STUFF

TOP STUFF

DOE chose consortium of Babcock & Wilcox, Bechtel and TVA to develop small modular nuke reactor that can be factory-built, cheaply installed. Dollar-for-dollar financing match to create prototype. May be $500M DOE finance over 5 yrs for 2 projects. Westinghouse and Ameren in wings. Reactors could be installed on 50's-era coal plant sites. Small reactors easier to cool. Good export potential to countries with weak grids that can't handle large nukes.

UN estimates that, should countries follow through on most stringent intl pledges to reduce GHG emissions, world will still emit 8 gigatons above '20 limit scientists say needed to prevent runaway global warming. Happy new years, kids.

CO2 output continues at same pace as last decade: UN.

Asian Dev Bank, India agreed on $315M loan to help fund 450Mw hydro plant in Pradesh. 4th tranche of $800M plan for 856Mw hydro. A German dev bank providing $192M in separate loan. Pradesh $235M.

Rice U scientists unveiled tech using nanoparticles to convert solar E directly into steam. Expected 1st use in sanitation, water purification. ~2.5x more efficient than current tech. Could be used to sterilize med waste, surgical instruments, prepare food. Overall efficiency 24%. Nanoparticles interact with widest possible spectrum. And more.

Cal's shale formation 4x Bakken: IEA. 15.4B bls recoverable crude.

OTHER STUFF

Cal carbon allowances went for $10/metric ton (floor). 23M allowances sold covering '13 emissions. Don't have to cover until Nov '14.

1,199 new coal plants in planning worldwide, most in China, India: World Resources Institute.

Honeywell, 23 other comps, to pay $78M in clean up of NJ superfund site that was coal tar facility in 1880's.

Low Mississippi River water level threatening barge traffic again.

83 comps made 152 bids last month for rights to search for NG in previously unexplored shale blocks in China.

Midland TX mayor and CEO of drilling comp says city govt piled on so many regs it's pointless to drill in city limits. Adds a couple hundred thou/well, ~10-20%. And he helped write the regs. Does he know something the frackers aren't telling us?

Big Utica landowner demanded safety protections from shale gas driller. And got them.

Cal regulators pledging stricter oversight of oil/NG injection wells.

Shell put Australia LNG venture on hold until '14. Exec also said: Europe needs 'clear position' on NG/LNG to claim supplies.

BP doubled est. of giant offshore field in Caribbean.

Iran accusing Sauds of oil exploration in prohibited border region. Iran to export el to Lebanon soon.

China, US contending for Africa oil. NE Africa hottest current play.

FTC: US ethanol market unconcentrated. 154 comps producing now or in next 12-18 months. O, right, no ADM, Cargill.

Biodiesel blends to be offered year-round at retail outlets in US north midwest rather than just in summer. Heated tank at Sioux Falls blend plant at Harms Oil.

Scots set up $2.5M fund - from Euro Region Dev Fund - for 5 universities to use research to commercialize biofuels, conduct feasibility studies.

Bahamas Waste has produced 100K gal of B50. ~75% of its fleet running on it. Commercial scale production late '13/early '14.

Bioenergy (Columbia) to invest $240M in ethanol plant and plant 14K hectares with sugarcane. State-owned Ecopetrol funding 91%.

Palm oil futures up to $803/met ton in Malay on mideast turmoil.

Oct biodiesel blending fell by half in Argentina. Exports fell 67% to 66K met tons from govt's sliding-scale export duty system implemented 2 months ago. Ongoing anti-dumping investigation by EU.

Google bought $75M equity stake in Iowa wind farm. Goog's total investment now in clean E > $990M. Now testing new biofuels processing system.

Judge ordered mediation in TVA ash spill.

Fed regulators fined FL comp $2.5M for trying to manipulate Cal power market. Um, Enron echoes.