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SINGAPORE: Oxford Princeton’s Value-at-Risk: The Basics and Beyond’ workshop to be held on May 22
Monday, 20 April 2009

(EnergyAsia, April 20, Monday) --- The Oxford Princeton Programme will be holding its ‘Value-at-Risk: The Basics and Beyond’ workshop in Singapore on May 22.

Value-at-risk, a key benchmark for measuring and managing market risks, is used by global trading and marketing companies to maximise profit and minimise costly positioning mistakes. The workshop aims to shed light on the important aspects of this risk management tool.

Topics covered include types of risk, causes of financial risk, definition and history of the concept, computing, converting and using value-at-risk to establish trading limits and measure performance, calculating risk across a portfolio, using implied volatility, and verifying and limiting the pitfalls.

Those interested in the course are advised to complete the ‘Fundamentals of Energy Futures’, “Options I – Fundamentals of Energy Options’, and ‘Energy Risk Management’ modules. Participants are also required to complete an online preparatory course.

For more information on the workshop, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 
MALAYSIA: Power conference in Kuala Lumpur from May 26 to 27
Tuesday, 14 April 2009

(EnergyAsia, April 14, Tuesday) --- The ‘Malaysian Power’ conference, organised by Asia Business Forum, will be held at the Crowne Plaza Mutiara Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on May 26 and 27.

The conference aims to discuss future investments, opportunities and key issues driving Malaysia’s power sector, the fall in oil and gas supply, as well as the use of palm oil for power generation.

Other topics covered include energy efficiency in renewable energy, acquisitions and joint ventures, green energy technologies, the use of CDM in power sector, policy reforms and the right energy mix for Malaysia, tax matters for IPP investors, and use of ICT.

Speakers at the event include Harvinder Singh and Michael Moggie (Incontrol Tech), Mohd Basri Wahid (Malaysian Palm Oil Board), Lukman Sheriff Alias (Zul Rafique & Partners), Henrik Rytter Jensen (Danish Energy Management),Harry Boswell (Cooltek), Asri Hassan (Dataprep Malaysia), Ahmad Nasruddin Yahaya (Leader Bridge Holdings), Naren Raju (Bioenergy Plantations), Mohd Hanif Mohd Helmi (University Tun Abdul Razak), CK Tang (IEN Consultants), S. Saravana Kumar (Lee Hishammuddin, Allen & Gledhill), and Ahmad Rizan (Solsis).

The event includes a site visit to the Malaysian Palm on the second day of the conference.

For more information on ‘Malaysian Power’, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 
SINGAPORE: ‘City Rail Asia 2009’ conference at the Hilton Hotel from May 26 to 29
Tuesday, 14 April 2009

(EnergyAsia, April 14, Tuesday) --- IBC Asia will be holding its ‘City Rail Asia’ conference at the Hilton Hotel in Singapore from May 26 to 29.

The conference will feature leading case studies from rail operators and governments from Asia, Middle East and the UK.

The case studies and interactive sessions will cover integrated transport hubs, city rail project financing, sustainable rail, rail safety and security, signalling and communication technology.

A pre-conference workshop entitled ‘Green Rail’ will be held on May 26. 

Speakers will discuss integrated rail-property model, integrated fare management, environmentally sustainable rail, new city rail project case studies, track work development in Taiwan, infrastructure developments in Malaysia, international city rail case studies, rail safety and security, and rail project financing.

The conference will provide an overview of Korea’s new private metro, Spain’s latest rail expansion projects, Italy’s metro network, a review of China’s urban mass transit plans and projects, as well as an update on India’s metro development projects.

Other topics addressed include providing real-time information and entertainment in metros, and optimising rail services.

Speakers at the event include fred Briwn (MVA Group), Peter Lewis (Transport for London), Manmohan Parkash (Asian Development Bank), Han Nhu Quynh (Vietnam Railways), Sun Ning (China Academy of Railway Sciences), B.C. Yen (Kaoishung Rapid Transit Corporation), Daniel Cukierman (Veolia Transport Asia), 

G. R. Madan (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority), Zulkifli Mohd. Yusoff (Syarikat Prasarana Berhad), Carlos Esquíroz (Metro de Madrid), Roberto Grappelli (Metro Roma), Peter Khyl (Metroselskabet), Sukhy Lloyd’s Register Rail (Asia) Limited), Sam Lam (Roctec Technology), Toby Chan (MTR Corporation), G P Garg (IL & FS Infrastructure Development Corporation), and Satya Ramamurthy (KPMG Corporate Finance).

For more information on ‘City Rail Asia 2009’, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 
SOUTH KOREA: Petrochemical industry conference to be held in Seoul on May 12 and 13
Monday, 13 April 2009

(EnergyAsia, April 13, Monday) --- The ‘7th Asia Petrochemicals Technology and Gas Conference (APTC)’ will be held at the Ramada Hotel in Seoul, South Korea on May 12 and 13.

The event will be held prior to the annual Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC), organised by the Korea Petrochemical Industry Association. 

The conference will provide updates on the current performance and future prospects for the region including implications for supply and demand, feedstock outlook, industry profitability and the latest developments in technologies for olefins, polyolefins, aromatics and derivatives.

Other topics discussed include integrating refineries and petrochemical plants, developments in the olefins and polyolefins industry, innovations in cracker technology, omega technology improvements for propylene production, technology update of JPP Horizone process, and future of Vietnam’s petrochemical industry.

Speakers will also cover benzene and PX developments, review of cumene/phenol and BPA developments in Southeast Asia, aromatics project development with ParamaX suite of technologies, FCC gasoline and C4 streams for BTX production, flareless startup of an ethylene plant, and Sinopec’s SRIPT’s technologies for petrochemical production, and energy conservation.

Speakers include Tengku Mahamad Tengku Mahamut (Petronas), Thevrak Rochanapruk (PTT Phenol), To Vu Thanh Dien (Petrovietnam) as well as others from Nexant, KBC Advanced Technology, Shaw Energy and Chemicals, Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation, CRI Catalyst Company, Johnson Matthey, Japan Polypropylene Corporation, Sabtec, Avantum Technologies, Axens, GTC Technology, Saipem, Sinopec SRIPt and Ingenero.

For more information on this event, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 
SOUTH KOREA: California manufacturer’s solar-energy exports receive US Ex-Im Bank longterm financing
Monday, 13 April 2009

(EnergyAsia, April 13, Monday) --- The US Export-Import Bank said it has approved a total of $61 million in long-term financing to support exports of photovoltaic (PV) solar modules by SolarWorld Industries America to South Korea’s Gochang Solar Park Co Ltd.

The exports were used in five solar power-generation projects and helped to sustain jobs at the company’s manufacturing plants in Camarillo, California, and Hillsboro, Oregon.

Ex-Im Bank said its five separate loan guarantees are supporting loans provided by the Private Export Funding Corp (PEFCO). Ex-Im Bank’s financing also covers $10.2 million of local costs for installation. The repayment term for each of the loans is 13.5 years.

All five solar-energy projects, completed and in operation since September 2008, are located on a 97-acre site near the city of Gochang in southwestern South Korea. The projects collectively are generating and transmitting 15 megawatts of renewable energy per hour that is sold to the Korean electric utility company, Korea Electric Power Corp, for its grid under a 15-year agreement that includes a subsidised feed-in tariff program from the Korean government.

The transactions were originally financed in the Korean market to expedite the construction of the projects and ensure completion by the deadline to receive a favourable subsidised feed-in tariff rate.

The initial Korean financing has been converted to Ex-Im Bank’s long-term loan guarantees.
Ex-Im Bank vice-chair Linda Conlin, the board member who leads the Bank’s Environmental Exports Initiative, said:

“Ex-Im Bank is pleased to support Solarworld USA’s exports for these projects because we want to help advance the competitiveness of US exporters and support jobs in the US.

“Ex-Im Bank’s long-term financing at economically viable interest rates ensures the sustainability of these projects in this important sector in Korea, which actively supports the development of renewable-energy sources.

Raju Yenumandra, vice president of sales and marketing at SolarWorld Industries America, said:

“Ex-Im Bank’s financing for these five large projects in the fast-growing Korean market is especially helpful in the global credit crunch that we are experiencing. These projects supported green manufacturing jobs in California and Oregon and have helped us to expand our US production capacity and hire more American workers.”

SolarWorld Industries America, also known as SolarWorld USA, is a subsidiary of SolarWorld AG, one of the world’s largest solar-energy companies. It has approximately 600 US employees at its PV-module manufacturing plant in Camarillo, California, and its silicon-wafer production facilities in Hillsboro, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington.

Financing for the five projects was arranged by TSI Renewable Ventures (TSI-RV) of Pasadena, California, a developer of renewable-energy, grid-connected power facilities.

TSI-RV CEO and President Michael W. Stoddard said: “Our company is involved in developing and financing renewable-energy projects around the world. In all cases, financing is critical for the development of these projects overseas. Ex-Im Bank has provided a tremendous boost to this industry by helping to finance these solar projects in Korea.”
 
INDONESIA: Coaltrans Asia event to be held in Bali from June 1 to 3
Thursday, 09 April 2009

(EnergyAsia, April 9, Thursday) --- The ‘15th Coaltrans Asia’ event will be held at the Bali International Convention Centre in Indonesia from June 1 to 3.

The conference will feature keynote speeches by government officials including Indonesia’s minister of energy and mineral resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro, governor for East Kalimantan Awang Faroek Ishak, and director general for mineral resources, coal and geothermal affairs Bambang Setiawan.

The conference will address topics on the coal markets and regulations in Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Hong Kong and China, the importance of coal in the global energy markets, sustainability, the global crisis and its impact on the coal markets, price drivers and global supply and demand balance.

Speakers will also discuss coal quality in Asian power plants, advantages of coal drying, mining operations and economics stream, the principles of JORC, exploration requirements under JORC, bank financing for mine development, coal loading options and coking opportunities in Indonesia, the characteristics of coking coal, and coal mining investments.

Other topics include reconfiguration contract mining, electrifying mine sites, exploration and production of coal bed methane, increasing coal recovery, fuel management, freight markets, logistics and infrastructure, shipping markets, mine and port infrastructure development, financing and investment options, project and export finance, trading and risk management, futures and swaps, and coal supply contracts.

The conference will also provide an overview of acceptability of low-rank coal in power plants, and an update on cabotage regulations.

Speakers include Fahmi Mochtar (PT PLN), Scott Merrillees and Geoff Clear (ANZ Bank), Richard A. Navarre (Peabody Energy), Katsuji Noda (Chubu Energy Trading), Bob Kamandanu (PT Berau Coal), James Carter (Straits Asia Resources), Bill Graybeal (CC Carbon), Pierre Joubert (Macquarie Capital), Lars Schernikau (IMT International Mining & Trading AG), James Booker (Paiton Energy), Luke Devine (Hadiputranto, Hadinoto & Partners), Mark Earley (Wood Mackenzie Ltd), Russell Neil  (PT Bayan Resources), Herlan Siagian (Bumi Resources), 

David Heap (Tanito Coal), Supriyadi (PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam (Persero)),  Aphimuk Taifayongvichit (PT Indo Tambangraya Megah Tbk (Banpu)), Harry Trimulyadi (PT Kideco Jaya Agung), Alastair Grant (PT Adaro), John Devon (Marston), Martin Bloemendal (Energy Edge Ltd), Masataka Furukawa (Mitsui & Co), A. Lakshminarayana (Coal & Oil Group), Juan Arnel Mondonedo (Fuel and Raw Materials Corporation (FARM)),  John Fu (Wood Mackenzie Ltd), Edward Chiu (CLP), Bart Lucarelli (LP Power Consultants Ltd), Eiichiro Makino (Sojitz Corporation), Jeff Morris (Heyl & Patterson Inc),  

Jason Feer (Argus Media Group), Anthony Collins (Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)), Patrick Markey (globalCOAL), Sacha Winzenried (PricewaterhouseCoopers), James Shedd (Indo Mining Services), Rick Beckmann (Brigitta I. Rahayoe & Syamsuddin/Deacons), Keith Whitchurch (PT SMG Consultants), James Brown (PT Minvest Indonesia), Jim Dracopoulos (Corporate & Resources Consultants), David Barnes (Deutsche Bank AG), Roy Olsen (PT Thiess Contractors Indonesia), Micky Hehuwat (PT Petrosea Tbk), Ahmadi Hadibroto (KPMG Hadibroto), Bob King (Bob King & Associates), Peter Smart  (Sinclair Knight Mertz), Steve van Barneveld (Sedgman Coal), Stephen Birrell (Mining Industry Resources), Tim Moore (Arrow Energy), Phillip Williams (Baltic Exchange),  Tony Pegum (Braemar), Jon Vassella (PT Mitra Bahtera SegaraSejati), 

Peter van der Hulst (Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractor), Ben Lawson (PT Motus Gemilang), Eugene Poray (Bayan), James Bryson (HB Capital Partners), Ali Abbas Alam (Credit Suisse), Dan Poller (NorthStar Pacific), Arthur Simatupang (PT Adimitra Baratama Nusantara), Paul Mulder (Hancock Prospecting), Ken Allan (PT Renaissance Capital), Gordon Gormley (SouthGobi Energy Resources), Naveen Chandralal (Middle East Coal), Dan Poller (Northstar Pacific), Chris Neidow (JP Morgan), Patrick Markey (globalCOAL), and Simon Davidson and Alastair Duffield (Holman Fenwick & Willan).

The conference will feature a complimentary tutorial on Indonesia’s new mining law passed in January to replace the 1967 mining law. The tutorial aims to provide delegates with an understanding of the law. The tutorial, led by senior foreign legal consultant Gregory Ranslam of Makarim & Tiara S, will analyse the key features of the new law, its implications on current mining operations in the country as well as other outstanding issues.

‘15th Coaltrans Asia’ is organised by Coaltrans Conferences. For more information on this event, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 
SINGAPORE: ‘Seafarers 2009’ to be held at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel from May 26 to 28
Thursday, 09 April 2009

(EnergyAsia, April 9, Thursday) --- The ‘Seafarers 2009’ event will be held at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in Singapore from May 26 to 28.

Presented by Lloyd’s List, the event returns for the second year with a special focus on long-term development within the industry amid current risks and threats. 

Topics covered include the market outlook for seafarers, criminalisation of seafarers, trading in US waters, human element in a safety management system, effective management of human capital, and evolution of training needs.

Speakers will also discuss post recession planning, safety and security challenges, laws and jurisdiction issues, and issues related to the Consolidated Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).

The conference will provide an opportunity for major crewing services to share their views on the industry. 

Speakers at the event include Marcus Hand (Lloyd’s List), Roberto Giorgi and Satnam Kumar (V Ships), Jon Whitlow (International Transport Workers Federation), Pottengal Mukundan (International Maritime Bureau (IMB)), S.S Gokhale (Orient Express Ship Management), Harry Hirst (Ince & Co), Eric Dila (US Coast Guard Activities Far East), Fared Khan (AET Shipmanagement), Ravi Sinha (Royal Marine Management), Vijay Rangroo (M.T. maritime Ship Management), Andrew J Airey (Thoresen Thai Agencies Public Company), Ivar Thomasli (Thome Ship Management), C.K Muralidharan (APL Co.), Joseph Peter D’Mello (Ishima International Shipmanagement), Amit Ray (DNV Seaskill Asia), and Georg t. Smefjell (DNV Maritime Labour Convention). 

Two post conference workshops will be held on May 29. 

The first workshop on ‘Loss Prevention and Limiting Liability from Crew Actions’, conducted by Charles Taylor Mutual Management claims director Wendy Ng, will address issues on crew contracts and crew claims.

The second workshop on ‘Implementing the Maritime Labour Convention’, conducted by Georg T Smefjell from DNV Maritime Labour Convention, will discuss the gaps between current status of crewing and requirements of MLC and finding a solution to the issue. 

‘Seafarers 2009’ is organised by IBC Asia. For more information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 
WINDPOWER: Eight turbines providing power in Antarctica, said Proven Energy
Thursday, 09 April 2009

(EnergyAsia, April 9, Thursday) --- Eight wind turbines in Antarctica are withstanding temperatures of -60 degrees Celsius and winds of over 150 km per second to generate electricity at the recently inaugurated Princess Elisabeth Station.

The station is the only polar base operating entirely on renewable energy, said Proven Energy, a Scottish based small wind turbine manufacturer which supplied the 6kW wind turbines.

“It marks a major change as most stations rely on diesel generators because no wind turbines, until now, were thought to be robust enough for such extreme conditions,” said spokesman Mark Connolly.

The company said the turbines will endure the “most severe weather conditions” on Earth. They will be operating in average winds of 85 km per hour and winter gusts of over 320 kmh, while still providing 230V electricity for the stations heating, computers, lights and scientific instruments.

The electricity generated is expected to be the highest output of any small wind power system in the world, said Proven Energy, a world leading supplier of small scale wind turbines. Designed to work in extreme environments, the turbines have weathered ice storms in Slovenia and typhoons in Japan.

Operations manager Richard Caldow said: “This is a great credit to our company that International Polar Foundation has chosen us to work with. They recognise the confidence others have in our technology which is a testament to our product.”

The official launch on February 15 represents a technical achievement, blending the best both science and technology can offer. By bringing together international technology and expertise, Proven Energy said Princess Elisabeth will combine eco-friendly construction materials, clean and efficient energy use, optimisation of the station’s energy consumption and the best waste management techniques.

These leading techniques and facilities will aim to reduce the station’s ecological footprint on the pristine environment of Antarctica, following the principles set forth by the Antarctic Treaty.

In addition to the turbines, both solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) will be used on the building itself. The water supply for the station will use solar thermal panels to melt the snow thereby limiting the use of electrical energy to pump water.
 
COMPANY: Bureau Veritas develops new fuel cell guidelines for shipping
Wednesday, 08 April 2009

(EnergyAsia, April 8, Wednesday) --- Leading international classification society Bureau Veritas said it is furthering the cause for green shipping by developing comprehensive new guidelines covering the safe application of fuel cells on ships which could have important environmental and commercial advantages for shipowners and operators.

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices which convert the chemical energy of a fuel, for example hydrogen-rich gases, into Direct Current power.

Until now, their application in shipping has been limited to a few pilot projects, and BV product manager Gijsbert de Jong said the main obstacle to the wider application of fuel cells in shipping is the lack of a comprehensive framework covering the technology.

He said: “By developing these new guidelines, BV is breaking the vicious circle whereby the lack of a regulatory framework limits the possibilities for building and testing the prototype applications which are essential for determining the safety and performance criteria involved.

“BV’s guidelines for the safe application of fuel cells on ships take into account all relevant existing IMO conventions and guidelines, together with a wide range of international non-marine standards. They reflect BV’s extensive in-house knowledge and expertise, and could have important commercial - as well as environmental - implications for shipowners and operators.”

There are several different types of fuel cell technology, using different types of fuel. BV has found that the use of hydrogen, for example, offers a number of significant advantages, not least the fact that there is an unlimited resource in atomic form and that it delivers a higher chemical energy per unit mass than does natural gas, and is non-toxic, non-polluting and non-poisonous.

BV is currently participating in the Green Tug project, an initiative led by the Offshore Ship Designers Group in the Netherlands to produce a new design for a near-zero-emission hydrogen-powered tug. As well as achieving a significant reduction in exhaust emissions, the fuel cell technology used in the new tug design also helps to increase propulsion efficiency by roughly seventy per cent compared to a conventional diesel-direct drive installation.

Gijsbert de Jong said: “The object of the BV guidelines is to provide criteria for the arrangement and installation of machinery for propulsion and auxiliary purposes, using fuel cell installations, which have an equivalent level of integrity in terms of safety, reliability and dependability as that which can be achieved with new and comparable conventional oil-fuelled main and auxiliary machinery.

“The guidelines currently have preliminary status and are subject to internal and external review. After taking into account all relevant feedback, they will be published as a Bureau Veritas Guidance Note entitled ‘Guidelines for fuel cell systems on board commercial ships’.

“The guidelines are primarily intended for application to new ships but can also be used for retrofitting fuel cell systems on existing ships, on a case-by-case basis. They are to be used in addition to all relevant SOLAS provisions. There is no limit on the type or power of the applied fuel cell system, and no limitation on the type of gas used, although the guidelines may focus on natural gas and hydrogen as fuels.

“Given the current focus on the environmental impact of shipping, the industry is looking for ways to reduce exhaust gas emissions.

“Also, the recent volatility in oil prices, combined with the expectation that fossil gas may become increasingly scarce, is motivating owners and operators to explore alternative means of generating onboard power. To this end, fuel cells appear to be a promising solution for clean and efficient electrical power generation at sea.”
 
SAUDI ARABIA: Flowserve, Al-Rushaid Group open MidEast’s largest pump manufacturing, repair and test
Monday, 06 April 2009

(EnergyAsia, April 6, Monday) --- Flowserve Corporation, a NYSE-listed provider of flow control products and services for the global infrastructure markets, and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Rushaid Group said they have opened the largest pump manufacturing, repair and testing facility in the Middle East.

The facility is designed to support customers in the oil and gas, petrochemical, power, water, desalination, chemical and other industries.

Flowserve said the facility holds the region’s largest, most capable hydraulics test facility, which is capable of certified testing to both API and international standards, for both horizontal and vertical pumps. The facility will allow customers to verify equipment performance, or diagnose and correct problems.

“We are very pleased to work with Flowserve to open this facility, which is designed to support major customers within Saudi Arabia and the surrounding Arabian Gulf countries,” said Sheikh Abdullah Al-Rushaid, chairman of the Al-Rushaid Group.

“Together with Flowserve, we will help customers optimise plant uptime and develop ways to control their operating, maintenance and related costs.” 

Lewis Kling, Flowserve’s President and CEO, said:

“This state-of-the-art, robust facility helps us deliver outstanding service to our Middle East customers – its scope, size and capabilities are unmatched in the region.

“Flowserve is proud to partner with Al-Rushaid Group to bring technology and innovation to our customers in the critically important Arabian Gulf Region.”

The partners plan to add to the facility the Middle East's first hydraulics training centre, which will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, along with static and dynamic laboratories. Planned classes include basic hydraulics theory, advanced maintenance, repair and technical services, and hands-on training opportunities.

The Al-Rushaid Group of Companies is an international organisation which offers and provides a diverse range of engineering and contracting services, facilities, and products, including but not limited to oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical processing and power generation industries.

Flowserve Corp is one of the world’s leading providers of fluid motion and control products and services. Operating in more than 55 countries, the company produces engineered and industrial pumps, seals and valves as well as a range of related flow management services.
 
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