 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Indonesian And China Sign Bio-Fuel Deal
Jakarta (AFP) Jan 09, 2007 A Chinese oil firm Tuesday signed an agreement to develop a 5.5-billion-dollar bio-fuel project in Indonesia where conservationists have expressed concern over the threat to one of the world's largest remaining areas of pristine rain forest. State-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) signed the agreement with PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (SMART) and Hong Kong Energy (Holdings) Ltd. SMART said the project, using crude palm oil as raw material to produce bio-diesel and sugar cane and cassava to produce bio-ethanol, would be developed in three phases over eight years. Local governments in Kalimantan on Borneo island and West Papua have provided about one million hectares (2.4 million acres) of land to support the project, the company said in a statement. Borneo island is home to countless species of rare birds, plants and mammals, including the largest remaining wild orangutan population. Conservation group WWF says expanding palm oil plantations, logging and human population pressure are threatening the fragile "Heart of Borneo" ecosystem, which straddles the highlands between the Indonesian and Malaysian parts of the island. WWF said Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei had agreed to protect the area and would ink a formal agreement early this year to ensure sustainable development of the forest. The Indonesian government sees development of bio-fuel as a way of helping address the problem of the country's rapidly depleting hydrocarbon resources. It is also labour intensive which adds to its attractions in a country with a high unemployment rate. Separately, National Biofuel Team chairman Al Hilal Hamdi said other investors had signed similar cooperation deals to develop renewable energy. He cited a consortium made up of Sampoerna Agro, MAE Engineering Ltd. and REI Horizon; another with PT Medco Etanol and state plantation firm PT PN VIII, and individual investors including Genting Biofuels Ptd, Mitsui, Mitsubishi, KBB Resources Berhad and Greenergy India Pvt Ltd. The combined value of these renewable energy investments would be 12.4 billion dollars, Hamdi said. A further 25 trillion rupiah (2.77 billion dollars) worth of loans from mainly state banks was being earmarked for farmers to expand or build new plantations, he said. The government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been promoting the development of biofuel production. "This program is realistic and take into account all the capabilities and potentials that we have," Yudhoyono said Tuesday.
Source: Agence France-Presse Related Links Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Boeing To Begin Second Phase Of Enhanced Polar System Payload Study
St. Louis MO (SPX) Jan 10, 2007Boeing and the U.S. Air Force MILSATCOM Systems Wing have exercised an $8.4 million contract option to activate Phase II of the Enhanced Polar System (EPS) payload study. Phase I began in July 2006 with a $1.5 million award to Boeing to define the next-generation communications payload for a polar-orbiting satellite. Phase II focuses on further payload system definition efforts and lays the foundation for future EPS system definition and production efforts. The work is expected to conclude in December 2007. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement |
