Energy

Nuclear energy still has an important role to play in the United States’ energy portfolio, according to US Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

The news will go some way to reassuring uranium miners and energy corporations that the US is not about to do a U-turn on nuclear energy, but Chu, perhaps understandably, was rather cautious in his endorsement.

After predictions of a world shortage of uranium at the Prospectors and Developers Assosciation of Canada's annual convention (PDAC) in Toronto last week, the global mining community must suddenly be reeling.

If there were ever a sure bet, uranium was it—before the earthquake in Japan and the subsequent problems unfolding in its “earthquake proof” nuclear reactors.

Det norske has entered into an agreement with Talisman Energy to acquire 10 per cent of the PL438 in the Barents Sea.

The licence contains the Skalle prospect, operated by Lundin Petroleum. Lundin will drill Skalle in June this year, using the Transocean Leader drilling rig.

The deal is set to strengthen Det norske's existing position in the Barents Sea.

Product testing and safety specialist Intertek has announced the acquisition of technical services provider Moody International for £450 million.

Moody provides technical inspection and staffing services, consulting and training, and global management system certification to engineering, procurement & construction companies, energy companies and component manufacturers in the energy sector. The company has 2,500 employees in 60 countries.

Taking on aid projects in third world countries can often mean biting off more than you can chew; but as Alan Swaby learns, enlisting the help of local engineers can help avoid the pitfalls.

Jeff Daniels looks at one of the most important energy suppliers in the Indian sub-continent playing a role in India’s drive towards modernisation.

India’s insatiable appetite for energy is no secret. More industrial activity and greater affluence have increased demand for just about every single resource imaginable. And although India does have oil and gas deposits, the demand is increasing at a rate which cannot be fulfilled by domestic production.

Switzerland-based engineering and construction group Foster Wheeler has won a contract to carry out an availability and reliability study on the possible expansion of Abu Dhabi’s Zirku oil processing facilities.

Foster Wheeler was awarded the contract by Abu Dhabi-based oil company Zakum Development Co (Zadco), formed in order to develop the Upper Zakum oil field on behalf of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and other shareholders, namely ExxonMobil and the Japan Oil Development Company.

Urgent action is needed to restructure South Africa’s electricity distribution industry, with infrastructure and maintenance backlogs recently breaking R30 billion and growing at a rate of R2.5 billion a year, Deputy Energy Minister Barbara Thompson told energy industry delegates at the 2011 Energy Indaba conference this week.

The conference coincides with the controversial closure of EDI Holdings, the company set up in 2003 by the South African government to address the issue of energy distribution.

ESB International (ESBI) has been awarded a contract by NamPower to provide technical advisory services for the development of the 800 MW Kudu combined cycle power plant at Oranjemund on the Namibia / South Africa border.

The power plant will use gas from the Kudu Gas field to produce electricity for Namibia and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). Increasing demand for electricity in Africa as economies in the region grow is continuing to put pressure on state utilities such as NamPower.

Oil and gas exploration in Bahrain is set to boom over the next decade; and the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) is positioning itself to help drive this exciting period of development.