At a Nov. 17 congressional hearing characterized by partisan rancor, Energy Secretary Steven Chu disputed Republican allegations that politics played a role in his decision to approve a loan guarantee to Solyndra, the now bankrupt solar firm.E-mails obtained and released by Republican committee members suggest that there was some disagreement within the administration about the economic viability of Solyndra, and some have alleged that the White House pressured the Dept. of Energy to take Herculean steps to save the foundering company, which filed for bankruptcy late this summer.ChuThe decision to offer the $535-million loan guarantee "absolutely … was made only
The Keystone XL pipeline is shovel- ready and an alternative route through Nebraska could be approved within six to nine months, TransCanada's President and CEO Russ Girling told investors on Nov. 16.
A contract was awarded recently for a $3.5-billion ethylene plant at the Ain Sokhna complex, 120 km east of Cairo. Egypt is in the throes of a $19-billion petrochemical-plant construction boom. The national strategy, laid out in a 20-year master plan, is to boost domestic production capacities to 600,000 ton per year of ethylene and 1.9 tons per year of polymers, according to the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.Currently, Egypt’s petrochemical sector represents 27% of its total industrial production. The 2002-22 plan calls for 14 petrochemical complexes. The 2002-08 first phase involved eight plants valued at $5.6 billion. The
ENR The plant is sited in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a key region for the fishing industry. Commissioning of the 1,000-MW first reactor of the Kudankulam nuclear powerplant in India has ground to a halt due to protests by the local population. Originally scheduled for December, commissioning and start up of the estimated $3-billion plant in the southern state of Tamil Nadu was moved to March 2012 because protestor blockades have prevented engineers from gaining entry into the plant.Stricken with delays since it was first conceived in November 2008, the plant has been the target of safety
At a House hearing marked by partisan rancor, Energy Secretary Steven Chu disputed Republicans' allegations that politics played a role in his decision to approve a loan guarantee to now-bankrupt solar energy company Solyndra.E-mails obtained and released by Republican committee members have suggested that there was some disagreement within the Obama administration about Solyndra's economic viability. Some lawmakers have suggested that the White House pressured the Dept. of Energy to take Herculean steps to save the foundering company, which declared bankruptcy late this summer.Chu told the House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight and investigations subcommittee at a Nov. 17 hearing
ENR The plant is sited in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, a key region for India's fishing industry. Commissioning of the 1,000-MW first reactor of the Kudankulam nuclear powerplant in India has ground to a halt due to protests by the local population. Originally scheduled for December, commissioning and start up of the estimated $3-billion plant in the southern state of Tamil Nadu was moved to March 2012 because protestor blockades have prevented engineers from gaining entry into the plant.Stricken with delays since it was first conceived in November 2008, the plant has been the target of safety concerns
Israel Natural Gas Lines has signed an agreement with Italy's Micoperi Marine Contractors, Ravenna, to plan and construct a floating offshore terminal along the country's central Mediterranean coast to better ensure its supply of liquified natural gas. The $140-million project is expected to help Israel meet growing demand and counteract not only undependable natural-gas supplies from Egypt but also the current unavailability of supply from a large offshore gas field. Discovered in 2009 about 50 miles west of Haifa in the Mediterranean Sea, the Tamar field has an estimated 8.3 trillion cu ft of natural-gas deposits, but it is not
Related Links: Bright Outlook for New Jersey Solar Energy The U.S. photovoltaic industry is expected to hit a milestone this year by surpassing the 1-GW mark, or generating enough electricity from the sun to power more than 200,000 homes. While California remains firmly in the lead as the nation’s largest solar power generator, the Northeast region is catching up and accounts for much of the milestone thanks to aggressive business and homeowner incentive programs, said speakers at the PV Power-Generation Mid-West & East conference, held in New York City on Nov. 8-9.“The Northeast is the new California market,” Shaun Chapman,
Related Links: Bright Outlook for New Jersey Solar Energy The U.S. photovoltaic industry is expected to hit a milestone this year by surpassing the 1-GW mark, or generating enough electricity from the sun to power more than 200,000 homes. While California remains firmly in the lead as the nation’s largest solar power generator, the Northeast region is catching up and accounts for much of the milestone thanks to aggressive business and homeowner incentive programs, said speakers at the PV Power-Generation Mid-West & East conference, held in New York City on Nov. 8-9.“The Northeast is the new California market,” Shaun Chapman,
Related Links: TEPCO Crews Try To Cool Damaged Reactors at Fukushima Powerplant Life After Fukushima After Fukushima, the Non-Nuclear Options Special Report: Rebuilding Japan Eight months after the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear powerplant, the site has become a massive construction site. In fact, Japan is about to reach an important milestone: putting into cold shutdown Fukushima Daiichi's four damaged reactors.Last month, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the plant's owner, announced it would stabilize the crippled reactors and have the nuclear fuel cooled below 100 degrees Celsius by the end of December.The March 11 tsunami caused the loss
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