Alpha Natural Resources Donates $25,000 to The Nature Conservancy’s Clinch Valley Program

The Nature Conservancy announced today that Alpha Natural Resources has donated $25,000 to the international group to help advance its conservation work in southwestern Virginia’s Clinch River Valley. The gift will support a joint Nature Conservancy and Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy (DMME) project to inventory and set priorities for the reclamation of Abandoned Mine Lands within the Clinch River watershed. Abandoned Mine... Read more..

Polaris Geothermal Announces Approval of New Tariff and Amendments to Power Purchase Agreement

Polaris Geothermal Inc. announce that its Nicaraguan subsidiary, Polaris Energy Nicaragua S.A., has signed an addendum to the existing Power Purchase Agreement entered into between PENSA and the energy distributor in Nicaragua. The Addendum has also been approved by Nicaraguan utility regulator Instituto Nicaraguense de Energia (“INE”). The key terms of the Addendum are: a) all power generated beyond the present 10MW level will be sold... Read more..

Conduit Capital Completes Sale of Natural Gas Compression Facility and Pipeline in Mexico for $89.2 Million

Conduit Capital Partners LLC, a private equity investment firm focused on infrastructure investment and development in Latin America and the Caribbean, announced today that it has completed the sale of the Libramiento natural gas compression facility and an associated 65km natural gas pipeline to InterGen. The total value of the transaction, which was originally announced in June, was $89.2 million, excluding the assumption of non-recourse debt. Starting... Read more..

Biofuel Plantations on Tropical Forestlands Are Bad for the Climate and Biodiversity, Study Finds

Keeping tropical rain forests intact is a better way to combat climate change than replacing them with biofuel plantations, a study in the journal Conservation Biology finds. The study reveals that it would take at least 75 years for the carbon emissions saved through the use of biofuels to compensate for the carbon lost through forest conversion. And if the original habitat was carbon-rich peatland, the carbon balance would take more than 600 years.... Read more..

New Areas of Demand Increase Growth Potential of the Global Diesel Gensets Market

Gensets companies are making a number of strategic alterations as market dynamics begin to shift. Greater focus is being placed on developing regions, where the bulk of new opportunities will be concentrated, as well as on providing gensets that comply with current and impending emission regulations. The increasing emphasis on eco-friendly power generation means diesel genset market participants are entering a challenging period. However, it is one... Read more..

Duke Energy Signs Used Fuel Contract for Proposed Lee Nuclear Station

Duke Energy has signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the disposal of used nuclear fuel generated at its proposed William States Lee III Nuclear Station. The contract provides for the DOE’s acceptance and permanent disposal of all fuel from the station. For this service, the company will pay a $1 per megawatt-hour fee for electricity generated and sold from Lee Nuclear. This is consistent with the existing used fuel... Read more..

Valerus Compression Services Opens Office in Argentina

Valerus Compression Services, a worldwide leader in natural gas handling services specializing in natural gas processing, treating and compression, has opened an office in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to better serve the growing natural gas market in South America. The new office will support Valerus’ growing customer base in the Latin America region by providing a full range of natural gas compression, production and treating products and services. “Valerus... Read more..

ICIS Expands its Global Biofuel Coverage With Additional Price Quotes

ICIS pricing, the world’s largest information provider for the chemical and oil industry, has enhanced its US and European biofuel price reports with new quotations to reflect the growing demand and trade flows of biofuel globally. The new quotes reflect the diversity of a fast moving market which is driven by legislation, progress in technology, increased trade flows and demand. In Europe, adding to the comprehensive biodiesel coverage of rapeseed... Read more..

Global Clean Energy Holdings Acquires Operating Jatropha Farm in Belize

Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc., a Los Angeles based biofuel feedstock development and operations company, announced today the acquisition of Technology Alternatives Ltd. (“TAL”), a Belizean based Jatropha producer, for stock and the assumption of existing debt. TAL owns and operates a 400 acre actively producing Jatropha farm in subtropical Belize, Central America. TAL has been performing plant science research for a number of years and provides... Read more..

Duke Energy Ohio Reaches Agreement on Electric Security Plan

Duke Energy Ohio announced today that a settlement agreement has been reached with most intervening parties, the Staff of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) and the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel on its electric security plan under Ohio’s new energy law. The agreement, which establishes generation rates for 2009 through 2011, must be approved by the PUCO. Under the terms of the settlement, the base cost for generation service will... Read more..