(EnergyAsia, April 1 2011, Friday) — US-based conglomerate General Electric Company (GE) said it has inaugurated Russia’s first coal-bed-methane (CBM) to energy project at Kuzbasskaya Energosetevaya Compania’s (KEC) Talda site located near Kemerovo city. The project involves GE’s 1-megawatt (MW) J320 Jenbacher engine which uses the captured gas to provide electricity that is ultimately sold (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 31 2011, Thursday) — Chinese fuel storage and distribution firm Longwei Petroleum Investment Holding Ltd said it expects to benefit from the 4.5% increase in gasoline and diesel prices enacted last February 21 by the powerful National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). New York Stock Exchange-listed Longwei said the increase, which translates to (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 30 2011, Wednesday) — ExxonMobil Japan Group said it has resumed operations at its Shiogama terminal allowing for an increase in the delivery of fuel supplies into northeastern Japan, which was struck by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. More than 26,000 people died or are missing after a 9-richter scale quake struck (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 30 2011, Wednesday) — Shell Global Solutions said it has signed an agreement with the Centre for High Technology, India (CHT) to improve operational efficiency and business performance of three Indian refineries with a combined capacity of 32 million metric tons a year. The Refinery Performance Improvement Program (RPIP) contract will be implemented (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 29 2011, Tuesday) — Australian natural gas production increased 5.1% from 1,902 petajoules (PJ) in 2009 to a record 1,999 petajoules in 2010 due to rising global demand for the country’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) as well as growth in domestic gas-fired power generation, said analyst EnergyQuest. In a study, the Australian firm (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 29 2011, Tuesday) — Dutch logistic and storage operator Royal Vopak said it has included Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) as mandated lead arranger under the five-year 1.2-billion-euro senior unsecured multicurrency revolving credit facility (RCF), which was recently closed and announced on February 3 2011. (US$1=0.72 euro). The total amount and (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 29 2011, Tuesday) — UK-based Gazprom Global LNG (GGLNG), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom Marketing & Trading (GM&T), said it has appointed Nigel Kuzemko as global director of liquefied natural gas (LNG) development. Mr Kuzemko will be based in Singapore and report directly to Frederic Barnaud, managing director of Gazprom Global LNG, at (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 29 2011, Tuesday) — UK-based KPI Bridge Oil, a leading global bunker broker and trader has hired four traders for its wholly-owned Singapore subsidiary and a new team leader for its London office’s fourth trading team. Raj Kumar, Thomas Lee, Amy Choo and Carmen Poh have joined KPI Bridge Oil Singapore, boosting its (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 28 2011, Monday) — UK-based energy consultant Douglas-Westwood has forecast a massive 79% growth in the deepwater sector’s capital expenditure to US$206 billion for the 2011-2015 period compared to the previous five years. In announcing the launch of its new deepwater service, the company said drilling and completion expenditure is expected to be (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 28 2011, Monday) — Greenpeace International has expressed grave concern over reports of the growing leak and spread of radioactive materials including the isotope Cesium-137 from Japan’s Fukushima power plant damaged by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11. More than 21,000 people are dead and reported missing after the 9-richter scale quake (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 24 2011, Thursday) — Petrochemical giant Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) said it has signed a three-way agreement with the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON) and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to develop industrialisation strategies for the Saudi cities of Al-Jouf, Tabuk, Hail, Jizan, Najran and Arar. SABIC was represented by vice (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 23 2011, Wednesday) — Singapore-based Loyz Oil Pte Ltd said it and Rex Oil & Gas Ltd will jointly explore for hydrocarbon resources in 35 areas in the Asia-Pacific region including India, Indonesia and New Zealand. Loyz, the exploration subsidiary of Singapore Exchange-listed Sim Siang Choon Ltd (SSC), said it will identify potential (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 23 2011, Wednesday) — The following is an edited version of an analysis by Vivek Mathur of US-based Energy Security Analysis Inc (ESAI) of the Japanese oil markets following the impact of the deadly earthquake and tsunami on March 11. At the time of writing, 890,000 b/d, equivalent to 19% of Japan’s total (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 22 2011, Tuesday) — There is potentially large demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel for power generation and shipping in Southeast Asia, according to a special study by a multi-national consortium. The study examined the future LNG use in Southeast Asia as fuel for ship propulsion and as feedstock for small (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 22 2011, Tuesday) — Australia’s energy and minerals sectors need to re-assess, revise or perhaps totally re-negotiate their force majeure provisions in key contracts based on lessons learnt from managing recent weather impacts, according to a senior lawyer from Minter Ellison, a leading commercial law firm based in Melbourne. The caution comes as (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 21 2011, Monday) — Energy efficiency investors should focus on Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines, and then gradually expand into Indonesia and Vietnam, according to a new report on “Energy Efficiency Investment Potential” in Southeast Asia by Singapore-based business consultants, ReEx Capital Asia. Launched by the British Embassy in Bangkok earlier this month, (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 21 2011, Monday) — AEG Power Solutions, a Frankfurt, Germany-based global provider of premium power electronics, said it has appointed KML Engineering Ltd as its representative to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s (SAR) railway network and public utility sectors. AEG said the agreement covers all products including uninterrupted power supply (UPS) systems (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 18 2011, Friday) — Australia’s GB Energy Limited said it will be acquiring interests in a portfolio of oil and gas interests from Cooper Energy Limited including a Cooper Basin oilfield, exploration licences and farm-out contracts. The transaction is subject to GB Energy completing a capital raising and normal regulatory approvals. The principal (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 18 2011, Friday) — globalCOAL, a UK-based international online coal trading platform, said it has signed up four new members in Asia. They are China’s Guangdong Power Industry Fuel Co Ltd, Korea Western Power Co Ltd and SK Networks Co Ltd of South Korea, Singapore-based Klandee Resources Pte Ltd. Guangzhou-based Guangdong Power Industry (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 18 2011, Friday) — The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) crude oil production output rose to an average 29.8 million barrels per day (b/d) in February, up 230,000 b/d from an estimated 29.57 million b/d in January, according to an oil industry survey by energy information provider Platts. Attributing the jump to (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 17 2011, Thursday) — US-based engineering company Black & Veatch (B&V) said it will design Reliance Power’s 100-billion-rupee combined-cycle power plant in Samalkot town in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. (US$1=45 rupees). With an initial capacity of 2,500 megawatts (MW) and possible future expansion to 3,600 MW, B&V said the plant will (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 17 2011, Thursday) — Foster Wheeler AG said it and consortium partners, A Al-Saihati, A Fattani & O Al-Othman Consulting Engineering Co (SOFCON) and Saudi Consolidated Engineering Co-Khatib & Alami (SCEC K&A), will provide general engineering services to Saudi Aramco for a five-year period. The global engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) specialist said (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 17 2011, Thursday) — The UAE economy is expected to grow by 3.25% this year while inflation will remain “moderate” at 4% due to declining rents, said the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The agency made this assessment following an Article IV consultation mission led by Taline Koranchelian to the UAE from February 27 (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 16 2011, Wednesday) — The importance of Australia’s brown coal and world-class reserves were highlighted at last week’s Australia-Japan High Level Group on Energy and Minerals Consultations at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in the Australia’s Victoria state. At its 4th annual session, the bilateral meeting opened opportunities for business and government (more…)

(EnergyAsia, March 15 2011, Monday) — globalCOAL, a leading online coal trading platform, said it has signed up Korea Western Power Co Ltd, SK Networks Co Ltd and Klandee Resources Pte Ltd as members. State‐owned Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) is one of South Korea’s major electricity generators, while Seoul-based SK Networks is a leading energy (more…)