Air Products' Newest Hydrogen Fueling Station in Riverside, Calif. Filling Cars for Five-City Demonstration Program
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Air Products'(NYSE: APD) newest hydrogen fueling station in Riverside, Calif. was busytoday filling hydrogen converted vehicles as the City of Riverside held adedication ceremony officially declaring the station open. It is the secondhydrogen fueling station Air Products has opened within a week as a station inSanta Ana, Calif. was dedicated on Jan. 26. These two stations are part of afive-city hydrogen fueling alternative energy demonstration program beingimplemented by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) wherethe respective cities involved will use Air Products' fueling technology tofuel electric hybrid Toyota Prius(R) vehicles converted to be hydrogen capableby Quantum Technologies. "These AQMD projects showcase the multiple hydrogen fueling technologyoptions that we have to offer," said Dan Rabun, California hydrogen fuelbusiness manager for Air Products. "At Riverside, the city is fuelingvehicles at a permanent station, with hydrogen generated from on-siteelectrolysis-based hydrogen production, and at Santa Ana the city is using ourmobile fueling product to deliver hydrogen produced by reformation technology.This five-cities effort continues to grow our leadership position in hydrogenfueling in California." At Riverside, Air Products' Series 200(TM) system, a totally integratedvehicle fueling system, is providing the storage and dispensing of hydrogen tohydrogen-powered vehicles with internal combustion engines modified to burngaseous hydrogen. This model station and proprietary technology providescustomers flexibility in using hydrogen generated at the site, or deliveredhydrogen, integrated with storage and vehicle dispensing capabilities. On-site hydrogen is provided to the fueling system from a production modelHOGEN(R) 6M Electrolyzer manufactured by Proton Energy Systems. Proton, asubsidiary of Distributed Energy Systems Corp. (Nasdaq: DESC), is a keysupplier to Air Products, and the companies have a preferred supplierarrangement for electrolyzer based fueling stations. "Our ongoing work with Air Products and the South Coast Air QualityManagement District continues to show how electrolysis technology can work inreal world vehicle fueling applications," said Robert Friedland, senior vicepresident, Hydrogen Technology Group at Proton. "We are helping todemonstrate how using hydrogen as a motor fuel is becoming more and morepractical for our nation's transportation needs." At Santa Ana, Air Products' HF-150 mobile hydrogen fueler is beingoperated by the city to fuel another fleet of hydrogen converted vehicles.The HF-150 provides hydrogen for vehicle fueling from Air Products' nearbyWilmington, Calif. hydrogen plant. Additional locations involved with the AQMD five cities effort that willdedicate and operate hydrogen fueling stations this year include Burbank,Santa Monica, and Ontario. In all, the five stations will provide hydrogen toa fleet of 30 hydrogen burning internal combustion vehicles. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion vehicles, which meet the state's strictestemissions requirements, are considered a near-term bridge to longer-termfuture technologies including fuel cell vehicles. Near-zero emission vehiclesincluding those powered by fuel cells are considered a key strategy toimproving air quality in Southern California. The AQMD is the air pollutioncontrol agency for Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, SanBernardino and Riverside counties. The five-cities program is aimed at stimulating demand for hydrogenfueling, accelerating the expansion of the region's hydrogen fueling network,and educating the public on hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Air Products is an industry leader in hydrogen safety and engineering, anda global leader in hydrogen production and distribution, as well as theindustry leader in hydrogen fueling stations for clean transportationapplications with over 40 installations in the United States andinternationally. In California, Air Products has 11 fueling stations, and itsUniversity of California-Davis station was designated by Governor ArnoldSchwarzenegger as "Hydrogen Highway Network Station #1" in 2004, as part ofthe Governor's "Hydrogen Highway Network" initiative. Air Products (NYSE: APD) serves customers in technology, energy,healthcare and industrial markets worldwide with a unique portfolio ofproducts, services and solutions, providing atmospheric gases, process andspecialty gases, performance materials and chemical intermediates. Founded in1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such assemiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, naturalgas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. The company isrecognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitmentto safety and the environment and is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainabilityand FTSE4Good Indices. The company has annual revenues of $8.1 billion,operations in over 30 countries, and over 20,000 employees around the globe.For more information, visit http://www.airproducts.com. ***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Actualresults could vary materially, due to changes in current expectations.
SOURCE Air ProductsWeb Site: http://www.airproducts.com
Friday, February 03, 2006
New material brings hydrogen fuel, cheaper petrochemicals closer to reality
A rubbery material that can purify hydrogen efficiently in its most usable form for fuel cells and oil refining has been developed by a chemical engineering group at The University of Texas at Austin.
In the Feb. 3 edition of Science, Dr. Benny Freeman details how his laboratory designed the membrane material and tested its ability, with colleagues at Research Triangle Institute (RTI) in Research Triangle Park, N.C., to successfully separate hydrogen from carbon dioxide and other contaminant gases.
This member of a new family of membrane materials with superior gas-separating ability could lower the costs of purifying hydrogen for hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Hydrogen fuel cells are considered a leading alternative energy for running cars and other devices in the future. The membrane material could also replace an expensive step in current petrochemical processing, or reduce how much energy the step requires. The membrane was tested under conditions that mimic those routinely used by the petrochemical industry to refine petroleum components (crude oil and natural gas) for use.
"A significant amount of the hydrogen in use today goes into the refining industry to refine crude oil to produce gasoline or other products, so this membrane could lower refining costs," said Freeman, the Kenneth A. Kobe Professor in Chemical Engineering.
The membrane differs structurally and functionally from previous options, with a key advantage being its ability to permit hydrogen to remain compressed at high pressure. A compressed form of the light-weight gas is needed to process fossil fuels and for it to serve as a readily replaceable fuel for fuel cells.
Freeman and graduate student Haiqing Lin designed the membrane material in Freeman's laboratory at the university's Center for Energy and Environmental Resources.
The engineers and RTI collaborators Lora Toy and Raghubir Gupta tested flat, disk-shaped versions of the material for its ability to separate different mixtures of hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases at different temperatures. The researchers used the three common temperatures for industrial hydrogen purification: 95 degrees, 50 degrees and minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
The new membrane not only separated these two gases better than previous membranes, but did so when additional components such as hydrogen sulfide and water vapor were present as occurs in industrial settings. The membrane worked so well that it was 40 times more permeable to (better at separating out) carbon dioxide than hydrogen.
In contrast, current commercial membranes favor the transport of hydrogen, a small molecule, over larger carbon dioxide molecules. This process results in hydrogen being transferred to a low-pressure environment that requires expensive recompression of the gas before use.
The new membrane avoids this recompression step by favoring the transport of larger, polar gas molecules as a result of the polar nature of the polymer materials making up the membrane. The polar, reverse-selective materials based on ethylene oxide interact better with polar gases such as carbon dioxide than with smaller, nonpolar hydrogen gas, which is left behind in a high-pressure state.
"The membrane likes carbon dioxide more than hydrogen, and we optimized that affinity," Freeman said. Plasticization, a process that softens materials and dilates them, was also found to improve the movement of the larger carbon dioxide through the new membrane for separation purposes. Several companies have already shown interest in collaborating to develop the material for industrial-scale applications.
###
For photos of Dr. Freeman and his students, go to: www.engr.utexas.edu/news/action_shots/pages/freeman.cfm.
The research is part of President Bush's 2003 Hydrogen Fuel Initiative to develop alternative fuel options to gasoline by 2010. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, with additional support from the National Science Foundation.
A rubbery material that can purify hydrogen efficiently in its most usable form for fuel cells and oil refining has been developed by a chemical engineering group at The University of Texas at Austin.
In the Feb. 3 edition of Science, Dr. Benny Freeman details how his laboratory designed the membrane material and tested its ability, with colleagues at Research Triangle Institute (RTI) in Research Triangle Park, N.C., to successfully separate hydrogen from carbon dioxide and other contaminant gases.
This member of a new family of membrane materials with superior gas-separating ability could lower the costs of purifying hydrogen for hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Hydrogen fuel cells are considered a leading alternative energy for running cars and other devices in the future. The membrane material could also replace an expensive step in current petrochemical processing, or reduce how much energy the step requires. The membrane was tested under conditions that mimic those routinely used by the petrochemical industry to refine petroleum components (crude oil and natural gas) for use.
"A significant amount of the hydrogen in use today goes into the refining industry to refine crude oil to produce gasoline or other products, so this membrane could lower refining costs," said Freeman, the Kenneth A. Kobe Professor in Chemical Engineering.
The membrane differs structurally and functionally from previous options, with a key advantage being its ability to permit hydrogen to remain compressed at high pressure. A compressed form of the light-weight gas is needed to process fossil fuels and for it to serve as a readily replaceable fuel for fuel cells.
Freeman and graduate student Haiqing Lin designed the membrane material in Freeman's laboratory at the university's Center for Energy and Environmental Resources.
The engineers and RTI collaborators Lora Toy and Raghubir Gupta tested flat, disk-shaped versions of the material for its ability to separate different mixtures of hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases at different temperatures. The researchers used the three common temperatures for industrial hydrogen purification: 95 degrees, 50 degrees and minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
The new membrane not only separated these two gases better than previous membranes, but did so when additional components such as hydrogen sulfide and water vapor were present as occurs in industrial settings. The membrane worked so well that it was 40 times more permeable to (better at separating out) carbon dioxide than hydrogen.
In contrast, current commercial membranes favor the transport of hydrogen, a small molecule, over larger carbon dioxide molecules. This process results in hydrogen being transferred to a low-pressure environment that requires expensive recompression of the gas before use.
The new membrane avoids this recompression step by favoring the transport of larger, polar gas molecules as a result of the polar nature of the polymer materials making up the membrane. The polar, reverse-selective materials based on ethylene oxide interact better with polar gases such as carbon dioxide than with smaller, nonpolar hydrogen gas, which is left behind in a high-pressure state.
"The membrane likes carbon dioxide more than hydrogen, and we optimized that affinity," Freeman said. Plasticization, a process that softens materials and dilates them, was also found to improve the movement of the larger carbon dioxide through the new membrane for separation purposes. Several companies have already shown interest in collaborating to develop the material for industrial-scale applications.
###
For photos of Dr. Freeman and his students, go to: www.engr.utexas.edu/news/action_shots/pages/freeman.cfm.
The research is part of President Bush's 2003 Hydrogen Fuel Initiative to develop alternative fuel options to gasoline by 2010. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, with additional support from the National Science Foundation.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Waste Management opens new renewable-energy power plant at landfill - 2006-01-27
Waste Management of Texas Inc. began operations of a new gas-to-energy power plant at its Covel Gardens Landfill that will convert enough landfill gas to power thousands of homes and businesses in San Antonio.
Waste Management formed a partnership with Houston-based Energy Developments Inc. to design, build and operate the power station. CPS Energy, San Antonio's gas and electric utility, in turn will purchase the energy to supply power to residents and businesses.
"Covel Gardens Landfill generates about nine megawatts of green energy that will be used to light up approximately 6,000 homes," says Covel Gardens Landfill Manager Ric Green. "This 'green' power source benefits the San Antonio environment and economy because it helps offset the need for non-renewable resources such as coal and oil."
Gas is naturally created as waste decomposes in a landfill. It can either be destroyed by a central flare or it can be captured and converted for use as a clean energy source.
"We are excited about acquiring this new supply of renewable energy; it benefits both our customers and our community," says Richard Peña, senior vice president of Energy Supply for CPS Energy. "This increment of electricity from landfill gas and our substantial amount of wind-generated electricity truly makes CPS Energy a state leader in renewables."
Energy Developments is a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Developments Ltd., an independent power producer founded in Australia in 1998.
Waste Management of Texas Inc. began operations of a new gas-to-energy power plant at its Covel Gardens Landfill that will convert enough landfill gas to power thousands of homes and businesses in San Antonio.
Waste Management formed a partnership with Houston-based Energy Developments Inc. to design, build and operate the power station. CPS Energy, San Antonio's gas and electric utility, in turn will purchase the energy to supply power to residents and businesses.
"Covel Gardens Landfill generates about nine megawatts of green energy that will be used to light up approximately 6,000 homes," says Covel Gardens Landfill Manager Ric Green. "This 'green' power source benefits the San Antonio environment and economy because it helps offset the need for non-renewable resources such as coal and oil."
Gas is naturally created as waste decomposes in a landfill. It can either be destroyed by a central flare or it can be captured and converted for use as a clean energy source.
"We are excited about acquiring this new supply of renewable energy; it benefits both our customers and our community," says Richard Peña, senior vice president of Energy Supply for CPS Energy. "This increment of electricity from landfill gas and our substantial amount of wind-generated electricity truly makes CPS Energy a state leader in renewables."
Energy Developments is a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Developments Ltd., an independent power producer founded in Australia in 1998.
Scramble to unlock Arctic's energy potential
Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, analysts and key industry figures argued that unlocking the region's potential could help ease global concerns over assured energy supplies. But difficult questions remain about the impact on the environment and the fraught subject of exactly who owns what, with up to eight countries claiming some interest in the Arctic and others racing to catch up. "It will never replace the Middle East" as an oil source, said Helge Lund, head of Norway's Statoil energy group, but "it has the potential to be a good supplement." Lund said the Arctic may account for as much as 25 percent of undiscovered oil and gas resources worldwide, the equivalent of 375 billion barrels. Analysts say the Arctic is highly attractive because it is closer to Europe and the United States, reducing transportation costs, and offers the prospect of more stability and supply security than the volatile Middle East. Moreover, global warming has reduced Arctic sea ice -- which last year was the lowest on record -- and opened the way for increased marine transport and access to natural resources. George Newton, chairman of the US Arctic Research Commission, said surface temperatures were set to rise up to 5.5 degrees within a century even without taking the impact of booming economies such as China and India into account. He predicted tourist and commercial maritime traffic through the fabled and normally ice-locked Northwest Passage within a decade. Even China, he added, was showing an increasing interest in Arctic research and had recently bought an icebreaker. European Union energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs said Brussels wanted to diversify its energy suppliers. Currently, a quarter of its natural gas comes from Russia, and 15 percent from Norway.
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"We regard Russia in the future as a reliable supplier," he said, but that did not mean the European Union should not seek alternatives. "We should be more concerned about situations where there is disruption of supply." Lund said that if Barents Sea resources could be successfully exploited, a new gas pipeline could be attached to existing pipelines serving Europe. He said concerns over the environmental impact of increasing use of Arctic resources could be allayed by new technologies such as sub-sea facilities that would not harm fish and other marine stocks. "Often people under-estimate the power of technology" to cope, Lund added, calling for a single management regime for all the Arctic's natural resources on the basis that "neither fish and hydrocarbons know boundaries." But that touches on another tricky issue -- deciding which country owns or can exploit which parts of the Arctic. Eight nations -- Canada, Denmark (via Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States -- have Arctic interests. Of those, all bar Sweden and Finland enjoy Arctic coastlines, and border and sovereignty disputes, such as between Russia and Norway, Russia and the United States and the United States and Canada, are hampering cooperation. A country is permitted 200 nautical miles under the Law of the Sea for its territorial waters, but can also lay claim to extra mileage on the continental shelf -- essential to explore and utilise sub-sea energy resources. "I don't see any geopolitical tensions arising out of the Arctic," Piebalgs said, although Newton pointed out that unlike Russia, the United States still had not ratified the treaty.
Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, analysts and key industry figures argued that unlocking the region's potential could help ease global concerns over assured energy supplies. But difficult questions remain about the impact on the environment and the fraught subject of exactly who owns what, with up to eight countries claiming some interest in the Arctic and others racing to catch up. "It will never replace the Middle East" as an oil source, said Helge Lund, head of Norway's Statoil energy group, but "it has the potential to be a good supplement." Lund said the Arctic may account for as much as 25 percent of undiscovered oil and gas resources worldwide, the equivalent of 375 billion barrels. Analysts say the Arctic is highly attractive because it is closer to Europe and the United States, reducing transportation costs, and offers the prospect of more stability and supply security than the volatile Middle East. Moreover, global warming has reduced Arctic sea ice -- which last year was the lowest on record -- and opened the way for increased marine transport and access to natural resources. George Newton, chairman of the US Arctic Research Commission, said surface temperatures were set to rise up to 5.5 degrees within a century even without taking the impact of booming economies such as China and India into account. He predicted tourist and commercial maritime traffic through the fabled and normally ice-locked Northwest Passage within a decade. Even China, he added, was showing an increasing interest in Arctic research and had recently bought an icebreaker. European Union energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs said Brussels wanted to diversify its energy suppliers. Currently, a quarter of its natural gas comes from Russia, and 15 percent from Norway.
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"We regard Russia in the future as a reliable supplier," he said, but that did not mean the European Union should not seek alternatives. "We should be more concerned about situations where there is disruption of supply." Lund said that if Barents Sea resources could be successfully exploited, a new gas pipeline could be attached to existing pipelines serving Europe. He said concerns over the environmental impact of increasing use of Arctic resources could be allayed by new technologies such as sub-sea facilities that would not harm fish and other marine stocks. "Often people under-estimate the power of technology" to cope, Lund added, calling for a single management regime for all the Arctic's natural resources on the basis that "neither fish and hydrocarbons know boundaries." But that touches on another tricky issue -- deciding which country owns or can exploit which parts of the Arctic. Eight nations -- Canada, Denmark (via Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States -- have Arctic interests. Of those, all bar Sweden and Finland enjoy Arctic coastlines, and border and sovereignty disputes, such as between Russia and Norway, Russia and the United States and the United States and Canada, are hampering cooperation. A country is permitted 200 nautical miles under the Law of the Sea for its territorial waters, but can also lay claim to extra mileage on the continental shelf -- essential to explore and utilise sub-sea energy resources. "I don't see any geopolitical tensions arising out of the Arctic," Piebalgs said, although Newton pointed out that unlike Russia, the United States still had not ratified the treaty.
Scientists set sights on biomass to reduce fossil fuel dependence
Using plants rather than oil or coal to produce fuels and chemicals could play an essential role in reducing the world's dependence on fossil fuels, according to a group of scientists from the UK and the USA writing today in the journal Science.
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The scientists from Imperial College London, Georgia Tech and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have evaluated the scientific and technological potential of a future based on renewable plant matter and biological material such as trees, grasses, agricultural crops, known as biomass. Their conclusions form the basis of a strategic alliance between the three institutions, the AtlantIC Alliance. Today's paper describes the scientific challenges of creating a facility to process all the components of biomass. Such a facility would make a range of fuels, foods, chemicals, animal feeds, materials, heat and power in proportions that would give maximum value with minimum waste. The scientists believe that efficient refining of biomass will be vital for producing renewable products with reduced carbon emissions. Biofuels and biomaterials are derived from plants which take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow. Their net contribution to the addition of greenhouse gases can be very small if minimal non-renewable energy is used when processing them into useful material or energy products. Dr Charlotte Williams , from Imperial's Department of Chemistry and one of the authors of the paper, said: "We're looking at a future for biomass where we use the entire plant and produce a range of different materials from it.
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"Biomass has a completely different molecular structure compared with hydrocarbons from oil. That means we'll need to develop new techniques so that we can transform plant material into everything from specialty, high value products such as perfumes and plastics to higher volume products such as fuels." Imperial hopes that the partnership with Georgia Tech and Oak Ridge will combine their complementary areas of expertise and examine the critical issues from alternative angles. The project has been given a major boost by the award of a UK Office of Science and Technology grant to develop the alliance, backed up by internal funding from each of the partners. Professor Richard Templer, Head of Imperial's Department of Chemistry, said: " No one institution is going to cover all the aspects and issues in this transition from a fossil resource-based present to a bio-based future. This partnership will increase the range of our scientific capacity. It will also enable us to evaluate the scientific and technological possibilities for the bio-based future from different perspectives, and in respect to the different potential for applications in the UK, USA and more widely, for example in developing economies." Source: Imperial College London
Using plants rather than oil or coal to produce fuels and chemicals could play an essential role in reducing the world's dependence on fossil fuels, according to a group of scientists from the UK and the USA writing today in the journal Science.
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The scientists from Imperial College London, Georgia Tech and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have evaluated the scientific and technological potential of a future based on renewable plant matter and biological material such as trees, grasses, agricultural crops, known as biomass. Their conclusions form the basis of a strategic alliance between the three institutions, the AtlantIC Alliance. Today's paper describes the scientific challenges of creating a facility to process all the components of biomass. Such a facility would make a range of fuels, foods, chemicals, animal feeds, materials, heat and power in proportions that would give maximum value with minimum waste. The scientists believe that efficient refining of biomass will be vital for producing renewable products with reduced carbon emissions. Biofuels and biomaterials are derived from plants which take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow. Their net contribution to the addition of greenhouse gases can be very small if minimal non-renewable energy is used when processing them into useful material or energy products. Dr Charlotte Williams , from Imperial's Department of Chemistry and one of the authors of the paper, said: "We're looking at a future for biomass where we use the entire plant and produce a range of different materials from it.
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"Biomass has a completely different molecular structure compared with hydrocarbons from oil. That means we'll need to develop new techniques so that we can transform plant material into everything from specialty, high value products such as perfumes and plastics to higher volume products such as fuels." Imperial hopes that the partnership with Georgia Tech and Oak Ridge will combine their complementary areas of expertise and examine the critical issues from alternative angles. The project has been given a major boost by the award of a UK Office of Science and Technology grant to develop the alliance, backed up by internal funding from each of the partners. Professor Richard Templer, Head of Imperial's Department of Chemistry, said: " No one institution is going to cover all the aspects and issues in this transition from a fossil resource-based present to a bio-based future. This partnership will increase the range of our scientific capacity. It will also enable us to evaluate the scientific and technological possibilities for the bio-based future from different perspectives, and in respect to the different potential for applications in the UK, USA and more widely, for example in developing economies." Source: Imperial College London
Bush in a lighter shade of green
President Bush's State of the Union speech might well be remembered for his phrase that "America is addicted to oil".
Bush speech on TV in Tokyo: is world climate change his issue?
The rest of it, apart perhaps from a call on Iranians to get rid of their "small clerical elite", was a reiteration of the themes on which his presidency stands or falls.
He gave not an inch on Iraq nor on his intention to "act boldly in freedom's cause" (nor on his wiretapping without warrants).
One would expect that. They are the bedrock of his policy.
On all those policies, especially the foreign ones, he was defiant if at times somewhat defensive. His rallying call on Iraq, for example, was to say: "Fellow citizens, we are in this fight to win and we are winning." This, three years after war was first waged.
Oil addiction
His section on energy indicates that he is having to respond to the green lobby, which has been growing fast at a local and state level in the United States. (Update: one reader also suggests that he might be reacting to higher energy prices).
His answer, as it has been from the start of this whole debate in fact, is to rely on science.
"The best way to break this addiction is through technology," he said.
He proposed to spend more on clean energy research - on zero-emission coal fired stations, ethanol fuel from such things as "wood chips and stalk, or switch grass", "revolutionary solar and wind technologies" and, importantly in view of the worldwide debate on this, "clean, safe nuclear energy."
It is worth noting, however, that he put energy in its place. He mentioned the need to detox from oil only as the sixth on a list of seven measures the United States had to take to stay "competitive."
The preceding five were "keeping our economy growing", being "good stewards of tax dollars", opening "more markets for all that Americans make and grow", sorting out an "immigration system" and providing "affordable health care".
The seventh was a plan to improve science and technology education.
Climate change not the motive
And he did not mention climate change as the overriding concern behind energy policies.
George Bush is not going to make the same mistake that Jimmy Carter made
Q&A: Dependence on foreign oil
Those words, like the bark of the dog in the night in the Sherlock Holmes story of the stolen racehorse, are not in the speech.
Nor are the words "greenhouse gases." The nearest he came to a climate reference was when he outlined one benefit of cleaner energy.
"This country can dramatically improve our environment," he declared.
So the benefit is for the US not necessarily the world, though the world, of course, would also benefit.
And the breaking of the oil addiction was also seen a foreign policy goal.
He proposed replacing "more than 75% of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025", making "our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past." Applause followed.
The goal is not quite as ambitious as it might sound. These days the US gets more oil and petroleum products from Venezuela, Mexico and Canada than it does from the Middle East.
The Jimmy Carter experience
Mr Bush does not like targets and in this he might well have been mindful of the disastrous speech on energy made by President Jimmy Carter back in 1979.
At the time, Mr Carter was, like Mr Bush, rather down in the polls.
On returning from a trip abroad, he went up to Camp David, the president's retreat in the Catoctin Mountains north of Washington, and did not come down for a week.
Instead, a whole series of leaders from across the field of American endeavour went up the mountain to see him.
He then came down and announced in a gloomy speech that America was in a crisis.
He identified that as an energy crisis and declared: "Energy will be the immediate test of our ability to unite this nation."
He set all kinds of hopelessly unrealistic targets (not importing more oil than in 1979 for one; generating 20% of power from solar energy by 2000 for another) to reduce American dependence on oil.
Of course this all simply boomeranged on Mr Carter. Americans did not like to be told it was all their fault and at the time did not like being told to tighten their belts.
It wasn't that hard for Ronald Reagan to come along and give them their confidence back.
George Bush is not going to make the same mistake that Jimmy Carter made.
If he has gone green, it is perhaps a lighter shade of green.
Paul.Reynolds-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
President Bush's State of the Union speech might well be remembered for his phrase that "America is addicted to oil".
Bush speech on TV in Tokyo: is world climate change his issue?
The rest of it, apart perhaps from a call on Iranians to get rid of their "small clerical elite", was a reiteration of the themes on which his presidency stands or falls.
He gave not an inch on Iraq nor on his intention to "act boldly in freedom's cause" (nor on his wiretapping without warrants).
One would expect that. They are the bedrock of his policy.
On all those policies, especially the foreign ones, he was defiant if at times somewhat defensive. His rallying call on Iraq, for example, was to say: "Fellow citizens, we are in this fight to win and we are winning." This, three years after war was first waged.
Oil addiction
His section on energy indicates that he is having to respond to the green lobby, which has been growing fast at a local and state level in the United States. (Update: one reader also suggests that he might be reacting to higher energy prices).
His answer, as it has been from the start of this whole debate in fact, is to rely on science.
"The best way to break this addiction is through technology," he said.
He proposed to spend more on clean energy research - on zero-emission coal fired stations, ethanol fuel from such things as "wood chips and stalk, or switch grass", "revolutionary solar and wind technologies" and, importantly in view of the worldwide debate on this, "clean, safe nuclear energy."
It is worth noting, however, that he put energy in its place. He mentioned the need to detox from oil only as the sixth on a list of seven measures the United States had to take to stay "competitive."
The preceding five were "keeping our economy growing", being "good stewards of tax dollars", opening "more markets for all that Americans make and grow", sorting out an "immigration system" and providing "affordable health care".
The seventh was a plan to improve science and technology education.
Climate change not the motive
And he did not mention climate change as the overriding concern behind energy policies.
George Bush is not going to make the same mistake that Jimmy Carter made
Q&A: Dependence on foreign oil
Those words, like the bark of the dog in the night in the Sherlock Holmes story of the stolen racehorse, are not in the speech.
Nor are the words "greenhouse gases." The nearest he came to a climate reference was when he outlined one benefit of cleaner energy.
"This country can dramatically improve our environment," he declared.
So the benefit is for the US not necessarily the world, though the world, of course, would also benefit.
And the breaking of the oil addiction was also seen a foreign policy goal.
He proposed replacing "more than 75% of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025", making "our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past." Applause followed.
The goal is not quite as ambitious as it might sound. These days the US gets more oil and petroleum products from Venezuela, Mexico and Canada than it does from the Middle East.
The Jimmy Carter experience
Mr Bush does not like targets and in this he might well have been mindful of the disastrous speech on energy made by President Jimmy Carter back in 1979.
At the time, Mr Carter was, like Mr Bush, rather down in the polls.
On returning from a trip abroad, he went up to Camp David, the president's retreat in the Catoctin Mountains north of Washington, and did not come down for a week.
Instead, a whole series of leaders from across the field of American endeavour went up the mountain to see him.
He then came down and announced in a gloomy speech that America was in a crisis.
He identified that as an energy crisis and declared: "Energy will be the immediate test of our ability to unite this nation."
He set all kinds of hopelessly unrealistic targets (not importing more oil than in 1979 for one; generating 20% of power from solar energy by 2000 for another) to reduce American dependence on oil.
Of course this all simply boomeranged on Mr Carter. Americans did not like to be told it was all their fault and at the time did not like being told to tighten their belts.
It wasn't that hard for Ronald Reagan to come along and give them their confidence back.
George Bush is not going to make the same mistake that Jimmy Carter made.
If he has gone green, it is perhaps a lighter shade of green.
Paul.Reynolds-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
BBC NEWS Americas Renewable energy close, Bush says
President Bush has said alternative fuels to compete with petrol could be produced within six years.
Speaking in Nashville, Mr Bush said that scientists were close to a breakthrough on making ethanol from materials such as grasses.
Technology, he hoped, would help the US "reduce if not end" reliance on Middle Eastern oil in his lifetime.
In his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, Mr Bush criticised the US "addiction" to oil.
"The best way to break this addiction is through technology," he said.
Other Opec suppliers are Algeria, Libya, Nigeria and Venezuela
Other leading non-Opec suppliers include Angola, Russia and the Virgin Islands
On Wednesday President Bush set off on a tour of the United States to bring the messages in his State of the Union speech to all corners of the nation.
He told the Nashville audience that the US was close to a breakthrough in making ethanol from materials like grasses or woods.
"All of a sudden, you know, we may be in the energy business by being able to grow grass on the ranch! And have it harvested and converted into energy. That's what's close to happening," he said.
"We're told that if we continue to focus on research, we'll be able to within six years have a competitive fuel to gasoline."
The US is the world's biggest consumer of oil.
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
President Bush has said alternative fuels to compete with petrol could be produced within six years.
Speaking in Nashville, Mr Bush said that scientists were close to a breakthrough on making ethanol from materials such as grasses.
Technology, he hoped, would help the US "reduce if not end" reliance on Middle Eastern oil in his lifetime.
In his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, Mr Bush criticised the US "addiction" to oil.
"The best way to break this addiction is through technology," he said.
Other Opec suppliers are Algeria, Libya, Nigeria and Venezuela
Other leading non-Opec suppliers include Angola, Russia and the Virgin Islands
On Wednesday President Bush set off on a tour of the United States to bring the messages in his State of the Union speech to all corners of the nation.
He told the Nashville audience that the US was close to a breakthrough in making ethanol from materials like grasses or woods.
"All of a sudden, you know, we may be in the energy business by being able to grow grass on the ranch! And have it harvested and converted into energy. That's what's close to happening," he said.
"We're told that if we continue to focus on research, we'll be able to within six years have a competitive fuel to gasoline."
The US is the world's biggest consumer of oil.
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
PNG puts politics aside for gas project [ 31jan06 ]
THE Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare, has told a Townsville delegation he is confident the politics of government and industry can be overcome to develop the $6 billion PNG gas project.Sir Michael met with the delegation, led by Mayor Tony Mooney, in Port Moresby yesterday.
"We may be politicians," he told Cr Mooney, "but we know also that industry have their own politics too."
"You can be rest assured we are quite confident.
"We hope we can pull it together and make it work for the betterment of both countries."
A consortium led by ExxonMobil but also including the PNG Government is backing development of gas fields in the country's remote Southern Highlands to supply markets, including Townsville, in eastern Australia via a PNG to Queensland pipeline.
Pipelines are to be built from PNG across the Torres Strait along the east coast of Queensland to Gladstone with lateral pipes to run from Weipa across the Gulf of Carpentaria to Gove in the Northern Territory and from Keelbottom Creek north of Townsville to Ballera in the State's southwest.
The gas fields are in the Hides and Kutubu oil fields up to 9000 feet above sea level which have been producing oil for export since 1993.
Representatives of gas corporation the Australian Gas Light Company (AGL), which has announced a $500 million investment in 10 per cent of the oil and gas fields and agreements as a major gas customer, have joined the Townsville delegation for a tour of oil and gas plant and infrastructure.
AGL spokesman Dean Russell told the meeting with Sir Michael that the gas project remained on track with final engineering design to be completed by the first quarter of this year and a decision on whether to go ahead with the project to be made in the third quarter of this year.
Mr Russell said the Queensland Government's decision last week to grant special status to the Ballera lateral pipe was a significant step.
"That will link PNG gas into the Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane markets," he said.
"That's a very significant step for us."
Mr Russell said AGL had decided to split the company with the infrastructure business owning and operating the pipeline and the energy business owning the gas and power stations in Townsville and other areas.
AGL plans to build a $350 million 370 megawatt power station at Townsville to be commissioned in 2009 when PNG gas comes on stream.
Cr Mooney told Sir Michael the delegation had received positive feedback about the project which it would take back to Townsville.
"We have to keep on lobbying the State and Federal Governments to make sure there are no barriers," Cr Mooney said, to which Sir Michael replied:"I think the State Government is okay, you have to lobby hard the Federal Government, the big one."
Feedback
W
THE Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare, has told a Townsville delegation he is confident the politics of government and industry can be overcome to develop the $6 billion PNG gas project.Sir Michael met with the delegation, led by Mayor Tony Mooney, in Port Moresby yesterday.
"We may be politicians," he told Cr Mooney, "but we know also that industry have their own politics too."
"You can be rest assured we are quite confident.
"We hope we can pull it together and make it work for the betterment of both countries."
A consortium led by ExxonMobil but also including the PNG Government is backing development of gas fields in the country's remote Southern Highlands to supply markets, including Townsville, in eastern Australia via a PNG to Queensland pipeline.
Pipelines are to be built from PNG across the Torres Strait along the east coast of Queensland to Gladstone with lateral pipes to run from Weipa across the Gulf of Carpentaria to Gove in the Northern Territory and from Keelbottom Creek north of Townsville to Ballera in the State's southwest.
The gas fields are in the Hides and Kutubu oil fields up to 9000 feet above sea level which have been producing oil for export since 1993.
Representatives of gas corporation the Australian Gas Light Company (AGL), which has announced a $500 million investment in 10 per cent of the oil and gas fields and agreements as a major gas customer, have joined the Townsville delegation for a tour of oil and gas plant and infrastructure.
AGL spokesman Dean Russell told the meeting with Sir Michael that the gas project remained on track with final engineering design to be completed by the first quarter of this year and a decision on whether to go ahead with the project to be made in the third quarter of this year.
Mr Russell said the Queensland Government's decision last week to grant special status to the Ballera lateral pipe was a significant step.
"That will link PNG gas into the Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane markets," he said.
"That's a very significant step for us."
Mr Russell said AGL had decided to split the company with the infrastructure business owning and operating the pipeline and the energy business owning the gas and power stations in Townsville and other areas.
AGL plans to build a $350 million 370 megawatt power station at Townsville to be commissioned in 2009 when PNG gas comes on stream.
Cr Mooney told Sir Michael the delegation had received positive feedback about the project which it would take back to Townsville.
"We have to keep on lobbying the State and Federal Governments to make sure there are no barriers," Cr Mooney said, to which Sir Michael replied:"I think the State Government is okay, you have to lobby hard the Federal Government, the big one."
Feedback
W
CSIRO backs coal-friendly technologies - Breaking News - National - Breaking News
Australia's primary scientific organisation has come out in support of the federal government's coal-friendly technologies, moving away from renewable energy research.
The CSIRO said it would focus $90 million in resources on low-emission projects such as carbon sequestration instead of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
But jobs will be shed from its current workforce of 6,500 and cuts will also be made to the organisation's traditional research areas of manufacturing and agriculture, The Australian newspaper reports.
Opposition science spokeswoman Jenny Macklin said Australia had the world's highest greenhouse gas emissions per capita.
"But the CSIRO doesn't seem to care about renewable energy research," Ms Macklin said.
But CSIRO chief Geoff Garrett said industry and consumers depended heavily on coal to fire electricity and that was unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.
He also defended the organisation's industry partnerships, saying they were pivotal.
"The key point is making great science and great research accessible to Joe Public," Dr Garrett said.
© 2006 AAP
Australia's primary scientific organisation has come out in support of the federal government's coal-friendly technologies, moving away from renewable energy research.
The CSIRO said it would focus $90 million in resources on low-emission projects such as carbon sequestration instead of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
But jobs will be shed from its current workforce of 6,500 and cuts will also be made to the organisation's traditional research areas of manufacturing and agriculture, The Australian newspaper reports.
Opposition science spokeswoman Jenny Macklin said Australia had the world's highest greenhouse gas emissions per capita.
"But the CSIRO doesn't seem to care about renewable energy research," Ms Macklin said.
But CSIRO chief Geoff Garrett said industry and consumers depended heavily on coal to fire electricity and that was unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.
He also defended the organisation's industry partnerships, saying they were pivotal.
"The key point is making great science and great research accessible to Joe Public," Dr Garrett said.
© 2006 AAP
State Of The Union: The Advanced Energy Initiative
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- In His State Of The Union Address,President Bush Outlined The Advanced Energy Initiative To Help Break America'sDependence On Foreign Sources Of Energy. The President has set a nationalgoal of replacing more than 75% of our oil imports from the Middle East by2025. With America on the verge of breakthroughs in advanced energytechnologies, the best way to break the addiction to foreign oil is throughnew technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to developcleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources. Tonight, thePresident announced the Advanced Energy Initiative, which provides for a 22%increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy (DOE). TheInitiative will accelerate our breakthroughs in two vital areas; how we powerour homes and businesses; and how we power our automobiles. Changing The Way We Power Our Homes And Businesses The Administration Will Work To Diversify Energy Sources For AmericanHomes And Businesses. Accelerating research in clean coal technologies, cleanand safe nuclear energy, and revolutionary solar and wind technologies willreduce overall demand for natural gas and lead to lower energy costs. ThePresident's Advanced Energy Initiative proposes speeding up research in threepromising areas: -- The President's Coal Research Initiative. Coal provides more than halfof the Nation's electricity supply, and America has enough coal to last morethan 200 years. As part of the National Energy Policy, the Presidentcommitted $2 billion over 10 years to speed up research in the use of cleancoal technologies to generate electricity while meeting environmentalregulations at low cost. To tap the potential of America's enormous coalreserves, the President's 2007 Budget includes $281 million for development ofclean coal technologies, nearly completing the President's commitment 4 yearsahead of schedule. -- The President's 2007 Budget Includes $54 Million For The FutureGenInitiative. The FutureGen initiative is a partnership between government andthe private sector to develop innovative technologies for an emissions-freecoal plant that captures the carbon dioxide it produces and stores it in deepgeologic formations. -- The President's Solar America Initiative. The 2007 Budget will proposea new $148 million Solar America Initiative - an increase of $65 million overFY06 - to accelerate the development of semiconductor materials that convertsunlight directly to electricity. These solar photovoltaic "PV" cells can beused to deliver energy services to rural areas and can be incorporateddirectly into building materials, so that there can be future "zero energy"homes that produce more energy than they consume. -- Expanding Clean Energy from Wind. The 2007 Budget includes $44 millionfor wind energy research - a $5 million increase over FY06 levels. This willhelp improve the efficiency and lower the costs of new wind technologies foruse in low-speed wind environments. Combined with ongoing efforts to expandaccess to Federal lands for wind energy development, this new funding willhelp dramatically increase the use of wind energy in the United States. Changing The Way We Power Our Automobiles We Are On The Verge Of Dramatic Improvements In How We Power OurAutomobiles, And The President's Initiative Will Bring Those Improvements ToThe Forefront. The United States must move beyond a petroleum-based economyand develop new ways to power automobiles. The President wants to acceleratethe development of domestic, renewable alternatives to gasoline and dieselfuels. The Administration will accelerate research in cutting-edge methods ofproducing "cellulosic ethanol" with the goal of making the use of such ethanolpractical and competitive within 6 years. The Administration will also stepup the Nation's research in better batteries for use in hybrid and electriccars and in pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen. -- The Biorefinery Initiative. To achieve greater use of "homegrown"renewable fuels in the United States, advanced technologies need to beperfected to make fuel ethanol from cellulosic (plant fiber) biomass, which isnow discarded as waste. The President's 2007 Budget will include $150 million- a $59 million increase over FY06 - to help develop bio-based transportationfuels from agricultural waste products, such as wood chips, stalks, or switchgrass. Research scientists say that accelerating research into "cellulosicethanol" can make it cost-competitive by 2012, offering the potential todisplace up to 30% of the Nation's current fuel use. -- Developing More Efficient Vehicles. Current hybrids on the road run ona battery developed at the DOE. The President's plan would accelerateresearch in the next generation of battery technology for hybrid vehicles and"plug-in hybrids." Current hybrids can only use the gasoline engine to chargethe on-board battery. A "plug-in" hybrid can run either on electricity or ongasoline and can be plugged into the wall at night to recharge its batteries.These vehicles will enable drivers to meet most of their urban commuting needswith virtually no gasoline use. Advanced battery technologies offer thepotential to significantly reduce oil consumption in the near-term. The 2007Budget includes $30 million - a $6.7 million increase over FY06 - to speed upthe development of this battery technology and extend the range of thesevehicles. -- The Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. In his 2003 State of the Union address,President Bush announced a $1.2 billion Hydrogen Fuel Initiative to developtechnology for commercially viable hydrogen-powered fuel cells, which wouldpower cars, trucks, homes, and businesses with no pollution or greenhousegases. Through private-sector partnerships, the Initiative and relatedFreedomCAR programs will make it practical and cost-effective for Americans touse clean, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2020. The President's 2007 Budgetwill provide $289 million - an increase of $53 million over FY06 - toaccelerate the development of hydrogen fuel cells and affordable hydrogen-powered cars. Through the President's program, the cost of a hydrogen fuelcell has been cut by more than 50% in just four years. -- America Must Act Now To Reduce Dependence On Foreign Sources Of Energy.There are an estimated 250 million vehicles on America's highways, andAmericans will purchase more than 17 million vehicles this year. It will takeapproximately 15 years to switch America's automobiles over to more fuelefficient technologies. The sooner breakthroughs are achieved, the better forAmerica. The President's Advanced Energy Initiative Will Build On The Progress Made Since 2001 Since 2001, The Administration Has Worked To Ensure Affordable, Reliable,Secure, And Clean Sources Of Energy. In 2001, the President put forward hisNational Energy Policy, which included over 100 recommendations to increasedomestic energy supplies, encourage efficiency and conservation, invest inenergy-related infrastructure, and develop alternative and renewable sourcesof energy. Over the past four years, the Administration has worked toimplement these recommendations and improve the Nation's energy outlook. Last Summer, The President Signed The First Comprehensive EnergyLegislation In Over A Decade. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 is strengtheningAmerica's electrical infrastructure, reducing the country's dependence onforeign sources of energy, increasing conservation, and expanding the use ofclean renewable energy.
SOURCE White House Press OfficeWeb Site: http://www.whitehouse.gov
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- In His State Of The Union Address,President Bush Outlined The Advanced Energy Initiative To Help Break America'sDependence On Foreign Sources Of Energy. The President has set a nationalgoal of replacing more than 75% of our oil imports from the Middle East by2025. With America on the verge of breakthroughs in advanced energytechnologies, the best way to break the addiction to foreign oil is throughnew technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to developcleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources. Tonight, thePresident announced the Advanced Energy Initiative, which provides for a 22%increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy (DOE). TheInitiative will accelerate our breakthroughs in two vital areas; how we powerour homes and businesses; and how we power our automobiles. Changing The Way We Power Our Homes And Businesses The Administration Will Work To Diversify Energy Sources For AmericanHomes And Businesses. Accelerating research in clean coal technologies, cleanand safe nuclear energy, and revolutionary solar and wind technologies willreduce overall demand for natural gas and lead to lower energy costs. ThePresident's Advanced Energy Initiative proposes speeding up research in threepromising areas: -- The President's Coal Research Initiative. Coal provides more than halfof the Nation's electricity supply, and America has enough coal to last morethan 200 years. As part of the National Energy Policy, the Presidentcommitted $2 billion over 10 years to speed up research in the use of cleancoal technologies to generate electricity while meeting environmentalregulations at low cost. To tap the potential of America's enormous coalreserves, the President's 2007 Budget includes $281 million for development ofclean coal technologies, nearly completing the President's commitment 4 yearsahead of schedule. -- The President's 2007 Budget Includes $54 Million For The FutureGenInitiative. The FutureGen initiative is a partnership between government andthe private sector to develop innovative technologies for an emissions-freecoal plant that captures the carbon dioxide it produces and stores it in deepgeologic formations. -- The President's Solar America Initiative. The 2007 Budget will proposea new $148 million Solar America Initiative - an increase of $65 million overFY06 - to accelerate the development of semiconductor materials that convertsunlight directly to electricity. These solar photovoltaic "PV" cells can beused to deliver energy services to rural areas and can be incorporateddirectly into building materials, so that there can be future "zero energy"homes that produce more energy than they consume. -- Expanding Clean Energy from Wind. The 2007 Budget includes $44 millionfor wind energy research - a $5 million increase over FY06 levels. This willhelp improve the efficiency and lower the costs of new wind technologies foruse in low-speed wind environments. Combined with ongoing efforts to expandaccess to Federal lands for wind energy development, this new funding willhelp dramatically increase the use of wind energy in the United States. Changing The Way We Power Our Automobiles We Are On The Verge Of Dramatic Improvements In How We Power OurAutomobiles, And The President's Initiative Will Bring Those Improvements ToThe Forefront. The United States must move beyond a petroleum-based economyand develop new ways to power automobiles. The President wants to acceleratethe development of domestic, renewable alternatives to gasoline and dieselfuels. The Administration will accelerate research in cutting-edge methods ofproducing "cellulosic ethanol" with the goal of making the use of such ethanolpractical and competitive within 6 years. The Administration will also stepup the Nation's research in better batteries for use in hybrid and electriccars and in pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen. -- The Biorefinery Initiative. To achieve greater use of "homegrown"renewable fuels in the United States, advanced technologies need to beperfected to make fuel ethanol from cellulosic (plant fiber) biomass, which isnow discarded as waste. The President's 2007 Budget will include $150 million- a $59 million increase over FY06 - to help develop bio-based transportationfuels from agricultural waste products, such as wood chips, stalks, or switchgrass. Research scientists say that accelerating research into "cellulosicethanol" can make it cost-competitive by 2012, offering the potential todisplace up to 30% of the Nation's current fuel use. -- Developing More Efficient Vehicles. Current hybrids on the road run ona battery developed at the DOE. The President's plan would accelerateresearch in the next generation of battery technology for hybrid vehicles and"plug-in hybrids." Current hybrids can only use the gasoline engine to chargethe on-board battery. A "plug-in" hybrid can run either on electricity or ongasoline and can be plugged into the wall at night to recharge its batteries.These vehicles will enable drivers to meet most of their urban commuting needswith virtually no gasoline use. Advanced battery technologies offer thepotential to significantly reduce oil consumption in the near-term. The 2007Budget includes $30 million - a $6.7 million increase over FY06 - to speed upthe development of this battery technology and extend the range of thesevehicles. -- The Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. In his 2003 State of the Union address,President Bush announced a $1.2 billion Hydrogen Fuel Initiative to developtechnology for commercially viable hydrogen-powered fuel cells, which wouldpower cars, trucks, homes, and businesses with no pollution or greenhousegases. Through private-sector partnerships, the Initiative and relatedFreedomCAR programs will make it practical and cost-effective for Americans touse clean, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2020. The President's 2007 Budgetwill provide $289 million - an increase of $53 million over FY06 - toaccelerate the development of hydrogen fuel cells and affordable hydrogen-powered cars. Through the President's program, the cost of a hydrogen fuelcell has been cut by more than 50% in just four years. -- America Must Act Now To Reduce Dependence On Foreign Sources Of Energy.There are an estimated 250 million vehicles on America's highways, andAmericans will purchase more than 17 million vehicles this year. It will takeapproximately 15 years to switch America's automobiles over to more fuelefficient technologies. The sooner breakthroughs are achieved, the better forAmerica. The President's Advanced Energy Initiative Will Build On The Progress Made Since 2001 Since 2001, The Administration Has Worked To Ensure Affordable, Reliable,Secure, And Clean Sources Of Energy. In 2001, the President put forward hisNational Energy Policy, which included over 100 recommendations to increasedomestic energy supplies, encourage efficiency and conservation, invest inenergy-related infrastructure, and develop alternative and renewable sourcesof energy. Over the past four years, the Administration has worked toimplement these recommendations and improve the Nation's energy outlook. Last Summer, The President Signed The First Comprehensive EnergyLegislation In Over A Decade. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 is strengtheningAmerica's electrical infrastructure, reducing the country's dependence onforeign sources of energy, increasing conservation, and expanding the use ofclean renewable energy.
SOURCE White House Press OfficeWeb Site: http://www.whitehouse.gov
State of the Union 2006: Dusting Off the Old Energy Policy
No doubt, President George W. Bush struggled to come up with something new on energy policy for his State of the Union address. After all, the massive 1,725 page Energy Policy Act of 2005 was passed only six months ago, and its wide-ranging provisions have just begun to be implemented. This energy bill contained a host of federal outlays, tax breaks, subsidies, and other inducements to encourage the development and use of alternative energy technologies and the upgrade of conventional ones. So rather than add something new, the President’s remarks on energy offered more of the same. Unfortunately, this is not a promising approach. Rather than expand government interference in energy markets and pick winners and losers from among emerging technologies, Washington should get out of the way and let market forces work. Streamlining energy regulations and removing federal restrictions on domestic energy production would have been a good place to start and should have been part of the speech.
Much of the energy focus in the speech was on America’s growing dependence on oil—especially oil from unreliable and unfriendly regimes. This is a legitimate concern, though the President‘s “addiction” rhetoric was excessive. The President’s solution is government-led research and development of petroleum alternatives that might one day meet the nation’s transportation needs. The favored technologies include hydrogen fuel cells and cellulosic ethanol. This type of research is nothing new. The federal government has spent billions on these efforts since the 1970s and made little progress. Invariably, the research reveals that these kinds of alternatives have serious problems of their own, such as costs that are often far higher than those of conventional fuels. Even after decades of research and development, commercial viability of alternative fuels remains elusive.
Oil remains the transportation fuel of choice, and nothing has yet to supplant it. That may change—and ongoing federal research could make a contribution—but the government’s research track record and the staying power of oil suggest caution in predicting the end of oil and the dawn of an age of alternative fuels.
The President outlined an approach on electricity that was much the same. He pledged to increase federal support for solar power, clean coal, and other generation options, though the history of such research is filled with many more disappointments than breakthroughs. Nonetheless, between the provisions in the energy bill and any policies that emerge from this State of the Union address, such research will be heavily subsidized for years to come.
In sum, Washington has never been good at picking winners and losers in technology markets, but it keeps on trying. The State of the Union address signaled that this approach still dominates.
America’s energy future is not an either/or proposition between current fuels and new ones. The research programs the President mentioned in his address will take at least a decade or two (at least) before anything useful results from them. Meanwhile, Americans will continue to be dependent on current fuels and technologies, and for transportation, that means petroleum. The age of oil will be with us for at least a while longer, and Washington has an obligation to ensure that oil is as affordable as market forces allow.
To that end, there is room for Congress to streamline or eliminate the regulations that make it harder to expand refineries and more expensive to refine oil into the many specialized gasoline blends required by law. Such unnecessary regulatory costs add to the energy prices that American consumers face. Congress should also pass legislation opening restricted areas in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and off America’s coasts to oil and natural gas exploration and drilling. Expanding domestic oil and gas production, flat in recent years in the face of rising demand, is a long-overdue measure.
Despite the President’s past support for such ideas, he chose not to mention them in this State of the Union address. Americans can only hope that this omission does not discourage Congress from moving forward with such pro-energy measures in 2006.
Ben Lieberman is Senior Policy Analyst in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.
No doubt, President George W. Bush struggled to come up with something new on energy policy for his State of the Union address. After all, the massive 1,725 page Energy Policy Act of 2005 was passed only six months ago, and its wide-ranging provisions have just begun to be implemented. This energy bill contained a host of federal outlays, tax breaks, subsidies, and other inducements to encourage the development and use of alternative energy technologies and the upgrade of conventional ones. So rather than add something new, the President’s remarks on energy offered more of the same. Unfortunately, this is not a promising approach. Rather than expand government interference in energy markets and pick winners and losers from among emerging technologies, Washington should get out of the way and let market forces work. Streamlining energy regulations and removing federal restrictions on domestic energy production would have been a good place to start and should have been part of the speech.
Much of the energy focus in the speech was on America’s growing dependence on oil—especially oil from unreliable and unfriendly regimes. This is a legitimate concern, though the President‘s “addiction” rhetoric was excessive. The President’s solution is government-led research and development of petroleum alternatives that might one day meet the nation’s transportation needs. The favored technologies include hydrogen fuel cells and cellulosic ethanol. This type of research is nothing new. The federal government has spent billions on these efforts since the 1970s and made little progress. Invariably, the research reveals that these kinds of alternatives have serious problems of their own, such as costs that are often far higher than those of conventional fuels. Even after decades of research and development, commercial viability of alternative fuels remains elusive.
Oil remains the transportation fuel of choice, and nothing has yet to supplant it. That may change—and ongoing federal research could make a contribution—but the government’s research track record and the staying power of oil suggest caution in predicting the end of oil and the dawn of an age of alternative fuels.
The President outlined an approach on electricity that was much the same. He pledged to increase federal support for solar power, clean coal, and other generation options, though the history of such research is filled with many more disappointments than breakthroughs. Nonetheless, between the provisions in the energy bill and any policies that emerge from this State of the Union address, such research will be heavily subsidized for years to come.
In sum, Washington has never been good at picking winners and losers in technology markets, but it keeps on trying. The State of the Union address signaled that this approach still dominates.
America’s energy future is not an either/or proposition between current fuels and new ones. The research programs the President mentioned in his address will take at least a decade or two (at least) before anything useful results from them. Meanwhile, Americans will continue to be dependent on current fuels and technologies, and for transportation, that means petroleum. The age of oil will be with us for at least a while longer, and Washington has an obligation to ensure that oil is as affordable as market forces allow.
To that end, there is room for Congress to streamline or eliminate the regulations that make it harder to expand refineries and more expensive to refine oil into the many specialized gasoline blends required by law. Such unnecessary regulatory costs add to the energy prices that American consumers face. Congress should also pass legislation opening restricted areas in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and off America’s coasts to oil and natural gas exploration and drilling. Expanding domestic oil and gas production, flat in recent years in the face of rising demand, is a long-overdue measure.
Despite the President’s past support for such ideas, he chose not to mention them in this State of the Union address. Americans can only hope that this omission does not discourage Congress from moving forward with such pro-energy measures in 2006.
Ben Lieberman is Senior Policy Analyst in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.
Grow with the flow: another LNG deal, 17 years on
AUSTRALIA's second export LNG (liquefied natural gas) project has commenced operations with the arrival of a carrier in Darwin to load the first cargo from ConocoPhillips's Wickham Point plant.
The Kotowaka Maru, a 125,000 cubic metre LNG carrier, is expected to leave within the next two days.
An LNG carrier will arrive at the load-out facility in Darwin every 7-10 days.
The first shipment from Darwin comes almost 17 years after Australia's first LNG exports from the NW Shelf gas project to Japan in 1989.
Since then, the project, now Australia's biggest resources development, has loaded more than 2000 cargoes.
The $2 billion Darwin LNG project - which includes the cost of the Wickham Point plant and the pipeline linking it to remote gas reservoirs - is the second phase of development for the ConocoPhillips-operated Bayu Undan gasfields in the Timor Sea, about 500km northwest of Darwin.
The Bayu Undan reservoirs are included in the Joint Petroleum Development Area administered by the Australian and East Timor Governments, which means 90 per cent of the government revenues from Bayu Undan go to the Timor Government. More than $US300 million has been provided to East Timor from Bayu Undan, by far the biggest contribution to the country's revenue.
Darwin LNG has contracts to supply Toyko Electric and Tokyo Gas with around 3 million tonnes of LNG a year for 17 years.
Santos, with 10.64 per cent, is the only direct Australian investor in the project, which was completed on budget and early. The the first shipment was originally scheduled to be loaded in March.
It will usually take 10-12 hours to load a ship in Darwin, although the initial cargo will take a little longer to meet the demands of final commissioning.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Clare Martin, who witnessed the early morning arrival of the Kotowaka Maru, said that the dream of making Darwin the second international gas hub in Australia had come true after years of hard work.
"This is as big as it gets. The first shipment of LNG marks a new stage of growth for our economy, which will see jobs for Territorians," she said.
The Wickham Point site has approval for the production of 10 million tonnes of LNG a year and ConocoPhillips is actively pursuing new gas supplies for an expansion.
AUSTRALIA's second export LNG (liquefied natural gas) project has commenced operations with the arrival of a carrier in Darwin to load the first cargo from ConocoPhillips's Wickham Point plant.
The Kotowaka Maru, a 125,000 cubic metre LNG carrier, is expected to leave within the next two days.
An LNG carrier will arrive at the load-out facility in Darwin every 7-10 days.
The first shipment from Darwin comes almost 17 years after Australia's first LNG exports from the NW Shelf gas project to Japan in 1989.
Since then, the project, now Australia's biggest resources development, has loaded more than 2000 cargoes.
The $2 billion Darwin LNG project - which includes the cost of the Wickham Point plant and the pipeline linking it to remote gas reservoirs - is the second phase of development for the ConocoPhillips-operated Bayu Undan gasfields in the Timor Sea, about 500km northwest of Darwin.
The Bayu Undan reservoirs are included in the Joint Petroleum Development Area administered by the Australian and East Timor Governments, which means 90 per cent of the government revenues from Bayu Undan go to the Timor Government. More than $US300 million has been provided to East Timor from Bayu Undan, by far the biggest contribution to the country's revenue.
Darwin LNG has contracts to supply Toyko Electric and Tokyo Gas with around 3 million tonnes of LNG a year for 17 years.
Santos, with 10.64 per cent, is the only direct Australian investor in the project, which was completed on budget and early. The the first shipment was originally scheduled to be loaded in March.
It will usually take 10-12 hours to load a ship in Darwin, although the initial cargo will take a little longer to meet the demands of final commissioning.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Clare Martin, who witnessed the early morning arrival of the Kotowaka Maru, said that the dream of making Darwin the second international gas hub in Australia had come true after years of hard work.
"This is as big as it gets. The first shipment of LNG marks a new stage of growth for our economy, which will see jobs for Territorians," she said.
The Wickham Point site has approval for the production of 10 million tonnes of LNG a year and ConocoPhillips is actively pursuing new gas supplies for an expansion.
Second power station planned for Collie. 01/02/2006. ABC News Online: "Another coal-fired power station for Collie in Western Australia has been given conditional approval by the State Government.
Griffin Energy wants to build the 200 megawatt power station next to its Bluewaters One plant, which is currently under construction.
The Government says the second plant can go ahead if several environmental conditions are met, including greenhouse gas offset programs.
Griffin Energy has not yet secured any customers for either power station.
Executive general manager Wayne Trumble says the deregulation of the energy market and the resources boom will create considerable demand for coal-fired energy.
'We're quite confident that there will be a demand in the marketplace that will need to be fulfilled, new industries in mining and mineral processing and competing directly for the existing loads that are within the market,' he said."
Griffin Energy wants to build the 200 megawatt power station next to its Bluewaters One plant, which is currently under construction.
The Government says the second plant can go ahead if several environmental conditions are met, including greenhouse gas offset programs.
Griffin Energy has not yet secured any customers for either power station.
Executive general manager Wayne Trumble says the deregulation of the energy market and the resources boom will create considerable demand for coal-fired energy.
'We're quite confident that there will be a demand in the marketplace that will need to be fulfilled, new industries in mining and mineral processing and competing directly for the existing loads that are within the market,' he said."
Russians ponder aluminium plant [February 02, 2006]: "GIANT Russian aluminium company Rusal is considering building a greenfields aluminium smelter in Queensland - and aims to power it through its own generating capacity.
Chief executive Alexander Bulygin said preliminary studies had found that Queensland's combination of coal and alumina supplies could allow a greenfields smelter investment that relied on low energy costs.
Speaking from Moscow last night, Mr Bulygin declined to specify the investment or the time frame.
But it is understood Rusal has already had extensive discussions with Queensland's electricity-generating companies and with the PNG Gas Project owners.
Rusal said that its plans were independent of another Russian-backed group, Aldoga, which had halted plans to build an aluminium smelter at Gladstone.
Mr Bulgyin spoke after the privately owned Rusal, the world's third-largest aluminium group, reported record earnings for 2005.
He said Rusal's 2005 sales increased by 12.8 per cent to $US6.1 billion ($8 billion) compared with $US5.4 billion in 2004.
Rusal, which was formed in 2000 from aluminium companies in Russia and the former Soviet Union, accounts for 75 per cent of Russian aluminium output and 10 per cent of world production.
Its investment in the world's largest alumina refinery, Queensland Alumina at Gladstone, is the biggest Russian investment in Australia.
Releasing Rusal's production and financial results for 2005, Mr Bulygin said measures taken by the Chinese Government to curb primary aluminium production growth, as well as significant power and raw material limitations, would impede China's development as a net exporter.
'Therefore, Rusal believes that all these facto"
Chief executive Alexander Bulygin said preliminary studies had found that Queensland's combination of coal and alumina supplies could allow a greenfields smelter investment that relied on low energy costs.
Speaking from Moscow last night, Mr Bulygin declined to specify the investment or the time frame.
But it is understood Rusal has already had extensive discussions with Queensland's electricity-generating companies and with the PNG Gas Project owners.
Rusal said that its plans were independent of another Russian-backed group, Aldoga, which had halted plans to build an aluminium smelter at Gladstone.
Mr Bulgyin spoke after the privately owned Rusal, the world's third-largest aluminium group, reported record earnings for 2005.
He said Rusal's 2005 sales increased by 12.8 per cent to $US6.1 billion ($8 billion) compared with $US5.4 billion in 2004.
Rusal, which was formed in 2000 from aluminium companies in Russia and the former Soviet Union, accounts for 75 per cent of Russian aluminium output and 10 per cent of world production.
Its investment in the world's largest alumina refinery, Queensland Alumina at Gladstone, is the biggest Russian investment in Australia.
Releasing Rusal's production and financial results for 2005, Mr Bulygin said measures taken by the Chinese Government to curb primary aluminium production growth, as well as significant power and raw material limitations, would impede China's development as a net exporter.
'Therefore, Rusal believes that all these facto"
Russians ponder aluminium plant< a>
GIANT Russian aluminium company Rusal is considering building a greenfields aluminium smelter in Queensland - and aims to power it through its own generating capacity.Chief executive Alexander Bulygin said preliminary studies had found that Queensland's combination of coal and alumina supplies could allow a greenfields smelter investment that relied on low energy costs.
Speaking from Moscow last night, Mr Bulygin declined to specify the investment or the time frame.
But it is understood Rusal has already had extensive discussions with Queensland's electricity-generating companies and with the PNG Gas Project owners.
Rusal said that its plans were independent of another Russian-backed group, Aldoga, which had halted plans to build an aluminium smelter at Gladstone.
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Mr Bulgyin spoke after the privately owned Rusal, the world's third-largest aluminium group, reported record earnings for 2005.
He said Rusal's 2005 sales increased by 12.8 per cent to $US6.1 billion ($8 billion) compared with $US5.4 billion in 2004.
Rusal, which was formed in 2000 from aluminium companies in Russia and the former Soviet Union, accounts for 75 per cent of Russian aluminium output and 10 per cent of world production.
Its investment in the world's largest alumina refinery, Queensland Alumina at Gladstone, is the biggest Russian investment in Australia.
Releasing Rusal's production and financial results for 2005, Mr Bulygin said measures taken by the Chinese Government to curb primary aluminium production growth, as well as significant power and raw material limitations, would impede China's development as a net exporter.
"Therefore, Rusal believes that all these factors will contribute to further aluminium price increases," he said.
"Over the year the company expects aluminium demand to rise at a rate of 7 per cent and aluminium prices to be sustained at $US2200 to $US2500 a tonne, with the possibility of reaching the level of $US2700 to $US2900 a tonne."
The company's total investment tripled from $US524 million in 2004 to $US1.4 billion in 2005.
Aluminium production was up 1.6 per cent on the year to 2.7 million tonnes of primary aluminium. Alumina production increased 25.7 per cent to 3.89 million tonnes.
Mr Bulygin said four main factors were influencing the world aluminium market.
These were energy prices, the high cost of new production capacity, further closures of unprofitable smelters in Europe and the US, and aluminium production in China.
But he said the price of alumina was likely to fall this year from around $US500-550 a tonne and could be as low as $US350 a tonne in 2007.
Rusal is owned by one of Russia's so-called oligarchs, Oleg Deripaska, through his company Basic Element, Russia's largest asset management company for private equity funds.
GIANT Russian aluminium company Rusal is considering building a greenfields aluminium smelter in Queensland - and aims to power it through its own generating capacity.Chief executive Alexander Bulygin said preliminary studies had found that Queensland's combination of coal and alumina supplies could allow a greenfields smelter investment that relied on low energy costs.
Speaking from Moscow last night, Mr Bulygin declined to specify the investment or the time frame.
But it is understood Rusal has already had extensive discussions with Queensland's electricity-generating companies and with the PNG Gas Project owners.
Rusal said that its plans were independent of another Russian-backed group, Aldoga, which had halted plans to build an aluminium smelter at Gladstone.
');
document.write('');
// End Hide -->
Mr Bulgyin spoke after the privately owned Rusal, the world's third-largest aluminium group, reported record earnings for 2005.
He said Rusal's 2005 sales increased by 12.8 per cent to $US6.1 billion ($8 billion) compared with $US5.4 billion in 2004.
Rusal, which was formed in 2000 from aluminium companies in Russia and the former Soviet Union, accounts for 75 per cent of Russian aluminium output and 10 per cent of world production.
Its investment in the world's largest alumina refinery, Queensland Alumina at Gladstone, is the biggest Russian investment in Australia.
Releasing Rusal's production and financial results for 2005, Mr Bulygin said measures taken by the Chinese Government to curb primary aluminium production growth, as well as significant power and raw material limitations, would impede China's development as a net exporter.
"Therefore, Rusal believes that all these factors will contribute to further aluminium price increases," he said.
"Over the year the company expects aluminium demand to rise at a rate of 7 per cent and aluminium prices to be sustained at $US2200 to $US2500 a tonne, with the possibility of reaching the level of $US2700 to $US2900 a tonne."
The company's total investment tripled from $US524 million in 2004 to $US1.4 billion in 2005.
Aluminium production was up 1.6 per cent on the year to 2.7 million tonnes of primary aluminium. Alumina production increased 25.7 per cent to 3.89 million tonnes.
Mr Bulygin said four main factors were influencing the world aluminium market.
These were energy prices, the high cost of new production capacity, further closures of unprofitable smelters in Europe and the US, and aluminium production in China.
But he said the price of alumina was likely to fall this year from around $US500-550 a tonne and could be as low as $US350 a tonne in 2007.
Rusal is owned by one of Russia's so-called oligarchs, Oleg Deripaska, through his company Basic Element, Russia's largest asset management company for private equity funds.
Infratil subsidiary to buy Australia power station - 01 Feb 2006 - Business
Infratil Energy Australia, a subsidiary of infrastructure investor Infratil, has agreed to buy a 39 megawatt power station in South Australia.
Infratil Energy will buy the diesel-fired station, at Angaston, from Cummins Engine Company. Infratil said it had bought the plant for less than its replacement cost of about A$25 million ($28 million).
The deal is set for completion before the end of March.
Infratil Energy said it had also secured an off take contract, which gave the venture revenue certainty in the medium term.
The power station was commissioned in 2005 and provides backup generation during occasional periods of high electricity prices with its income coming from the sale of electricity price caps.
Infratil Energy Australia chief executive Darryl Flukes said the company was pleased to have bought its first Australian generation asset.
"Over the medium term this investment will be very complementary to Infratil's growing Australian energy retailing ventures."
Infratil Energy Australia undertakes all wholesale gas and electricity purchasing for Infratil's Australian electricity retailing ventures, Victoria Electricity Limited and South Australia Electricity Limited.
Shares in Infratil were down 2c at $3.83 this afternoon, having ranged between $3.23 and $4.15 during the past 12 months.
- NZPA
Infratil Energy Australia, a subsidiary of infrastructure investor Infratil, has agreed to buy a 39 megawatt power station in South Australia.
Infratil Energy will buy the diesel-fired station, at Angaston, from Cummins Engine Company. Infratil said it had bought the plant for less than its replacement cost of about A$25 million ($28 million).
The deal is set for completion before the end of March.
Infratil Energy said it had also secured an off take contract, which gave the venture revenue certainty in the medium term.
The power station was commissioned in 2005 and provides backup generation during occasional periods of high electricity prices with its income coming from the sale of electricity price caps.
Infratil Energy Australia chief executive Darryl Flukes said the company was pleased to have bought its first Australian generation asset.
"Over the medium term this investment will be very complementary to Infratil's growing Australian energy retailing ventures."
Infratil Energy Australia undertakes all wholesale gas and electricity purchasing for Infratil's Australian electricity retailing ventures, Victoria Electricity Limited and South Australia Electricity Limited.
Shares in Infratil were down 2c at $3.83 this afternoon, having ranged between $3.23 and $4.15 during the past 12 months.
- NZPA
$6m gas deal claimed [02feb06]
SANTOS has committed to buying into AGL's $6 billion gas pipeline project according to Papua New Guinea's Energy Minister, but Santos is remaining tightlipped.
At a reception for Townsville's civic leaders in Port Moresby on Friday, PNG Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister, Sir Moi Avei, said Santos's involvement was a done deal.
Speaking to the Herald Sun, Sir Moi confirmed Australia's third largest oil and gas company had committed to the project.
"I know we have finalised a deal with Santos, which is now subject to endorsement by their board," Sir Moi said.
"When you put together the other customers, AGL, QAL, Comalco, CS Energy, and Alcan we have gone past the threshold volumes that the project needs."
Santos spokeswoman Kathryn Mitchell was sticking to the script yesterday, saying while the company had made no secret it was in talks with the participants about Santos's potential role, any announcement would be made through the stock exchange.
Shaw Stockbroking resources analyst John Colnan said the pipeline was just one of a number of issues Santos was working through.
"Santos is currently in negotiations with AGL re gas pricing," Mr Colnan said.
"Santos is seeking higher prices and AGL is seeking to pay a lower price for gas coming out of the Cooper Basin.
"If Santos jumps into the PNG project right now . . . then what they're attempting to do with one hand they might be cutting off with the other.
"I believe Santos want to resolve a number of issues before attempting to unlock the PNG gas."
Mr Colnan said he believed Santos would at least wait until the true capital cost of the project was released towards the end of April, before committing.
AGL last month brought forward its $543 million investment in the pipeline project by six months.
The project, which would include a 3000km pipeline from the PNG highlands to Australia, is likely to ge given the go-ahead later this year, with Townsville the likely beachhead for the Australian end of the pipeline.
Also yesterday, the Santos-operated Casino gas field began production, two months ahead of schedule. The field, off the Victorian coast, has delivered its first gas.
It is the second large Santos project to come online ahead of schedule within nine months, following the Mutineer-Exeter oil field starting production in April last year, three months ahead of schedule.
Santos shares yesterday finished at a record closing high of $13.47, up 37c.
SANTOS has committed to buying into AGL's $6 billion gas pipeline project according to Papua New Guinea's Energy Minister, but Santos is remaining tightlipped.
At a reception for Townsville's civic leaders in Port Moresby on Friday, PNG Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister, Sir Moi Avei, said Santos's involvement was a done deal.
Speaking to the Herald Sun, Sir Moi confirmed Australia's third largest oil and gas company had committed to the project.
"I know we have finalised a deal with Santos, which is now subject to endorsement by their board," Sir Moi said.
"When you put together the other customers, AGL, QAL, Comalco, CS Energy, and Alcan we have gone past the threshold volumes that the project needs."
Santos spokeswoman Kathryn Mitchell was sticking to the script yesterday, saying while the company had made no secret it was in talks with the participants about Santos's potential role, any announcement would be made through the stock exchange.
Shaw Stockbroking resources analyst John Colnan said the pipeline was just one of a number of issues Santos was working through.
"Santos is currently in negotiations with AGL re gas pricing," Mr Colnan said.
"Santos is seeking higher prices and AGL is seeking to pay a lower price for gas coming out of the Cooper Basin.
"If Santos jumps into the PNG project right now . . . then what they're attempting to do with one hand they might be cutting off with the other.
"I believe Santos want to resolve a number of issues before attempting to unlock the PNG gas."
Mr Colnan said he believed Santos would at least wait until the true capital cost of the project was released towards the end of April, before committing.
AGL last month brought forward its $543 million investment in the pipeline project by six months.
The project, which would include a 3000km pipeline from the PNG highlands to Australia, is likely to ge given the go-ahead later this year, with Townsville the likely beachhead for the Australian end of the pipeline.
Also yesterday, the Santos-operated Casino gas field began production, two months ahead of schedule. The field, off the Victorian coast, has delivered its first gas.
It is the second large Santos project to come online ahead of schedule within nine months, following the Mutineer-Exeter oil field starting production in April last year, three months ahead of schedule.
Santos shares yesterday finished at a record closing high of $13.47, up 37c.
BHP will sell its coal seam gas resources [February 02, 2006]
AUSTRALIA'S emerging coal seam gas sector is under renewed investor spotlight as mining giant BHP Billiton seeks indicative bids for its global coal seam gas assets.
Origin Energy, which yesterday agreed to pay $70 million for the Argyle coal seam gas project in Queensland, is showing interest in the BHP assets, along with Santos and AGL, which have also made investments in coal seam gas.
BHP trail-blazed the development of tapping coal seam gas as a power source in Australia. Its major asset is its equal joint venture with CH4 in the Moranbah project in Queensland, the country's largest single coal seam gas project.
Shares in CH4, which is 47 per cent owned by Macquarie Bank, gained 5c, or 3.6 per cent yesterday, to $1.43, valuing the company at $145 million.
Moranbah powers Entertrade's Townsville power station, which in turn powers BHP's Yabulu nickel refinery.
BHP is also seeking buyers for its offshore coal seam gas assets, which are believed to be focused on Illinois in the US, and in China.
A BHP spokeswoman declined to confirm rumours that it was managing a sales process, but interested bidders said BHP wanted to expedite the sale with the aim of completing it before the end of the month.
The planned sale of BHP's coal seam gas assets was no surprise to analysts who said the business was too small in scale and too dispersed to be a core development for the global miner.
However, the CH4 joint venture will be attractive to major energy companies looking to capitalise on rising power demand in Queensland and NSW.
Last month consultant Core Collaborative and Energy Quest said coal seam gas could be supplying 35 per cent of eastern Australia's energy needs within the next 10 years.
About $1.5 billion has been ploughed into the sector in the past five years. Last year Santos raised eyebrows by paying $612 million for a majority stake in the Fairview coal seam gas project in Queensland through a merger with US-based Tipperary Oil.
Wilson HTM analyst Andrew Pedder said coal seam gas was well placed to fill a looming gas supply gap on the east coast from 2010. He said coal seam gas was likely to be able to compete with the $US2.7 billion PNG-to-Queensland gas pipeline project championed by Oil Search and ExxonMobil. First gas from the pipeline, which comes from PNG, is expected from 2009.
Australia boasts 3600 petajoules of proven and probable reserves of coal seam gas, equivalent to about 600 million barrels of oil.
The US sources about 7 per cent of its natural gas output from coal seams.
At Argyle, Origin is acquiring a project next to its own Talinga project in the southeast of Queensland. Argyle has 117 petajoules of reserves and has already contracted to supply 3 petajoules a year to fertiliser giant Incitec Pivot from late 2007. Origin has acquired Argyle from Pangaea Oil & Gas.
AUSTRALIA'S emerging coal seam gas sector is under renewed investor spotlight as mining giant BHP Billiton seeks indicative bids for its global coal seam gas assets.
Origin Energy, which yesterday agreed to pay $70 million for the Argyle coal seam gas project in Queensland, is showing interest in the BHP assets, along with Santos and AGL, which have also made investments in coal seam gas.
BHP trail-blazed the development of tapping coal seam gas as a power source in Australia. Its major asset is its equal joint venture with CH4 in the Moranbah project in Queensland, the country's largest single coal seam gas project.
Shares in CH4, which is 47 per cent owned by Macquarie Bank, gained 5c, or 3.6 per cent yesterday, to $1.43, valuing the company at $145 million.
Moranbah powers Entertrade's Townsville power station, which in turn powers BHP's Yabulu nickel refinery.
BHP is also seeking buyers for its offshore coal seam gas assets, which are believed to be focused on Illinois in the US, and in China.
A BHP spokeswoman declined to confirm rumours that it was managing a sales process, but interested bidders said BHP wanted to expedite the sale with the aim of completing it before the end of the month.
The planned sale of BHP's coal seam gas assets was no surprise to analysts who said the business was too small in scale and too dispersed to be a core development for the global miner.
However, the CH4 joint venture will be attractive to major energy companies looking to capitalise on rising power demand in Queensland and NSW.
Last month consultant Core Collaborative and Energy Quest said coal seam gas could be supplying 35 per cent of eastern Australia's energy needs within the next 10 years.
About $1.5 billion has been ploughed into the sector in the past five years. Last year Santos raised eyebrows by paying $612 million for a majority stake in the Fairview coal seam gas project in Queensland through a merger with US-based Tipperary Oil.
Wilson HTM analyst Andrew Pedder said coal seam gas was well placed to fill a looming gas supply gap on the east coast from 2010. He said coal seam gas was likely to be able to compete with the $US2.7 billion PNG-to-Queensland gas pipeline project championed by Oil Search and ExxonMobil. First gas from the pipeline, which comes from PNG, is expected from 2009.
Australia boasts 3600 petajoules of proven and probable reserves of coal seam gas, equivalent to about 600 million barrels of oil.
The US sources about 7 per cent of its natural gas output from coal seams.
At Argyle, Origin is acquiring a project next to its own Talinga project in the southeast of Queensland. Argyle has 117 petajoules of reserves and has already contracted to supply 3 petajoules a year to fertiliser giant Incitec Pivot from late 2007. Origin has acquired Argyle from Pangaea Oil & Gas.
Chevron wins block off northwest Australia
By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 1 -- Chevron Corp. subsidiary Chevron Australia Pty. Ltd. and partners have received exploration rights to Block W05-16 in the Carnarvon basin off northwest Australia.
The W05-16 permit covers 1,020 sq miles. The Carnarvon basin includes the North West Shelf and Greater Gorgon area. The new acreage is adjacent to the gas fields of the Gorgon project.
The 3-year work program for the permit area includes geotechnical studies, 1,500 miles of 2D seismic data reprocessing, a 695 sq mile 3D seismic survey, and the drilling of two exploration wells. Seismic work will begin this year. There is potential for another 3-year work program, Chevron said.
Chevron will operate the block and hold a 50% interest. Shell Development Australia and ExxonMobil Corp. each will hold a 25% interest
By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 1 -- Chevron Corp. subsidiary Chevron Australia Pty. Ltd. and partners have received exploration rights to Block W05-16 in the Carnarvon basin off northwest Australia.
The W05-16 permit covers 1,020 sq miles. The Carnarvon basin includes the North West Shelf and Greater Gorgon area. The new acreage is adjacent to the gas fields of the Gorgon project.
The 3-year work program for the permit area includes geotechnical studies, 1,500 miles of 2D seismic data reprocessing, a 695 sq mile 3D seismic survey, and the drilling of two exploration wells. Seismic work will begin this year. There is potential for another 3-year work program, Chevron said.
Chevron will operate the block and hold a 50% interest. Shell Development Australia and ExxonMobil Corp. each will hold a 25% interest
Bush energy initiative seeks to lower US oil imports
Nick SnowWashington Correspondent
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 1 -- US President George W. Bush announced an advanced energy initiative aimed at reducing US dependence on imported oil in his state of the union address Jan. 31.
But two congressional Republican energy leaders quickly pointed out that it overlooked potential contributions from the country's substantial oil shale deposits.
The initiative includes a 22% increase in clean energy research at the Department of Energy aimed at improving production of electricity and changing "how we power our automobiles," the president said.
"Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a problem. America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable areas of the world," Bush said. "The best way to break this addition is through technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner, cheaper and more reliable alternative energy sources. And we are on the threshold of incredible advances."
For transportation, Bush said, the federal government would accelerate research on improving batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles and production of ethanol from switch grass and wood chips or stalks as well as corn.
"Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol competitive and practical within 6 years," the president said. "Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal—to replace more than 75% of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025."
Through "talent and technology," he said, the US can "move beyond a petroleum-based economy and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past."
Early reactionsAmong early reactions, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) applauded Bush's pledge to accelerate alternative transportation fuel research but added that oil shale also could play a significant part.
"This is a sharp departure from past speeches," Domenici said. "Traditionalists may be disappointed that oil and gas weren't the centerpieces of his energy remarks, but the president is absolutely right to map out an expanded strategy in alternative energy."
He emphasized that the United States would not replace foreign oil soon but said that Bush is moving the country in the right direction.
"However, in order to achieve his goal of reducing our reliance on Middle East oil by 75% in the next 20 years, I do think we have to focus our ingenuity on extracting oil from our own abundant resources such as oil shale," Domenici said. "A push into oil shale research can complement our alternative fuel research and make the president's goal a reality."
But the ranking minority member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee was less impressed. "President Bush once again says all the right things about energy and the environment, but his 5-year record demonstrates something very different," said Sen. James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.). "He spoke again tonight about reducing our nation's dependence on foreign oil, but his policies have done little to achieve that goal. Our nation is now more dependent on foreign oil than ever before."
Growing competitionIn the House, Resources Committee Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-Calif.) said Bush's plan is visionary and comes as countries around the world grow more economically competitive.
"These countries, like China and India, know that energy is the lifeblood of a strong economy. And because of this increased global demand for energy, our country remains in an energy crisis that hurts American families and businesses," he said.
The US won't remain economically competitive if businesses leave because energy prices are too high, Pombo warned.
"We must treat this problem with a combination of new and diverse energy sources, increased American energy production and more energy conservation," he said.
In addition to increased alternative energy and clean-coal research, more ethanol production, and accelerated conservation, Pombo said, Congress must "use the world's strictest environmental regulations" to tap energy resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The United States also needs to produce more of its conventional energy such as oil and gas and recover petroleum from shale deposits, he said.
"It would be irresponsible to pretend we won't need traditional fossil fuels in the near future as we transition to alternative sources," Pombo said.
Contact Nick Snow at nsnow@cox.net.
Nick SnowWashington Correspondent
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 1 -- US President George W. Bush announced an advanced energy initiative aimed at reducing US dependence on imported oil in his state of the union address Jan. 31.
But two congressional Republican energy leaders quickly pointed out that it overlooked potential contributions from the country's substantial oil shale deposits.
The initiative includes a 22% increase in clean energy research at the Department of Energy aimed at improving production of electricity and changing "how we power our automobiles," the president said.
"Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a problem. America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable areas of the world," Bush said. "The best way to break this addition is through technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner, cheaper and more reliable alternative energy sources. And we are on the threshold of incredible advances."
For transportation, Bush said, the federal government would accelerate research on improving batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles and production of ethanol from switch grass and wood chips or stalks as well as corn.
"Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol competitive and practical within 6 years," the president said. "Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal—to replace more than 75% of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025."
Through "talent and technology," he said, the US can "move beyond a petroleum-based economy and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past."
Early reactionsAmong early reactions, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) applauded Bush's pledge to accelerate alternative transportation fuel research but added that oil shale also could play a significant part.
"This is a sharp departure from past speeches," Domenici said. "Traditionalists may be disappointed that oil and gas weren't the centerpieces of his energy remarks, but the president is absolutely right to map out an expanded strategy in alternative energy."
He emphasized that the United States would not replace foreign oil soon but said that Bush is moving the country in the right direction.
"However, in order to achieve his goal of reducing our reliance on Middle East oil by 75% in the next 20 years, I do think we have to focus our ingenuity on extracting oil from our own abundant resources such as oil shale," Domenici said. "A push into oil shale research can complement our alternative fuel research and make the president's goal a reality."
But the ranking minority member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee was less impressed. "President Bush once again says all the right things about energy and the environment, but his 5-year record demonstrates something very different," said Sen. James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.). "He spoke again tonight about reducing our nation's dependence on foreign oil, but his policies have done little to achieve that goal. Our nation is now more dependent on foreign oil than ever before."
Growing competitionIn the House, Resources Committee Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-Calif.) said Bush's plan is visionary and comes as countries around the world grow more economically competitive.
"These countries, like China and India, know that energy is the lifeblood of a strong economy. And because of this increased global demand for energy, our country remains in an energy crisis that hurts American families and businesses," he said.
The US won't remain economically competitive if businesses leave because energy prices are too high, Pombo warned.
"We must treat this problem with a combination of new and diverse energy sources, increased American energy production and more energy conservation," he said.
In addition to increased alternative energy and clean-coal research, more ethanol production, and accelerated conservation, Pombo said, Congress must "use the world's strictest environmental regulations" to tap energy resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The United States also needs to produce more of its conventional energy such as oil and gas and recover petroleum from shale deposits, he said.
"It would be irresponsible to pretend we won't need traditional fossil fuels in the near future as we transition to alternative sources," Pombo said.
Contact Nick Snow at nsnow@cox.net.
GM May Reinvest in Maryland
Factory Would Build Components for Hybrid Vehicles
By Sholnn Freeman and Amy JoyceWashington Post Staff WritersWednesday, February 1, 2006; Page D02
General Motors Corp. chairman and chief executive G. Richard Wagoner Jr. is expected to announce today that a transmission plant in White Marsh, Md., will build components for gas-saving hybrid vehicles, according to sources familiar with the plan.
GM would say only it is planning a "production investment" in the plant but would not say if it involves hybrid technology, how much money would be spent or how many jobs could be added. The sources, who did not want to preempt the official company announcement, spoke on the condition they not be named.
GM chief G. Richard Wagoner Jr. is expected to make an announcement today about a plant in White Marsh, Md. (By Pat Sullivan -- Associated Press)
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technorati.article = new item('GM May Reinvest in Maryland','http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/31/AR2006013101595.html','General Motors Corp. chairman and chief executive G. Richard Wagoner Jr. is expected to announce today that a transmission plant in White Marsh, Md., will build components for gas-saving hybrid vehicles, according to sources familiar with the plan.','Sholnn Freeman and Amy Joyce') ;
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The plant employs about 440 workers, including 372 hourly employees represented by the United Auto Workers union. The plant builds Allison Series 1000 automatic transmissions for certain heavy-duty trucks, including the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. The transmission plant, which opened in 2000, is the only remaining piece of GM's scaled-down operations in the state.
Last year, GM closed its Baltimore assembly plant, which had built vans, including the Chevrolet Astro and the GMC Safari, since the 1980s. The assembly plant employed about 1,100 workers when GM ended production there in May. At its peak, the Baltimore van assembly plant employed 7,000 GM workers.
A GM spokesman said some of the workers have retired or moved out of the region for other GM jobs. Under terms of the UAW contract, workers laid off from the closure of the assembly plant are eligible for any new GM manufacturing job openings.
GM is reeling from an $8.56 billion loss reported last week. GM and Ford Motor Co. are in the midst of significant restructuring that will lead to cutting as many as 60,000 jobs and shuttering all or part of 26 plants across the nation. The automakers have been struggling against eroding market share, slowing sport-utility vehicle sales and lackluster vehicle introductions. The automakers have also complained of the escalating cost of health care and trouble managing high fixed costs, such as the salaries and benefits of UAW workers.
In the hybrid vehicle race, GM is playing catch-up to Toyota Motor Corp., the market leader. Toyota started with the Prius, a big hit so far in the U.S. market. Toyota also has hybrid versions of the Camry and Highlander. Toyota's Lexus brand has said it will build a sedan with a V-8 gas-electric hybrid engine, which is expected to be an industry first. Honda Motor Co. has three gas-electric hybrid passenger cars.
This spring, GM will begin selling the Saturn Vue Green Line SUV, which was displayed at last week's Washington Auto Show. The Vue will have a "mild hybrid" system, which is not as technologically advanced as competitors' models, but will make it the least expensive hybrid SUV at $23,000. GM says the Vue Green Line will get 20 percent better fuel economy than comparable non-hybrid Vue models.
GM has said it will have 12 hybrid models on the market by 2012, including its Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks and SUV models, such as the GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade. Advanced transmissions and batteries are key components in hybrid technology.
Ford is also pushing hybrid technology. Chairman William C. Ford Jr. has pledged that Ford will boost hybrid production tenfold to 250,000 cars and trucks per year by 2010. With the new commitment, Ford would offer the option of a gas-electric engine on more than half of its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models.
GM has not said how many hybrid vehicles it hopes to sell.
Factory Would Build Components for Hybrid Vehicles
By Sholnn Freeman and Amy JoyceWashington Post Staff WritersWednesday, February 1, 2006; Page D02
General Motors Corp. chairman and chief executive G. Richard Wagoner Jr. is expected to announce today that a transmission plant in White Marsh, Md., will build components for gas-saving hybrid vehicles, according to sources familiar with the plan.
GM would say only it is planning a "production investment" in the plant but would not say if it involves hybrid technology, how much money would be spent or how many jobs could be added. The sources, who did not want to preempt the official company announcement, spoke on the condition they not be named.
GM chief G. Richard Wagoner Jr. is expected to make an announcement today about a plant in White Marsh, Md. (By Pat Sullivan -- Associated Press)
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The plant employs about 440 workers, including 372 hourly employees represented by the United Auto Workers union. The plant builds Allison Series 1000 automatic transmissions for certain heavy-duty trucks, including the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. The transmission plant, which opened in 2000, is the only remaining piece of GM's scaled-down operations in the state.
Last year, GM closed its Baltimore assembly plant, which had built vans, including the Chevrolet Astro and the GMC Safari, since the 1980s. The assembly plant employed about 1,100 workers when GM ended production there in May. At its peak, the Baltimore van assembly plant employed 7,000 GM workers.
A GM spokesman said some of the workers have retired or moved out of the region for other GM jobs. Under terms of the UAW contract, workers laid off from the closure of the assembly plant are eligible for any new GM manufacturing job openings.
GM is reeling from an $8.56 billion loss reported last week. GM and Ford Motor Co. are in the midst of significant restructuring that will lead to cutting as many as 60,000 jobs and shuttering all or part of 26 plants across the nation. The automakers have been struggling against eroding market share, slowing sport-utility vehicle sales and lackluster vehicle introductions. The automakers have also complained of the escalating cost of health care and trouble managing high fixed costs, such as the salaries and benefits of UAW workers.
In the hybrid vehicle race, GM is playing catch-up to Toyota Motor Corp., the market leader. Toyota started with the Prius, a big hit so far in the U.S. market. Toyota also has hybrid versions of the Camry and Highlander. Toyota's Lexus brand has said it will build a sedan with a V-8 gas-electric hybrid engine, which is expected to be an industry first. Honda Motor Co. has three gas-electric hybrid passenger cars.
This spring, GM will begin selling the Saturn Vue Green Line SUV, which was displayed at last week's Washington Auto Show. The Vue will have a "mild hybrid" system, which is not as technologically advanced as competitors' models, but will make it the least expensive hybrid SUV at $23,000. GM says the Vue Green Line will get 20 percent better fuel economy than comparable non-hybrid Vue models.
GM has said it will have 12 hybrid models on the market by 2012, including its Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks and SUV models, such as the GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade. Advanced transmissions and batteries are key components in hybrid technology.
Ford is also pushing hybrid technology. Chairman William C. Ford Jr. has pledged that Ford will boost hybrid production tenfold to 250,000 cars and trucks per year by 2010. With the new commitment, Ford would offer the option of a gas-electric engine on more than half of its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models.
GM has not said how many hybrid vehicles it hopes to sell.
FuelCell Energy Selected by Department of Energy to Advance High Temperature Polymer Exchange Membrane Technology for Power Generation Applications : "Company to Be Part of Energy Secretary Bodman's Five-Year, $119 Million Program to Advance Fuel Cell Development and Reduce America's Dependence on Foreign Oil
DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2006-- FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of efficient, ultra-clean electric power generation plants for commercial and industrial customers, today announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a five-year, $2.1 million cost-shared project to develop a high temperature membrane for low humidity operation of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, subject to final negotiation of an agreement. FuelCell Energy was awarded one of 12 competitively bid projects that will receive a total of $19 million in federal funding for polymer membrane research. The overall goal of this research is to advance membrane durability and extend shelf-life, while simultaneously bringing down its cost.
The project includes the development of a composite membrane for high temperature (120(degrees)C) PEM fuel cell operation. The composite membrane is intended to have the mechanical strength and water retention capability required for efficient operation and reduced system cost. Traditional PEM fuel cells operate at approximately 60(degrees)C to 80(degrees)C and operation at higher temperatures would reduce cost and increase efficiency. FuelCell Energy's high temperature experience from its carbonate and solid oxide fuel cell programs and the development of highly functionalized fuel cell membranes for phosphoric-acid and PEM fuel cells over the past 20 years make it uniquely qualified for this project.
The project award is part of a broader program announced on Jan. 24, 2006, by Energy "
DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2006-- FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of efficient, ultra-clean electric power generation plants for commercial and industrial customers, today announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a five-year, $2.1 million cost-shared project to develop a high temperature membrane for low humidity operation of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, subject to final negotiation of an agreement. FuelCell Energy was awarded one of 12 competitively bid projects that will receive a total of $19 million in federal funding for polymer membrane research. The overall goal of this research is to advance membrane durability and extend shelf-life, while simultaneously bringing down its cost.
The project includes the development of a composite membrane for high temperature (120(degrees)C) PEM fuel cell operation. The composite membrane is intended to have the mechanical strength and water retention capability required for efficient operation and reduced system cost. Traditional PEM fuel cells operate at approximately 60(degrees)C to 80(degrees)C and operation at higher temperatures would reduce cost and increase efficiency. FuelCell Energy's high temperature experience from its carbonate and solid oxide fuel cell programs and the development of highly functionalized fuel cell membranes for phosphoric-acid and PEM fuel cells over the past 20 years make it uniquely qualified for this project.
The project award is part of a broader program announced on Jan. 24, 2006, by Energy "
">FuelCell Energy Selected by Department of Energy to Advance High Temperature Polymer Exchange Membrane Technology for Power Generation Applications
Company to Be Part of Energy Secretary Bodman's Five-Year, $119 Million Program to Advance Fuel Cell Development and Reduce America's Dependence on Foreign Oil
DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2006-- FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of efficient, ultra-clean electric power generation plants for commercial and industrial customers, today announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a five-year, $2.1 million cost-shared project to develop a high temperature membrane for low humidity operation of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, subject to final negotiation of an agreement. FuelCell Energy was awarded one of 12 competitively bid projects that will receive a total of $19 million in federal funding for polymer membrane research. The overall goal of this research is to advance membrane durability and extend shelf-life, while simultaneously bringing down its cost.
The project includes the development of a composite membrane for high temperature (120(degrees)C) PEM fuel cell operation. The composite membrane is intended to have the mechanical strength and water retention capability required for efficient operation and reduced system cost. Traditional PEM fuel cells operate at approximately 60(degrees)C to 80(degrees)C and operation at higher temperatures would reduce cost and increase efficiency. FuelCell Energy's high temperature experience from its carbonate and solid oxide fuel cell programs and the development of highly functionalized fuel cell membranes for phosphoric-acid and PEM fuel cells over the past 20 years make it uniquely qualified for this project.
The project award is part of a broader program announced on Jan. 24, 2006, by Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman totaling $119 million in funding and including a roadmap aimed at identifying and overcoming the technical and manufacturing challenges associated with the further development of commercially available hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The DOE will provide $100 million over four years for additional research projects seeking to improve fuel cell membranes, water transport within the stack, advanced cathode catalysts and supports, cell hardware, innovative fuel cell concepts, and effects of impurities on fuel cell performance and durability.
"Investment in fuel cell and hydrogen research today will enable America to lead the world in developing clean, hydrogen powered automobiles that will reduce our dependence on imported oil," said Secretary Bodman. "This funding will help overcome the technical barriers and bring hydrogen and fuel cell technology from the laboratory to the showroom."
"This project award by the DOE recognizes our expertise in all fuel cell research and development," said R. Daniel Brdar, President and CEO of FuelCell Energy. "It shows that we are a part of this nation's drive for high efficiency and environmentally responsible power generation to help attain the country's goal of reducing harmful emissions and increasing energy independence."
Last week's announcement is part of the $1.2 billion Hydrogen Fuel Initiative announced by President Bush in his 2003 State of the Union Address. This initiative has the potential to reverse America's growing dependence on foreign oil by developing the technology for commercially viable hydrogen-powered fuel cells - a way to power cars, trucks, homes and businesses that produce no pollution and no greenhouse gases.
About FuelCell Energy
FuelCell Energy Inc. develops and markets ultra-clean power plants that generate electricity and heat with higher efficiency than conventional fossil fuel plants and with virtually no air pollution. Fuel cells produce base load electricity giving commercial and industrial customers greater control over their power generation economics, reliability and emissions. Emerging state, federal and international regulations to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions consider fuel cell power plants in the same environmentally friendly category as wind and solar energy sources -- with the added advantages of running 24 hours a day and the capacity to be installed where wind turbines or solar panels often cannot. Headquartered in Danbury, Conn., FuelCell Energy services over 40 power generation sites around the globe that have produced more than 80 million kilowatt hours, and conducts R&D on next-generation fuel cell technologies to meet the world's ever-increasing demand for ultra-clean distributed energy. For more information on the company, its products and its worldwide commercial distribution alliances, please see www.fuelcellenergy.com.
Direct FuelCell, DFC and DFC/Turbine are registered trademarks of FuelCell Energy, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company's plans and expectations regarding the development and commercialization of its fuel cell technology. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that could cause such a difference include, without limitation, the risk that commercial field trials of the Company's products will not occur when anticipated, general risks associated with product development, manufacturing, changes in the utility regulatory environment, potential volatility of energy prices, rapid technological change, and competition, as well as other risks set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
CONTACT: FuelCell Energy, Inc.
Investors and Media:
Steven P. Eschbach, CFA, 203-825-6000
seschbach@fce.com
SOURCE: FuelCell Energy, Inc.
Company to Be Part of Energy Secretary Bodman's Five-Year, $119 Million Program to Advance Fuel Cell Development and Reduce America's Dependence on Foreign Oil
DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2006-- FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL), a leading manufacturer of efficient, ultra-clean electric power generation plants for commercial and industrial customers, today announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a five-year, $2.1 million cost-shared project to develop a high temperature membrane for low humidity operation of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, subject to final negotiation of an agreement. FuelCell Energy was awarded one of 12 competitively bid projects that will receive a total of $19 million in federal funding for polymer membrane research. The overall goal of this research is to advance membrane durability and extend shelf-life, while simultaneously bringing down its cost.
The project includes the development of a composite membrane for high temperature (120(degrees)C) PEM fuel cell operation. The composite membrane is intended to have the mechanical strength and water retention capability required for efficient operation and reduced system cost. Traditional PEM fuel cells operate at approximately 60(degrees)C to 80(degrees)C and operation at higher temperatures would reduce cost and increase efficiency. FuelCell Energy's high temperature experience from its carbonate and solid oxide fuel cell programs and the development of highly functionalized fuel cell membranes for phosphoric-acid and PEM fuel cells over the past 20 years make it uniquely qualified for this project.
The project award is part of a broader program announced on Jan. 24, 2006, by Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman totaling $119 million in funding and including a roadmap aimed at identifying and overcoming the technical and manufacturing challenges associated with the further development of commercially available hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The DOE will provide $100 million over four years for additional research projects seeking to improve fuel cell membranes, water transport within the stack, advanced cathode catalysts and supports, cell hardware, innovative fuel cell concepts, and effects of impurities on fuel cell performance and durability.
"Investment in fuel cell and hydrogen research today will enable America to lead the world in developing clean, hydrogen powered automobiles that will reduce our dependence on imported oil," said Secretary Bodman. "This funding will help overcome the technical barriers and bring hydrogen and fuel cell technology from the laboratory to the showroom."
"This project award by the DOE recognizes our expertise in all fuel cell research and development," said R. Daniel Brdar, President and CEO of FuelCell Energy. "It shows that we are a part of this nation's drive for high efficiency and environmentally responsible power generation to help attain the country's goal of reducing harmful emissions and increasing energy independence."
Last week's announcement is part of the $1.2 billion Hydrogen Fuel Initiative announced by President Bush in his 2003 State of the Union Address. This initiative has the potential to reverse America's growing dependence on foreign oil by developing the technology for commercially viable hydrogen-powered fuel cells - a way to power cars, trucks, homes and businesses that produce no pollution and no greenhouse gases.
About FuelCell Energy
FuelCell Energy Inc. develops and markets ultra-clean power plants that generate electricity and heat with higher efficiency than conventional fossil fuel plants and with virtually no air pollution. Fuel cells produce base load electricity giving commercial and industrial customers greater control over their power generation economics, reliability and emissions. Emerging state, federal and international regulations to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions consider fuel cell power plants in the same environmentally friendly category as wind and solar energy sources -- with the added advantages of running 24 hours a day and the capacity to be installed where wind turbines or solar panels often cannot. Headquartered in Danbury, Conn., FuelCell Energy services over 40 power generation sites around the globe that have produced more than 80 million kilowatt hours, and conducts R&D on next-generation fuel cell technologies to meet the world's ever-increasing demand for ultra-clean distributed energy. For more information on the company, its products and its worldwide commercial distribution alliances, please see www.fuelcellenergy.com.
Direct FuelCell, DFC and DFC/Turbine are registered trademarks of FuelCell Energy, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company's plans and expectations regarding the development and commercialization of its fuel cell technology. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that could cause such a difference include, without limitation, the risk that commercial field trials of the Company's products will not occur when anticipated, general risks associated with product development, manufacturing, changes in the utility regulatory environment, potential volatility of energy prices, rapid technological change, and competition, as well as other risks set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
CONTACT: FuelCell Energy, Inc.
Investors and Media:
Steven P. Eschbach, CFA, 203-825-6000
seschbach@fce.com
SOURCE: FuelCell Energy, Inc.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Bush tells US to address oil addiction. 01/02/2006. ABC News Online
US President George W Bush says "America is addicted to oil" and must change its ways.
In his State of the Union speech President Bush promised aggressive US engagement around the world in defiance of critics.
President Bush has taken the centre stage in the House of Representatives chamber to map out an election-year agenda for Republicans, vowing to make progress in Iraq and provide a way to reduce soaring gasoline prices, two issues that have combined to batter his job approval ratings.
With oil prices close to record levels and Exxon reporting record profits of $US10.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2005, the former oilman highlighted the need to improve technologies in order to reduce US oil imports.
"America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world," President Bush said.
"The best way to break this addiction is through technology."
With three years left in office, President Bush is hoping to lift his political fortunes and those of his Republican allies in an election year with control of Congress up for grabs.
He is coming off one of the toughest stretches of his presidency, and his job approval ratings hover in the high 30s to low 40s in most polls.
Iraq
On Iraq, President Bush argued against those Democrats who have been calling for a timetable for a phased redeployment of US troops in Iraq, saying a "sudden withdrawal of our forces from Iraq would abandon our Iraqi allies to death and prison".
"However we feel about the decisions and debates of the past, our nation has only one option: We must keep our word, defeat our enemies, and stand behind the American military in its vital mission," he said.
On Iran, President Bush said "the world must not permit" Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon.
He said Iran is being "held hostage" by Islamic clerics and that the United States hopes one day to be friends with a free and democratic Iran.
President Bush laid down what might ultimately be conditions for US relations with Hamas, the Islamic militant group that won a stunning victory in Palestinian elections last week.
"The Palestinian people have voted in elections, now the leaders of Hamas must recognise Israel, disarm, reject terrorism and work for lasting peace," President Bush said.
- Reuters
US President George W Bush says "America is addicted to oil" and must change its ways.
In his State of the Union speech President Bush promised aggressive US engagement around the world in defiance of critics.
President Bush has taken the centre stage in the House of Representatives chamber to map out an election-year agenda for Republicans, vowing to make progress in Iraq and provide a way to reduce soaring gasoline prices, two issues that have combined to batter his job approval ratings.
With oil prices close to record levels and Exxon reporting record profits of $US10.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2005, the former oilman highlighted the need to improve technologies in order to reduce US oil imports.
"America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world," President Bush said.
"The best way to break this addiction is through technology."
With three years left in office, President Bush is hoping to lift his political fortunes and those of his Republican allies in an election year with control of Congress up for grabs.
He is coming off one of the toughest stretches of his presidency, and his job approval ratings hover in the high 30s to low 40s in most polls.
Iraq
On Iraq, President Bush argued against those Democrats who have been calling for a timetable for a phased redeployment of US troops in Iraq, saying a "sudden withdrawal of our forces from Iraq would abandon our Iraqi allies to death and prison".
"However we feel about the decisions and debates of the past, our nation has only one option: We must keep our word, defeat our enemies, and stand behind the American military in its vital mission," he said.
On Iran, President Bush said "the world must not permit" Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon.
He said Iran is being "held hostage" by Islamic clerics and that the United States hopes one day to be friends with a free and democratic Iran.
President Bush laid down what might ultimately be conditions for US relations with Hamas, the Islamic militant group that won a stunning victory in Palestinian elections last week.
"The Palestinian people have voted in elections, now the leaders of Hamas must recognise Israel, disarm, reject terrorism and work for lasting peace," President Bush said.
- Reuters
Quantum Delivers Hydrogen Hybrids
Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. has delivered five hydrogen-fueled Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles to the City of Santa Ana, California. These hydrogen fueled internal combustion engine hybrids are designed to stimulate demand for hydrogen, speed the development of a hydrogen infrastructure and function as a bridge vehicle technology to hydrogen fuel cells.
The complete hydrogen internal combustion engine fuel system, including both the injection system and hydrogen storage system, was developed by Quantum at its Advanced Vehicle Concept Center in Lake Forest, CA. Included in the fuel systems are the company’s patented fuel injectors, fuel rails, electronic control system and software, hydrogen storage, and an optimized turbocharger. In addition to performing in specified starting conditions and meeting certain drivability specifications, the vehicles have been designed and tested to achieve SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) emissions standards.
Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. has delivered five hydrogen-fueled Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles to the City of Santa Ana, California. These hydrogen fueled internal combustion engine hybrids are designed to stimulate demand for hydrogen, speed the development of a hydrogen infrastructure and function as a bridge vehicle technology to hydrogen fuel cells.
The complete hydrogen internal combustion engine fuel system, including both the injection system and hydrogen storage system, was developed by Quantum at its Advanced Vehicle Concept Center in Lake Forest, CA. Included in the fuel systems are the company’s patented fuel injectors, fuel rails, electronic control system and software, hydrogen storage, and an optimized turbocharger. In addition to performing in specified starting conditions and meeting certain drivability specifications, the vehicles have been designed and tested to achieve SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) emissions standards.
Bush vows to face dangers head on
President George W Bush has warned of "danger and decline" if the US fails to face up to threats posed by terrorists, in his State of the Union address.
He said the US would fight to defend freedom, whose advance was "the great story of our time".
Security issues were a dominant theme of Mr Bush's fifth such address, at the start of a critical election year for his Republican party.
He also demanded a human cloning ban and said the US was "addicted to oil".
He said the nation it must break its addiction "through technology", and said he would seek a 22% increase in funding for clean energy research.
'Decisive year'
According to Mr Bush: "The American economy is pre-eminent - but we cannot afford to be complacent. In a dynamic world economy, we are seeing new competitors like China and India."
The only way to control our destiny is by our leadership
President George W Bush
A key part of the president's message focused on pushing the US as a world leader in what he calls a "decisive year".
"The road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting - yet it ends in danger and decline," according to the president.
"The only way to protect our people... the only way to secure the peace... the only way to control our destiny is by our leadership."
The State of the Union speech is required by the US constitution
Mr Bush has been enduring a prolonged slump in public support amid ongoing conflict in Iraq and political strife at home, with his approval ratings hovering around 41%.
Correspondents say he has suffered a series of embarrassments in domestic policy during the past 12 months, and that few of the reforms touted in last year's speech have been achieved.
The president was also criticised amid administration mishandling of the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf Coast in August.
A series of scandals have increased domestic pressure on the Republicans, who are defending a majority of seats in both houses of Congress in mid-term elections this November.
Besides being closely watched by millions of people in the United States, the speech is also being aimed at the outside world, with the state department website broadcasting it live, translated into a variety of languages, including Farsi, which is widely spoken in Iran and Afghanistan.
President George W Bush has warned of "danger and decline" if the US fails to face up to threats posed by terrorists, in his State of the Union address.
He said the US would fight to defend freedom, whose advance was "the great story of our time".
Security issues were a dominant theme of Mr Bush's fifth such address, at the start of a critical election year for his Republican party.
He also demanded a human cloning ban and said the US was "addicted to oil".
He said the nation it must break its addiction "through technology", and said he would seek a 22% increase in funding for clean energy research.
'Decisive year'
According to Mr Bush: "The American economy is pre-eminent - but we cannot afford to be complacent. In a dynamic world economy, we are seeing new competitors like China and India."
The only way to control our destiny is by our leadership
President George W Bush
A key part of the president's message focused on pushing the US as a world leader in what he calls a "decisive year".
"The road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting - yet it ends in danger and decline," according to the president.
"The only way to protect our people... the only way to secure the peace... the only way to control our destiny is by our leadership."
The State of the Union speech is required by the US constitution
Mr Bush has been enduring a prolonged slump in public support amid ongoing conflict in Iraq and political strife at home, with his approval ratings hovering around 41%.
Correspondents say he has suffered a series of embarrassments in domestic policy during the past 12 months, and that few of the reforms touted in last year's speech have been achieved.
The president was also criticised amid administration mishandling of the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf Coast in August.
A series of scandals have increased domestic pressure on the Republicans, who are defending a majority of seats in both houses of Congress in mid-term elections this November.
Besides being closely watched by millions of people in the United States, the speech is also being aimed at the outside world, with the state department website broadcasting it live, translated into a variety of languages, including Farsi, which is widely spoken in Iran and Afghanistan.
Euronext - Bedrijfsnieuws > Persberichten > (Euronext Paris) - Air Liquide : Launch of the HYCHAIN Project:150 hydrogen vehicles to be tested in 4 regions of Europe: "The European Union has committed to using 20% alternative fuels by 2020 to address two goals: to reduce its member States� dependence on fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, coal) and to limit emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, responsible for climate change and some respiratory illnesses.
Using hydrogen as a source of energy is a promising alternative solution. Used in a fuel cell, hydrogen combines with oxygen from the air to produce electricity, with water as the only emission, and has tremendous potential to provide clean and silent energy.
Today, only several hundred prototype vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel-cells are on the road across the world. In addition to their high cost, their widespread use is also curbed by their restricted operating range and by a limited infrastructure for hydrogen distribution, essentially a few dozen �pilot service stations� where it is possible to �fill up� with hydrogen.
The HYCHAIN-MINITRANS Project will allow users in four regions of the European Union to test 150 full size electrically-powered vehicles fuelled by hydrogen fuel cells: scooters, tricycles, wheelchairs, small utility vehicles and minibuses. The initial priority will be fleets belonging to municipal departments in the partner cities (maintenance workers, gardeners, etc.) as well as wheelchairs in use in partnership with some hospitals in the Rh�ne-Alpes region of France (the greater urban community of Grenoble Alpes M�tropole), Emilia Romagna in Italy (city of Modena), Castilla y Le�n in Spain (cities of Soria and Le�n) and Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany "
Using hydrogen as a source of energy is a promising alternative solution. Used in a fuel cell, hydrogen combines with oxygen from the air to produce electricity, with water as the only emission, and has tremendous potential to provide clean and silent energy.
Today, only several hundred prototype vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel-cells are on the road across the world. In addition to their high cost, their widespread use is also curbed by their restricted operating range and by a limited infrastructure for hydrogen distribution, essentially a few dozen �pilot service stations� where it is possible to �fill up� with hydrogen.
The HYCHAIN-MINITRANS Project will allow users in four regions of the European Union to test 150 full size electrically-powered vehicles fuelled by hydrogen fuel cells: scooters, tricycles, wheelchairs, small utility vehicles and minibuses. The initial priority will be fleets belonging to municipal departments in the partner cities (maintenance workers, gardeners, etc.) as well as wheelchairs in use in partnership with some hospitals in the Rh�ne-Alpes region of France (the greater urban community of Grenoble Alpes M�tropole), Emilia Romagna in Italy (city of Modena), Castilla y Le�n in Spain (cities of Soria and Le�n) and Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany "
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