(EnergyAsia, December 11 2014, Thursday) — Malaysia’s state-owned energy firm, Petronas, expects to start up a 1.22-gigawatt coal-fired power plant by 2017 to supply electricity to a proposed oil refinery-petrochemical complex under construction in Johor state.

(EnergyAsia, December 4 2014, Thursday) — With oil prices at a five-year low and falling, Malaysia’s state energy firm Petronas is under financial and domestic political pressure to delay either the final investment decision (FID) or the project start-up date, or both, of its proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Canada’s British Columbia (BC) province. Petronas had earlier set a mid-December deadline to announce its decision for the construction of a C$9-to-$11 billion LNG export terminal on Lelu Island near Prince Rupert. (US$1=C$1.13).

(EnergyAsia, December 3 2014, Wednesday) — As panic grips oil and gas producers spooked by crude prices plunging to five-year lows, traders are  focused on how much lower the markets can go. US$100 is suddenly a distant memory while talk of US$150 oil has been consigned to unfounded fears associated with the Islamic State’s (ISIS) emergence back in June 2014.

(EnergyAsia, November 28 2014, Friday) — After plunging by a third since peaking in June to their lowest levels in four-and-half years, crude oil prices still have room to fall, going by the conclusions of two recent studies pointing to the resilience of US unconventional oil in a bear market.

(EnergyAsia, November 27 2014, Thursday) — With liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply growth outpacing demand, Asian buyers have the upper hand for now although a blast of cold from unpredictable weather conditions could easily spike prices, said consultant Wood Mackenzie.

Riding the downtrend, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Asian buyers are digging in with their demand for an overhaul of the LNG pricing formula as the market’s weakness could be protracted on account of weak global demand, rising supply and depressed oil prices.

(EnergyAsia, November 25 2014, Tuesday) — Singapore’s stretched infrastructure is forcing Asia’s oil traders to tweak a winning formula of over two decades to accommodate a bigger storage and pricing role for neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia, said the International Energy Agency (IEA) and energy media Platts.

(EnergyAsia, November 24 2014, Monday) — Singapore’s Universal Terminal Pte Ltd is looking to raise at least S$1 billion through a local share offering as a business trust that would make it the largest listed oil storage firm in Asia. (US$1=S$1.3).

(EnergyAsia, November 21 2014, Friday) — The spirit may be willing but weak market conditions and strong opposition from environmental, business and labour groups will likely block India’s pent-up desire to heal its sickly coal industry.

(EnergyAsia, November 19 2014, Wednesday) — Japan’s trade ministry has given Abu Dhabi an expanded and extended lease to store crude oil for free at a terminal on one of the Asian country’s southwestern islands.

(EnergyAsia, November 18 2014, Tuesday) — India’s Adani Group said it has secured agreements from the Indian government and Australia’s Queensland state to support its proposed US$7 billion investment to develop the Carmichael coal mine and rail and port infrastructure.

(EnergyAsia, November 17 2014, Monday) — Chinese firms are slowing down their oil stockbuilding in response to expectations that their nation’s economy will grow at a slower pace while oil prices could decline further after hitting a four-year low last week.

(EnergyAsia, November 12 2014, Wednesday) — Having invested a total of US$73 billion in upstream assets over the last three years, Chinese state-owned firms now control around seven percent of global crude oil production of over 93 million b/d, said the International Energy Agency (IEA).

(EnergyAsia, November 11 2014, Tuesday) — Utilities representing nearly 95% of India’s 78,000MW of coal-fired power capacity have secured feedstock through supply contracts with state-owned Coal India Limited (CIL), said the Coal Ministry.

(EnergyAsia, November 10 2014, Monday) — India’s coal imports are expected to continue rising through the decade to feed the country’s growing power demand that is being helped by the protracted weakness in the fuel’s price. Amid slumping demand and oversupply around the world, thermal coal prices are holding near a five-year low with little prospects of recovery in the near-term.

(EnergyAsia, November 5 2014, Wednesday) — As part of its reform programme to solve India’s domestic energy crisis, the six-month-old government to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is planning to speed up

(EnergyAsia, October 31 2014, Friday) — Having crashed nearly 30% since June, world oil prices may still have room to fall further as global supply is rising while demand growth is slowing down rapidly, suggests the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Brent is trading near a four-year low, having fallen below US$83 a barrel this week after hitting a high of over US$115 in June.

(EnergyAsia, October 31 2014, Friday) — Responding to lower expectations for global economic growth, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has reduced its forecasts for both oil demand and supply for 2015 in its latest monthly report. However, it raised its forecast for this year’s global oil supply from its previous report in September.

(EnergyAsia, October 30 2014, Thursday) — Two of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) importers in Japan said they will team up to demand better prices and terms from suppliers as the country remains far from reviving its idled nuclear power plants that used to generate 30% of its electricity.