semiconductor and solar industries, has broken ground on its Asia-wide operations building in Singapore that will have the country’s largest solar energy installation. The 32,000-sq m facility in the Changi North Industrial Park will be equipped with solar installations to produce up to 350 kw of electricity when it is completed in late 2009. That...
AUSTRALIA: Darwin the hot spot for energy discussion
(EnergyAsia, July 14, Monday) — Offshore oil and gas event SEAAOC to be held in Australia’s northernmost city, Darwin, this week will take place at a time of unprecedented interest from domestic and international companies in the country’s mining and energy prospects. With oil last week reaching a new record high of more than $147 (more…)
SINGAPORE: JEC Group to organise composite materials event on October 22-24
(EnergyAsia, July 14, Monday) — Frederique Mutel, President and CEO of the JEC Group, spoke with EnergyAsia’s Rasheedah Mahfuz on its plans to organise a composite materials event in Singapore on October 22 to 24. The “JEC Show” will be supported by various agencies from the Singapore government. 1. Tell us something about the JEC (more…)
CAMBODIA: Singapore’s SPC and partners to drill exploration well
partners have begun drilling for oil in the Vimean Morodok MahaNorkor-1 exploration well in Cambodia’s offshore Block B. The prospect is located east of the Khmer sub-basin in water depth of about 75 metres. Sited 160 km southwest of Sihanoukville city, the prospect lies about 80 km east of an area in the Gulf of...
CLIMATE CHANGE: G8 agree to tackle climate, food and energy crises
France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Russia and the US agreeing to tackle a host of pressing issues pertaining to climate change, food and energy. The summit held in Hokkaido, Japan was attended by the leaders of 15 other countries including China, India, Brazil, Australia and eight African states for expanded sessions on global warming and poverty...
BOOK: ‘Sustainable Development Policy Directory’ provides key information
(EnergyAsia, July 11, Friday) — ‘Sustainable Development Policy Directory’ is a desk-top reference providing essential information on the legal, fiscal and planning frameworks governing the global and local sustainability agenda. Authored by Alan Strong and Lesley Hemphill, the directory is relevant to a range of organisations and individuals from national and local authorities, professional bodies, (more…)
CHINA: Yingli Green Energy starts up PV production from latest 200 MW expansion project
(EnergyAsia, July 11, Friday) — Yingli Green Energy, a China-based vertically integrated photovoltaic (PV) product manufacturer, said it has started up small-scale production of polysilicon ingots, wafers, PV cells and PV modules from its latest 200 MW expansion project last June. The company expects to go into full production after completing the installation of the...
MALAYSIA: New energy policy will focus on hydropower, propose nuclear plant
(EnergyAsia, July 11, Friday) — The Malaysian government is drafting a new national energy policy which is expected to be unveiled in August. The new policy will likely include a nuclear plant to enable the country to reduce its dependence on oil as an energy source. However, it could take Malaysia up to 20 years...
CHINA: GE Energy to provide control systems for 50 new biomass power plants
(EnergyAsia, July 11, Friday) — US-based GE Energy said it will be providing distributed control systems for 50 new biomass-fueled power plants in China. The biomass plants will generate electricity to support local grid networks as part of the country’s plan to develop new renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on greenhouse gases. China’s demand...
CHINA: Wind energy company Vestas breaks ground for new factory in Tianjin
(EnergyAsia, July 11, Friday) — Danish wind energy developer, Vestas, recently broke ground for a new controller factory in Tianjin city in China. The factory is part of a long-term investment to meet the massive growth within the wind turbine industry and is a key link in the company’s global production chain. Vestas currently has...
NEW ZEALAND: Pure Power to offer willow species as commercial energy crop
(EnergyAsia, July 11, Friday) — New ZealandRenewable energy company Pure Power said it has launched a commercial offering of a new generation of biofuel crops: cuttings of Salix, a variety of willow. The company will have cuttings ready for foresters and farmers to start commercial energy farming of Salix in 2009. The new crops will...
INDIA: SunTechnics completes country’s first green housing project using building-integrated pvs
(EnergyAsia, July 11, Friday) — SunTechnics India, a brand of Conergy Group, a leading global solar system integrator, has completed the design and installation of India’s first green housing project facilitated with building-integrated solar power. The 58-kilowatt project was developed in partnership with the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA) as an initiative in...
CHINA: Trina Solar signs $158 million sales contract with GreenergyCapital
(EnergyAsia, July 11, Friday) — China’s Trina Solar said it has signed an agreement to supply ERGYCA Power Srl, a subsidiary of GreenergyCapital SpA, which is listed on Italy’s Milan Stock Exchange. Under this fixed price three-year agreement, Trina Solar will supply GreenergyCapital with PV modules worth a total of $158 million. “We are very...
CHINA: Canadian Solar signs 10-year agreement to purchase wafer from LDK Solar
(EnergyAsia, July 11, Friday) — Canadian Solar (CSI) said it has signed a 10-year agreement to purchase soar wafers from China’s LDK Solar, a manufacturer of multi-crystalline and mono-crystalline solar wafers. LDK has been a key supplier to CSI since mid-2006. This new 10-year supply contract is in addition to the three-year supply contract signed...
CHINA: Arcapita and Colossus in US$2 billion deal to develop 1,650MW of wind power capacity
(EnergyAsia, July 11, Friday) — Bahrain-based Arcapita Bank BSC said it has formed a joint venture partnership with Colossus Holdings, a Singapore based holding company of India’s Tanti group, to invest US$2 billion in a 1,650 MW portfolio of wind farms in the Inner Mongolia region of China. This is Arcapita’s first investment in China....
CAMBODIA: Chinese firm to build 246 MW hydropower plant
build a 246-megawatt (MW) hydropower plant in Cambodia. The Stung Tatay plant in Koh Kong province is expected to US$540 million. Under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) deal with Cambodia, CNHMC would operate the plant on the Tatay River for 37 years. The Cambodian government is developing hydro-power projects to meet the country’s growing demand for electricity....
INDIA: Diesel subsidies to be reduced
hospitals and commercial entities including hotels and shopping malls. The country’s state oil companies, Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd, Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd and Oil India Ltd, are unable to continue to provide the subsidies amid soaring crude oil costs on international markets, officials said. The government is encouraging the state oil majors...
MARKETS: Consultant predicts LNG price to surpass oil
liquefied natural gas (LNG) to become more expensive than crude oil, said consultant US-based Sanford C Bernstein & Co. Soaring demand and limited new supplies after 2010 would rapidly push up LNG prices, the consultant said in a new report. LNG cargoes are already selling for as much as US$20 per million British thermal unit...
PAKISTAN: Diesel shortfall spreads across the country
because they cannot obtain supplies. That number is set to rise if oil prices continue to climb on the world markets. Pakistan’s worsening fuel crisis is adding to the country’s political instability and weakening economy. More people are losing their jobs while hunger is spreading and famine cases are escalating. Pakistan’s oil marketing companies (OMCs)...
CHINA: Solarfun signs polysilicon agreement with GCL Silicon Technology
(EnergyAsia, July 10, Thursday) — Solarfun Power, a vertically integrated manufacturer of silicon ingots and photovoltaic cells and modules in China, said it has signed a polysilicon agreement and, separately, has purchased the remaining 48% stake in Jiangsu Yangguang Solar. The agreement states that GCL Silicon Technology will immediately begin supplying Solarfun with virgin polysilicon (more…)
ASIA: ADB sets up future carbon fund
fund that will use carbon credits generated beyond 2012 to provide financing for clean energy projects in the Asia-Pacific region. The current regulatory framework, based on the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period expiring December 31 2012, is being blamed for hampering the trading in post-2012 carbon credits. This would affect the level of interest in...
KOREA: DC Chemical to build third polysilicon plant, expand capacity of existing first plant
the company’s polysilicon manufacturing capacity with the addition of a third plant at its Gunsan plant site, and the expansion of an existing facility. Polysilicon is a vital raw material for producing solar photovoltaic cells. Construction of the new 10,000-metric ton per year plant will start soon. The 880 billion won facility will be completed...
MARKETS: High oil price forcing Americans to choose fuel-efficient cars, say Scotia Economics
has set off a dramatic shift in vehicle buying patterns in the US, matching the adjustment that occurred in the oil shock of the late 1970s and early 1980s, according to the latest Global Auto Report published by Scotia Economics. CIBC made a similar finding in another report which predicted that Americans will pull out...
JAPAN: Sharp introduces new polycrystalline PV modules for residential market
photovoltaic (PV) module for use in the country’s residential solar market. Sharp said the peaked-roof/ flat-roof model ND-191AV has achieved the industry’s leading module conversion efficiency of 14.4%. It said the module features an installation capacity that is about 1.5 times greater than previous modules due to the strengthened wind pressure resistance. The company will...
SINGAPORE: Norway’s REC to invest in first phase of integrated manufacturing complex
said it will invest nearly 13 billion krone in the first phase of an integrated manufacturing complex in Singapore to produce wafers, cells and modules for the solar energy industry. (US$1=5.07 krone). The plant is expected to start up in the first quarter 2010, reaching capacity of 740 MW of wafers, 550 MW of cells...