New Industry Minister: Japan will keep nuclear but boost renewables as part of its energy mix
Japan will continue to restart nuclear power plants safely and use as much renewable electricity as possible, said Industry Minister Yojimuto on Wednesday. This indicates that the policy of newly appointed Prime Minister ShigeruIshiba is not likely to change significantly. Ishiba had promised to eliminate nuclear power before he was elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party. He was sworn into office on Tuesday. He was the sole candidate who opposed nuclear power in Japan.
China wants to invest more in energy upgrades
China's State Planner has called for increased investment in equipment upgrades, to support the energy transformation. He said the market should be a leader. The National Development and Reform Commission issued a notice on Wednesday calling for an increase of 25% in investment to upgrade China's equipment to improve energy efficiency from 2023-2027. According to the notice, these investments will…
Rising Oil Prices Herald Next Phase in Cycle
Oil prices are now in the top half of the cycle, with benchmark Brent on Thursday trading above $80 per barrel for the first time since November 2014.In real terms, prices averaged $75 per barrel over the course of the last full cycle, which lasted from December 1998 to January 2016.The recent rise in prices sends a strong signal about the need for more production and slower growth in oil consumption.In the next few months…
US Could Unwind Wind, Solar Restrictions on Federal Lands
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is considering changes to a plan that set aside areas for renewable energy development in the California desert, a move it says would promote more wind and solar projects on federal lands. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, in a statement on Thursday, said it would consider amending the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan as part of a broader federal effort to unwind regulations that impede energy development.
Volatility and Cyclicality in Oil Prices - will this time be different? Kemp
Extreme volatility and strong cyclicality have been the defining characteristics of oil prices and the industry since the first modern oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859. Oil prices are much more volatile than the prices of manufactured goods or services, and in this they resemble other industrial and agricultural commodities. Volatility is apparent at all time scales from the very short…
US DoE Unfairly Criticized: Kemp
The U.S. Department of Energy has become a lightning rod for criticism in parts of the Republican Party and the fossil fuels industry unhappy about the Obama administration's energy and climate policies. Presidential candidate Rick Perry promised to abolish the Department of Energy along with the Departments of Commerce and Education during a debate in 2011. Perry's views on the department's usefulness…
Paris Climate Deal Won't Impact India's Coal Output
India: No impact of climate agreement on coal plans. India still plans to double coal output by 2020 and rely on the resource for decades afterwards, a senior official said on Monday, days after rich and poor countries agreed in Paris to curb carbon emissions blamed for global warming. India, the world's third-largest carbon emitter, is dependant on coal for about two-thirds of its energy needs and…
Gazprom Earmarks RUB 10.8 bln for R&D
Gazprom Group continues earmarking considerable funds for financing research and development (R&D) activities. In 2014 a record-breaking amount in the whole Company history – RUB 10.82 billion – was devoted to these purposes. Gazprom is one of the leading Russian investors into innovations. More than a half of these funds were channeled to priority engineering projects. Thus, for the first time a comprehensive…
MHIEC to Refurbish Solid Waste Incinerator in Hiroshima
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environmental & Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (MHIEC), a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), has received an order from Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, to refurbish the core equipment of its municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration plant. The modification work calls for revamping of two stoker*1 type incinerators with capacity of 120 tons per day (tpd)…
Calif. Renewable Energy Zone Plan Revamped
An ambitious plan to put California's renewable energy projects in areas where the environment will face the least harm is getting a major overhaul after years of delays and criticism from developers, environmentalists and counties. Started in 2008 under then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan aims to identify 22.5 million acres of land for solar, wind and geothermal…
GasLog Ltd. Announces Delivery of 'Solaris'
GasLog Ltd. is pleased to announce the delivery of the fully owned LNG carrier Solaris, from Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. She today, commenced a medium-term charter to Shell Tankers Singapore (Private) Limited, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc. The vessel is a 155,000 cubic meter tri-fuel Diesel Electric (TFDE) LNG carrier that sets new standards for efficient performance and environmental protection.
Maersk and U.S. Navy Collaborate on Biofuels
Maersk and the U.S. Navy collaborate on biofuel initiative. Maersk and the U.S. Navy are testing algae-based biofuel on the container ship Maersk Kalmar. The ship is en route from Northern Europe to India. Maersk Kalmar has two key attributes that make it a suitable vessel for biofuel testing. The 300 meter-long container ship has a dedicated auxiliary test engine, which reduces the risks of testing, and its fuels system has a special biofuel blending equipment and separate tanks.
