Category: Archive

Shell, Caltex in on the act: Shell recently launched Shell
Optimax Extreme, a super-high octane fuel formulated with 5 per cent
ethanol through Coles Express. Optimax will be the official fuel of the
V8 Supercars Championship for 2006 and Caltex has signed a contract to
supply ethanol from the Dalby bio-refinery to a new biofuels supplier.

Independents, too: Mr Howard said independent fuel companies
were also making a big contribution. United sells ethanol blends at
more than 90 locations Australia-wide. Australian Farmers Fuel sells
bio-diesel at more than 50 outlets across Australia. Neumann Petroleum
and Freedom Fuels each sell retail biofuels at 25 service stations.

Progress “exceeding expectations”: “I am very pleased with the progress that has been made, it’s more than I expected and it’s very welcome,” Mr Howard said.

Queensland Country Life, 29/12/2005, p. 5

Source: Erisk – www.erisk.net 

Technology the key? “A technological approach means improving
energy generation right across the board. Fossil fuels need technology
to become cleaner just as renewable energies need technological
solutions to their supply challenges – when the wind doesn’t blow or
sun doesn’t shine,” said Macfarlane.

Task Force approach: The Ministerial meeting endorsed the Task
Force approach devised in earlier dialogue between business and
government representatives for all six nations, chaired by US Energy
Secretary Samuel Bodman and Mr Macfarlane. The AP6 nations, government
and business, have committed to developing and implementing
technological solutions in eight key industry sectors:

– Cleaner fossil energy;
– renewable energy and distributed generation;
– steel;
– aluminium;
– cement;
– mining;
– power generation and transmission;
– buildings and appliances.

Report back by June: “The Task Forces will report back by the
middle of 2006 with specific technological projects and approaches to
be pursued on a cross-country basis. We have to lock in the business
enthusiasm expressed here and have specific projects nominated by the
next AP6 meeting in 2007,” said Mr Macfarlane.

“New collaborative era”: He argued that time would prove this
was the start to a new era of government and business collaboration,
openness and environmental responsibility. “There is enormous
government will to see this collaboration succeed and now is the time
for business to take their rightful lead in developing technological
solutions to a global human problem,” he said.

Reference: Media release by lan Macfarlane, Australian Industry Minister, 12 Jan. 06.

Erisk Net, 12/1/2006

Buyers set to benefit: Utilities that may benefit include Chubu
Electric Power, Japan’s biggest coal buyer. Chubu Electric is now
negotiating prices of annual supply contracts with Rio Tinto, BHP
Billiton and other mining companies. The contracts that start on 1
April cover coal burned in power stations and set a benchmark for world
markets.

US market the exception: While prices declined in Asia and
Europe, US coal costs would stay high, according to Raymond James
Financial coal industry analyst James Rollyson.

Infrastructure at capacity: Utilities needed to rebuild
inventories and import terminals, and railroads, were operating at
capacity, preventing a surplus outside the US from entering the
country, he said. Mr Rollyson forecasts eastern coal prices of about
$US50 a tonne this year, 15 per cent higher than the five-year average,
and western prices of $US20 to $US22 a tonne. The western average is
about $US7.50 a tonne in the past five years.

The Australian Financial Review, 11/1/2006, p. 14

Source: Erisk – www.erisk.net 

Even smarter meters mooted: The government is finalising an economic study on the viability of introducing even more sophisticated metering than recently recommended by the ESC, which is responsible for the economic regulation of the state’s energy and water essential services. The commission’s recent price review agreed the cost of installing metering services should be shared by all customers from 1 January 2006.

High and rising cost to consumers: The cost is estimated to range from about $30 a year for houses to $90 for commercial customers, increasing by more than 20 per cent in subsequent years.

The Australian Financial Review, 10/1/2006, p. 5

Source: Erisk – www.erisk.net 

Aust Biofuels plans advanced: As well, Australian Biofuels Ltd,
a subsidiary of Perth’s Australian Ethanol Ltd has finished a
feasibility study for a grain-to-ethanol plant at Swan Hill, Victoria,
and has an option to buy land for another at Coleambally. It has plans
for ethanol plants at Forties, in the Central West, and Lake Grace in
WA and will also look at other sites in eastern Australia.

Other players active: Other groups propose ethanol plants at
Quirindi and Gunnedah in NSW and Milmerran in Queensland and the
Australian Biodiesel Group has a 40 million litres-a-year biodiesel
plant at Berkeley Vale on the Central Coast.

60c/litre forecast: Recent estimates suggest Australia can
produce ethanol at about 60 cents per litre based on a grain price of
$250 a tonne. Sorghum is the most efficient producer of ethanol (at
about 400l/t) followed by corn and wheat. Distillers grain, a
protein-rich by-product of ethanol production, is also sought by
livestock feeders.

Canberra will provide kickstart only: The Federal Government has
set a production target of 350 million litres of biofuels by 2010 but
its own measures to foster local production will start to sunset from
July 1, 2011, when import protection for ethanol will end, exposing the
industry to world parity pricing, especially from Brazil. At the same
time ethanol will start attracting an excise which will rise in equal
annual instalments to a maximum 12.5 cents per litre by mid-2016
(compared with the present 38 cents per litre tax on unleaded petrol).

The Land, 5/1/2006, p. 17

The Greenpeace ship, The Arctic Sunrise, was deliberately rammed and
damaged by the Nisshin Maru, the factory ship of the Japanese whaling
fleet. The Greenpeace web site is keeping the world up to date with
their peaceful pursuit, monitoring of the number and types of whales
killed and with attempts at preventing the killing of whales in the the
Southern Ocean. This is happening now. Go to their web site:
www.greenpeace.org for continuous updates.