(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...

(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....

(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...

(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...

(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...

(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...

(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...

(EnergyAsia, September 11 2012, Tuesday) — How will Vietnam secure feedstock supply to fully operate its 10.5 billion kwh of coal-fired power plant capacity by 2015? The country’s coal industry is wrestling with this issue as Vietnam edges towards becoming a net importer with 2015 seen as the pivotal year on the targeted completion of...

(EnergyAsia, September 11 2012, Tuesday) — The Australian government surprised its Green Party coalition partner and environmentalists by abandoning plans to close down some of the country’s coal-fired power plants. Blaming the power companies for demanding too much compensation, the Labor Party-led government said it decided to end negotiations to close down five coal-fired plants...

(EnergyAsia, September 11 2012, Tuesday) — Russia is positioning itself as a reliable long-term energy supplier to Asia with President Vladimir Putin promising to beef up infrastructure and connectivity to the region by developing the country’s neglected Far Eastern provinces, and its Asia-Europe economic links via Kazakhstan and Belarus. As this year’s host of the...

(EnergyAsia, September 10 2012, Monday) — The Chinese designer and builder of a Sri Lankan coal-fired power plant said the operator failed to undertake any maintenance, causing it to break down several times since its start-up in March 2011. Northwest Electric Design Institute (NEDI) and builder China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), which have both been...

(EnergyAsia, September 7 2012, Friday) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it and US-based Procter & Gamble Co (P&G) jointly exploring the feasibility of building waste-to-energy plants in the Philippines that will generate up to two megawatts of electricity. The plant will use solid waste collected from homes and businesses. Around 6,700 tons of...

(EnergyAsia, September 7 2012, Friday) — India’s Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) has expanded its chain of international coal assets with the 6.5-billion-rupee acquisition of Canadian miner CIC Energy Corp. (US$1=56 rupees). JSPL’s Mauritius subsidiary paid C$2 a share to acquire the Toronto-listed company which owns an estimated six billion tonnes of thermal coal...

(EnergyAsia, September 6 2012, Thursday) — Essar Power is planning to start up the second unit of its 510MW coal-fired plant in Vadinar in India’s Gujarat state in the coming weeks. As coal is a cheaper feedstock compared with fuel oil, the completed 23.5-billion rupee plant will supply lower-cost electricity to the Essar Group’s oil...

(EnergyAsia, September 6 2012, Thursday) — Canada’s Energy Resources Conservation Board is receiving public comment till September 24 on a proposed giant mine in northern Alberta province to export coal to Asia. The board is gathering feedback with a view to deciding if it should hold public hearings for Australia’s Coalspur to proceed to invest...

(EnergyAsia, September 5 2012, Wednesday) — Citing Mongolia’s unwavering political opposition, Chinese state-owned Chalco has called off its proposed US$926 million buy-out of coal mining firm SouthGobi Resources Ltd. Chalco, the shortened name for Aluminum Corporation of China Limited, threw in the towel five months after it had launched an attempted buy-out of up to...

(EnergyAsia, September 4 2012, Tuesday) — Coal-based electricity generation is making Australians sick to the cost of A$2.6 billion a year, said a briefing paper jointly produced by the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) and The Climate Institute. (US$1=A$0.97). The paper provides a list of major common illnesses affecting the heart, lungs and nervous system...

(EnergyAsia, September 3 2012, Monday) — Governments may spend more than US$1 trillion to subsidise fossil fuels consumption in 2012, according to a study by the US-based Worldwatch Institute. This far exceeds the global spending of US$66 billion on renewable energy subsidies in 2010. Although the total subsidies for renewable energy are significantly lower than...

(EnergyAsia, September 3 2012, Monday) — China’s coal-fired power generation capacity is expected to grow at an annual average rate of 4.8% in expanding from 706,670MW in 2011 to 1,074,479MW in 2020, said consultant GlobalData. Coal will continue to account for the bulk of the country’s thermal installed capacity, which is seen rising from 765,460MW...

(EnergyAsia, August 30 2012, Thursday) — Despite the rising tide of red ink, India’s oil refining capacity will rise more than 24% to 265 million tonnes by March 31 2016, predicts the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry. The private and state firms which own the country’s 25 oil refineries with a total capacity of 213...

(EnergyAsia, August 28 2012, Tuesday) — As oil prices continue to climb out of their 18-month lows in June, the International Energy Agency (IEA) is under pressure again to coordinate a release of its members’ crude oil stockpiles. Brent has reached a three-month high of over US$116 a barrel while WTI has crossed US$97 and...

(EnergyAsia, August 27 2012, Monday) — Two major refineries in the US and Venezuela with a combined capacity of 890,000 b/d were hit by fires this month which resulted in human casualties. At least 26 people were killed and 50 injured when fire ripped through the 645,000 b/d Amuay plant in Venezuela’s Punto Fijo city...

(EnergyAsia, August 27 2012, Monday) — Vietnam’s only oil refinery has resumed operations after experiencing yet another “technical breakdown” early this month but for how long before it goes down again? Operator Binh Son Petro-chemical Refinery Co Ltd said it shut down the 130,000 b/d plant in central Dung Quat province on August 8 for...

(EnergyAsia, August 24 2012, Friday) — Chinese’s State Council has approved additional spending of 2.36 trillion yuan to promote energy conservation and reduce pollution through 2016, an implicit acknowledgement that it is falling behind official target to clean up the environment. (US$1=6.36 yuan). More than 40% of that amount will be invested in energy conservation...