(EnergyAsia, January 7, Monday) — Nasdaq-listed Akeena Solar, Inc, a leading designer and installer of solar power systems, said it has licensed Suntech Power Holdings Co to distribute its solar panel technology, Andalay, in Europe, Japan and Australia from this month.Earlier, NYSE-listed Suntech Power, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) cells and...

(EnergyAsia, January 7, Monday) — A consortium comprising France’s Technip and Singapore’s Keppel FELS recently won a $1.2 billion contract from Brazil’s Petrobras for the engineering, procurement and construction of a P-56 semi-submersible production platform. The platform will be installed in the Marlim Sul oil field in Brazil’s Campos Basin, in 1,700 metre water-depth.The P-56...

(EnergyAsia, January 7, Monday) — Qatargas said it has agreed to supply Mexico’s Altamira Terminal with 700,000 tonnes a year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) beginning 2009.The $12 billion Qatargas II project, one of the world’s largest LNG export schemes and a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil, will supply LNG to Total Gas...

(EnergyAsia, January 7, Monday) — Malaysia has the potential to earn a total of RM4.8 billion in revenue until 2012 by selling carbon credits, with the plantation sector being the largest beneficiary of this potential revenue stream, said analyst Aseambankers. (US$1=RM3.3).It said the world carbon credit market could at least double by 2012 from US$30...

(EnergyAsia, January 7, Monday) — The South Korean government said the economy is sufficiently robust to withstand the inflationary impact of high oil prices, which topped $100 at the start of the year.The Ministry of Finance and Economy said it will stay the course on its policies after US benchmark WTI twice breached the US$100-per-barrel...

(EnergyAsia, January 7, Monday) — Japan’s Sharp Corporation recently broke ground for the construction of what it claims will be the world’s largest solar cell plant in Sakai City in Osaka Prefecture.The company is aiming to make the 100 billion yen complex a major industrial zone. (US$1=110 yen). In addition to the horizontal deployment of...

(EnergyAsia, January 7, Monday) — Frustrated with the low take-up rate of solar energy use, the Indian government has announced that it will pay up to 80% of the generation cost of solar power units. The cost of generating one unit of solar power is Rs15 compared with Rs 1.19 per unit from using coal.In...

(EnergyAsia, January 4, Friday) — Oil Africa 2008, an upstream conference and exhibition, will be held at the Cape Town Convention Centre in South Africa from March 17 to 19.The conference will discuss opportunities for African producers to meet the needs of the oil, gas and petrochemical sector, and the region’s growing energy demand. Speakers...

(EnergyAsia, January 4, Friday) — Nasdaq-listed Exide Technologies, a global leader in stored electrical-energy solutions, said it is expanding the capacity expansion of its transportation manufacturing facility in Ahmedabad in India’s Gujarat state.The company is investing in equipment upgrades, line expansions, infrastructure and utilities at the site of Tudor India Ltd (TIL) in its efforts...

(EnergyAsia, January 4, Friday) — With oil prices expected to remain at record high levels, energy traders and financiers are stepping up efforts to launch new contracts or exchanges in different parts of the world. While the new energy exchanges in the Middle East have yet to make an impact on world prices, traders believe...

(EnergyAsia, January 4, Friday) — European Climate Exchange (ECX) said trading volume of its carbon contracts rose by 128% to represent more than 1.037 billion tonnes last year.Futures open interest more than doubled during the year while options open interest now stands at over 36,000 contracts.The December 2008 contract finished the year at €22.41, up...

(EnergyAsia, January 4, Friday) — Clean energy investment broke through the $100 billion ceiling in 2007, exceeding expectations by 20%, said consulting group New Energy Finance.In spite of difficult conditions on the credit markets, the amount of new money invested in the sector grew by 41% to $117.2 billion from 2006’s $83 billion.New Energy Finance...

(EnergyAsia, January 4, Friday) — Singapore-listed mining firm Straits Asia Resources said it has completed the purchase of the coal mining business of Indonesia’s PT Separi Energi for $275 million.In a statement, the company said it met all conditions pertaining to the sale and purchase agreements to acquire the mining, exploration and offtake rights to...

(EnergyAsia, January 4, Friday) — Thailand’s government could make it mandatory for oil traders to hold strategic reserves of ethanol and biodiesel as part of the country’s strategic fuel reserves.Demand for renewable fuels has soared on the back of high oil prices, raising the spectre of supply shortages. Ethanol demand, for example, has soared to...

(EnergyAsia, January 4, Friday) — Singapore-listed Noble Group, a global supply chain manager of agricultural, industrial and energy products, said it has raised its stake in two Australian coal mining companies.Noble last month added to its holding of more than 16 million shares of Gloucester Coal Limited, boosting its stake to 19.7% to become the...

(EnergyAsia, January 4, Friday) — China could become a net coal importer in 2008, said the country’s Development Research Centre of the Coal Industry.China has rich coal reserves, but some 90% of those reserves are in its remote interior north.Coal demand, in particular from thermal power stations, is growing mostly the country’s southern coastal regions.Limited...

(EnergyAsia, January 4, Friday) — Iran has pledged to step up cooperation with Vietnam in developing upstream and downstream oil and gas projects.A delegation led by Iran’s deputy foreign minister for Asia-Pacific affairs Mehdi Safari was in Vietnam last month to step up bilateral ties, focusing on working together on oil and gas projects.Tran Ngoc...

(EnergyAsia, January 3, Thursday) — Petronas Carigali, ConocoPhillips and Shell have signed a production sharing contract with Petronas, the Malaysian state oil and gas company, for the appraisal and development of four discovered but undeveloped natural gas and condensate fields in waters off the northwest coast of Sabah, Malaysia. The fields, Kebabangan, Kamunsu East, Kamunsu...

(EnergyAsia, January 3, Thursday) — Basic Energy Corp, formerly Basic Petroleum Corp, will use the proceeds from its initial public offering and follow-on offer to expand its bioethanol business. Last week, the company said it plans to raise another two billion peso from a follow-on offering of shares priced at a minimum of 0.38 peso...

(EnergyAsia, January 3, Thursday) — Abu Dhabi and Japan’s Cosmo Oil Co. have agreed with the Tokyo Institute of Technology to research and develop solar tower ‘beam down’ technology, an advanced solar thermal process that offers lower electricity generation costs and higher efficiency. The parties signed the agreement in Tokyo last month in the presence...

(EnergyAsia, January 3, Thursday) — As its next targets, terrorists linked to the Al-Qaeda group could focus on oil infrastructure, pipelines, storage deports and ocean tankers, a leading Indian government security expert has warned. National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan said Islamic radical groups are planning to inflict heavy damage on the nuclear, space, energy and...

(EnergyAsia, January 3, Thursday) — Fuel supplies have started reaching most parts of Pakistan this week after the army intervened to provide security to oil tankers which had been targeted by gangs and rioters following the December 27 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. But motorists may still have trouble finding fuel as many...

(EnergyAsia, January 3, Thursday) — The Indian government has unveiled new incentives to attract Rs10 billion in private investments into solar power generation over the next five years. The scheme would be implemented through the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency. “In view of high cost of solar power generation technology, my ministry will provide finance...

(EnergyAsia, January 3, Thursday) — US crude oil futures broke the psychological $100 per barrel ceiling for the first time in overnight New York trading. On the NYMEX’s first trading day of 2008, crude futures started strongly, surging $2 from its Friday close of $95.98 a barrel. Over the holiday period, renewed fighting in Nigeria...

(EnergyAsia, January 3, Thursday) — Indian government planners have identified at least 39 sites along the country’s eastern coastline as suitable for building wind power projects. In Andhra Pradesh state alone, 32 sites have been identified as suitable for wind power with the potential to generate 8,200 megawatt (MW) of electricity. The Indian government will...