW solar plant in Czech Republic

(EnergyAsia, June 11, Thursday) — Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, a world leading vertically integrated photovoltaic (PV) product manufacturer, said its PV modules will be installed in a 13MW plant in the Czech Republic. The plant will be constructed by S.A.G. Solarstrom AG (SAG), a leading manufacturer, developer and system integrator in the solar...

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ABU DHABI: Region’s largest solar plant connected to national grid

(EnergyAsia, June 11, Thursday) — A solar photovoltaic (PV) 10MW plant linked to the national grid has begun supplying power to Abu Dhabi, making it the largest renewable energy plant in the Middle East. The plant is connected to the Abu Dhabi municipal grid, yielding an annual carbon saving of 15,000 tons, the equivalent of...

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THAILAND: PTT ventures into coal

(EnergyAsia, June 10, Wednesday) — Thailand’s state energy company PTT plans to invest 30-billion baht in its new coal business over the next five years. (US$1=34 baht). The move is aimed at diversifying the company’s fuel sources for generating electricity. Coal could account for up to 20% of its revenue in the long term as...

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TAIWAN: TaiPower plans large solar plant, faces setback on windpower project

(EnergyAsia, June 10, Wednesday) — State-owned Taiwan Power or TaiPower plans to build the island’s largest solar power plant with a capacity of 4,000 kilowatt-peak (kWp) in Kaohsiung city. The NT1.17 billion plant is expected to start up by the end of 2010. (US$1=NT32.7). Local solar-cell manufacturer Motech Industrial and power systems firm Delta Electronics...

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NEW ZEALAND: Government subsidy for biodiesel to top NZ$36 million

(EnergyAsia, June 10, Wednesday) — The New Zealand government has set aside NZ$36 million in subsidies to help the country’s fledgling biodiesel industry over the next three years. (US$1 = NZ$1.56). The money will be paid out to domestic biodiesel producers who have been lobbying hard for state support. Up to NZ$9 million will be...

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MYANMAR: Government aims to complete chain of hydro power projects

(EnergyAsia, June 10, Wednesday) — The Myanmar government is aiming to complete a chain of hydropower projects across the country to help meet rising domestic power demand as well as export surplus electricity to China. Hit by international economic sanctions for its human rights abuses as well as corruption, the repressive military junta has been...

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PAKISTAN: Investors invited to bid for 4.5 GW hydro-electric project

(EnergyAsia, June 10, Wednesday) — Pakistan is inviting international investors to bid for the construction of the giant Diamer Bhasha hydroelectric dam project, estimated to cost US$12.6 billion. Energy-hungry Pakistan has predicted that the project will boost the nation’s power supply by 4,500 MW when it is completed by 2018. The National Economic Council (NEC),...

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AUSTRALIA: Origin Energy will continue to credit customers under Victoria’s premium solar feed-in ta

(EnergyAsia, June 10, Wednesday) — Australia’s Origin Energy said it will continue to provide credit refunds to customers who will be affected when Victoria state’s proposed premium solar feed-in tariff schemes come into effect. “We will continue to put our customers’ needs first,” said Origin’s retail general manager, Phil Craig. “This means, if Origin solar...

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AUSTRALIA: Scientists make ‘good news’ methane finding

(EnergyAsia, June 10, Wednesday) — Research by international scientists including two Australian agencies of ice core has revealed that methane, a potential source of the potent greenhouse gas is more stable in a warming world than previously thought. CSIRO and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) published their findings in Science magazine. Wetlands...

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SRI LANKA: Bunker prices decline on increased competition

(EnergyAsia, June 9, Tuesday) — Sri Lanka’s bunker fuel prices have fallen sharply after a court order broke up a supply monopoly in the port of Colombo, opening the market up to increased competition. Market participants said that Colombo’s bunker fuel prices were now more in line with prices at neighbouring ports. Its premium over...

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CHINA: National wind power capacity to be raised to 100GW by 2020

(EnergyAsia, June 9, Tuesday) — China has more than tripled its target for wind power energy. The National Energy Administration said the country should have 100gigawatts of wind power capacity by 2020, up from the previous target of 30 GW. The agency said it wants developers and investors to increase China’s wind power capacity to...

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SAUDI ARABIA: ExxonMobil to license HPPE technology to Saudi International Petrochemical Company

(EnergyAsia, June 9, Tuesday) — ExxonMobil Chemical Technology Licensing LLC said it has agreed to license its tubular high pressure low density polyethylene process (HPPE) technology to Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) for use at its new world-scale ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) plant. The 200,000-metric-ton-per-year plant will be built at Sipchem’s site in Saudi Arabia’s...

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RENEWABLES: Investments in emerging economies rise 27% to $36 billion in 2008, says UNEP

(EnergyAsia, June 9, Tuesday) — Investors poured in a total of $155 billion into clean energy companies and projects worldwide (excluding large hydro projects) last year despite “extremely difficult financial market conditions”, according to a UN report. Of this, $13.5 billion of new private investment went into companies developing and scaling-up new technologies alongside $117...

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PHILIPPINES: Korean power firm to invest in wind farm project

(EnergyAsia, June 9, Tuesday) — A wholly-owned subsidiary of state Korea Electric Power Corp (Kepco) is looking to invest US$50 million in a wind power project in the Philippines, said a Philippine government official. According to Undersecretary Elmer C. Hernandez, Korea East West Power Co Ltd (EWP) has agreed to buy into Alternergy Philippine Holdings...

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PALAU: ADB agree to five-year strategic development partnership

(EnergyAsia, June 9, Tuesday) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government of the Republic of Palau in the Philippines have agreed to a five-year strategic partnership aimed at supporting sustainable development and alleviating the impacts of climate change. Endorsed by the ADB’s board in Manila, the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) 2009-2013 provides for...

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CHINA: Lishen, Coda Automotive to develop and sell battery systems for use in electric cars

(EnergyAsia, June 9, Tuesday) — US-based Coda Automotive said it has established a global joint venture with China’s Tianjin Lishen Battery Joint-Stock Co Ltd (Lishen) to design, manufacture and sell transportation and utility power storage battery systems for use in Coda’s new affordable all-electric sedan to the mainstream California market in 2010. California-based Coda has...

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AUSTRALIA: Caltex to purchase Mobil service stations

(EnergyAsia, June 9, Tuesday) — Caltex Australia said it has agreed to acquire 302 service station sites owned by rival Mobil for A$300 million including estimates for inventories and other settlement costs which will be finalised on completion. (US$1=A$1.3). This agreement is subject to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Foreign Investment Review...

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SINGAPORE: Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex starts up pipelines carrying recycled water,products

(EnergyAsia, June 8, Monday) — The Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex (SEPC) has started up a network of pipelines carrying recycled water and petrochemical products. The four new product pipelines and eight existing pipelines form the major arteries that supply the water to the cracker and deliver feedstock from Pulau Bukom to Shell’s new mono-ethylene glycol...

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CHINA: Gansu wind power project to proceed

(EnergyAsia, June 8, Monday) — The Chinese government has approved the construction of a new 3.8 million kilowatts (KW) wind power project in Jiuquan in Gansu province. The project will be part of a new 10-million KW wind power base that will include 18 wind power plants with a capacity of 200,000 KW each. Privately-owned...

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CHINA: LDK Solar partners with ESPE on Italian PV projects

(EnergyAsia, June 8, Monday) — China’s LDK Solar has agreed with ESPE Srl, a leading system integrator within the PV sector, to develop PV plants in the Apulia region of Italy. The partners have started work on the first of five plants totaling 5 MW. LDK Solar will supply wafers for the PV project while...

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AUSTRALIA: Silex Systems to acquire BP Solar’s facility

(EnergyAsia, June 8, Monday) — Silex Systems Ltd said it has agreed to the “conditional acquisition” of all the manufacturing assets and equipment of the Sydney Olympic Park (SOP) Solar manufacturing facility in Australia. The purchase price was not disclosed, but Silex said it has signed a heads of agreement with BP Solar Pty Ltd...

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PAKISTAN: UN to support construction of mini hydro-electric projects

(EnergyAsia, June 8, Monday) — The UN has agreed to support the construction of mini hydro-electric power plants in Pakistan with a total capacity of 15 megawatt (MW). The UN’s Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Pakistan’s Alternative Energy Development Board have signed on a US$19 million plan to develop more than 100 projects in the...

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