(EnergyAsia, March 17, Tuesday) — Researchers at Harvard University and IBM have launched a project to find new organic materials that can be used to produce efficient and lower-cost solar cells.   Solar energy will only become a significant contributor to world energy supplies if the cost of producing solar cells can be sharply reduced.  ...

(EnergyAsia, March 17, Tuesday) — International energy services company John Wood Group PLC said it is strengthening its operation in Abu Dhabi in the UAE with a move into a new office and the consolidation of operations. The group’s subsea and pipeline engineering company, J P Kenny, also operates in Abu Dhabi and will collaborate...

(EnergyAsia, March 17, Tuesday) — China’s CNPC International Ltd has agreed to pay C$10 per share in an all-cash deal to acquire Canadian upstream company, Verenex Energy Inc. The Calgary, Alberta-based company, which is majority-owned by another Canadian firm, Vermilion Energy Trust, said the transaction will be worth C$499 million. (US$1=C$1.27). Verenex said it agreed...

(EnergyAsia, March 17, Tuesday) — Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp has bought a 34% stake in Amper Central Solar, the developer of Portugal´s Amareleja (Moura) PV solar plant, 100% owned by Spain’s ACCIONA. The 45.8MWp plant is the world’s largest grid-connected photovoltaic solar plant and required an investment of 261 million Euros. It has an estimated annual...

(EnergyAsia, March 17, Tuesday) — AugustEnergy’s recent bunker course, Bunkering Principles, Management & Operations, attracted a larger-than-expected number of participants from seven countries. More than 50 industry professionals attended the two-day event held in Singapore on February 24 to 25, exceeding the 30 that the company had planned for. While the majority were Singapore-based, several...

(EnergyAsia, March 16, Monday) — Malaysia’s Changhuat Corp Bhd said it is looking to develop its oil and gas activities into its leading business segment.The company is currently focused on plastic injection parts and components. However, margins in that business are quickly eroding because of stiff competition from China and Vietnam, as well as the...

(EnergyAsia, March 16, Monday) — Indonesian officials expect their country’s production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fall by over 2% in 2009.They predict the national output will be dragged down by lower production at the Bontang LNG facility in East Kalimantan.Indonesia is expected to produce 349 cargoes of LNG this year, down from 359...

(EnergyAsia, March 16, Monday) — As part of a nation-wide Green IT Industry Development Initiative, the Institute of Systems Science of the National University of Singapore (NUS-ISS), Singapore Business Federation (SBF), and IBM, jointly held a seminar on green computing and IT for energy efficiency on February 24.The initiative was supported by Association of Small...

(EnergyAsia, March 16, Monday) — Maersk Oil Qatar, a unit of the Danish group, said it has initiated arbitration against UK based supplier SLP Engineering Ltd Lowestoft.In 2006, SLP Engineering was awarded a turnkey contract for delivery of offshore accommodation platforms for the Al Shaheen field development in Qatar.After a long series of commercial, financial...

(EnergyAsia, March 16, Monday) — Chiyoda Corp, a leading Japanese engineering and construction firm, said it has been awarded an engineering, procurement, construction management (EPCm) services contract in Qatar.The contract has been concluded between RasGas Company Limited and Chiyoda Almana Engineering L.L.C (CAEL), a Chiyoda subsidiary.RasGas Company is 70% owned by Qatar Petroleum and 30%...

(EnergyAsia, March 16, Monday) — Horizon Singapore Terminals Pte Ltd has announced the completion of the third expansion phase of its S$470 million bulk liquid storage terminal on Singapore’s Jurong Island. (US$1=S$1.54).Offering a wide range of value-added services with its state-of-the-art heating and blending systems, the additional 270,000 cubic metres of clean petroleum products capacity...

(EnergyAsia, March 16, Monday) — US-based Navajo Wind Energy Corp said it has received a letter of intent to finance its ambitious 200 MW wind farm project in Xinjiang, China, which it says is worth more than US$450 million.Navajo said it recently agreed with Mingchuang Energy Manufacturing Co Ltd to set up a joint venture...

(EnergyAsia, March 13, Friday) — Finnish oil refining and marketing company Neste Oil officially launched the construction of what it claims to be the world’s largest biodiesel plant in Singapore last week. Neste Oil president and CEO Matti Lievonen said construction of the 800,000-tonne-per-year plant is proceeding on schedule and on budget despite the unpredictable...

(EnergyAsia, March 13, Friday) — Tokyo Electron (TEL), a leading global supplier of innovative semiconductor production equipment, said it has announced a strategic cooperation with Oerlikon Solar, the world’s leading supplier of thin film silicon photovoltaic (PV) production equipment. The two companies said they will significantly expand the adoption of thin film silicon PV technology...

(EnergyAsia, March 13, Friday) — Aboitiz Power Corporation (AP) said rising electricity sales enabled it to boost 2008 net income by 4%% to 4.2 billion peso. (US$1=48 peso). The company sold 1,728 gigawatt-hours of power last year compared with 1,018 GwH to reflect 2007 acquisitions. Earlier, the company had announced it would be paying a...

(EnergyAsia, March 13, Friday) — NYSE-listed Timken Company has signed a long-term agreement to supply wind turbine gearbox bearings for Nanjing High Speed Gear Manufacturing Co Ltd (NGC), a China-based manufacturer of wind power, marine, construction, and industrial gear transmission equipment. Timken said it will supply tapered and cylindrical roller bearings for use in NGC’s...

(EnergyAsia, March 13, Friday) — US-based Navajo Wind Energy Corp said it has agreed to establish an equal joint venture 35MW wind farm in China. The CSRI Xuzhou Nantung Ltd wind farm project was completed in January 2009. The project’s first phase I comprising 10 wind turbines with a unit production capacity of 850kW each...

(EnergyAsia, March 13, Friday) — The fishing industry and national fisheries authorities must do more to understand and prepare for the impacts brought on by climate change, said a new Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report. According to the latest edition of the UN agency’s The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA), existing responsible...

(EnergyAsia, March 13, Friday) — Australia’s Origin Energy said it welcomed the release of the draft Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) legislation. The company is Australia’s largest green energy retailer with 480,000 customers signed to green energy products and 35% market share of national customers. Carl McCamish, Origin’s executive general manager for policy and sustainability,...

(EnergyAsia, March 13, Friday) — The production of biodiesel from algae could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, help to address future fuel shortages and create jobs in rural Australia, said Australia’s leading science agency CSIRO. The agency said its Energy Transformed unit led by Tom Beer has made a note of the organisms’ green credentials during...

(EnergyAsia, March 12, Thursday) — Singapore-based EOC Limited said it has signed a US$68 million contract to provide offshore accommodation and construction support to one of the world’s largest oil exploration and production companies operating in Brunei.The contract was awarded to EOC’s wholly-owned Emas Offshore Construction and Production Pte Ltd, which will use its heavy...

 (EnergyAsia, March 12, Thursday) — The global credit crisis could soon translate into severe food and energy supply shortages for some countries this year, analysts warn.If bank lending and credit markets do not stabilise quickly, they fear that developing countries will not be able to pay for their needs and will be hard hit soon.Suppliers...