nuclear

Brazil: Crisis dents Brazil's dreams of oil bonanza

Plummeting crude prices and the evaporation of global credit seem certain to delay development of huge oil reserves off Brazil's coast, which the government had hoped would solve many of the country's ills.
Just two months ago, with the price of oil at around $120 a barrel, Brazil was brimming with confidence over the potential 50-80 billion barrels of oil, with newspapers running cover stories and editorials on the issue daily.

Canada (British Columbia): Fuel situation still critical in Western Canada

It’s been a frustrating few weeks for truckers like Dan Dickey of Chilliwack, British Columbia, who have been scrambling around to find fuel in Western Canada.

Fuel supply shortages there are still playing havoc with truckers like Dickey who depend on fuel for their livelihoods.

When calling ahead to ensure that cardlocks – unmanned fueling facilities – have fuel where he’s heading, Dickey said he’s been told, “Sure, there’s fuel at that location as long as you can get there in about 15 minutes.”

Dominican Republic: Less blackouts as AES Andres plant resumes output

With the resumed operation of the AES Andres natural gas plant, off line since the 17th of this month for maintenance, the supplyof electricity to the population has improved.

India: Trouble Awaits Nuclear Investors

The recently signed U.S.-India nuclear deal has stirred great excitement in Indian business and industrial and business circles. With only 145,000 megawatts of installed capacity, the power sector has been struggling to meet demand. India is also short of oil (importing 70% of its needs). While it does have large reserves of coal, these are of low quality and hard to exploit in an environmentally conscious age. In this context, the opening of the nuclear power sector to international trade is seen to promise an investment bonanza.

Pakistan: Energy crisis in Pakistan

Nothing flustered me during my recent visit to Karachi more than the electric load shedding there. Studying late night for my Ph.D. entrance test with the help of candle lights didn’t upset me, but the thought that my fellow Pakistani brothers and sisters were suffering this inconvenience daily made me sick. If lack of safety and security was bad enough, the economic crisis has made life worse in Pakistan.

Russia: Russian oil at its peak , says Dudley

Robert Dudley, the outgoing chief executive of TNK-BP, said that Russia’s oil production looked set for a protracted decline, in part due to lack of investment.

In only his second public appearance since he was forced to leave Russia in July amid a bitter struggle for control of TNK-BP between BP and its Russian billionaire partners, Mr Dudley said Russian oil production looked to have reached its peak in August.

Argentina: Un fin de semana largo con escaséz de gasoil

On the eve of the long weekend, the fear of lack of diesel fuel has again gathered force at service stations in the region and mainly in the flag stations as could be seen yesterday as YPF signs alerted users about the shortage.

Argentina: Gobierno argentino anuncia programa para aumentar reservas de gas

Argentina has faced four years of periodic crises of scarcity of natural gas, liquid fuels and electricity, especially in times of high consumption, as the winter and summer. Gas distribution companies warned by the middle of this year on an "energy crisis" in the country, following the shortage of gas and fuel.

Bolivia: El transporte nocturno se reduce en 65%

The shortage of fuel persists in Santa Cruz and has forced the urban transport sector to decline by 65% of the night service, since 4000 micros who work that shift are now operating at only about 1,500.

Botswana: Minister warns of impending outages

Botswana will until November experience load shedding as the power demand has outgrown supply due to maintenance in Morupule Power Station and equipment failure in Mozambique.

Briefing the media on the current power situation, Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Mr Ponatshego Kedikilwe, said due to an ongoing statutory overhaul in one of the generating units, Morupule Power Station's output had been reduced from 120MW to 90MW.

India: 40% power shortage drives textile industry towards closure – SIMA

The textile industry in Tamil Nadu has been passing through unprecedented crisis due to acute power shortage for the last eleven months, though there was some relief during peak wind season.

The major reasons attributed to such a severe shortage are sudden spurt in industrial growth, sizable increase in the domestic / free power consumption, uninterrupted power supply to power intensive multi-national companies as per the MoUs signed by the government, unequal distribution of power shortage, poor implementation of any voluntary system of scheduled power shut downs, etc.

India: More power cuts for TN industry

The power situation in the state is beginning to hit business where it hurts most. The Tamil Nadu government has asked industries and commercial establishments to "switch off" between 6 pm and 10 pm from October 9, failing which they will be disconnected from the grid.

Kenya: Power - It’s time to go nuclear, but we must do it right

In his message at the opening of the national energy conference on Tuesday, Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi put it even more bluntly: “There is a looming power supply crisis in the country. We have a chronic power shortage due to the inability to keep pace with demand.”

To meet the rising demand, he said, we have to double our generation capacity to 2,030 megawatts by 2012 and raise it to more than 10,000 by 2030. One way of doing this is go for nuclear power. According to Energy permanent secretary Patrick Nyoike, a South African expert is to advise the Government on generation.

Madagascar: Des quartiers sans électricité

Return of the ordeal. Some areas of the town of Fianarantsoa are plunged into darkness for several days. And he load shedding begins to undermine the daily part of the population.

Pakistan: Load shedding continues despite increase in power tariffs

The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) on Friday refused to reduce the duration of power load shedding despite increase in power tariffs.

Citizens in residential areas are facing great difficulties due to prolonged load shedding.

Saint Kitts and Nevis: Life goes on, load - shedding and all

Every once in a while something comes along to thoroughly test the resilience of the people of St. Kitts/Nevis.

Over the last few weeks, the matter of power generation in the country was placed under the microscope and the results demanded that the citizens and residents of St. Kitts draw deep within themselves to come out of a troubling situation with little fraying of the nerves.

All of this has to do with the fact that the authorities had to put a massive load-shedding programme in place following fire damage to two generators at the Needsmust Power Plant.