(EnergyAsia, September 15 2011, Thursday) — Australia’s Eden Energy Ltd said it is planning to spin off and list its wholly-owned UK coal seam methane and shale gas subsidiary, Eden Energy (UK) Ltd, as a new company to be called Adamo Energy Ltd. Eden said it aims to raise A$10 million from the proposed listing...
INDONESIA: Enforced allocation, export ban could discourage coal investment
(EnergyAsia, September 15 2011, Thursday) — Indonesia risks losing investments in its coal mining sector if it enforces an export ban and demands that miners increase allocation for domestic consumption. The government has drafted a plan to ban the export of low-quality grade thermal coal and wants miners to increase their allocation to domestic consumers...
INDONESIA: Government backs away from talk about tax on coal export
(EnergyAsia, September 15 2011, Thursday) — The Indonesian government has begun dampening speculation that it is planning to impose a ban on low-calorie coal exports from 2014. Coal companies have expressed concern that any form of restriction or ban on exports could choke off investments into the sector, particularly from international players, and badly damage...
THAILAND: Egat to promote clean coal in place of nuclear energy
(EnergyAsia, September 15 2011, Thursday) — The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) said it has dropped its plans for developing nuclear power and will focus on clean coal instead. In a submission to the Energy Ministry, has significantly revised its original 10-year national power plan to 2020 in the wake of the March 11...
INDONEISA: Association expects 33% rise in coal exports to Japan
(EnergyAsia, September 12 2011, Wednesday) — Indonesia could boost its coal exports to Japan by a third to 30 million tons this year, according to the Indonesian Association of Coal Miners. Following the March 11 tsunami-earthquake tragedy, Japan has shut down more than two thirds of its nuclear power capacity, and has turned to generating...
AUSTRALIA: Cougar Energy may appeal to Queensland Land Court against latest ruling on coal gasification activities
(EnergyAsia, September 14 2011, Wednesday) — Australia’s Cougar Energy Limited said it is considering appealing to the Queensland Land Court against the Queensland state government’s decision to restrict its underground coal gasification (UCG) activities near Kingaroy town, 210 km northwest of Brisbane city. The state’s Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) has told the...
INDONEISA: Association expects 33% rise in coal exports to Japan
(EnergyAsia, September 12 2011, Wednesday) — Indonesia could boost its coal exports to Japan by a third to 30 million tons this year, according to the Indonesian Association of Coal Miners. Following the March 11 tsunami-earthquake tragedy, Japan has shut down more than two thirds of its nuclear power capacity, and has turned to generating...
AUSTRALIA: Thailand’s Banpu offers to acquire rest of Hunnu Coal for A$1.80 a share
(EnergyAsia, September 13 2011, Tuesday) — Thai coal miner Banpu PCL has made a A$423 million cash offer to acquire the remaining 88% stake in Australia’s Hunnu Coal Ltd that it does not yet own, the two companies said. (US$1=A$0.95). At A$1.80 a share, the offer price represents a 30% premium over the A$1.385 that...
INDONESIA: Thailand’s PTT aims to expand coal investments
(EnergyAsia, September 13 2011, Tuesday) — Thai state-owned energy company, PTT, has affirmed its long-term goal to expand coal production in Indonesia. Already with two mines in Indonesia, PTT is in talks with local companies to acquire their stakes in producing mines as well as concessions. Natthachart Charuchinda, a PTT executive vice president, told a...
INDONESIA: Australia’s VWM to fully acquire Singapore-based firm with coal interest in Kalimantan
(EnergyAsia, September 13 2011, Tuesday) — Australia’s Victory West Metals Ltd (VWM) said it has agreed to fully acquire South East Asia Energy Resources Pte Ltd (SEAE), a special purpose company registered in Singapore with interest in coal projects and concessions as well as sales agreements. VWM will pay for the acquisition through 330 million...
MONGOLIA: ETT selects Macmahon, BBM as contract miners for giant coal deposit
(EnergyAsia, September 13 2011, Tuesday) — Mongolian state-owned miner Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi (ETT) has selected a consortium comprising Australia’s Macmahon Holdings Ltd and Germany’s BBM Operta as contractors to mine a section of its giant Tavan Tolgoi coal deposit. Mcmahon said the consortium will undertake large scale open cut mining operations in the Eastern Tsankhi...
RUSSIA: Mechel’s Posiet Port handled record coal transhipment volume as part of US$73 million expansion
(EnergyAsia, September 12 2011, Monday) — Mechel OAO, a leading Russian mining and metals company, said its Trade Port Posiet subsidiary loaded 26 cargo ships carrying a record 509,000 tonnes of coal last month. It attributed the achievement to the port’s improved technical support made as part of a US$73 million modernisation programme to be...
INDONESIA: Coal exports set to shrink
(EnergyAsia, September 12 2011, Monday) — Asia’s coal consumers are bracing for higher prices as Indonesia works towards banning the export of lower-grade material for use in power generation from 2014. China and India, which rely on coal for more than 70% of their power supply, have the most to fear from a proposed Energy...
GHANA: Kosmos to list on local exchange by December
(EnergyAsia, September 12 2011, Monday) — Texas, US-based Kosmos Energy plans to raise U$50 million from a proposed listing in Ghana later this year, said the Securities and Exchange Commission of the West African country. Backed by private equity firms Blackstone Group and Warburg Pincus, Kosmos owns a 23.49% stake in the offshore Jubilee oilfield,...
AUSTRALIA: Coal association says carbon tax will cost mining jobs without cutting down emissions
(EnergyAsia, September 12 2011, Monday) — The Australian Coal Association (ACA) has issued a statement questioning the findings of the Grattan Institute report on the impact of the government’s proposed carbon tax on the coal, liquefied natural gas and steel industries. ACA executive director, Ralph Hillman, said the Grattan Institute report was not based on...
VIETNAM: Hyundai E&C secures contract to build coal-fired power plant
(EnergyAsia, September 9 2011, Friday) — South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering and Construction said it has landed a 1.6-trillion-won contract to build a 1,000MW power plant in Vietnam. (US$1=1,070 won). The company expects to shortly begin construction of the 1,000 MW coal-fired plant in Mong Duong in Quang Ninh province, 250 km northeast of the capital...
INDIA: Power sector worried by rising coal shortages and cost
(EnergyAsia, September 9 2011, Friday) — The rising cost and supply shortages of coal is threatening India’s ambitious goal of adding 100GW of power capacity during its next 5th year plan to 2017. In turn, these trends will jeopardise the reliability of India’s electricity supply and undermine its economic prospects under its 12th development plan,...
CHINA: China Power to invest in coal-power plant, port, aluminum refinery and mining in Guinea
(EnergyAsia, September 9 2011, Friday) — China Power Investment Corp, one of the country’s five-largest power companies, is planning to build a coal-fired power plant, a deepwater port and an aluminum refinery in one of Africa’s most backward countries in exchange for the right to develop a large bauxite mine costing nearly US$6 billion. Located...
AUSTRALIA: QR National, coal consortium to invest A$900 million in Wiggins Island rail project
(EnergyAsia, September 9 2011, Friday) — Australia’s QR National said it and a consortium of coal mining companies have agreed to construct an A$900 million rail link that will expand the coal carrying capacity from the southern Bowen Basin region to a new export terminal at Gladstone in Queensland state by 30%. (US$1=A$0.95). QR National...
ASIA: Platts and Argus prices used to settle CME coking coal futures
(EnergyAsia, September 9 2011, Friday) — The Chicago Mercantile Exchange has begun listing two coking coal futures contract settled against prices published by two mainstream energy media, McGraw-Hill’s Platts and UK’s Argus. Argus prices will be use for the Australian coking coal (Argus) low volume swap futures contract which began trading on the floor of...
CHINA: Leading coal producer Shenhua reports 16% rise in first-half profit to 21.9 billion yuan
(EnergyAsia, September 8 2011, Thursday) — China Shenhua Energy Co Ltd, the country’s largest coal producer, said its first-half net profit rose 16.1% to 21.9 billion yuan while revenue jumped 40.5% over the same period last year. (US$1=6.45). In a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the company said the half-year revenue exceeded 100...
CHINA: Puda Coal says audit committee confirms alleged illegal transactions by chairman
(EnergyAsia, September 8 2011, Thursday) — China’s Puda Coal said its internal investigations have found that chairman Ming Zhao may have illegally transferred ownership of two of its subsidiaries to himself and a state-owned company without the approval of shareholders. The company launched the investigations following an April 8 article by a short-selling trader that...
CHINA: Nigeria becomes first African country to include yuan in foreign exchange reserves
(EnergyAsia, September 8 2011, Thursday) — Nigeria has become the first African country and possibly the first major oil producer to include the Chinese yuan in its foreign exchange reserves. In an unexpected and significant move, Central Bank governor Lamido Sanusi said the yuan would eventually account for between five and 10% of Nigeria’s reserves,...
MONGOLIA: Envidity help launched US$1 billion coal gasification project
(EnergyAsia, September 7 2011, Wednesday) — US-based Envidity Inc said it has committed to helping launch a US$1 billion project to turn underground coal to gas and liquids in Mongolia. Envidity said the project could produce 1,000 b/d of synthetic diesel to satisfy 10% of local demand within 24 months, and 15,000 b/d within 60...
GHANA: ExxonMobil prevented from acquiring Kosmos Energy and stake in Jubilee oilfield, says Wikileaks
(EnergyAsia, September 7 2011, Wednesday) — Senior Ghanaian government officials close to President John Atta Mills prevented ExxonMobil from buying over the shares of US independent Kosmos Energy which has a 23.49% stake in one of Africa’s largest new oil fields, according to a Wikileaks report citing US diplomatic sources. US diplomats reportedly said that...