World Bank told to keep their hands off climate change billions

SINGAPORE ~  Environmental organizations throughout the world say the World Bank is not fit to be the custodian of the billions of dollars being set aside by industrialised countries to combat climate change.
More than 140 organisations issued a statement in Poznan today in which they make it clear they do not trust the bank, [...]

Singapore to get US$1.4 billion coal-fired power plant

SINGAPORE ~ Singapore authorities have given the go-ahead in principle for the  construction of a US$1.4 billion coal-fired co-generation power plant.
Local energy producer Tuas Power said in a statement received by Green Assembly, construction will commence next year and the plant will start operating in 2011.

China to implement new environmental law nationwide

HONG KONG ~ China’s top legislature has passed a raft of environmental laws that will come into force throughout the country on New Year’s Day, 2009.
The objective of the new legislation is to boost sustainability through energy savings and the reduction of harmful emissions.

WWF slams Australian power generators on climate change

Worst performers are Rio Tinto, Alcoa and Intergen
SINGAPORE ~ Some major Australian power generators are doing next to nothing to prepare for a low-carbon future, according to a new report from WWF-Australia.
The 2008 WWF-Australia Power Generators Carbon Future Score Card assessed 19 of Australia’s power firms on the work they are doing to reduce their [...]

Myanmar opens hydro-electric station to supply China

RANGOON ~ The Shweli River hydroelectric power plant has begun feeding electricity into the national grid and should reach full capacity within six months, according to newspaper reports.
Located about 27 kilometres southwest of Mantet village in Namkham district, northern Shan State, the 600-megawatt (MW) plant is 90 percent finished, said the New Light of Myanmar. [...]

Garbage-fired power station starts in Bali

BALI ~ A power station fuelled by garbage has started operating in Bali, Indonesia, and is supplying electricity to the local state-owned electricity company.
The Sarbagita station is located at a garbage dump about 10 kilometres from the capital, Denpasar and  is expected to produce 2 megawatts (MW) of electricity this year, increasing to 9.6 MW [...]

Greenpeace backs carbon capture

GREENPEACE UK has put it’s full support behind carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology as part of the solution to combat climate change, the organisation said in a recent press statement.
Greenpeace had previously been firmly opposed to CCS technologies but they have now made a joint statement with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Friends of [...]

Olongapo says no to coal-fired power plant

MANILA ~ The Olongapo City government has passed a resolution objecting to a proposed 300 MW coal power plant in the Subic Bay area. Greenpeace Southeast Asia welcomed the decision and has called on other Philippine cities and provinces to join the movement to ‘quit coal’ and go renewable as a solution to stop dangerous [...]

Greenpeace urges Asean to revoke nuclear plan

GREENPEACE Southeast Asia will march in Bangkok tomorrow (Tuesday 05 August) in a renewed bid to prevent the government from going ahead with its plan to develop a string of nuclear power plants in Thailand.
The group is using tomorrow’s  meeting of the energy ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Bangkok, to [...]

Greenpeace urges government to quit coal plan

BANGKOK ~ Greenpeace activists have repeated their call for a halt to the construction of coal-fired power stations to generate electricity in Thailand, saying the burning of coal is not only a serious human health hazard but is also a major contributor to global warming.
In a peaceful protest at the Ministry of Energy (MoE) headquarters in [...]