A Blog for Browsing Mining, Mineral Processing, and Metals Info

“Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act prohibits the import or export of natural gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), from or to a foreign country without prior approval from the Department of Energy (DOE),” according to the Energy Department.

Action on this issue is within the control of the executive branch. In other words, the U.S. Department of Energy under President Obama can approve applications to export liquefied natural gas. However, the administration has been slow in doing so. Two bills in Congress would change that.

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2014/03/04/heres-one-thing-we-can-do-about-russia-and-ukraine/

American technology company General Electric (GE) Co. has stated that it has chosen Indonesia as the country in which to launch its US$1.4 billion distributed power business, which concentrates on smaller-scale energy generation.

GE officially introduced its distributed power business in Jakarta on Tuesday to tap into the archipelago’s future energy blueprint.

Read more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/02/26/ge-picks-indonesia-launch-14-billion-new-business.html

Indonesia will cap coal output at about 400 million metric tons this year, 5 percent less than 2013’s level, to stem declining prices, the government said.

The country will enforce sanctions against companies that mine more coal that approved, according to Edi Prasodjo, Coal Business Director at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. Penalties include suspensions and cuts in production allocations for the coming year, he said in an interview on Feb. 7.

Read more at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-10/indonesia-to-limit-coal-production-this-year-to-support-prices.html

The Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, Taqa, is continuing to move forward with its plans to develop a 100 MW, mass burn waste to energy facility near the sea port in Mussaffah and sees potential to grow globally in the sector.

Dr Saif Al Sayari, executive officer and head of TAQA’s Energy Solutions recently elaborated on the company’s plans for the $850m project.

“Our proposed plant would be up and running by 2017, generating enough power for 20,000 households in Abu Dhabi as well as cutting greenhouse gases,” he said.

Read more at: http://www.waste-management-world.com/articles/2014/02/taqa-gets-into-waste-to-energy-starting-with-100-mw-abu-dhabi-plant.html

Tata Power today announced sale of its 30 per cent stake in Indonesian coal company PT Arutmin for USD 500 million (Rs 3,150 crore) to cut its debt.

The development comes in the wake of the company’s Mundra UMPP project facing under recovery challenges.

Read more at: http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/tata-power-exits-indonesian-coal-firm-arutmin-for-usd-500-mln-114013101403_1.html

Cameroon’s crude oil output is expected to increase by 25% in 2014 compared with the previous year as production from new fields come onstream, State oil company National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) said on Tuesday.

Read more at: http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/cameroons-snh-sees-crude-output-up-25-in-2014-2014-01-29/rep_id:3182

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI, Jan 30 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s ban on exports of unprocessed metal ores will boost Chinese shipments of metallurgical coke by as much as 2 million tonnes a year to smelters being built in the Southeast Asian nation.

Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/30/china-coke-indonesia-idUSL3N0L22DQ20140130

Jan 22 (Reuters) – Macquarie Group and Glencore Xstrata have joined forces to bid for Royal Dutch Shell’s Australian refining and retail business, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported on Wednesday.

Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/21/australia-shell-tpg-idUSL3N0KV4TE20140121