(EnergyAsia, February 18 2013, Monday) — This article, written by Frank Wright and Isla Parsons of consulting group Douglas-Westwood, is adapted from its latest report, “Iraq and Kurdistan: Drilling & Oilfield Services Market.” * The potential scale of the Iraqi oil sector is unprecedented in recent times and represents a significant opportunity for the drilling (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 18 2013, Monday) — The solar photovoltaic (PV) power sector is set to expand sharply across the world on growing demand for energy and rapidly improving technology provided at lower prices, said UK research and consulting firm GlobalData. In its latest report, the company predicts global installation of solar PV capacity to rise (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 18 2013, Monday) — Singapore’s largest power company has completed a S$1 billion programme to transform three oil-fired steam plants into two gas-fired combined cycle units that will significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. (US$1=S$1.25). At a ceremony earlier this month, Senoko Energy marked the completion of its 32-month completed Stage 2 repowering (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 15 2013, Friday) — Despite its reputation for having the world’s most polluted cities, China is making progress in cleaning up its environment faster than many people realise, according to a UK energy consultant. Jonathan Lane, GlobalData’s head of consulting for power and utilities, has compared China’s current air pollution levels to some (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 15 2013, Friday) — Canada’s Challenger Deep Resources Corp said its wholly owned subsidiary, PT Bestindo Energy, has signed an exclusive contract to mine and market coal from a project in central Kalimantan province in Indonesia. The agreement with Indonesian firm, Kara Elmas Madenleri (KEM), “gives Challenger the exclusive right, for a period (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 15 2013, Friday) — The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects the nation’s delivered coal prices to continue rising over the next two years. After averaging US$2.39 per million British thermal unit (BTU) in 2011, US coal prices edged up a penny to US$2.40 last year. The agency expects prices to rise to (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 14 2013, Thursday) — Australian miner Hodges Resources Limited said it expects to advance a major coal project in Botswana to the feasibility phase following the positive outcome of recent mine scoping and power integration studies. Declaring itself “extremely pleased with the outcome” of the studies, Hodges said the feasibility phase studies will (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 14 2013, Thursday) –A Seattle-based think tank said it is releasing a report to show that Australia’s Ambre Energy has “little potential to deliver on promises” to create jobs and major economic benefits with its plan to build two coal export terminals on the Columbia River in Washington state. The company is envisioning (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 14 2013, Thursday) — The Australian government has approved the proposals of two companies to develop the Maules Creek and Boggabri mine proposals in New South Wales state on the condition that they met conditions to protect wildlife and the environment. Environment Minister Tony Burke gave the approval for Whitehaven Coal Limited’s 75%-owned (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 14 2013, Thursday) — ABB, the Swiss-based power and automation technology group, said it has won orders worth a total of US$160 million from Singapore’s Jurong Shipyard Pte Ltd to provide electrical systems for drill ships to operate in deepwater oil and gas fields off the coast of Brazil. ABB will design, supply, (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 13 2013, Wednesday) — Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Malaysia’s largest electricity utility, and its partners have secured two contracts to operate large power plants in Kuwait and the Malaysian state of Penang. TNB said it and Kuwait’s Kharafi National have won a seven-year contract worth RM$1 billion to operate and maintain the Shuaiba (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 13 2013, Wednesday) — Singapore investment firm Blumont Group has agreed to invest a total of A$10 million in equity and convertible notes for a stake in Australia-listed Celsius Coal, the companies have announced. (US$1=A$0.96). Blumont will pay A$5 million for 227.3 million new Celsius Coal shares at 2.2 Australian cents a share, (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 8 2013, Friday) — Kunlun Energy Company Limited, a Hongkong-listed company controlled by state PetroChina Company Limited, has affirmed its commitment to become a major natural gas player with liquefied natural gas (LNG) as its key plank. Kunlun Energy announced its intention in a media statement updating its past year’s expansion activities and (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 8 2013, Friday) — Continued uncertainty in the future direction of climate frameworks, political instability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, energy price volatility, and the global economic recession are what energy leaders consider as the top “insomnia” issues driving the world energy agenda this year, according to the World (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 7 2013, Thursday) — Finland’s Metso said it has been selected as a primary supplier of ball and butterfly valves for a major energy and chemical project in China’s Shaanxi Province. The Helsinki-based firm said it will deploy a technical service team on-site to assist with installation and training at Shaanxi Yanchang ChinaCoal (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 7 2013, Thursday) — Malaysian state energy company Petronas has offered to buy out the remaining 37.33% stake in listed shipping subsidiary MISC Berhad for 8.7 billion ringgit held by other shareholders. (US$1 =RM3.1). Petronas, which owns and operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants in Malaysia and is building two more in Australia (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 6 2013, Wednesday) — Russia’s Mechel OAO said subsidiary Mechel Bluestone has resumed operations at several of its mines in West Virginia in the US to replenish decline inventorie. The Justice Energy and Dynamic Energy mines, which were closed last October as inventories rose, are now expected to produce a total of 135,000 (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 6 2013, Wednesday) — World oil prices are likely to hold up in coming months on rising global demand, continuing geopolitical threats to supply and monetary easing in most major economies. As an indication, prices held up last year despite facing some of the most bearish economic conditions in recent decades. Brent crude (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 5 2013, Tuesday) — A BP-operated consortium has started oil production at the one of the world’s largest subsea developments at the PSVM development area in Block 31 off the coast of Angola, the UK major has announced. Since last month, three wells in the area’s Plutao field have begun producing a total (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 5 2013, Tuesday) — Australian Rod Duke has left his number two position at Singapore LNG Corp for a senior appointment overseeing the downstream development of Queensland state’s US$18.5 billion Gladstone LNG (GLNG) project. Mr Duke, SLNG’s senior vice-president for commercial operations, was a key member of the pioneering team involved in developing (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 5 2013, Tuesday) — Australia-listed Celsius Coal Limited said analyses of coal samples taken from last year’s drilling programme at the Uzgen Basin in Kyrgyzstan confirm the existence of “very good coking properties”. “Seams at the Min Teke project have a mix of premium thermal coal and coking coal characteristics,” the company said (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 4 2013, Monday) — Canada’s Bellatrix Exploration said it and an unnamed South Korean company have formed an equal joint venture to invest a total of C$300 million to develop shale deposits in west-central Alberta province. (US$1=C$1). The Asian firm, likely to be state-owned Korea National Oil Corp (KNOC), acquired another Canadian oil (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 1 2013, Friday) — Work on developing a large coal mine in Canada’s British Columbia province is being disrupted by an on-going dispute between Vancouver-based HD Mining and unions opposed to the company’s use of temporary workers imported from China. While stating it is committed to developing Murray River’s 688 million tonnes of (more…)

(EnergyAsia, February 1 2013, Friday) — Singapore Exchange-listed Rotary Engineering Limited said it has secured a S$300 million contract to build a 800,000-cubic metre oil storage tank on an island south of Singapore. (US$1=S$1.25). Rotary said it has been appointed by Tankstore Limited as the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the expansion (more…)

(EnergyAsia, January 31 2013, Thursday) — One of Japan’s largest oil companies, Idemitsu Kosan, has become the latest member of a crowded bandwagon proposing to build a liquefied natural gas project in western Canada for export to Asia. Japan’s third largest refiner will form an equal joint venture with Calgary, Alberta-based pipeline operator AltaGas to (more…)