---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Surahman Wiryo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Nov 30, 2007 11:27 PM Subject: [IndoEnergy] UBS raises its price forecasts for coal used in power plants and steel mills in 2008 and 2009 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=797517 > Nov 28, 2007 20:48 ET > West Hawk Focused on Coal Gasification and New Technology Developments > DENVER, COLORADO--(Marketwire - Nov. 28, 2007) - West Hawk Development > Corp. (TSX VENTURE:WHD)(FRANKFURT:H5N) (the "Company") is pleased to provide > an update on its gasification technology initiatives. The company continues > to be focused on clean energy coal gasification technology to develop > pipeline quality gas, liquids, power and the associated co-products. > > The Company continues to work on a contractual relationship with New York > Energy Group. Since the announcement September 24, 2007, West Hawk has had > several discussions with other gasification technology suppliers. To bring > the best coal gasification technology to the Company and its shareholders, > West Hawk continues evaluating different gasification designs and > technologies from various suppliers throughout Europe, North America and > Asia. > > These technology suppliers are in many cases supplying various new state > of the art design concepts using catalytic gasification, molten media, > plasma, highly efficient catalysts, isomerization reforming, CO2 control, > and several other designs. > > Many of these new technologies require substantially reduced capital cost > structures that management believes will advance West Hawk and the industry. > They can be smaller in size and can be fit to the market requirements. Much > of this new coal gasification technology is more efficient in terms of > feedstock cold gas efficiency and carbon conversion efficiency when compared > to traditional coal gasification technologies. Most of these new > technologies also offer enhanced environmental performance and is projected > to be the cleanest form of creating energy amongst the technologies that > exist today. > > "With these new technologies focusing on dramatically improved > efficiencies, environmental performance, increased capacity and availability > factors, delivered at a lower capital cost investment it will surely drive > the world to a greater use, independency, and security of our most precious > coal feedstock," said Dr. Wm. Mark Hart, President and CEO of West Hawk > Development Corporation. > > The Company is focusing on coal gasification in relation to its coal > assets in British Columbia, North West Territories, and Nunavut. The Company > is currently negotiating to close its first coal asset in the US. In China, > West Hawk is continuing to work with Luan to develop two coal gasification > projects, but no clear decision has been made on the technology at this > point, in light of the various technologies that have been made available. > West Hawk and Luan are continuing to evaluate constructing two coal IGCC > plants as well as possibly two circuits with coal to liquids. > > > > http://www.t-g.com/story/1294096.html > Air Force tests new fuel mixture Thursday, November 29, 2007 > By Brian Mosely > > ARNOLD AFB -- Reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil is just one > of the goals the Air Force is striving for as it looks toward using a blend > of synthetic and petroleum-based fuel for its fleet. > > With Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne looking on, testing > kicked off at Arnold Engineering Development Center with study of how the > blend works in a B-1 bomber engine. > > "One of our jobs is to provide sovereign options for America," Wynne said, > and one way is to qualify the air fleet to fly with synthetic fuel. > > "We're looking forward and thinking about tomorrow." > > The synthetic fuel tested at AEDC was derived from natural gas, but it can > also be made from coal and biomass as well. Wynne said they know the process > is possible because it has already been done in other countries. > > The Pentagon began looking at coal in 2001 when Congress earmarked $13 > million to investigate the Fischer-Tropsch process, in which coal is > gassified and then liquefied into fuel. The technology was developed by > Germany in the 1920s and used by South Africa beginning in the 1950s. > > The fuel being tested by the Air Force is a 50-50 blend of fuel refined > from natural gas using the Fischer-Tropsch process and fuel refined from > oil. Liquid fuel made from coal is expected to be available by 2012. > > Wynne said the Air Force is very conscious about its contribution to > carbon emissions. He said that as a part of manufacturing process, the > service must reduce its carbon footprint "and be a little bit kinder to the > environment." > > The Air Force has already certified its fleet of B-52s to use the blend in > August and is expected to finish testing the blend in C-17s by May of 2008. > Wynne said this test would enable the blend to be used in commercial 757 > jets, since the two aircraft use the same type engine. > > The test with the B-1 is the Air Force's first test of the blended fuel in > a supersonic engine, Wynne said. Once the qualification is done on the > ground, the engine will be placed back into a B-1 and tested in flight. > > "We know we are being watched by all our colleagues throughout the > aviation industry to see how we do it, because they also know that we don't > want to be a producer, but to create a marketplace." > > Wynne said the Air Force buys about 1.6 billion gallons of fuel per year > for its fleet of aircraft. The Fischer-Tropsch process promises to produce a > cleaner fuel that gives off more energy per pound and be less subject to > freezing. > > Using the blend would reduce transportation costs and ease logistical > headaches by allowing the military to use one fuel for all of its aircraft > and vehicles instead of the more than half dozen different fuels presently > used. > > Another consideration is the reduction of dependence of foreign oil. The > Middle East has about 685 billion barrels of oil compared with 22 billion > barrels in the United States. > > But according to the Pentagon, there is enough coal in the United States > to produce 964 billion barrels of fuel. > > "A commercial buyer would probably purchase more than we would," Wynne > said. "If it [the blend] becomes a free market commodity, then we will have > done what we set out to do." > > It is expected that by early 2011 the 50-50 blend should be certified for > the entire Air Force fleet, after which the service will test leaner and > leaner versions, adding more synthetic fuel to the blend to figure out where > the tipping point is. > > By 2016, the Air Force has committed to use a blend of domestically > produced synthetic fuel and oil-refined fuel for half of the fuel it buys > for its planes in the continental United States. > > The Energy Department has funded efforts to refine the coal, awarding a > $100 million grant in January of 2006 for the construction of a commercial > coal-to-fuel plant near Frackville, Pa. > > As Wynne headed to observe the test, he said that AEDC is "one of the > crown jewels of the U.S. Air Force." > > *The Associated Press contributed to this report.* > > > ** > > > ** > > *http://www.energypublisher.com/article.asp?id=12585 * > E.ON to build coal fired power plant in Belgium > The new plant will cost approx 1.5 billion euros to develop and will have > a capacity of 1.100 Megawatt (MW). The new state-of-the-art power plant > will have an efficiency of approximately 46 percent. > > Thursday, November 29, 2007 > by EnerPub <http://www.energypublisher.com/subs.asp?b=250> [image: See > all articles by this author] > <http://www.energypublisher.com/subs.asp?b=250> > > > E.ON is planning to construct a new highly efficient coal fired power > station in the Antwerp harbour area of Belgium. > > The new plant will cost approx 1.5 billion euros to develop and will have > a capacity of 1.100 Megawatt (MW). The new state-of-the-art power plant > will have an efficiency of approximately 46 percent - a top class figure for > coal fired power plants, said E.ON. > > CO2 emissions will be around 25 percent lower compared to the average of > the existing coal fired plants in Belgium. Like all the other E.ON new > build projects, the plant will also be carbon capture-ready. E.ON is > working on future technologies for capturing CO2 group wide to realize coal > fired power plants without CO2 emissions, the company said. > > According to the company, the new power plant will strengthen E.ON's role > in the Belgian energy market considerably. > > The site for the new plant was chosen because of its deep water facilities > at Antwerp port. It is also close-by to big energy users like the chemical > industry make the location in Belgium very attractive. As a Combined Heat > and Power-plant the new power station additionally supplies both industry > and households with steam and heat. > > E.ON CEO Wulf H. Bernotat said, "Modern coal fired power stations will > continue to play an important role in a well balanced energy mix – side by > side with gas, nuclear and renewable energy. We need to ensure our > investments make a lasting improvement to the supply security, efficiency > and environmental friendliness of Europe's energy infrastructure. Coal has > an important role to play in our future energy mix and therefore has to > become as efficient and clean as possible. The new generation of our power > plants is an important step towards that aim." > > > > http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/28/bloomberg/sxcoal.php > UBS raises its price forecasts for coal used in power plants and steel > mills in 2008 and 2009 > > *SINGAPORE <http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/28/bloomberg/sxcoal.php#>: > * UBS raised its price forecasts for coal used in power plants and steel > mills in 2008 and 2009 because of expanding Asian demand and constrained > supply. Coking coal used to make steel will average $145 a metric ton next > year, compared with $130 forecast on Oct. 8, the bank said in a report > Wednesday. The 2009 forecast was raised to $135, from $115. Thermal coal > will average $90 a ton next year and $105 in 2009, up from previous > predictions of $70 and $75. > > "Long-term growth trends in Asia, particularly China and India, will keep > coal suppliers struggling to meet demand," the analysts, led by Shneur > Gershuni, said in the report. "Non-traditional sources of supply, including > North America, are increasingly being sought by anxious Asian consumers." > Thermal coal has jumped to a record this year because of port and rail > bottlenecks and after China increased imports of the fuel. > > Global steel production will exceed one billion tons for a fourth > consecutive year in 2007, the International Iron & Steel Institute predicted > this month. China increased coal imports 44 percent to 42.34 million tons > in the first 10 months of this year, Chinese customs said Nov. 15. Exports > dropped 17.6 percent to 43.26 million tons in the same period. Thermal > coal prices under annual supply contracts may rise to $90 a ton in the > fiscal year starting April 1, 2008, from $56 this year, Goldman Sachs JBWere > said in a report Monday. The firm previously estimated prices would rise to > $75 next year. > > > Credit Suisse raised its 2008 price forecast for thermal coal by $10 a ton > to $80 a ton last week, and JPMorgan Chase increased its estimate in 2008 to > $70 from $60, in an Oct. 25 report. The United States "is likely to be a > marginal supplier for the seaborne thermal coal market" as inadequate > transportation and loading facilities limit shipments from Australia and > South Africa while a prolonged wet season curbed Indonesian production > growth, the report said. Rio Tinto said Monday that it had declared force > majeure and may not meet orders to export coal from its mines in Queensland, > Australia, because of congestion at the Dalrymple Bay Port. Force majeure is > a legal clause allowing a company to cancel contractual obligations due to > circumstances beyond its control. The clause will apply to sales in the > first quarter of 2008. "At seaborne prices north of $90 a ton, the shippers > in the western United States would be incentivized to provide thermal coal > to the hungry Asian market," UBS said in the report. The United States > produced 945 million tons of coal in 2006, second only to China, according > to data from the International Energy Agency.-- > > http://www.commodityonline.com/news/topstory/newsdetails.php?id=3868 > 2007-11-27 13:05:00 > > Indian coal demand fuels global price rise > *Commodity Online * > NEW DELHI: India's energy ambitions are pushing global coal prices. > India's import of coal from South Africa is expected to go up big time in > the coming days. > > According to reports, South Africa's Richards Bay Coal Terminal, the > world's biggest coal export facility, will be shipping huge quantity of coal > to India this year, causing a price rice across the globe. > > India has become the major importer now and the increased demand from > India has lifted the prices in the international market. > > Richards Bay Coal Terminal shipped 7.3 million tonnes to India in the > first 10 months, compared with 300,000 tonnes for the whole of last year. > > It may go up by another 2 million tonnes before the end of the year. > > Benchmark prices for thermal coal, used in power plants, have reached a > record in Australia, South Africa and Europe in the last three weeks. > > According to Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union power minister, India will add > 78,755 MW of capacity in the 11th Plan period ending in 2012. > > According to experts, India is the market the world is looking at. > Richards Bay, which has about 3.5 million tonnes of coal stockpiled at the > moment, is owned by mining companies including BHP Billiton and Anglo > American. > > The jump in prices is encouraging European utilities to buy supplies from > the US. The power producers are paying more for the shipping than for the > coal. > > Additional demand is also coming from Japan and South Korea. > More than a quarter of western Europe's thermal coal is shipped from > Richards Bay, which reported total shipments of 66.5 million tonnes last > year. Exports through October this year were 53.8 million tonnes. > > > > > > http://www.fool.com/news/associated-press/2007/11/28/sector-snap-coal-producers-soar.aspx > http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/295421/1/.html > > > In Singapore, basic market forces have already made an impact in > encouraging the use of oil alternatives. Khoo Chin Hean, chief executive of > Energy Market Authority, said: "We were powered by oil. But over the last > five to six years, we've made the switch to gas. The market will drive us to > something that is cost efficient. By using gas, I notice it has helped to > maintain downward pressure on electricity price."
