Global: Azerbaijan halts oil exports via Georgia ports - state oil firm
Azerbaijan has halted oil exports via the Georgian ports of Batumi and Kulevi due to clashes between Russia and Georgia, the head of the state oil company said Saturday.
"Since last night the import and export of oil through the Georgian ports of Kulevi and Batumi have been halted," said Rovnag Abdullayev, the head of the Azeri state oil company SOCAR, in televised comments.
Bangladesh: Fault at Kaptai plant puts Ctg into darkness
The commercial capital Chittagong which has been facing acute power crisis over the last few months, suffered another debacle when Kaptai Hydro Electric Plant (unit-1) went inoperative due to technical glitch last night.
Bangladesh: Load-shedding hits normal life in Kurigram
More than half lakh consumers of Kurigram-Lalmonirhat Palli Biddut Samitee (KLPBS) have been suffering from load shedding daily from the beginning of the summer. As a result, normal lives including business transaction and education activities of the students are being hampered seriously in Kurigram district.
Chile: Hanging on at the end of the world - the last round-up
Chile has no significant hydrocarbon deposits of its own and has traditionally imported about 72 per cent of its energy, mostly from Argentina. Four years ago, however, Argentina drastically cut export volumes to protect its own markets. Chile's booming economy, fuelled in large part by energy-intensive copper mining in the north, is now, literally, running out of juice.
China: China's power plants, coal suppliers urged to cooperate amid shortage
The China Electricity Council (CEC) has urged coal producers and power suppliers to cooperate to cope with expected power shortages during the second half of 2008.
These shortages could reach 15 million kw per day, mainly due to tight thermal coal supplies, the CEC said in a website notice on Friday.
Dominican Republic: Continúa escasez GLP; emvasadoras cierran
A Saturday of shortage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the National District and the province of Santo Domingo continues today and what was available saw long queues for fuel buyers.
The shortage of propane gas is reflected in different parts of the capital where the combination of drivers and housewives, who are looking to fill its cylinders, are causing chaos and consumers have to travel to several stations for supplies.
India: Power cuts continue despite rains
Although rains have resumed since last week of July, state power utility MSEB has continued with six hours of power cuts in residential areas . While lack of adequate rains did impact generation in first half of July, experts feel better planning on the part of MSEB could have averted continuance of load-schedding even in August.
Palestine (Gaza): Hamas bans use of cars that run on cooking gas
Gaza's Hamas-run government banned the use of cooking gas to fuel cars in the territory on Saturday, citing expected shortages ahead of the Muslim month of Ramadan.
Earlier this year, Israel slashed fuel shipments in response to attacks from the Gaza Strip, leading to a severe shortage. As a result, around 8,000 Gaza residents converted their vehicles to run on cooking gas, said Ahmad Ali, of the Palestinian Petroleum Commission.
Peru: Peru miners fear energy shortage to drive up costs
Peruvian mining companies, the traditional backbone of the Andean country's economy, say they will face higher costs over the next year because of scarce energy supplies.
A drier than expected rainy season has slashed power output from hydroelectric dams, while the only gas pipeline that feeds thermoelectric plants is operating at full capacity. Its expansion will not be completed for another 12 months.
UAE: Sun sets on cement
All is not well at RAK White Cement's production empire in the UAE sheikhdom of Ras Al Khaimah.
Two of the three gas kilns used to make the building material in the factory lie idle, while many of its 350-strong workforce occupy themselves with routine tasks instead of focusing on production.
Zambia: Kitwe hit by diesel shartage
KITWE has been hit by a shortage of diesel forcing motorists to queue up at filling stations that are expected to receive the commodity.
Of all the filling stations in town, only Wusakile BP filling station had 14,000 litres of diesel in the morning but it run out before lunch.
Zimbabwe: Low wheat yield expected in Mat North
In an interview with Sunday Business last Wednesday, the Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services provincial officer, Mr Adolf Dube, said the province’s target of five tonnes per hectare had since proven a pie in the sky, owing to the shortage of fertiliser and herbicides, and intermittent load shedding.
