Indonesia, Malaysia turn to biodiesel

Faced with soaring oil prices, Indonesia and Malaysia are turning to biodiesel, a fuel that cuts regular diesel with vegetable oil, to reduce emissions and costly subsidies. Indonesia last month introduced biodiesel at petrol stations in Jakarta, though it was only slightly cheaper than regular diesel [due to massive government subsidies]. The high cost of substitutes is just one of the obstacles governments around the world face in making the move to alternative energies and weening their populations off a heavy dependence on fossil fuels.

Research and Technology Minister Kusmayanto Kadiman said his ministry planned to build four biodiesel-processing plants in Indonesia that would together cost up to 33 million dollars, and to develop 500,000 hectares of plantations every year, with more than 1 billion dollars from the government. The Malaysian government is taking similar steps and pledged last year to implement a national biofuel policy which calls for the mandatory use of biodiesel made of 5% processed palm oil with 95% petroleum diesel for all diesel vehicles from the year 2007.

However, the push for palm oil biofuel is worrisome for some environmental groups which charge that new plantations will destroy rainforests and habitat for such threatened Indonesian wildlife as orangutans, Sumatran tigers and rhinoceroses - and also infringe on land used for local livelihoods. "It's like they're going to solve one problem by creating another," said Rudy Lumuru, executive director of Sawit Watch. "They say biofuel is to minimize air pollution, but when they cut the forests, they create a new problem."

Russia to build floating nuclear power station

thewatt.com -> nzherald.co.nz :

Russia is to shrug off environmental concerns about 'floating Chernobyls' and press ahead with construction of the world's first floating nuclear power station. Rosenergoatom, Russia's nuclear power agency, says it intends to build up to six floating power stations and that the first one will be ready in 2010. They will supply heat and electricity to far-flung corners of Russia's Far East and Far North where it is difficult and expensive to ship coal and oil.

Russia has made no secret of the fact that it would also like to sell the controversial mobile power units to other countries such as China and India. The power stations look rather like cross-Channel ferries with two reactors placed above a barge-like platform. At a cost of 182m pounds each, they have a service life of forty years, require a crew of 69 people, and generate enough heat and electricity to power a medium-sized town. Much of the technology used to design them was drawn from Russia's unique experience of building and operating nuclear-powered icebreakers.

(2006-06-26 10:38:56 SGT) [Energy] Permalink

HP raises job cut estimate

channelnewsasia.com :

US technology giant Hewlett-Packard raised its estimates for job cuts to 15,300 under a big reorganization launched last year. The information technology powerhouse had estimated cuts of 14,500 jobs when it announced the restructuring last July.

Chief executive Mark Hurd said the restructuring is expected to be completed by November. Hurd, the former CEO of NCR Corporation, who took the helm of HP from predecessor Carly Fiorina in March 2005, built a reputation for restoring NCR through cost-cutting.

(2006-06-26 10:33:53 SGT) [Biz] Permalink

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