Energy

Japan imports 10% of its LNG yearly from the Sakhalin-2 project in Russia's Far East. An LNG port at Sakhalin-2 is shown here.
Energy

Japan's Sakhalin-2 LNG buyers told to pay bank inside Russia

Russian-owned operator apparently aims to shield funds from Western sanctions

30 July 2022
Coal-fired power plants, which discharge large amounts of CO2, have fallen out of favor with certain segments of the public. But their use has been trending up.
Energy

NYK Idemitsu takes fuel-saving AI to ASEAN's coal power plants

Ulty-V Plus touted as able to reduce CO2 emissions by 0.5% to 1.5%

29 July 2022
A coal mine in Queensland: The Australian state has sharply raised royalties charged on coal production, raising costs for miners. (Photo courtesy of BHP Group)
Energy

Local, international coal miners decry Australian royalty hikes

Move by Queensland government raises fears over investment environment

29 July 2022
A woman fans a baby by candlelight during a recent blackout in Bangladesh. (Photo by Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Economy

Blackouts bedevil Bangladesh as South Asia forex worries mount

Echoing Sri Lanka and Pakistan, woes blamed on Ukraine war and falling reserves

27 July 2022
Agricultural waste like corncobs and husks is turned into a high-energy biofuel at a TTCL plant.
27 July 2022
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his first State of the Nation Address in Manila on Monday. 
Politics

Marcos sets out big economic goal of slashing Philippine poverty

New president avoids China feud, human rights, corruption in policy speech

25 July 2022
South Africa's Koeberg plant, near Cape Town, is currently Africa's only nuclear power station.
Energy

Russia and China throw weight behind Africa's nuclear power drive

Continent's growing energy needs tie into tug of war for regional influence

22 July 2022
Novelis, the U.S. unit of Birla-owned metals giant Hindalco Industries, has started work on an aluminum plant in Alabama. (Source photo by Reuters and the Aditya Birla Group)
Companies

Indian conglomerate Aditya Birla in spotlight over Alabama plans

Giant company expects to build $2.5 billion aluminum plant in U.S. state

20 July 2022
Denmark's Vestas Wind Systems is the world's fifth-largest supplier of offshore wind turbines. (Photo by Kosei Fukao)
Energy

Danish wind turbine maker shelves Japan plant

Siemens also decides against supplying to Japanese offshore wind farm operators

19 July 2022
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, right, shakes hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, on July 18. (Official website of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan/Handout via Reuters) 
Energy

Azerbaijan eager to supply more gas to Europe in Russia's stead

Deal to double exports offers much-needed relief to South Europe and Balkans

19 July 2022
Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing, second left, meets with Rosatom executives on July 11. (Photo courtesy of Myanmar's Ministry of Information)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar seeks Russian assistance in push for nuclear energy

Min Aung Hlaing meets key business leaders and defense officials in latest trip

19 July 2022
A nuclear power plant in France. Paris has given nuclear energy a second look in the interest of carbon reduction.
Energy

Russia's nuclear fuel dominance impedes Western energy independence

U.S. and Europe source 20% of enriched uranium from Russia

19 July 2022
Imports of Russian palladium have plunged as more companies look for other suppliers.
Ukraine war

Battery makers seek price hikes on lack of Russia rare metals

Ukraine war disruption pushes lithium, titanium, palladium to new highs

18 July 2022
Tohoku Electric will issue bonds to finance safety measures for the Onagawa nuclear power plant. 
Energy

As energy costs soar, Japan power utilities rush to secure cash

Bond offerings by eight companies reach 24-year high

18 July 2022
TEPCO installs solar panels on the roofs of factories in Southeast Asia through a joint venture. (Photo courtesy of Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings)
Energy

Japan solar businesses vie for Southeast Asian rooftops

TEPCO and Eneos see opportunities in region dependent on fossil fuels

17 July 2022
A tanker is loaded with liquefied natural gas at the Sakhalin-2 project in Russia. The project supplies roughly 10% of Japan's LNG imports.
Energy

Japan tells Mitsui, Mitsubishi to hang on to Sakhalin-2 stakes

Putin move on key LNG project threatens G-7 unity on Ukraine sanctions

16 July 2022
Almost 49% of Woodside’s shareholders voted against its carbon emissions policies in a non-binding vote at the company’s annual general meeting in May.
Energy

Activists vow to escalate climate battle at Australia's Woodside

Gas producer becomes lightning rod for debate about Asia's energy transition

15 July 2022
The Genkai nuclear power plant in southwestern Japan. Five reactors are currently active nationwide. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Energy

Japan wants up to 9 nuclear reactors running this winter

Kishida also plans new fossil fuel capacity, rebates to cut electricity bills

15 July 2022
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other officials offer prayers as a hearse carrying the body of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes a brief visit to the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai) 
Shinzo Abe

Japan to hold state funeral for Shinzo Abe this autumn

Kishida is swayed by outpouring of support at home and abroad

15 July 2022
Russian crude oil is believed to have been refined in India and exported to the West. 
Energy

India under spotlight for 'laundering' Russian oil

Reliance faces allegations of exploiting loophole to refine sanctioned crude

14 July 2022
Kawasaki Heavy's Suiso Frontier delivered the world's first cargo of liquefied hydrogen from Australia to Japan earlier this year. (Photo by Atsushi Ooka)
Energy

Quad members agree to promote hydrogen, ammonia fuel tech

Ukraine war underscores importance of clean energy security

14 July 2022
Kawasaki Heavy Industries built the world's first liquefied hydrogen carrier. (Photo by Arisa Moriyama)
Technology

China closes in on Japan's hydrogen technology patent lead

Race to develop ultimate clean fuel heats up as Japanese filings slow by 30%

13 July 2022
A laborer shovels coal on the outskirts of Kabul: Pakistan wants cheaper energy supplies, while the Taliban aims to maximize its revenue.
International relations

Taliban throws wrench into Pakistan's plans for cheap coal power

Afghan rulers hike price right after Islamabad shows interest in imports

12 July 2022
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, second from left, tours Doosan Enerbility in June. (Photo courtesy of the Office of the President of South Korea)
Energy

Yoon reboots South Korea's nuclear export ambitions

Delegation touts reactors in Czech Republic and Poland

12 July 2022
Activists who have long criticized mining companies now say the industry is painting itself green by arguing that extraction is crucial to the world reaching net-zero carbon emissions. (Source photos by Reuters and Nikkei)
Market Spotlight

Mining companies rebrand as heroes of energy transition

Metals vital for reaching net-zero, but industry carbon footprint clouds narrative

11 July 2022