
March 16, 2007
Indonesia looks to coal as hedge
JAKARTA - Indonesia and China are aggressively promoting coal liquefaction and gasification projects in their quest for alternative sources of fuel oil and gas.
The two countries plan to build pilot plants or processing facilities with foreign partners like Japan's Kobe Steel Ltd. Their ultimate goal is to reduce their vulnerability to fluctuating crude oil prices.
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March 15, 2007
Mining on the Upswing in Canada
Canada is the world's foremost mining country and, despite decades of governmental neglect, the sector represented about $70-billion or 17% of the country's estimated $400-billion in exports last year.
Fortunately, mining is on a serious upswing, led by raging commodity prices and actions by some enlightened governments, such as British Columbia 's. Two new mines will open this year for the first time in years, five are under construction and 18 more on the drawing boards.
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March 15, 2007
Energy Information Administration (EIA) Projects Coal's Continued Dominance Into Next Quarter Century
New annual energy projections by DOE's statistical-analysis wing, the Energy Information Administration (EIA), paint a bleak picture for the potential of renewable and nuclear grid power curbing the nation's dependence on fossil fuels in the next quarter century -- the core of President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative -- with coal continuing to dominate the landscape up to 2030. Some would contend that the current state of federal and regional electricity regulation, particularly in relation to renewables, could be to blame for the diminished clean-power outlook in EIA's projections, say observers.
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