Yonhap. GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., the third-largest carmaker in South Korea, said Friday it will start mass production next March of diesel engines that meet the Euro 4 emission standards. A subsidiary of Geneal Motors, and the manufacturer of the successful Matiz (Spark), GM Daewoo began pilot production... Read more →
Yonhap. GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., the third-largest automaker in South Korea and now a subsidiary of GM (earlier post), plans to participate in the hydrogen fuel cell project being pushed by its parent. GM Daewoo will conduct a feasibility study on whether it can apply GM’s hydrogen fuel... Read more →
Integration of the future fuel supply. The Thailand-based APEC Center for Technology Foresight recently concluded a two-day symposium on future fuel technologies for the Asia-Pacific region as one element in a larger project on Future Fuels led by Thailand, Canada and Taiwan. The symposium—Foresighting Future Fuel Technology—served as a venue... Read more →
GM has increased its ownership of GM Daewoo to 50.1%, thereby making the Korean maker of small cars a subsidiary. GM increased its ownership from 48.6% by buying the shares from co-owner Suzuki. GM Daewoo has become an important Asian production site for the Chevrolet brand. In October, 112,631 of... Read more →
The Edge Daily. Malaysian palm plantation company Golden Hope Plantations Bhd (GHope) is exploring investing between MYR114 million (US$30.2 million) to MYR138 million (US$36.6 million) to build a Dutch biodiesel plant. GHope’s unit in the Netherlands is in discussions with an unnamed company in Europe for a plant with a... Read more →
Two separate ventures announced plans to build biodiesel plants in Singapore, the first such there. Most of the output is intended for export. Both plants will be built on Jurong Island, Singapore’s petrochemicals hub. The Cremer Gruppe will invest up to S$34 million (US$20.1 million) in a plant with a... Read more →
Bangkok Post. Thailand’s Transport Ministry has given public transport agencies three weeks in which to come up with plans for the use of natural gas for vehicles (NGV). Khamropluck Surasawadee, deputy permanent secretary for transport, said it was the ministry’s responsibility to demand transport agencies under its jurisdiction ensure their... Read more →
The fourth-generation ZES IV.5, predecessor to the ZES V. Taiwan’s Asia Pacific Fuel Cell Technologies Ltd (APFCT) plans to commercialize its fifth-generation hydrogen fuel-cell scooter by 2007. The new 1.1 kW fuel cell in the ZES V increases the driving range of its predecessor by 33%, from 60 kilometers (37... Read more →
Singapore is extending and increasing its rebate program for green vehicles for another 2 years till the end 2007. The incentive is applicable to those who own electric, hybrid cars and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles. Owners of qualifying cars will get a rebate equivalent to 40% of the car’s... Read more →
Malaysia will mandate the sale and universal use of a B5 blend of biodiesel beginning in 2008, according to a report in The Star. The regulation will be implemented after the Biofuel Bill is tabled and passed by Parliament next year. Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah... Read more →
Bernama. The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) will invest RM60 million (US$16 million) on three palm-oil biodiesel plants, each with an annual capacity of 60,000 tonnes (about 18.4 million gallons US, or 70 million liters). The three plants, to be operated on a 50:50 joint venture basis with three local... Read more →
MCOT. To meet growing domestic demand, Thai Oil, the leading petroleum refinery in Thailand, is in the planing stages for an ethanol plant that would produce the fuel from cassavas. Production capacity for the plant will range between 1–2 million liters per day (264–528 thousand gallons US). Correspondingly, costs will... Read more →
Headwaters Technology Innovation Group (HTIG), a subsidiary of Headwaters, Inc., has delivered a feasibility study to Philippine President Gloria Arroyo that concludes that a proposed coal-to-liquids project for the Philippines is both technically and economically feasible. The proposed plant is a hybrid plant which consists of a direct coal liquefaction... Read more →
Lampung province, Indonesia Asia Pulse. Three Indonesian investors are starting ethanol plant projects in Lampung province, each with an annual capacity of 150 million liters (40 million gallons US). Two of the investors are Medco Energi and PT Malindo. The other investor is a sugar company, according to Research and... Read more →
The Thai Cabinet has approved a proposal by the Energy Ministry to allow state-owned oil and gas conglomerate PTT to import 17.82 million liters (4.7 million gallons US) of ethanol to counter an ethanol shortage in the country, according to the Mathichon newspaper. PTT will import the ethanol in three... Read more →
Ford Thailand is introducing a new E20-capable Ford Focus. In July 2004, the Thai government announced a National E20 Ethanol Strategy; Ford is the first automaker to deliver an E20 product to that market. The 1.8-litre Duratec HE gasoline in the Thai E20 Focus is designed to run on all... Read more →
Bangkok Post. The Thai Energy Ministry and Transport Ministry have agreed to convert 1,000 buses of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) to CNG. PTT will handle the conversions and will charge an additional five baht (US$0.12) per kilogram for the gas sold to the BMTA to cover the costs.... Read more →
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has categorized passage of the proposed National Fuel Ethanol Program as urgent. The program would mandate an E10 blend—10% ethanol, 90% gasoline—for use in the country. She made the statement during a recent 30-minute televised roundtable discussion of the government’s ethanol program with Energy Secretary Raphael... Read more →
Pakistan Pakistan is accelerating its push to increase use of natural gas in the country for transportation as well as heating and power. In a recent speech, President Musharraf committed to “take gas to all parts of Pakistan”, and said he has given a 1 January 2006 deadline for providing... Read more →
ArvinMeritor announced the formation of a 50-50 joint venture between its Light Vehicle Systems (LVS) business group and DongWon Precision Industrial Co. The joint venture, named AD Tech Co., Ltd., will initially supply diesel particulate filters to light vehicle manufacturers in Korea facing increasingly stringent emissions reduction legislation. The Korean... Read more →
JoongAng Daily. Honda will introduce the Accord Hybrid to South Korea early next year. The car currently is in the test-driving phase after passing the Korean government’s tests on safety, emissions and noise levels earlier this month. Toyota has announced that it will introduce the Lexus RX 400h hybrid into... Read more →
TNA. Thailand’s PTT Public Company Limited (PTT) will cap the price of natural gas for vehicles (NGV) at 8.50 baht (US$0.21) per kilogram—or a gasoline gallon equivalent price of US$0.64 (one kg natural gas is approximately equivalent to about .33 gallon US of gasoline)—until the end of this year. A... Read more →
With oil production declining, OPEC member Indonesia has become a net importer. Reuters. Car sales in Indonesia rose 28.3% in July compared with the same period in 2004, data from the largest automotive distributor showed on Saturday. PT Astra International Tbk said a total of 49,388 cars were sold by... Read more →
Yonhap. The US and South Korea will work together to develop a next-generation nuclear reactor that will also produce large quantities of hydrogen according to officials from the S. Korean Ministry of Science and Economy. The announcement comes less than a week after the South Korea government signed off on... Read more →
Flying V formally launched the sale of a B1 blend (1% biodiesel, 99% petroleum diesel) using Chemrez’s locally-produced coconut biodiesel at Flying V filling stations in the Philippines. Chemrez produces the biodiesel at its plant at Libis, Quezon City—the country’s first producing coco biodiesel plant. Chemrez is one of two... Read more →
Yonhap. The South Korea government is laying out an ambitious plan for the country to become a functioning hydrogen economy by 2040, with a sizeable part of its transportation, power generation and household appliances operating on fuel cells. In a meeting of economic ministers chaired by Minister of Finance and... Read more →
Daily Times. The Board of Governors the Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan (HDIP) has directed the institute to make all-out efforts to start manufacturing CNG conversion kits and cylinders in the country to reduce dependence on imports and to further accelerate the adoption of CNG as a transport fuel. The... Read more →
Thai News Agency. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) will test the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) in its locomotives. SRT will collaborate work with PTT Public Company Limited (PTT) in using CNG in its locomotives for a six-month trial period. Should the tests prove successful, CNG will eventually... Read more →
Toyota Yaris / Vitz Nikkei. Toyota will start manufacturing its Yaris (Vitz/Echo) (earlier post) subcompact in Thailand as early as next year for sale in Southeast Asia. The production—the first for this model in the region—is expected to begin at around 50,000 units a year. Toyota makes the IMV, the... Read more →
Source: BP Statistical Review 2005 AP. Malaysia may become a net importer of oil by 2009, absent the discovery of new oil reserves, according to the government. If so, that would mark a relatively dramatic decline in production. Malaysia’s oil consumption has been growing at a slower rate than its... Read more →
Bangkok Post. PTT Plc, the Thai energy company, is testing the use of natural gas as a replacement fuel for diesel in fishing trawlers to help fleet operators deal with rising fuel costs. Currently, natural gas costs some 60% less than diesel. If the tests are successful, PTT will start... Read more →
Cummins Westport (CWI) has received an order for 30 CWI natural gas engines for new transit buses in Bangladesh. Delivery of the initial 30 buses begins this month, with options for a total of 120 buses by the end of November. The order marks Cummins Westport’s entry into the Bangladesh... Read more →
AFP. Malaysia’s national carmaker Proton is developing its own hybrid-electric car and hopes to roll it out in less than five years. According to Proton adviser and former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad, the company has already been working on the project for five years. Proton, which was incorporated in 1983,... Read more →
Bangkok Post. The Thai Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) is proposing 12 new energy conservation measures including steeper excise taxes and higher annual registration fees on gas guzzling cars and SUVs. Finance Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said heavy oil imports had increased the trade deficit. The Cabinet is to consider... Read more →
Gulf Times. Despite rising oil prices, sales of SUVs remain strong across the Asia-Pacific region. Manufacturers and industry analysts say most SUVs now sold in the region are mid-priced, passenger car-based models produced by Asian companies such as Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Suzuki, Subaru, KIA and Hyundai. Auto industry expert... Read more →
PNA. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday received the delivery of the first CNG-fueled bus as part of the government’s natural gas vehicle program for public transport (NGVPPT—earlier post). The CNG-fueled bus is the first of 200 units arriving in the country between December 2005 and the first quarter of 2006... Read more →
Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) has mandated the use of ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel beginning 1 Dec 2005. The adoption of the 50-ppm-sulfur fuel is in preparation for Singapore’s implementation of Euro 4 emission standards for diesel vehicles in October 2006. Singapore’s current diesel fuel standard is at... Read more →
First CNG station in Philippines. Read more →
Reuters. The Malaysian government is developing a plan for domestic use of palm oil-based biodiesel in blends of between 2%–5% (B2 to B5). In April, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board announced the first domestic biodiesel refinery (earlier post). The output from that plant currently is destined for export. The plan... Read more →
Chosun.com. A new Korean electric carmaker, GEO EV, will begin production of its EV1 mini-car in March 2006. The EV1 is powered by a lithium-ion/polymer battery and 26-kW electric motor jointly developed by Korean battery companies EaglePitcher Kokam and VK, and the frame is produced by the French small car... Read more →
A consortium comprising JGC Corporation (Japan), Technip of France, Technip Geoproduction of Malaysia and Tecnicas Reunidas of Spain has been awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract by Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (Petro Vietnam) for the Dung Quat oil refinery to be constructed in Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam.... Read more →
Xinhua. Indonesian State Minister for Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman said on Friday that the government would develop nuclear technology by 2017 for various peaceful purposes, including power generation. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world. “The energy policy strategy is focused on the plan to develop... Read more →
The Telegraph. The state government of West Bengal in India is ordering all commercial vehicles manufactured before 1990 off the roads of the Calcutta (Kolkata) Metropolitan Area unless they convert to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or compressed natural gas (CNG) by the end of the year. Transport department officials say... Read more →
IANS. A study carried out by the environment ministry in Pakistan has found that the air quality in six major Pakistani cities is deteriorating rapidly. The number of vehicles in those cities has increased by some 300 percent in five years. Air pollution in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and... Read more →
Reuters. Asian palm oil could supply up to 20% of the European Union’s biodiesel needs by 2010, Pascal Cogels, the head of Fediol, the EU’s vegetable oils federation, told Reuters. The reason is price: palm oil is one of the least expensive vegetable oils. The winners in that scenario would... Read more →