(EnergyAsia, September 3, Thursday) — Australia’s AGL Energy Limited (AGL) said it recently secured the energy supply contract for a new A$3.5 billion desalination plant to be constructed near Wonthaggi in Victoria state. (US$1=A$1.2). The contract is for a term of 27 years with an annual requirement of up to 860GWh of electricity and associated...

(EnergyAsia, September 3, Thursday) — The Chinese government has announced the details of a national programme to support the solar energy industry growth through the implementation of at least 500MW in new PV generation capacity by 2012. The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Science and Technology and National Energy Administration (NEA) recently teamed up to...

(EnergyAsia, September 3, Thursday) — Siemens Energy, a unit of the German engineering giant, said it has partnered with eMeter, a leading provider in smart grid management software, to launch their first three global centres of competence dedicated to supporting the growing demand for smart energy services. Designed to facilitate the transition from the existing...

(EnergyAsia, September 2, Wednesday) — J. Ray McDermott S.A., a subsidiary of New York-listed McDermott International Inc, said its Malaysian affiliate Barmada McDermott Sdn Bhd has been awarded a transportation and installation contract to replace  a 12-inch full well stream pipeline located off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc...

(EnergyAsia, September 2, Wednesday) — IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, said it has achieved a historic milestone in fiscal 2009 as more than half the power sector projects it financed were powered by renewable energy sources. IFC said that addressing the potential impacts of climate change is a strategic priority, and promoting...

(EnergyAsia, September 2, Wednesday) — Vietnam’s first wind power plant, located in the central province of Binh Dinh, started operations last month. The plant, with an installed capacity of 30 megawatts (MW), is expected to be one of more than 20 wind farms to be developed in Vietnam that can produce a total of 20,000...

(EnergyAsia, September 2, Wednesday) — The US Energy Department may reject applications for federal “smart grid” grants unless electric utilities prove they have sufficiently addressed security concerns related to the technology. IT security experts have raised concerns that companies proposing to instal smart meters that gather information about consumers’ power usage do not provide enough...

(EnergyAsia, September 2, Wednesday) — South Korea’s business community sees opportunities from the government’s plan to make major investments in green energy projects. However, a lot of research will be needed for businesses to succeed in turning green industries into promising new engines of growth for the country, said Sohn Kyung-shik, chairman of the Korea...

(EnergyAsia, September 2, Wednesday) — The Indian government has set an ambitious plan to raise solar power generation capacity from almost zero to 20 gigawatts (GW) by 2020. Under the plan proposed by the National Solar Mission that has yet to be formally approved, the government will also seek to make the price of solar-generated...

(EnergyAsia, September 2, Wednesday) — China’s Suntech Power said it has been selected by Aldar Properties PJSC to supply over 1,120 solar panels for a 292 kW solar system for The Shams Tower, an iconic building on Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Enviromena, an Abu Dhabi-based solar power system integrator, has designed and will...

(EnergyAsia, September 1, Tuesday) — Exxon Mobil Corporation said an Australian subsidiary has agreed to the long-term supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India’s Petronet LNG Limited from the proposed Gorgon LNG project in Western Australia. The agreement covers the supply of 1.5 million tonnes per year (million t/y) of ExxonMobil’s share of LNG...

(EnergyAsia, September 1, Tuesday) — China and India have unveiled bold plans to develop solar energy, putting teeth to goals for the use of renewable energy, and improving their positions with Western countries on climate change negotiations.   China is looking at increasing its solar power generation to 10 gigwatts (GW) by 2020 while the...

(EnergyAsia, September 1, Tuesday) — Households and small businesses in Australia’s Victoria state may see a A$150 increase in their power bills following the four-year implementation of smart meters. (US$1 = A$1.2). Smart meter technology will allow retailers to monitor electricity usage every 30 minutes instead of the current four times a year when someone...

(EnergyAsia, September 1, Tuesday) — The Chinese government said the country’s average energy consumption declined by 3.53% in the first half of 2009 from the same period last year. It attributed the fall to increased energy efficiency and its massive spending on clean energy projects embedded in its four-trillion-yuan stimulus package. (US$1=6.8 yuan). Possibly now...

(EnergyAsia, September 1, Tuesday) — China and the US, two of the world’s largest emitters of environment-damaging gases, have signed a memorandum of understanding to improve cooperation on clean energy. The document, however, is said to be short on details, and does not resolve their differences on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that lead...

(EnergyAsia, September 1, Tuesday) — The US has expressed optimism over its discussions with China on climate change issues.   The US chief climate negotiator, Todd Stern, said there were still differences in perspectives, but that the Chinese were keen on a successful outcome in the negotiations. Their recent strategic dialogue appears to have brought...

(EnergyAsia, September 1, Tuesday) — Ezra Holdings Limited, the Singapore-based support and marine services provider for the offshore oil and gas industry, said it has signed a vessel operating agreement (VOA) that will power its future returns and growth without any major capital outlay. As part of the agreement, Ezra said it will manage and...

(EnergyAsia, September 1, Tuesday) — The US government has awarded a US$32.5 million contract to a company to manufacture an advanced battery invented by Australian science agency CSIRO. The “UltraBattery”, to be produced by US manufacturer East Penn, is part of the US$2.4 billion funding programme for 48 advanced battery and electric-drive projects announced by...

(EnergyAsia, August 31, Monday) — The US, home to modern capitalism and the world’s oil industry, is seriously considering clamping down on energy speculation. Backed by populist sentiments amid rising commodity prices, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is working with more than a dozen overseas regulators to define and reduce commodities speculation through tighter...

(EnergyAsia, August 31, Monday) — The Australian government should increase its focus on natural gas in future deliberations on renewable energy target (RET) legislation, said two associations linked to the gas industry. The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) and the Australian Pipeline Industry Association (APIA) said the nation’s leaders should recognise natural gas...

(EnergyAsia, August 31, Monday) — Australia’s Origin Energy said it and its joint venture partner, ConocoPhillips, in Australia Pacific LNG, have secured the Laird Point site on Curtis Island in the Port of Gladstone from the Queensland state government as the site for its proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant. Australia Pacific LNG is an...

(EnergyAsia, August 31, Monday) — Australia’s Santos and GDF SUEZ, one of the world’s leading LNG companies, have announced a 40/60 partnership to jointly develop a floating LNG project in the Bonaparte Basin in Australia. The Bonaparte LNG project aligns the interests of both companies across the full value chain, from gas field resources to...

(EnergyAsia, August 31, Monday) — On the back of strong demand for its services and expansion of storage capacity, Dutch oil and chemical logistics giant Royal Vopak has raised its earnings expectation by 10% from its previous forecast of 450 million euro. It now expects to achieve an operating profit before depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA)...

(EnergyAsia, August 31, Monday) — In a major show of displeasure with Indonesia, Kansai Electric Power Co Inc, Japan’s second largest power producer, has cancelled its agreement to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a plant in Central Sulawesi. The deal could not be fulfilled because of the Indonesian government’s recent ban on the export...