CENTRICA BUYS ARGUS-INDEXED POWER.
Centrica plc, the UK's largest household energy supplier has signed a power supply contract based on the Argus/McCloskey API 2 coal index, as part of its aim to further increase diversity in its power portfolio. The deal is Centrica's first coal-indexed power purchase and represents the first...

Company gets DoE okay to mine coal in Cebu.
CEBU CITY Forum Exploration said yesterday the Department of Energy (DoE) has awarded to it two coal operating contracts (COC) covering areas located in two towns of Cebu. The areas for the two contracts, located at Balamban-Naga (Central Cebu) and Dalaguete (Southern Cebu), have estimated reserves of...

FOUNDATION COAL TO EXPAND IN GREENE COUNTY, PA.
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell has presented an $800,000 check to James Roberts, CEO of Foundation Coal Corp., for the company's expansion project in Greene County. Foundation Coal will make a substantial equipment investment in its existing Cumberland and Emerald mines, creating at least 100 new jobs within three...

DoE updates power development plan.
Byline: MYRNA M. VELASCO The Department of Energy (DoE) is ostensibly looking at a low gross domestic product (GDP) growth, which may start at roughly 5.0 percent or even lower this year, as the basis for revision in the countrys development plan to weigh up on when...

Lightning kills 10, injures 8 in India.
HYDERABAD, India (AFP) Ten people were killed and eight others injured when they were struck by lightning during heavy rains in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, police said Sunday. The 10 victims were killed overnight Saturday, a police spokesman said. Torrential rains with...

PSALM to group porfolios into four clusters.
Byline: MYRNA M. VELASCO The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) is collaborating with the independent power producers (IPPs) on a scheme that will possibly group the power plant portfolios of state-owned National Power Corporation (NPC) into at least four clusters that will have to...

ERC approves discounted rates for a $ 300-M solar wafer plant.
Byline: MYRNA M. VELASCO The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has approved the multi-party agreements among power utilities that shall extend up to 53 percent discount in electricity rates to be charged to Sunpower Philippines Mfg. Ltd (Sunpower), project sponsor for the proposed $300-million solar wafer manufacturing plant...

DoE eyes expansion of power plants.
To at least save on the daunting task of securing project sites, the Department of Energy (DoE) is banking on planned capacity expansion of existing power facilities and projects already at advanced stages of implementation so the industry would be able to fend off feared nearterm supply shortages. ...

Local cement demand slowing down by 5%.
Byline: BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT With the absence of government infrastructure projects, cement demand this year is slowing down by 5 percent further sinking the industry down with capacity utilization of only 53 percent from last year's 60 to 65 percent. Renato C. Sunico, chairman of the...

Semirara Mining registers P828-M net income in 9 months.
Byline: ANA MARIE MACUJA Consunji-controlled Semirara Mining Company, Inc. registered a net income of P828.83 million for the first nine months of the year, higher than its net income of P793.96 million during the same period last year. Revenues for the nine-month period reached P3.77...