(EnergyAsia, July 7, Monday) — Keppel Shipyard Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore’s Keppel Corporation, said it is on track to deliver a floating production storage operating (FPSO) vessel, Lewek Arunothai, to EOC Limited for a Southeast Asian client.  The 725,000-barrel unit was is the first FPSO that Keppel Shipyard has converted for Singapore-based...

(EnergyAsia, July 7, Monday) — On the basis of US crude futures, world oil prices have risen by more than 40% in the first half of 2008, closing above US$141 a barrel on the last day of June. Progressively, the impact of US$100 oil, first breached on January 2, has started to hurt consumers and...

(EnergyAsia, July 7, Monday) — Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and a non-government organisation, The Climate Group, recently launched a new climate report at the G8 Leaders’ Summit in Japan. The report, “Breaking the Climate Deadlock:  A Global Deal for Our Low Carbon Future,” was presented to Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda. Mr Blair said...

(EnergyAsia, July 7, Monday) — Swedish firm SEKAB BioFuels & Chemicals has claimed to be the first company in the world to supply verifiable sustainable ethanol. Its ethanol from Brazilian sugarcane satisfies all stringent environmental, climate and social standards of production, said executive vice president Anders Fredriksson. SEKAB said it and “progressive Brazilian producers” have...

(EnergyAsia, July 7, Monday) — Australia’s Origin Energy Limited said it is rejecting an unsolicited takeover offer from UK’s BG Group plc. (US$1=A$1.03). The company will recommend shareholders to reject BG’s improved bid of A$15.50 cash per share as undervaluing its assets. (US$1=A$1.03). In rejecting BG’s offer on May 30, Origin said its board took...

(EnergyAsia, July 4, Friday) — US-based EcoloCap Solutions said it has signed an agreement that will help Vietnam reduce 3.1 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions through carbon credits trade under the Clean Development Mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol involving five hydro power projects. EcoloCap said it is participating in the development of the projects...

(EnergyAsia, July 4, Friday) — For the second time in successive week, Keppel Verolme BV, the Dutch shipyard subsidiary of Singapore’s Keppel Corp, has been hit by problems with a customer in Norway Keppel said it has been notified by Norway’s MPU Offshore Lift ASA that it is filing for bankruptcy, forcing Keppel Verolme to...

(EnergyAsia, July 4, Friday) — Energtek Inc of the US and DML Pte Ltd of Singapore said they have established a US$25 million joint venture to commercialise  Energtek’s ‘Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG)’ technology in Southeast Asia. The joint venture, Energtek Far East Pte Ltd, will aim to enable vehicle owners and industrial businesses to use...

(EnergyAsia, July 4, Friday) — Singapore’s plan for clean energy leadership has received the backing of a panel of international experts which recently held its inaugural meeting last month. The panel endorsed Singapore’s focus on developing: • R&D capabilities to drive clean energy applications and industry growth; • A vibrant clean energy ecosystem with activities...

(EnergyAsia, July 4, Friday) — Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG) technology developer Energtek Inc said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a natural gas distribution company in India’s Uttar Pradesh state. The MOU advances gas bulk transportation projects utilising Energtek’s proprietary low-pressure mobile pipeline (LMP) technology. Energtek said it aims to transport natural...

(EnergyAsia, July 4, Friday) — Leading power and automation technology group ABB said it has won a $70-million order from China’s State Grid Corp for the supply of a new power link in the country’s northeastern region.  The new high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) link will transmit 3,000 megawatts (MW) of power over 920 kilometers from...

(EnergyAsia, July 4, Friday) — Shell Gas & Power Developments BV (Shell) has issued a formal invitation to tender for the front-end engineering and design (FEED) and engineering, procurement and construction of a 3.5-million-tonne-per-year floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility. The tender was issued to three consortia comprising engineering and shipyard contractors who have been...

rethink is needed on how cities manage growth because the current approach is no longer economically, environmentally or socially sustainable, said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at the recent World Cities Summit in Singapore. ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda said providing jobs and services for the 1.1 billion people who will move to cities in Asia...

first half of 2008 to fall to between A $175 million and A$195 million compared with A$294 million for the same period last year. (US$1=A$1.04). It expects profit for fuel and non-fuel items in the first half to range between 1.7 and 1.9 Australian cents per litre, after taking into account government taxes totalling more...

factories and capital equipment for the manufacture of photovoltaic cells and modules, said it has delivered advanced solar module production equipment to ET Solar Group in China. The module manufacturing equipment delivered to ET Solar includes Spire’s most current process technology. With this equipment, the line will be capable of annually producing up to 15...

said it has established a marketing and sales company in China through a joint venture with the Chinese Academy of Launch Technology (CALT). CALT is China’s largest and most important organisation for the research, development and production of launching technologies. CALT has been active as a developer and operator of wind farms in China since...

markets and support high prices through to at least 2013, said the International Energy Agency.   In its most definitive pronouncement, the agency told the world to expect “supply constraints, refinery limitations and continued demand growth in key emerging markets” to maintain pressure on the oil markets. “Record prices in the oil market in recent...

a large wind farm in Hauauru ma raki near Port Waikato in New Zealand. The NZ$1 billion project could produce up to 540 megawatts of renewable electricity to power up to 200,000 homes. (US$1=NZ$1.25). The proposed wind farm, to be located on 17,000 hectares of isolated land south of Port Waikato, will be built over...

its clients, Norway’s Fred Olsen Energy, over a US$177 million contract at its Keppel Verolme yard in The Netherlands. In 2006, a subsidiary of Fred Olsen awarded the contract to Keppel Velrome to refurbish and upgrade its 30-year-old semisubmersible rig, also known as Blackford Dolphin.   Last week, the Norwegian company said it had taken...

with a $196 million loan to build a hydroelectric dam to help ease growing power shortages in the country. The 156-megawatt Song Bung 4 hydropower project will be built on the Song Bung River in central Vietnam’s Quang Nam province. Song Bung 4 is expected to be completed in 2013, and is the first hydroelectric...