(EnergyAsia, January 10 2012, Tuesday) — Indonesia, the world’s largest thermal coal exporter, could produce as much as 390 million tons of coal this year, up from 360 million tons last year. According to the Indonesian Coal Mining Association, the country’s miners have expanded capacity and are positioned to meet rising demand from China, India...

(EnergyAsia, January 10 2012, Tuesday) — The world’s coal demand will grow “aggressively” over the next five years despite public pressure in many countries to reduce their reliance on it as a primary energy source, said the International Energy Agency (IEA). In its annual Medium-Term Coal Market Report 2011 released last month, the IEA forecast...

(EnergyAsia, January 9 2012, Monday) — Driven by fast-rising demand for clean fuel, Asia is expected to expand its regasification capacity by nearly 35% from 14.38 trillion cubic feet (tcf) in 2010 to nearly 19.37 tcf in 2015, according to a just-released report by consultant GlobalData. Asia’s LNG regasification capacity, in billion cubic feet  2010...

(EnergyAsia, January 9 2012, Monday) — China and Japan, the two leading buyers of Iranian crude oil, said they are preparing to reduce imports despite expressing doubts or objections to tighter trade sanctions being imposed by the Western powers to stop Tehran’s nuclear energy programme. China, the main buyer of Iranian oil, is aiming to...

(EnergyAsia, January 9 2012, Monday) — China is investing heavily to expand its coal infrastructure as part of a long-term plan to improve and increase the nation’s power supply capability. The Ministry of Railway said that last year it expanded the nation’s rail capacity to deliver and handle 2.27 billion tonnes of coal a year,...

(EnergyAsia, January 6 2012, Friday) — China’s coal producers and miners have assured consumers that they are well positioned to meet the country’s rising demand for the fuel this year. Following last year’s experiences of supply shortages and price volatility, the coal industry has found itself on the defensive to prevent a recurrence of panic...

(EnergyAsia, January 6 2012, Friday) — PetroChina Co, the country’s largest natural gas producer, has started up its second liquefied natural gas (LNG) import and redistribution terminal in the northeastern port city of Dalian. From December 27, the three-million-ton/year terminal began delivering six million cubic metres of gas a day to the Dalian-Shenyang pipeline network...

(EnergyAsia, January 6 2012, Friday) – PHI Group Inc, a US-based company focused on energy and natural resources, said it has signed an agreement with Vietnam’s Hoang Ngoc Joint Stock Company, to jointly develop a 2,000 MW coal-fired power plant in that country. PHI Group said it is working with several international institutional investor groups...

(EnergyAsia, January 5 2012, Thursday) — Malaysian state oil and gas company Petronas has completed its purchase of a 30% stake in a S$1.2 billion power plant being constructed on Singapore’s Jurong Island by India’s GMR Energy. (US$1=S$1.3). Mumbai-based GMR Infrastructure said its subsidiary, which retains a 70% stake, completed the share transfer in GMR...

(EnergyAsia, January 5 2012, Thursday) — To meet rising domestic demand, state-owned Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) said it plans to reduce coal exports over the next three years from 16.8 million tonnes in 2011. It expects to slash coal exports by nearly 20%, or 3.3 million tonnes, to 13.3 million tonnes...

(EnergyAsia, January 5 2012, Thursday) — China now fully owns a Canadian oil sands project for the first time after Athabasca Oil Sands Corp (AOSC) said it had sold off its remaining 40% stake in a northern Alberta project to a PetroChina subsidiary for C$680 million in cash. (US$1=C$1.03). Calgary-based AOSC said it will reduce...

(EnergyAsia, January 5 2012, Thursday) — As in the case of Iraq, while the West has been sucked into a seemingly never-ending conflict, China has walked away with a tangible prize of a coveted first oil exploration deal from war-torn Afghanistan. To the consternation of the West, Kabul has just approved state-owned China National Petroleum...

(EnergyAsia, January 4 2012, Wednesday) — Kuwait has pledged to continue expanding its energy and trade ties with China after reporting a sharp rise in their oil trade since 2004 when then Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, now the Emir, led a delegation of political and business leaders to expand ties with Beijing....

(EnergyAsia, January 3 2012, Wednesday) — With more and more nations getting more environment conscious, it is not surprising that many had resorted to use either renewable energy or clean energy to fuel their respective energy requirements. A number of nations, such as China, India and South Korea have been importing liquefied natural gas (LNG)...

(EnergyAsia, January 3 2012, Tuesday) — The first pipeline exporting Russian crude oil to China pumped 15 million tonnes after completing its first year of operation on January 1, said its operators Transneft and PetroChina. The Pipeline Branch of Petro China (PBPC) which looks after the main 928-km portion on Chinese soil, and Transneft, which...

(EnergyAsia, January 3 2012, Tuesday) — In the last two months of 2011, Chinese state-owned firms committed to more than US$10 billion in oil and gas projects in Canada, Brazil and Cameroon while selling off a small asset in Indonesia for US$212 million. Sinopec offered to invest a total of US$5.2 billion in Brazil’s offshore...

(EnergyAsia, January 3 2012, Tuesday) — The following is an edited description of a report for the Centre for European Reform written by Alexandros Petersen with Katinka Barysch. Energy is fundamental to the rise of Russia and China as great powers. Due to its vast oil and gas resources, Russia has re-emerged as a great...

(EnergyAsia, December 31 2011, Friday) — US-based Peabody Energy said it has completed the acquisition of all outstanding shares in Macarthur Coal Limited and will now delist the company from the Australian Securities Exchange. Peabody said its pro forma Australia sales including the acquisition volumes were 32 million tons in 2010. It plans to raise...

(EnergyAsia, December 28 2011, Wednesday) — State-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has invited bids from contractors to build an aviation fuel storage terminal at a new international airport being built in Mattala in Sri Lanka’s fast-growing Hambantota district. The 3.6-billion-rupee terminal will support operations at what will be the country’s second international airport located in...

(EnergyAsia, December 28 2011, Wednesday) — The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects global oil demand to increase by 700,000 b/d to 89 million b/d this year, and by another 1.3 million b/d in 2012 to reach 90.3 million b/d. Its latest projections represent a downward revision of 200,000 b/d over the previous forecast issued last...

(EnergyAsia, December 28 2011, Wednesday) — China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) said it has started up an upstream, a pipeline and a refinery in the West African nation of Niger in recent months. Over the last three years, CNPC said it has undertaken an integrated approach in developing Niger’s oil industry and economy by substantially...

(EnergyAsia, December 27 2011, Tuesday) — International buyers of Indonesian liquefied natural gas (LNG) have been warned to brace for further cutbacks as production is forecast to fall by another 28% next year. Oil and gas regulator BPMigas said Indonesia’s three main LNG export terminals at Bontang, Arun and Aech may be able to produce...

(EnergyAsia, December 27 2011, Tuesday) — China’s apparent oil demand in November rose 2.6% year on year to 39.08 million metric tons (mt) or 9.54 million b/d – the second-highest daily rate recorded this year, according to an analysis by US energy media Platts. This figure, which was just slightly less than February’s 9.58-million-b/d, was...

(EnergyAsia, December 23 2011, Friday) — Gull New Zealand has announced that it is adding a new 10-million-litre fuel tank to its Mount Maunganui storage terminal on the country’s North Island. Construction by Page Macrae Engineering will start next month and will boost the terminal’s capacity to 88 million litres when completed later in 2012....

(EnergyAsia, December 23 2011, Friday) — Asia, Russia and most of Europe are resisting Western pressure to further tighten trade and financial sanctions on Iran fearing their potentially catastrophic effects on the fragile global economy. China and Russia have announced their opposition to further isolate the world’s fifth largest oil exporter, while most members of...