STUFF

AMP (AMPD) medium duty el truck approved for sale in Cal.

Alberta cancelled major "clean coal"  project. Low NG prices.

Biz roundtable calling for end to to energy policy "labyrinth".

Defense experts say costs of climate change could be staggering.

Vestas adding wind tower jobs in Colo, still cutting blade jobs.

Most Californians support climate change policy, but skepticism growing: poll.

Maine college intro'd climate change throughout curriculum.

India apples less sweet from climate change.

New research taking global look at methane emissions from oil/gas industry. Est. 1-10% of NG produced leaks through wellheads, transmission lines, compressor stations.

LNG exporting comments wrap at DOE. Decisions next.

India says committed to spending up to $13B, including $1.1B in subsidies, to add over 10Gw of solar by '17. Preparing to enter Phase 2 of National Solar Mission. Financing still challenging, trade dispute looming, policy decisions still being hashed out at national, state levels. Just under 1Gw installed solar in '12. 190Mw in '11. 35Mw in '10. Forecast 1.3-1.4Gw in '13. Country has 3-400M people w/out power. 9% power deficit. Draft solar target 3-9Gw. Borrowing costs 13-14%.

Lanco Infratech, India's 2nd-biggest non-state power generator, seeking investors to build 500Mw/y solar for 3 yrs. Up 5x.

India's Power Finance cut lending rates for clean/renewable energy. 25 basis points for all power projects. 50 points for clean/ren. Approved $430M for 611Mw of clean/ren in FY ending in March. (Very good #'s. If true.)

Japan's domestic solar shipments more than doubled to 1Gw in 4Q12. Imports up 3x to 342Mw. Exports down 66% to 111Mw.

Japan financial firms setting up multi-billion Yen investment funds for solar projects.

Suntech Power (China) (STP) has $541M in convertable bonds coming due next month. Talking with Wuxi govt.

Joinko Solar to deliver 600Mw in '13-'15 to China 3 Gorges New Energy for western China projects. 50Mw deal signed in '12.

Near 1Gw solar installed in Australia in '12. But el prices coming down, reductions in govt support.

San Carlos BioPower (Philippines) planning 4 biomass power plants next 4 yrs. Total cap 100Mw. $500M. (Stupid. Could get wind and possibly solar for way less. And biomass has emissions.) Govt official: lack of tech, finance and feedstock probs.

China's Fujian Province planning ~200 onshore wind farms. 8Gw/y through '20.

63Mw expansion - from 7Mw - at only geothermal plant in Ethiopia to start. Est. $35M. (That's 50 cents/w. A great deal!) $10M from Ethiopia, $13M loan from World Bank, $12M grant from Japan (what does Japan want back?) UK comp, USAID, UAC, Af Dev Bank looking at geo opportunities in E Africa.

Uruguay plans 200Mw of world's cheapest solar power. Offering $90/Mwh. Also produces some of world's cheapest wind power. May not attract solar developers. China offers $160/Mwh, Germany $154. Projects may be up to 50 Mw, but they want a 1Mw and 5Mw project. Their solar radiation equiv to south Spain. They now get ~80% of elgen from hydro @ ~$80/Mwh.

IEA: Euro oil/NG imports to reach ~$668B this yr. "Major prob for EU, global econ."

Asia/Pacific region projected to import 44% of primary oil needs in '35. 36% in '10. Their oil production only up slightly since '90. (The sluggards.)

AAR: crude oil record .8% of all US rail shipments in '12, up from .2% in '11.

Cheniere Energy to begin producing LNG at Louisiana terminal in late '15. Only comp with permits to export to countries not in free-trade agreements with US. Over 2 dozen aps from competing projects.

Petrobras discovered oil in deepwater - 125 miles off coast of Rio. Well below salt layer.

China plans tax on CO2  emissions.

API: US Jan oil demand fell to lowest Jan demand in 18 yrs. Down 1.7% from yr ago. 18Mb/d.

Fewer oil tankers booked to ship Mideast oil to Asia: Morgan Stanley. Down 33% from yr ago.

Iraq approved NG pipe from Iran to Syria. $10B project.

Algeria's state-run energy comp made 3 oil/gas discoveries in '12. Some with foreign partners.

Ecuador's crude oil export rev $12.7B in '12. Up 7.6% from '11.

Russia produced 43M tons of oil and gas condensate in Jan, down 1.7% yoy.

Enough NG in Ukraine shale to satisfy domestic demand.

Thailand possible energy crisis in April. Expecting NG supply disruption from Myanmar.

Exxon added 1.8B oil-equiv bls to proven reserves in '12. 1.4B in oil, other liquids. Getting out of NG. Slightly more than it produced.

Sauds boosted avg crude exports last yr to highest since '05. 7.4Mb/d, up 5.2% from '11. Iraq, Kuwait shipped most in at least a decade.

Enbridge to convert ~700 miles of NG pipe to oil. IL to Gulf.

Study: climate change may dry up Lakes Powell and Mead. Partly from oil/gas drilling water needs. Or current govt policy.

Cal gov fast-tracking reviews of world's largest solar project.

BLM "ecoregional assessments" aim to guide energy projects, improve wildlife mgmt.

Bipartisan Senate push promised for ARPA-E reauthorization at full funding. (While ARPA-E conference going on in DC.)

Stabenow to lead Senate Finance subpanel on energy.

Court rejected AEP bid to hike fees on telecoms using power poles.

Coast Guard pressing for legal action versus Shell drillship.

Tire incinerator in IL shutdown in EPA settlement.

EPA greenlighted camelina, energy cane for biofuel feedstocks, but kept lid on arundo (giant reed) and elephant grass.

Research: ND energy beet revs could be double corn or beans. BeetsAllBiofuel plans 16 facilities in state. 20M gal facil online in '15. ~30K acres/facil.

Perennial bioenergy crops in US west corn belt may be threatened: NAS report. Persistent shift in land use.

Rabobank (Netherlands) report: Brazil, Argentina face future growth challenges for their biodiesel industry. Limited by policies on blending mandates, pricing and export incentives and dwindling support for 1st gen biofuels in EU.