Regulation of energy efficiency presents new certification challenges

There is a huge drive to improve energy efficiency from customers wishing to save on running costs, manufacturers trying to gain competitive advantage and also from governments.

The number of international energy efficiency standards is growing requiring manufacturers to not only think about efficiency during design, but also ensure that appropriate certifications are obtained.

Although regulation and encouragement of energy efficiency by governments dates back many years, with the American Energy Star initiative being probably the best known, new regulation is flooding onto the market.

These can be very specific, such as the European Code of Conduct on Energy Consumption of Broadband Equipment or can cover a wide range of appliances.

The EuP (Energy using Products) Directive has been replaced by the ErP (Energy related Products) Directive for Europe. This has in turn expanded the products covered under the Energy Directive, the ErP directive will be implemented to EU member countries November 2010.

www.electronicsweekly.com

GDF Suez hors de Bolivie : le gouvernement français exige « une indemnisation adéquate »

Le 1er mai, Evo Morales a décrété la nationalisation, entre autres producteurs d’électricité, d’une filiale de GDF Suez. Quatre jours plus tard, le ministère des Affaires étrangères a réagi à cette « confiscation ».

L’accord franco-bolivien sur l’encouragement et la protection des investissements signé le 27 septembre 1989 semble bien loin. Le mardi 4 mai, le gouvernement français a réagi à la mesure prise par Evo Morales pendant la fête du Premier mai. Prônant la « réappropriation des ressources naturelles », le président bolivien a inclus une filiale de GDF Suez dans le lot des producteurs d’énergies dont il a décrété la nationalisation. En l’occurrence, Eletrica Corani, société possédant plusieurs centrales hydroélectriques dans la province de Cochabamba et dont GDF Suez avait acquis la moitié du capital à la fin du millénaire écoulé.

source : www.usinenouvelle.com

L’éolienne qui cache la forêt

Porté par un fantastique élan réformateur, le projet de loi « Grenelle II », dont l’examen débute ce mardi 4 mai, souffre d’un manque d’appétence de la majorité pour les questions d’environnement.

Alors que commence l’ultime examen, à l’Assemblée nationale, du projet de loi « portant engagement national pour l’environnement », le souffle des débuts semble retombé.

Souvenez-vous. L’image n’est pourtant pas si vieille. Associatifs, syndicalistes, chefs d’entreprise, élus locaux, représentants des administrations, tous réunis, souriants, autour du ministre d’Etat. Tous prêts à se retrousser les manches pour réformer, ensemble, la politique environnementale française.

source : www.journaldelenvironnement.net

TECHNIP remporte un contrat majeur pour les conduites flexibles du champ Tupi

Technip a remporté en avril auprès de Petrobras un contrat pour les conduites flexibles du système pilote du champ Tupi. Ce champ est situé par 2 200 mètres de profondeur d’eau dans les réservoirs présalifères du bassin de Santos, à environ 300 kilomètres au large des côtes brésiliennes.

Le contrat inclut l’ingénierie, la fourniture des équipements, la fabrication et l’approvisionnement de 90 kilomètres de risers et de flowlines pour l’injection d’eau, la production de pétrole, le gas lift et la réinjection de gaz carbonique (CO2).

source : www.euro-petrole.com

TOTAL, Inauguration du plus important craqueur d’éthane au monde à Ras Laffan, Qatar

Total annonce l’inauguration de la plus grande unité au monde de production d’oléfines par craquage d’éthane à Ras Laffan, au Qatar. D’une capacité de 1,3 million de tonnes d’éthylène par an, le craqueur d’oléfines de Ras Laffan (Ras Laffan Olefin Cracker, RLOC) alimentera la nouvelle unité de polyéthylène de Qatofin inaugurée à Mesaieed en novembre 2009. À travers ses participations dans Qapco et Qatofin, joint-ventures créées avec Qatar Petroleum, Total Petrochemicals détient un intérêt de 22,2% dans RLOC, aux côtés de Qatar Petroleum et de Chevron Phillips Chemical Company.

source : www.euro-petrole.com

Bioenergy International Expo and Conference 2010 Prague 5th & 6th of May

Tanquid, OPEC, Vopak, Mestilla, Petrom, Amerifina Bio-Fuels, Noil Energy Group, Enamo, MÜNZER Bioindustrie, OK a.m.b.a, LSPO Oy, BTP Biodiesel, Slovnaft, GREENEA, Noil Energy Group, Coalandoil, italgest, Shimadzu Europa, Camlin Fine Chem, Transpetrol – just some of the names registered for the third Bioenergy International expo & conference, organised by leading global publication Biofuels International magazine.

These and many more have already registered for the upcoming Bioenergy International expo & conference in Prague, only days away on 5-6 May. By registering now you can receive details of other delegates and speaker attending the event and arrange meetings before it event begins.

Now only a few places remain for the attached biodiesel plant tour on 4th May – included in the price of the conference pass. The tour will be held at Preol’s state-of-the-art biodiesel plant in the industrial region of Lovosice.

You can listen to presentations from over 40 top level speakers including H.E. Mr. Jan Dusík, Minister of the Environment for the Czech Republic, Ivan Soucek, CEO, Ceska Rafinerska, Marc Gillmann, Bioenergy expert, Total, Miroslav Bažata, Head of biofuel sales, Agropodnik, Robert Gmyrek, Director, Biofuels Department, PKN Orlen, Dag Roger Rinde, CEO, Statoil and many more for just €575 a day, or €975 for both days.

The full conference programme can be viewed at http://www.biofuelsinternationalexpo.com/conf_prog.html.

Bioenergy International expo & conference, on the 5-6 May in Prague, which rebranded this year to focus on bioenergy and biomass as well as just biodiesel and bioethanol, is a two day exhibition and conference which will look in depth at second generation biodiesel, cellulosic ethanol, ways to source sustainable biomass, pyrolysis technology, the potential of biogas across Europe, developments in the use of bioenergy for aviation, future feedstocks such as algae and jatropha and the challenges of storing and handling both biomass and biofuels.

It is organised by leading global publication Biofuels International magazine. If you haven’t already registered, do so now at www.biofuelsinternationalexpo.com.

For further information visit www.biofuelsinternationalexpo.com or contact Margaret Garn +44 208 687 4126 margaret@biofuels-news.com

Source : www.euro-petrole.com

Atex News : BP Forges Ahead With Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response

BP, as lease operator of Mississippi Canyon Block 252 (MC252), continues to forge ahead with a comprehensive oil well intervention and spill response plan following the April 22 sinking of the Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling rig 130 miles south-east of New Orleans.

“We are attacking this spill on two fronts – at the wellhead and on the surface offshore,” said BP Group Chief Executive Tony Hayward, who has travelled to Texas and Louisiana this week to meet with response personnel. “The team on the ground and those at sea have the Group’s full resources behind them.” BP continues to assist Transocean’s work below the surface on the subsea equipment, using remotely operated vehicles to monitor the Macondo/MC252 exploration well, and is planning and mobilizing to activate the blow-out preventer.

BP is preparing to drill relief wells to permanently secure the well. The drilling rig Development Driller III is moving into position to drill a second well to intercept the Macondo well and inject a specialized heavy fluid to securely prevent flow of oil or gas and allow work to be carried out to permanently seal the well. As of Saturday, April 24, the oil spill response team had recovered more than 1,000 barrels of an oil-water mix of which the vast majority is water. The material has been collected by skimming vessels and vessels towing containment boom. Dispersants have also been applied to the spill. Equipment available for the effort includes :

* 100,000 gallons of dispersant are ready to be deployed, which is a third of the world’s dispersant commodity ; BP is in contact with manufacturers to procure additional supply as necessary. * 32 spill response vessels (skimmers, tugs, barges, recovery vessels). * 5 aircraft (helicopters and fixed wing including a large payload capacity C-130 (Hercules) for dispersant deployment).

In Houma, La. where the field operations response is being coordinated, almost 500 personnel on- and offshore have already been deployed to coordinate the oil spill response. BP’s team of operational and technical experts are working in coordination with several agencies, organizations and companies including United States Coast Guard, Minerals Management Service, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, and Marine Spill Response Corporation. More teams have been mobilized in Houston and New Orleans to support the effort.

According to Steve Benz, President and CEO of the Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC), “At BP’s request we are mounting the single, largest response effort in MSRC’s 20-year history. The many years of working together with BP on drills and exercises has proved invaluable to us as we move forward on this response effort." “Given the current conditions and the massive size of our response, we are confident in our ability to tackle this spill offshore,” Hayward added.

Along with the response teams in action, additional resources, both people and equipment, continue to arrive for staging throughout the Gulf states in preparation for deployment should they be needed.

Origine : Communiqué BP Source : www.euro-petrole.com