JAPAN: Four companies set up joint nuclear fuel fabrication business

(EnergyAsia, January 7, Wednesday) — Three Japanese companies, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI), Mitsubishi Materials Corp (MMC) and Mitsubishi Corp (MC), and France’s Areva have agreed to establish a joint company in the nuclear fuel fabrication business. The ownership split is as follows: MHI 35%, MMC 30%, Areva 30% and MC 5%. Starting with 550...

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INDIA: Confidence Petroleum takes control of two ethanol plants

(EnergyAsia, January 7, Wednesday) — Confidence Petroleum India Ltd said it has taken control of two ethanol manufacturing companies with a combined capacity of 54,000 kilolitres per year. It did not disclose how much it paid for its complete takeover of Laxmi Nirmal Petrochemicals Pvt Ltd near Pune city, and the 80% share holding in...

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CHINA: US-based Navajo pursuing wind projects

(EnergyAsia, January 7, Wednesday) — Navajo Wind Energy Corp, a Atlanta, US-based renewable energy company, said it is negotiating to finalise the installation of a wind turbine equipment facility in China. It did not provide details except to state that the project will likely secure its viability “well into the future”. Navajo Wind Energy Inc...

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CHINA: CTDC to build 30MW on-grid solar power station

(EnergyAsia, January 7, Wednesday) — China Technology Development Group Corp (CTDC) and Qinghai New Energy Group Co Ltd (QNE) have agreed with the local government of Qinghai Haixi Mongolian-Tibetan autonomous region to build a 30MW on-grid solar power station in the Qaidam Basin of northwestern China. The $150 million project, described as the first in...

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AUSTRALIA: Canberra introduces ‘solar credits’ draft legislation

(EnergyAsia, January 7, Wednesday) — The Australian government have released details of its 20% Renewable Energy Target and new ‘solar credits’ as part of the nation’s move to a low pollution future. Treasurer Wayne Swan, Minister for Climate Change Senator Penny Wong and Environment Peter Garrett jointly provided the details. “The Renewable Energy Target (RET)...

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TAIWAN: Auria Solar starts thin film production

(EnergyAsia, January 7, Wednesday) — Taiwan’s Auria Solar said it has started production of thin-film silicon solar modules using Oerlikon Solar’s micromorph® technology. Due to intensive cooperation between the engineering and R&D teams of the two companies, Auria Solar said it has already produced its first micromorph® thin-film solar cell modules — less than four...

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UAE: Middle East’s first biodiesel plant to start up this year

start up the region’s first biodiesel plant later this year. The plant will have the annual capacity to produce three million gallons of biodiesel from vegetable oils, inedible oils and biomass materials. The company said t will use only non-food feedstock. The biodiesel will be blended with conventional diesel and used as a motor fuel....

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TAIWAN: Linde’s BOC Lien Hwa as leading gas supplier for the photovoltaic industry

Lien Hwa (BOCLH) said it has been selected to supply Auria Solar in Tainan city a wide range of bulk and specialty gases for use in the manufacturing process of solar cells. BOCLH, a joint venture between The Linde Group, a leading global gases and engineering group, and Taiwan’s Lien Hwa Corp, will offer gases,...

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AUSTRALIA: Origin Energy welcomes “carbon pollution reduction scheme” paper

government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) White Paper, including the start date of July 2010 and the strong support for “vulnerable households.” The company said it looks forward to the release of draft legislation and of details around supporting policy measures such as the expanded Renewable Energy Target and the development of a national energy...

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AUSTRALIA: Holden to build fuel-efficient small cars

efficient, low-emission small car at its, Elizabeth plant in South Australia state from the third quarter of 2010. In a joint announcement with the South Australian state government, the company said the move to produce the new, front-wheel-drive, four-cylinder car will support up to 1,200 jobs immediately. Design and engineering work will be undertaken at...

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CASPIAN: OMV and RWE establish Caspian Energy Company to examine and develop gas pipeline

Trading GmbH have teamed up to establish Caspian Energy Company Ltd (CEC) in London. CEC will develop infrastructure including pipelines to link the vast gas resources of the Caspian region to Europe. The establishment of the equal joint venture company is subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities. The two parties said that new...

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CLIMATE CHANGE: Forests have vital role in emerging ecomarkets, says environmental economist

environmental markets designed to address climate change, despite the reluctance of some countries to accept forest carbon offsets, predicted environmental economics expert Ricardo Bayon. Speaking at a recent seminar for forestry professionals, he said: “Forest carbon has been ostracised by the world’s largest carbon markets – those in the European Union. But that will change.”...

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CHINA: Siemens builds gas-insulated high-voltage line for hydropower plant

insulated high voltage line (GIL) with a total tube length of 3.2 km for the Chinese hydropower plant “Jinping I” in the Liangshan Yi district of Sichuan province. Siemens is installing three three-phase GIL systems, each with a length of 350 meters, as a link between the machine transformers in the power plant cavern and...

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INDIA: Areva chosen as first foreign uranium supplier

uranium supplier to India since New Delhi reopened to doing nuclear business with the rest of the world in September. The contract paves the way for a Franco-Indian partnership in civil nuclear electricity generation. The agreement, signed at a ceremony in Mumbai last month, includes a commitment from Areva to the Indian Department of Atomic...

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BIOFUELS: US ethanol producer VeraSun unlikely to recover from bankruptcy

unlikely to recover after filing for protection under the country’s bankruptcy code last November. The company ran into trouble amid volatile corn prices, tight margins and the sharp build-up in US ethanol capacity over the last few years. VeraSun had entered into unfavourable derivative contracts that locked in peak corn prices, leaving the company liable...

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TAIWAN: State agency want wind power firms to tap world markets

opportunities in the growing wind power market. State-funded Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) recently invited international wind turbine manufacturers to a conference in Taipei to meet with local firms. Participants included Denmark-based Vesta’s, the world’s largest producer of wind power turbines, and India’s Suzlon. Even though oil prices have declined sharply in recent months,...

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KAZAKHSTAN: Refinery investments to be delayed

crisis has forced it to suspend work on its oil refining projects in Turkey and Georgia. KazMunaiGaz had been involved in projects at Ceyhan in Turkey and Batumi in Georgia. However, with the financial crisis continuing to deepen, the company has decided to focus its resources on expanding and upgrading its three domestic refineries. The...

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CLIMATE CHANGE: Preserving tropical rainforests better for the environment than biofuels

climate change than replacing them with biofuel plantations, according to a study in the journal Conservation Biology. The study found that it would take at least 75 years for the carbon emissions saved through the use of biofuels to compensate for the carbon lost through forest conversion. If the original habitat was carbon-rich peatland, the...

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CHINA: Dragon Power to invest 10 billion yuan in 30 biomass plants

develop 30 biomass power plants this and next year. The company said it has already built 19 biomass plants in rural parts of the country, and is aiming to bring onstream another 30 by end-2010. Each plant is capable of producing 30,000 kilowatts of power, and will use straw and agricultural waste as feedstock....

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INDIA: Wind power firm Suzlon to venture into solar energy

to venture into solar energy. The company is expected to announce plans for building solar power projects in the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan sometime this year. Suzlon Energy chairman and managing director Tulsi R Tanti had earlier said that India offers “enormous opportunity” for both solar and wind power projects....

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MARKETS: Oil starts 2009 on Russia-Ukraine gas dispute, conflicts in Middle East and Nigeria

oil markets an early lift. The headlines were carbon copies of past years as Russia again shut down natural gas supplies to Ukraine, causing much anxiety to Europe and soul searching as to why they still do business with Moscow. Israel bombed Gaza, killing hundreds of civilians, while the world pondered and then worried if...

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NEW ZEALAND: Airline flies on jatropha-based fuel

successful commercial aviation test flight using “sustainable second-generation” jatropha-based biofuel last week. The company said that more than a dozen key performance tests were undertaken in the two-hour test flight from Auckland International Airport. A biofuel blend of 50:50 jatropha and Jet A1 fuel was used to power one of the Air New Zealand Boeing...

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PHILIPPINES: ICS Renewables awarded Amlan hydropower plant

megawatt (MW) Amlan hydroelectric power plant after submitting the highest bid in the Philippine government’s final sale schedule for 2008. State agency Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) said ICS Renewables offered US$230,000 for the Visayas-based hydropower facility. The winning bid exceeded the reserve price set by the PSALM Board for the generating...

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CHINA: Idle terminals and tanks to be used to stockpile oil

storage terminals and tanks to fill up as it attempts to take advantage of low oil prices. The General Chamber of Commerce estimates that private firms have enough capacity to store up to 200 million tonnes of crude oil. The stored oil will form part of the country’s strategic petroleum reserves. Crude oil now cost...

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INDIA: ONGC to proceed with bid for Russia’s Imperial Energy

(ONGC), is proceeding with its bid to take over Russia’s Imperial Energy in a US$2 billion cash deal. However, ONGC still has the option to drop the deal if its bid it does not obtain 90% of acceptance from Imperial shareholders. ONGC is believed to be ready to walk away from the deal which was...

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