Power Engineering International articles from August 2003

Power Engineering International archives from August 2003

It's getting hot in here.(Up Front)(blackouts cause an uproar in electricity prices)
August 1, 2003... It seems that power blackouts are not just limited to developing countries. This time last year the big blackout in the news was India. This time it's Italy. The country suffered power cuts in late June when a heatwave led to droughts and...

UK wind industry takes the plunge; the UK plans to become a world leader in wind technology through the development of offshore resources. Are these ambitious plans realistic.(Analysis)
August 1, 2003... The UK government has announced plans for a major expansion in off shore wind energy that could see up to 1500 turbines with a combined capacity of 6 GW being constructed by 2010. The plans call for up to 6bn [pounds sterling] of investment in...

South Africa nuclear plant gets 'green' ahead.(international)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The South African government has given the go ahead to construct a 110 MW nuclear, pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR) near Cape Town. The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) permitted the project, which will be the first of...

Share swap deal agreed.(international)(CEZ A.S.)(E.ON AG)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A share holding swap deal involving regional utilities belonging to both Germany's E.ON and the Czech Republic's CEZ has been inked by both companies. E.ON will receive a 35 per cent share in its JME utility asset that previously belonged...

Egypt secures power loans.(international)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Egypt has secured two loans that will see the country benefit with a power plant, substation and a transmission fine. The first 150m [euro] loan is from the European Invesnment Bank for the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC) for...

Japan teams with Russia to build 5 GW power plant.(international)
August 1, 2003... Japan's Sumitomo Corporation and Russia's UES are aiming to do business together by installing a $8.4bn, 5000 MW power plant on Sakhalin Island in Russia. The project will include a subsea cable that will supply Siberia and Japan's...

Switchgear contract awarded.(international)(UES Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Russia's UES has awarded ABB a $22m contract to supply high voltage gas insulated switch-gear for the Bureyskaya hydropower plant in east Russia. The contract is ABB's largest ever for power technology equipment in Russia. The project will...

Partners finance Abu Dhabi deal.(international)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... International Power and its partners have completed the financing for the acquisition and expansion of the 1550 MW Umm Al Nar power and water plant in Abu Dhabi. The partners, comprising Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority, Tokyo...

Algeria: SNC-Lavalin Constructors International has been awarded two contracts by Shariket Kahraba Skikda, one for nearly $600m, to design and build a 723 MW combined cycle power plant in the Skikda region of Algeria, and the other to operate and maintain the plant.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Algeria: SNC-Lavalin Constructors International has been awarded two contracts by Shariket Kahraba Skikda, one for nearly $600m, to design and build a 723 MW combined cycle power plant in the Skikda region of Algeria, and the other to operate...

Egypt: Emerson Process Management, an Emerson business, announced that it has won a $16m contract.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Egypt: Emerson Process Management, an Emerson business, announced that it has won a $16m contract to modernize the Ataka thermal power station in the Suez region of Egypt using its plantweb digital plant architecture.

Kenya: Kenya is expected to more than double its geothermal energy capacity when a third station begins producing 64 MW of geothermal power by October this year.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Kenya: Kenya is expected to more than double its geothermal energy capacity when a third station begins producing 64 MW of geothermal power by October this year. Kenya currently produces 57 MW of geothermal power in two other plants, OI Karia I...

Kuwait: the Kuwait-based Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development has said that it has given Tunisia a $100m loan to develop its electricity power network.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Kuwait: The Kuwait-based Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development has said that it has given Tunisia a $100m loan to develop its electricity power network. Under the agreement, Tunisia will have 22 years, including a five-year grace...

Russia: Lenenergo finally arranged a long-awaited credit from the EBRD.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Russia: Lenenergo finally arranged a long-awaited credit from the EBRD. Most of the 40m [euro] credit is to be received this year with the rest in 2004 and the whole sum should be spent on completing reconstruction of the TES-5 power station.

Russia: Russia will sell 40 per cent of Siberian electricity utility Irkutskenergo in 2004, in one of the most significant privatization sales of recent years.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Russia: Russia will sell 40 per cent of Siberian electricity utility Irkutskenergo in 2004, in one of the most significant privatization sales of recent years. It is independent from national power monopoly UES.

Slovakia: the Slovak government agreed to allow the Czech Republic's main energy utility CEZ to enter a tender selling a controlling stake in Slovakia's dominant electricity maker Slovenske Elektrarne.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Slovakia: The Slovak government agreed to allow the Czech Republic's main energy unity CEZ to enter a tender selling a controlling stake in Slovakia's dominant electricity maker Slovenske Elektrarne. Slovakia is offering to offload a 49 per...

UAE: the Oman government is planning to augment Oman's electricity generation capacity to 3260 MW by the end of the sixth five-year plan period in 2006, up from 2268 MW at the end of 2002.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... UAE: The Oman government is planning to augment Oman's electricity generation capacity to 3260 MW by the end of the sixth five-year plan period in 2006, up from 2268 MW at the end of 2002. A new 506 MW, 30 mgd desalination power plant in Sohar...

Dutch delay deregulation.(Europe)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Dutch government has said that it will delay full opening of the country's gas and electricity markets by six months in order to give companies more time to prepare for full competition. The market will now be fully opened in July 2004. ...

APX heads for Belgium.(Europe)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Dutch energy bourse Amsterdam Power Exchange (APX) and the Belgian network operator Elia are aiming to launch an electricity exchange in Belgium. The proposed Brussels Power Exchange would run a spot auction and could be up and running before...

Europe's markets feel the heat.(Europe)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A heatwave in July placed a strain on electricity, resources across Europe, causing electricity prices to rise and sparking fears of blackouts. Worst affected was Italy, parts of which were left without electricity. Record temperatures and...

Europe adopts carbon emissions trading plan.(Europe)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers have reached agreement on the directive for greenhouse gas emissions trading, paving tire way for the implementation of a Europe-wide carbon dioxide trading scheme. The European...

UK-Norway link clears hurdle.(Europe)(includes multiple articles)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A proposed subsea cable running from Norway to the UK has received a planning permit from the UK government, bringing the project one step closer to reality. The 750 km link, which has been proposed by Norway's Statnett and National Grid...

Austria: Alstom has recently been awarded a contract by Voestalpine Stahl, Austria, for a total 18m [euro].(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Austria: Alstom has recently been awarded a contract by Voestalpine Stahl, Austria, for a total 18m [euro]. The contract covers the rehabilitation of an existing 135 t/h boiler and the design and supply of a new 135 t/h boiler with a peak load...

Denmark: the controlling interest in Denmark's largest electricity company NESA, which has 520 000 clients in the Copenhagen area, is for sale.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Denmark: The controlling interest in Denmark's largest electricity company NESA, which has 520 000 clients in the Copenhagen area, is for sale. The price of the company is around 1.4bn [euro]. The municipality of Gentofte and the county of...

Germany: the agreement merging the regional utilities Elektrizitatswerk Wesertal, Pesag and Elektrizitatswerk Minden-Ravensburg was signed in Paderborn, Germany.(News digest)(E.ON Westfalen-Wesar)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Germany: The agreement merging the regional utilities Elektrizitatswerk Wesertal, Pesag and Elektrizitatswerk Minden-Ravensburg was signed in Paderborn, Germany. The enterprise will be called E.ON Westfalen-Wesar and will be located In...

Spain: Endesa said it made a 40m [euro] capital gain from the sale of its stake in national grid operator Red Electrica.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Spain: Endesa said it made a 40m [euro] capital gain from the sale of its stake in national grid operator Red Electrica. Rival Spanish power firms Iberdrola, Union Fenosa and Hidroelectrica del Cantabrico placed a combined 28 per cent stake in...

Spain: Spain's Gas Natural said it had presented a non-binding offer for a 35 per cent strategic stake in Greece's national gas corporation, DEPA.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Spain: Spain's Gas Natural said it had presented a non-binding offer for a 35 per cent strategic stake in Greece's national gas corporation, DEPA. It is rumoured that the Greek government will not sell below its of 300m [euro] ($353m) target.

Spain: consulting engineers PB Power has been appointed owner's engineer for three separate 400 MW CCGT power plants in Spain.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Spain: Consulting engineers PB Power has been appointed owner's engineer for three separate 400 MW CCGT power plants in Spain. The contract was awarded by Spanish power company HidroCantabrico. PB Power has already provided engineering support...

UK: Finnish outfit Fortum has sold its retail gas and electricity sales business in the UK to Quantum Energy Group.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... UK: Finnish outfit Fortum has sold its retail gas and electricity sales business in the UK to Quantum Energy Group. The business provides gas to 18 000 Industrial and commercial sites and electricity to around 3000 sites. The company's revenues...

UK: creditors of Britain's largest power station, Drax, plan to take a full ownership of the financially distressed business in a restructuring agreed with its US owner, AES.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... UK: Creditors of Britain's largest power station, Drax, plan to take a full ownership of the financially distressed business in a restructuring agreed with its US owner, AES. The power station owes over 1.3bn [pound sterling] ($2.1 bn).

UK: European energy traders called on industry regulators to boost the region's flagging power markets.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... UK: European energy traders called on industry regulators to boost the region's flagging power markets by forcing big utilities to disclose more price sensitive data on supply, demand and transmission.

Three Gorges powers up.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Trials at China's Three Gorges hydropower project commenced last month with the second and fifth generators put into operation for the first time. The second generator, which went online a week before unit five, succeeded in supplying 700...

Sri Lanka arranges $88m power loan.(Asia-Pacific)
August 1, 2003... Sri Lanka's Hatton National Bank has arranged its first power deal that will enable two consortia to construct two 100 MW thermal power plants. The projects, arranged with Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), will be built on a build own...

CMS Energy sells Australian asset.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... CMS Energy and partners will sell the 2000 MW Loy Yang power plant and coal mine in Victoria, Australia to an international consortium for $2.4bn. CMS, NRG Energy and Horizon Energy Australia have a 49.6 per cent, 25.4 per cent and 25 per...

Taipower chooses MHI to build world's largest CCGT.(Asia-Pacific)(Mitsubishi Heavy Industries)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) has chosen Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to supply six power generators to its Tatan power plant in Taiwan in a contract worth $1.5bn. The Tatan plant will have a total installed capacity of 4272 MW,...

No interest in Philippine Transco bid.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Philippine government has said that the privatization of the National Transmission Co. (Transco) has failed due to a lack of interest in the sale. Only one company expressed interest at pre-qualification stage. The privatization was...

JBIC finances Phu My 3.(Asia-Pacific)(Japanese Bank for International Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Japanese Bank for International Corp. (JBIC) has agreed to extend a $99m loan for the Phu My 3 power plant in Vietnam. The 720 MW CCGT plant is being developed on a build own transfer (BOT) basis and is owned by BP, Kyushu Electric...

China: Korea Electric Power Corp. and China's Wozhi No. 1 power station in Henan province will sign a formal $65m investment deal later this month for the construction of two new power plants in China.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... China: Korea Electric Power Corp. and China's Wozhi No.1 power station in Henan province will sign a formal $65m investment deal later this month for the construction of two new power plants in China. Under the agreement, the Korean state-run...

New Zealand: a major expansion is underway that will more than double the size of the Tararua Wind Farm in New Zealand.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... New Zealand: A major expansion is underway that will more than double the size of the Tararua Wind Farm in New Zealand. The $55m expansion project will add 55 turbines, increasing the wind farm's output to 68 MW.

China: American Superconductor Corp., announced that it will ship 30 km of its high temperature superconductor wire to China for use in two electric power projects.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... China: American Superconductor Corp., announced that it will ship 30 km of its high temperature superconductor wire to China for use in two electric power projects. China, which has the world's second largest power generation capacity, is...

Vietnam: the Russian concern Power Mmachines Group and Vietnam's Lilama Corp. have inked a $83m contract for Russian-made equipment for the Uong Bi thermal electric plant.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Vietnam: The Russian concern Power Mmachines Group and Vietnam's Lilama Corp. have inked a $83m contract for Russian-made equipment for the Uong Bi thermal electric plant. The contract stipulates that the block is to be put into operation...

South Korea: the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy has approved a project to build the world's largest power plant to be fuelled with landfill gas as part of its effort to expand the use of alternative energy in Korea.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... South Korea: The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy has approved a project to build the world's largest power plant to be fuelled with landfill gas as part of its effort to expand the use of alternative energy in Korea. Proposed by Eco...

Malaysia: Finland's Foster Wheeler Group has agreed in principle to set up a RM50m ($13m) biomass-based energy plant in Kangar, Perlis.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Malaysia: Finland's Foster Wheeler Group has agreed in principle to set up a RM50m ($13m) biomass-based energy plant in Kangar, Perlis. Foster Wheeler was scheduled to sign an agreement in December to set up a 10 MW independent power plant in...

Indonesia: PT Indonesia Power, an affiliate of Indonesia's PT PLN power company, plans to build a coal fired power plant with a capacity of 2x7 MW in Singtang district, West Kalimantan.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Indonesia: PT Indonesia Power, an affiliate of Indonesia's PT PLN power company, plans to build a coal fired power plant with a capacity of 2x7 MW in Singtang district, West Kalimantan. A memorandum of understanding on the construction of the...

Vietnam: equipment manufacturer Alstom has won a contract valued at 6m [euro] with Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp. of Japan to supply a new control system and protection equipment for the rehabilitation of the Da Nhim hydropower station.(News digest)
August 1, 2003... Vietnam: Equipment manufacturer Alstom has won a contract valued at 6m [euro] with Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp. of Japan to supply a new control system and protection equipment for the rehabilitation of the Da Nhim hydropower...

Brazil needs power boost.(Americas)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A think tank in Brazil has said that the country's power sector needs over $82bn to avoid power shortages in 2007. Although Brazil is experiencing oversupply, the Infra2020 infrastructure body predicts that with three per cent economic...

ISA wins 30-year Bolivia concession.(Americas)(Interconexion Electrica ISA)(Transporta de Electricidad)(International Finance Corp.--)(Finance Corp.)
August 1, 2003... Bolivia has contracted Colombia's Interconexion Electrica ISA (ISA) to build and operate power transmission lines in a 30 year contract worth $87m. The lines are to be built in Bolivia by ISA, Colombia's largest energy transmission...

Canada completes biggest wind farm.(Americas)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Canada's TransAlta Corp. and Enmax have announced the completion of the country's biggest wind farm project. The 75 MW project cost C$100m ($75m) to develop and is capable of powering up to 32 000 homes. The McBride Lake wind farm consists...

DOE starts carbon storage tests.(Americas)(United States. Department of Energy)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The US Department of Energy (DOE) has started a research project at American Electric Power's Mountaineer plant in West Virginia, USA, to capture and sequester carbon dioxide emissions. Drilling has begun on a 3000 m well to evaluate the...

New York hydro plants sold.(Americas)(Black Hills Corp.)(Boralex Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Black Hills Corp. has agreed a deal to sell seven hydroelectric power plants with a combined generation capacity, of 80 MW in upstate New York to two affiliates of Canadian company Boralex for $186m. The proceeds will go towards paying...

Argentina: Argentine Planning Minister Julio de Vido has said it may be 18 months before power utilities are allowed to raise prices.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Argentina: Argentine Planning Minister Julio de Vido has said it may be 18 months before power utilities are allowed to raise prices, up to a year longer than he said previously.

Brazil: Electricite de France (EDF) is planning to sell Light Servicos de Electricidade, the Rio de Janeiro power distributor.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Brazil: Electricite de France (EDF) is planning to sell Light Servicos de Electricidade, the Rio de Janeiro power distributor. EDF has hired Goldman Sachs to help it restructure Light's debts, estimated to be $1.4bn.

Canada: Ontario nuclear generator Bruce Power said it had bought British Energy's 3.4 per cent stake in Hydrogen Corp. for $4m.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Canada: Ontario nuclear generator Bruce Power said it had bought British Energy's 3.4 per cent stake in Hydrogen Corp. for $4m. General Hydrogen, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, makes infrastructure and develops technologies for fuel cell...

Peru: the regional government of Pasco has reached an accord with the central government to privatize the concession for the Yucan power project.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Peru: The regional government of Pasco has reached an accord with the central government to privatize the concession for the Yucan power project. The winner of the 30 year concession will be required to put the 130 MW plant in operation by...

USA: fast growing independent power producers now account for nearly one third of all US electricity generated.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... USA: Fast growing independent power producers now account for nearly one third of all US electricity generated. In 2002, IPPs were responsible for 27 per cent of US electricity while utilities accounted for 68 per cent.

USA: the controversial proposal by TransGas Energy Systems to build a 1100 MW power plant on the Brooklyn waterfront got a boost.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... USA: The controversial proposal by TransGas Energy Systems to build a 1100 MW power plant on the Brooklyn waterfront got a boost when the state power plant siting board ruled that TransGas' application for state certification was in order.

USA: Avista Corp., and Mirant announced the commercial operation of the Coyote Springs 2 power plant developed jointly by the two companies.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... USA: Avista Corp., and Mirant announced the commercial operation of the Coyote Springs 2 power plant developed jointly by the two companies. The power plant, near Boardman, Oregon, is a 280 MW combined cycle combustion turbine facility, fuelled...

USA: the start of two years of construction work on the Magnolia power plant was recently marked by a ground-breaking ceremony at Burbank Water and Power's electricity generating complex in California.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... USA: The start of two years of construction work on the Magnolia power plant was recently marked by a ground-breaking ceremony at Burbank Water and Power's electricity generating complex in California. When completed in 2005, the 320 MWe...

USA: PG&E Corp.'s National Energy Group unit said it was testing the three 330 MW gas fired generating units at its Athens power plant in New York.(News digest)(PG and E Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... USA: PG&E Corp.'s National Energy Group unit said it was testing the three 330 MW gas fired generating units at its Athens power plant in New York. It is the first large power plant built in the state in nearly a decade.

Venezuela: Venezuela will receive ten mobile thermoelectric plants totalling 60 MW from the US government.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Venezuela: Venezuela will receive ten mobile thermoelectric plants totalling 60 MW from the US government. The units cost $52m and will be delivered this month. Further units will arrive later in the year, bringing the capacity to 150 MW.

Mirant falls at last hurdle.(companies)(Mirant Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... US energy, company Mirant has filed for bankruptcy in the US courts, becoming the latest victim of weak conditions in the USA's unregulated power and gas markets. The move follows a failed attempt by the company to strike a restructuring deal...

Duke/Fluor Daniel dissolved.(companies)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Duke Energy and Fluor Corporation have announced that they are to dissolve the power plant construction joint venture, Duke/Fluor Daniel, Fluor Corp. requested the dissolution of fire venture following the continued decline demand for...

Toshiba to market H System.(companies)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Toshiba Corporation has announced that it is to undertake marketing of combined cycle power plants incorporating GE's H System gas turbine technology in the Japanese market. The move follows the completion of comprehensive field tests of the H...

Nexans contemplates Alstom bid.(companies)(Alstom S.A.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Cable manufacturer Nexans has confirmed that it is considering making a bid for Alstom's transmission and distribution business. Nexans is in the process of reorganising its business and recently announced the sale of its distribution...

Fuel cell JV.(companies)(MTU CFC Solutions GmbH)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... MTU Friedrichshafen and RWE of Germany have formed a joint venture to advance their fuel cell operations. The new joint venture, MTU CFC Solutions GmbH, will focus on the introduction of carbonate fuel cell systems on a broad market base, and...

BNFL privatization.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... BNFL privatization: Plans for partial privatization of British Nuclear Fuels have been shelved by the government, the company confirmed. A state funded body is to take over financial responsibility for cleaning up BNFL's nuclear liabilities...

Citigroup start power trades.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Citigroup start power trades: Citigroup is expanding its commodities and energy trading activities to include electricity and natural gas. Sources say David Backer will head a new commodity derivatives unit at Citigroup that will concentrate on...

Electrowatt acquisition.(News digest)(ILEX Energy Consulting Ltd.)(Electrowatt-Ekono)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Electrowatt acquisition: Electrowatt-Ekono has acquired Ilex Energy Consulting. Electrowatt, which is the energy business group of Jaakko Poyry Group, is active in 20 countries and employs 1100 energy experts.

El Paso takes sale charges.(News digest)(El Paso Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... El Paso takes sale charges: El Paso will take up to $1.73bn in second quarter charges as it sells about $6bn in assets by the end of 2004 in an attempt to survive the energy sector crisis that has started claiming companies such as Mirant.

Enel plans IPO.(News digest)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Enel plans IPO: Enel, Italy's dominant electricity utility, is aiming to launch an initial public offering for Its high voltage transmission network next year that could value the grid up at 4.5bn [euro] ($5.1bn).

GE Wind agreement.(News digest)(GE Wind Energy)(PPM Energy Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... GE Wind agreement: GE Wind Energy has entered into a one-year turbine sales agreement with PPM Energy of Portland, Oregon, a leading US developer of wind and gas generation projects. PPM will buy 1.5 MW wind turbines from GE for US projects...

Itochu buys Connective.(News digest)(Connective Operating Service Co.)(Itochu Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Itochu buys Connective: Japan's Itochu Corp. recently purchased Connective Operating Service Co., a US firm that manages 11 power plants on the east coast of the US. The purchase is aimed at expanding its power plant management business...

LES name change.(News digest)(London Electricity Services)(EDF Energy)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... LES name change: London Electricity Services, the specialist provides of critical energy infrastructures that designs, builds finances and operates private high-voltage electrical networks and main utility connections, has changed its name to...

Siemens works with M&M.(News digest)(Miner and Miner)(Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Siemens works with M&M: Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution is working with the US firm Miner & Miner to establish the provision and servicing of geographic information systems (GIS) for power utilities around the world.

Toshiba expansion.(News digest)(Endesa Italia)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Toshiba expansion: Japan's Toshiba Corp. plans to expand its overseas power plant related business. The move comes on the back of the company's first order from Italy's Endesa and $838m orders from the Middle East.

Consistent policy wins investors; Vietnam is far from privatizing its state owned power company EVN, but is adopting an aggressive strategy to tap its healthy reserves of hydropower and gas, while attracting foreign investment.(Report: Vietnamese power sector)
August 1, 2003... Vietnam is one of Asia's gems in terms of self sufficiency in the power sector. It has an unrivalled hydropower potential backed by recently developed natural gas reserves that have attracted an array of foreign interest eager to tap these...

The new growth market: the incentives are in place and the need for additional generating capacity is clear. But will renewable energy play an important part in meeting Italy's growing energy demand?(Italian market: renewable energy review)
August 1, 2003... Already this summer Italy has experienced widespread blackouts as peak power demand during a particularly hot spell proved too much for its meagre reserves of generating capacity. Trains and metros stopped, traffic was blocked by malfunctioning...

Sowing the seeds of change: a rural electrification project in Gabon will provide around 100 villages with electricity based on a solar power 'microgrid'. The system will serve as a foundation for a future expanded energy system in the region.(Rural Electrification)
August 1, 2003... The Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution rural electrification project in Gabon, Africa was drawn up over the period from 1999 to 2000 in cooperation with the Ministry for Mines, Energy and Petroleum. Its purpose is to improve the...

High efficiency cyclones spell success in Poland; in Poland, nearly all electricity is produced by burning coal, with most power plants burning either hard coal or lignite. To address environmental concerns, Poland's electric power industry is in the process of modernizing and refurbishing its generating plants with advanced fuel-burning technologies.(Coal Fired Technology)
August 1, 2003... At the Zeran heat and power plant in Warsaw, two 450t/h circulating fluid bed (CFB) boilers are cleanly burning hard coals supplied by mines in Silesia. Both boilers were built by Rafako Boiler Engineering Co., Raciborz, Poland, under an Alstom...

The spark behind Ecuador's oil boom: Ecuador's remote oilfields and oil pipelines require a reliable source of low cost electricity. The use of crude oil and associated gas to generate power is an obvious solution, but using 'fuel off the well' can present a number of challenges.(Diesel Power Projects)
August 1, 2003... Deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon jungles, far from the convenience of the national electricity grid and roads, the Dygoil oil service company has invested in a plant which will supply power to its oil wells and central processing facility, using...

Retail therapy: energy retailers operating big sales forces to service their large commercial and industrial customers face a number of challenges to remain competitive within a volatile market. A new software package from Excelergy promises to fully automate the process behind the sales transaction, reduce risk, and improve profits.(It Focus)
August 1, 2003... Energy retailers operating big sales forces to service their large commercial and industrial customers face a number of challenges to remain competitive within a volatile market. A new software package from Excelergy promises to fully automate...

Control standards get better.(Genset Roundup)
August 1, 2003... The trend in the engine and genset industry is the development of electronically controlled engines and the standard of integrated controls is getting better. Cummins believes it is keeping ahead of this trend with a range of gensets that...

New engine milestone.(Genset Roundup)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Around 40 of MTU's 20 V 4000 genset engines have been sold since its launch last year. Seven of the models were sold to a Germany-based software company. The company uses them to assure the supply of emergency power to its data centre. Each of...

New engine with developed electronics.(Genset Roundup)
August 1, 2003... Volvo Penta now offers electronic diesel control for its four, five, six and 7 I industrial engines for all types of applications. The system known as EDC 4 is a refinement of Volvo Penta's electronic diesel control. EDC 4 is available in two...

Waukesha adds VGF extender.(Genset Roundup)
August 1, 2003... Waukesha Engine has announced the launch of its Extender package to its popular VGF engine line. The Extender package, which is standard on all VGF engines manufactured from April 2003, offers internal enhancements that increase the...