Slowing Chinese oil imports hit VLCC owners - Seatrade Global | Few of the owners of large tankers have reported their results for the second quarter, but Euronav, the Belgian-based owner of a representative fleet of VLCCs and suezmaxes has recorded a loss of $31m for the period on top of a $11m loss in the first quarter. The company's spot VLCCs in the Tankers International pool earned a miserable $14,200 a day, and their spot suezmaxes $18,400 a day. Equivalent earnings in the second quarter last year for both classes were around $22,000 a day. Reasons for the second quarter debacle are not hard to find. Apart from the chronic overtonnaging in both sectors, drops in US and Chinese oil imports are to blame for exacerbating a difficult situation. Contrary to earlier predictions, Chinese oil imports have been dropping. Chinese oil imports in the first half fell 1.4% from last year's first half to 5.57m barrels per day, with possibly further falls as the year goes on. As China's economy slows, the deceleration of oil imports appears to be picking up. June's imports were 4.4% down year-on-year at 5.39m bpd. China's oil imports had been expected to rise this year because of new refinery capacity opening but with domestic demand weakening these refineries will not be operating at full speed. There now seems little likelihood that earlier predictions of 6m bpd import levels being reached this year will come true. Since China has been providing around half the incremental growth in crude importation around the world, this is very bad news indeed for the VLCC market. A further brake on VLCC demand going forward is the new Burma-China pipeline which, when it is up to its 440,000 bpd capacity will knock further tonne-miles off tanker demand. Using this will cut some 2,500 nautical miles off a voyage to Ningbo on the eastern seaboard of China. Although the pipeline will take time to reach capacity, any dent, however small, makes a bad situation worse.

Rosneft ships additional oil supplies to China under new deal - Reuters | Rosneft, Russia's top oil producer, said on Wednesday it had started shipping additional oil supplies to China, following an agreement signed last month. Russia, the world's top crude producer, is shifting oil flows from debt-stricken Europe to fast-growing China, now the world's No.2 oil consumer after the United States. In June, Rosneft agreed to double oil supplies to China to reach a total of 360 million tonnes over the next 25 years (300,000 barrels per day) in a deal worth $270 billion. As part of the deal, Rosneft plans to increase deliveries by 800,000 tonnes this year on top of the 15 million tonnes (300,000 barrels per day) it already supplies annually. Rosneft, which started sending additional supplies on July 29, said it expected to ship extra barrels that it had earmarked for July by Thursday. It declined to comment on the exact amount of oil it plans to send to China this month. With its export pipeline to China and East Siberia-Pacific Ocean route to Kozmino, Russia will export around 750,000 barrels per day to Asia in July-September, or 17 percent of its overall exports of 4.4 million bpd. Rosneft's additional supplies this year are not likely to strain export capacity at the Pacific port of Kozmino, which expects to ship 21 million tonnes of oil this year. Next year, flows are expected to rise to 30 million tonnes, Kozmino's maximum, highlighting the need to expand its export capacities. Rosneft is considering using swap operations with neighbouring countries such as Kazakhstan to ship more oil to Asia. Traders expect Rosneft's export volumes for China to rise to 17 million tonnes in 2014 and as much as 20 million by 2015, on a par with Germany, the top consumer of Russian oil to date. 

PetroChina hikes cost of gas from Changqing to LNG plants - Interfax | PetroChina has hiked the price of gas from the Changqing oilfield to domestic LNG plants by the maximum permitted under wholesale price increases that took effect earlier this month, a source with knowledge of the matter has told Interfax.

Sinopec breaks ground on $2.9 billion terminal – report - Interfax | Sinopec has started building a RMB 17.78 billion LNG terminal on the southern coast of China – the second LNG import project underway by the company after a terminal on the east coast – according to a state media report on Tuesday.

Chinese firm to set up four energy projects in Pakistan - Dawn | A Chinese energy investment company has identified four energy projects in Pakistan for immediate investment, but informed the government that the start-up of these projects would depend on tariff approval from Nepra. As a follow-up to the recent visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to China, the Vice President of China Power Investment Corporation, Zhiyig Wang, is in Islamabad as head of a 15-member delegation, and has started deliberations with officials of Ministry of Water and Power, Board of Investment (BoI) and the Planning Commission. During his meeting with BoI Chairman Mohammad Zubair on Tuesday, Wang said the China Power Corporation is ready to invest in four power projects. Explaining the proposed projects, he said the capacity of two coal-based power projects, to be set up in Thar, would be 900MW each with a total investment of $2.12 billion and would require 10 million tonnes coal a year. The projects would depend on the mining in Thar as the company intends to start coal production by 2015 and power generation by 2015-16. He said the corporation would set up a 660MW power plant in Lahore and would engage the Punjab government for development, investment, construction, operation and management of the power plant. The fourth project would be 300MW solar power project based in Bahawalpur.

When a Wave of Protest Swamped a Nuclear Fuel Project - Caixin | Local officials followed orders by checking how a proposed uranium processing facility would affect social stability, but they still ran into public opposition. In mid-July, officials in Jiangmen, a city in the southern province of Guangdong, found it impossible to stop a protest against a massive nuclear fuel project planned for the western part of the Pearl River Delta. Officials had carefully planned their every step to avoid angering the public, including a using new mechanism to evaluate the risk to social stability that a project poses, but the facility still ran into a storm of public protest. "No one would listen," an official in Jiangmen complained. This was the second time this year that a civilian nuclear project in China was canceled due to public disagreement. In February a project in Guangxi Province was halted for similar reasons. The planned 37 billion yuan uranium processing facility in Jiangmen was being built by the China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC), a state-owned company. In the past, when CNNC was an arm of the government, it developed the country's atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb and nuclear submarines. Local officials say the uranium-processing facility was based on mature technology and vouched for by foreign and domestic experts, meaning it would have been safe to operate.

Beijing Enterprises to Buy China Gas Stake From Parent - Bloomberg | Beijing Enterprises Holdings Ltd. (392) said it will pay HK$8.22 billion ($1.1 billion) to its state-owned parent for a stake in China Gas Holdings Ltd. (384), a supplier of natural gas to 184 Chinese cities. The company will pay HK$7.80 a share to Beijing Enterprises Group for 22.01 percent of China Gas, Hong Kong-based Beijing Enterprises Holdings said today in a statement. That's 12 percent less than yesterday's closing price of China Gas. Following the transaction Beijing Enterprises Holdings will be the biggest shareholder in China Gas, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The parent increased its stake in China Gas last year after China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (386) and ENN Energy Holdings Ltd. (2688) made a takeover offer for China Gas.

China finds more oil offshore - UPI | The latest discovery of oil and natural gas reserves offshore China proves the area is prolific for energy explorers, China National Offshore Oil Corp. said. CNOOC announced it made two new exploration discoveries in the Bohai Bay off the Chinese coast. The company said drilling operations at the Bozhong 8-4 and Kenli 10-4 wells encountered a combined 311 feet worth of oil reservoir and 36 feet of natural gas layer. "The successful discovery of Bozhong 8-4 and Kenli 10-4 has extended our effective exploration activities in Bohai and further proven the rich oil and natural gas resources in this area," CNOOC exploration chief Zhu Weilin said in a statement Tuesday. Bohai Bay is estimated to hold as much as 146 billion barrels of oil. ConocoPhillips in 2011 observed "several small seeps" from a production platform in Bohai Bay associated with a release. Conoco said it had about 13,000 cubic feet of oil-based drilling mud cleaned up, which it said represented about 90 percent of the total volume released.

China's Biggest Coal-to-Gas Project Approved - The China Perspective | Regulatory approval has been given to China's biggest coal-to-gas project, people with knowledge of the issue said. The project is proposed and led by Sinopec Corp (NYSE: SNP, HKG: 0386, SHA: 600028), alongside other participates including Huaneng Power International Inc (NYSE: HNP, HKG: 0902, SHA: 600011), Yanzhou Coal Mining Co (NYSE: YZC, HKG: 1171, SHA: 600188), China Shenhua Energy Co (HKG: 1088, SHA: 601088) and China Coal Energy Co (SHA: 601898, HKG: 1898). Located in a basin in Xinjiang in northwestern China, the project is expected to draw 200 billion yuan of investment and produce 36 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Coal-to-gas processing is expected to prevail as natural gas prices rise and coal prices fall in China.

China leader: Shelve sea disputes for development - New Zealand Herald /Associated Press | China's president said at a high-level meeting on Wednesday that Beijing would put aside territorial disputes and seek joint maritime development in disputed waters, though he insisted that China would not give up its sovereignty claims. Xi Jinping made the remarks at a Politburo meeting, according to state-run China Central Television. The comments are a sign that China is seeking to find common ground with neighbouring countries with which it has territorial disputes.

Cadmium poisoning from Hunan factory kills 26 villagers - Inquirer News / AFP | At least 26 villagers have died from cadmium poisoning and hundreds more fallen ill since 2009 near a disused factory in central China, local media said on Wednesday, underscoring the country's mounting pollution challenge. Soil samples from Shuangqiao in Hunan province contained 300 times authorised cadmium levels and excess amounts were found in 500 of 3,000 villagers tested by health authorities, the China Youth Daily said. It said 26 people had died as a result of cadmium exposure in the last four years, eight of them under 60 and 20 of them from cancer, while children in the village were born with deformities. A major chemical plant operated in the village until 2009, and a "huge" industrial waste pile remains in the factory grounds, as does "an odour that will not go away", the paper said.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp Asset acquisition to improve returns - insider monkey / motley fool | In order to expand upstream business margins, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNP) entered into a joint venture with its parent company, Sinopec Group. It acquired Sinopec Group’s upstream assets worth $3 billion in Columbia, Kazakhstan, and Russia. As these places are rich in oil resources, overseas reserves will rise from 82.5 million barrels of oil equivalent, or mboe, to 330.2 mboe, and production will double to 58.7 mboe. Due to strong financial flexibility, the company expects to acquire all of Sinopec Group’s upstream assets that will bolster its overseas portfolio and production. With this acquisition, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNP) should witness an increase in its upstream business and is expected to generate revenue of $10 billion this year. The change in domestic fuel prices has reduced the regulatory risk in China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNP)’s refining business, which has underperformed in the past two years. The Chinese government controls energy prices through the policymaker, National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC. As NDRC previously adjusted fuel prices less frequently, companies faced massive losses. Therefore, NDRC recently reduced oil price adjustments from every 22 days to 10 days, and it eliminated the 4% cap on oil price adjustments. With this, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNP)'s refining business margin is expected to improve. The new pricing system should improve predictability of cash flows for China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNP). This could help the company generate positive free cash flow, or FCF, of $478 million this year compared to negative FCF of $15.2 billion in 2012, enabling the company to drive investors’ return higher from the current dividend yield of 6.20%. 

Death Penalty for Polluters: China’s Use of Criminal Law for Economic Ends - CFR Asia Unbound| Although pollution, food safety, and financial markets do not at first glance appear to be connected, taken together, the Chinese government’s rhetoric suggests a more robust use of criminal law for economic ends. As explained in more detail in my paper, China’s instrumental use of criminal law is not new. However, recent developments indicate a possible turn to a sustained, sophisticated, and resolute response to economically detrimental activities, not the sporadic crackdowns that have thus far punctuated the decades of China’s rapid economic growth.

Explosion Hits China Factory at Center of Influential Protest -WSJ | Six years ago, thousands of people in the coastal city of Xiamen used peaceful protests to upend plans for a chemical plant they feared was dangerous, scoring a victory that fostered copycat activism nationwide in China. Despite that success, the plant was eventually built in a different location. On Tuesday, part of it exploded. ...The incident follows increased reassurance in China’s state-run media that it is safe to produce the chemical made at the plant, a plastics input called paraxylene, or PX. On the same day as the blast, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece newspaper, the People’s Daily, quoted an oil an industry executive as saying, “For large projects like PX, they have been running for decades without big work safety accidents anywhere.”

中国不会有单纯的页岩气革命 产业化至少需5年-  能源网/中国经贸聚焦 | China won't have a simple shale gas revolution, achieving industrial scale will take at 5 - 10 years. Obstacles: 1) fracking uses lots of water, China is short of water; 2) industrial structure (no small and medium size companies to spread out and take risks as is done in US and, although it is not mentioned here,there are no private mineral rights and no small/medium-sized oil and gas exploration and service companies in China); 3) low, rigid prices although price reform should help provide better incentives; and 4) the difficulty in attracting private investment vs govt driven, directed subsidized investment that created problems in PV. Aside: Given non-existent private minerals rights, lack of local expertise / smaller companies and pricing risks, seems like government will be subsidizing the big three to undertake this revolution. Hard to imagine it will look anything like the US revolution - the industrial ecosystem and legal frameworks are entirely different - a shale gas revolution with Chinese characteristics perhaps “中国页岩气真正的产业化、规模化至少需要5-10年时间。页岩气的规模化或将成为可能到来的中国整个新兴能源革命的一部分。”　近期，中国页岩气开发又掀起了新一轮热潮。6月中，达集团、百勤控股公司、国投重庆页岩气开发利用公司等5家企业与重庆两江新区管委会正式签约，拟投资40亿元建设页岩气勘探装备制造、页岩气开发利用和开采服务等4个重点项目，预计将实现年产值100亿元；山东也正计划将具备产业发展基础的东营、青岛、烟台、潍坊、德州打造成五大页岩气装备制造基地；湖北鄂西亦在组织开展页岩气勘探工作……6月24日，国土资源部矿产资源储量评审中心主任张大伟表示，国土部正积极筹划第三轮页岩气探矿权招标工作。据称第三轮招标有望在今年下半年启动，招标规模或超前两轮总和。不过，多位专家在接受《中国经贸聚焦》杂志采访时均认为，中国页岩气勘探开发距产业化和规模化尚有相当长的距离。当前，各地包括资本市场的追捧，炒作成分偏大。而过早的乐观，甚至为了政府补贴盲目蜂拥进入，风电和光伏的产能过剩就是前车之鉴。

China: Citizens united - FT (paywall) | ...“China is like a game of Go,” says one Chinese scholar who also does public advocacy work, referring to the highly tactical board game. “The government always pays attention to a few certain dots but we have put down so many pieces. By the time the government notices, they’ve already lost control.” The most striking example of this trend has been environmental activism. In recent years China has experienced a plethora of big protests against projects such as petrochemical plants and incinerators. Behind this is the rapid emergence of a web of NGOs that are increasingly vocal and interconnected. Wu Fengshi, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, found in a recent study that environmental NGOs in Guangdong, the populous industrialised province next to Hong Kong, “are politically conscious – and even savvy”.

China Commodities Weekly Wrap - The China Perspective

CNPC lifts overseas oil and gas output by 8.2% in H1 - Interfax | China National Petroleum Corp.’s foreign oil and gas output rose by 8.2% from the year before to 54.66 million tons of oil equivalent (mtoe) in H1 2013, the company said on Monday.

China’s Spending on Renewable Energy May Total 1.8 Trillion Yuan - Bloomberg | China’s spending to develop renewable energy may total 1.8 trillion yuan ($294 billion) in the five years through 2015 as part of the nation’s efforts to counter climate change, according to a government official. China may invest another 2.3 trillion yuan in key energy-saving and emission-reducing projects, Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, said today at a conference in Beijing. China stands by its pledge to cut carbon emissions per unit of economic output by as much as 45 percent before 2020 from 2005 levels, he said.

• China outlines renewable energy splurge - SMH | The government aims to have 100 gigawatts of wind-power installed capacity and more than 35 gigawatts of solar power by 2015, Xie reiterated today. China’s targets have encouraged companies including China Petrochemical Corp., also known as Sinopec Group, to strengthen their commitment to protect the environment.

Beijing Enterprises to buy 22 percent of China Gas for $1.1 billion -Reuters | Beijing Enterprises Holdings Ltd (0392.HK) said on Tuesday it would buy from its parent company 22.01 percent of city gas pipelines operator China Gas Holdings Limited (0384.HK) for HK$8.22 billion ($1.06 billion) to strengthen its position in the Chinese natural gas sector. Beijing Enterprises Holdings, which also has brewery, sewage and water treatment operations in the mainland, will buy China Gas shares from parent Beijing Enterprises Group Company Limited at HK$7.80 each, it said in a filing with the Hong Kong bourse.The deal will be settled with HK$2 billion in cash and by the issue of 113.13 million new Beijing Enterprises Holdings shares at HK$55 each to the parent, increasing the parent's stake in Beijing Enterprises Holdings to 61.59 percent from 57.86 percent.

三大油企投资万亿布局天然气 - 新华网/经济参考报 | China's three big oil companies (CNPC, CNOOC and Sinopec) will invest a trillion rmb in setting up LNG receiving ports, fighting each other to acquire overseas supplies, building thousands of refueling stations and establishing distribution networks.有此谋划的并不止中海油一家。据《经济参考报》记者了解，尽管目前天然气进口和LNG加气站运营仍然亏损，但在消费需求两位数增长和天然气价格上涨预期之下，中石油、中石化、中海油我国三大石油巨头，正加速天然气全产业链布局，在上游争抢海外气源，下游“跑马圈地”LNG加气站，涉及资金投入将超万亿元。

调查称自来水经劣质水龙头和管道污染成“铅水” -人民网/光明日报 | Lead in water. 22% of Shanghai tap-water samples exceed the lead standard, some by as much as 20X. Beijing Consumer Society bought 50 faucets and only 2 stainless steel one didn't put lead in the water after a few hours. Some tips: Don't use water that was sitting in the pipes overnight for cooking/drinking, let it run for a few minutes; do not use water that has been heating for a long time, such as neighborhood-heated water supplies; and don't by cheap faucets. 日前，上海市消费者权益保护委员会曾对水龙头产品进行比较试验，发现22%的抽检样品存在铅超标问题，部分产品超标高达20倍。北京市消费者协会也对市场上销售的部分水龙头做过检测，他们在北京各大建材市场、超市随机购买了50种水龙头产品，并委托相关部门进行检测。结果显示，在10小时和24小时铅析出浓度测试中，仅有两个不锈钢样品完全无铅析出。这些铅超标的水龙头会对自来水造成什么影响呢？

EU ends Chinese solar panels trade dispute, but industry to sue - Platts | EU solar producers' trade association, EU ProSun, has slammed the deal and plans to challenge it at the EU Court of Justice. "A minimum price of between 55 and 57 euro cents, apparently the price level in the agreement, would lie exactly at the level of the current dumping price for Chinese modules," EU ProSun President Milan Nitzschke said in a statement Saturday."This is essentially a guarantee of sales at that level and more for China and an authorization to sell at dumped prices. That is a clear violation of EU trade law," Nitzschke said."The agreement endangers the very existence of the European solar industry," he added.

政府救市 煤企受益 - 中国能源报/广州日报 | On August 1st, Shanxi will stop collecting environment recovery deposit and industry transformation funds (this was 15 rmb / tonne back in 2007) from coal producers temporarily and this is being interpreted as a signal that the government is going to save the industry. 长期低迷的国内煤炭股终于迎来了政府救市信号，阳泉煤业昨日表示，国内煤炭第一大省山西从8月1日起暂停提取煤炭企业矿山环境恢复治理保证金和煤矿转产发展资金。业内人士表示，这也意味着，政府正式推出救市信号，为上市企业增厚业绩，但煤炭股作为强周期性行业，整体走势还要看宏观经济复苏趋势。由于煤炭价格连续下跌，并失守600元大关，市场上对煤炭行业救市的呼声越来越高。而记者从山西政府网获悉，作为全国煤炭大户，山西省将从8月1日起暂停提取煤炭企业的矿山环境恢复治理保证金和煤矿转产发展资金。业内人士表示，此举可以看做是政府正式救市的信号。

煤炭生产和经营许可证正式取消 -人民网/潇湘晨报 | Formally cancelling the 20-yr-old coal production license and 10-yr-old coal business license; still need 5 remaining licenses: mining license, safe production license, business license, mine boss qualification license and mine boss safety license为确保煤炭资源合理开发使用，减少行政审批环节，日前，国家正式取消了实行将近20年的煤炭生产许可证和实行了将近10年的煤炭经营许可证。取消了煤炭生产许可证，今后在煤炭生产环节，企业只需要取得采矿许可证、安全生产许可证、营业执照、矿长资格证、矿长安全资格证等五个资格证就可以生产。

Goldman Sachs says coal-export terminals are a bad investment - Grist | Goldman Sachs shooting fish in a barrel; U.S. coal executives finding it harder and harder to spin exports as solution to industry's problems. Over the period 1990-2011, global demand [for thermal coal] increased by 2.5 billion tonnes, equivalent to an average annual growth rate of 3.0%. However, growth was highly concentrated in just two countries: China alone accounted for 72% of the global increase in coal burn, while India accounted for an additional 17%. Excluding those 2 countries, global consumption was only growing at an annual rate of 0.7% per year.We believe that thermal coal’s current position atop the fuel mix for global power generation will be gradually eroded by the following structural trends: 1) environmental regulations that discourage coal-fired generation, 2) strong competition from gas and renewable energy and 3) improvements in energy efficiency.The prospect of weaker demand growth (we believe seaborne demand could peak in 2020) and seaborne prices near marginal production costs suggest that most thermal coal growth projects will struggle to earn a positive return for their owners.

Myanmar Shwe production remains small, yet to reach China: official - Platts | Natural gas transmission through the Myanmar-China gas pipeline remains small and there is no definite timeline for when the gas will reach China, an official with the state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise said Monday. Gas production from the deepwater Shwe field offshore Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal is currently at 58,550 Mcf/day, an official with MOGE's offshore production division said. This is a fraction of the capacity of the 12 billion cubic meter/year (1.16 Bcf/day) pipeline. MOGE officials had said the pipeline would initially start transmission of 100,000 Mcf/day of gas to the domestic market, before gradually ramping up once flows to China commence.

China shale blocks see some progress but challenges abound: ministry - Platts |Some progress has been made in most of the shale gas blocks that were awarded in China's second (2nd) shale bidding round early this year, with a few wells likely to be drilled soon, the Ministry of Land and Resources said Monday...Sources at a few foreign independent companies involved in China's unconventional gas sector say they have been approached to farm into the shale blocks, but deemed the risks too great. No foreign tie-ups have been announced to date. In the first shale gas round held in June 2011, MLR invited just six companies...Analysts have said China is not likely to meet its official target of producing 6.5 billion cu m/year (628,600 Mcf/day) of shale gas by 2015...Separately, Sinopec Monday said it had sold 10.2 million cu m of gas from the Jiaoye-1 well in its Fuling shale gas block over January 1-July 25. The gas was sold to the transport sector to be utilized in gas-fueled vehicles. The block, in Sichuan province, is operated by Sinopec subsidiary Chongqing Petroleum Co. Sinopec had said in March it was targeting 1 billion cu m/year of production from Fuling by 2015.

煤制油气“曲线救国”须谨慎 - 中国煤炭报 |

区域电力发展矛盾亟待统筹解决 - 能源网-中国能源报 | 

China Coal Price Falls to Four-Year Low Amid Economic Slowdown - Bloomberg | Power-station coal in China fell to a four-year low as industrial demand declined amid evidence the economy is slowing. . . “We see weak demand from industrial users in the first half-year, especially from heavy industrial sectors, who are major coal users,” Helen Lau, a Hong Kong-based analyst at UOB-Kay Hian Ltd., said by phone...China’s coal demand rose 1.8 percent in the first six months of 2013 to 1.93 billion tons, the China National Coal Association said in a statement on July 18. The gain was 1 percentage point down from the same period last year and 7.6 points lower than in 2011.

Pain of drop in China coal imports isn't evenly shared: Clyde Russell - Reuters | ...But it's not necessarily the higher-cost suppliers that are being squeezed out of the market...Australia has overtaken Indonesia as the top supplier of coal to China, with shipments from the Southeast Asian nation totalling 35.263 million tonnes in the first half, a gain of just 8 percent on the same period last year...However, Australian miners are likely to continue producing as the loss from maintaining output is less than that for stopping, given the prevalence of take-or-pay shipping contracts (they became common in order to give financial backing to the developers of multi-billion dollar railway and port infrastructure)

CNOOC raises trucked LNG prices on high demand - Interfax | China National Offshore Oil Corp. has hiked quoted prices for LNG trucked from import terminals in south China by more than 10%, according to a local energy consultancy.

Growing pains felt in China as price hikes kick in for natural gas - SHdaily/Xinhua | Note: Posted this the other day in Chinese. As commuters waited at a bus terminal last Wednesday, more than 50 buses were lined up outside a natural gas station in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province.Public transport fell into disarray as more than half of the city's 23 natural gas stations - serving some 3,500 buses and 4,000 taxis running on gas - closed their doors. It followed a price hike that gas stations were not allowed to pass on to customers.

天然气分布式盼科学定价机制 -中国能源报 | Summary: How will natural gas distribution be affected by new direction in wholesale prices? Will not kill the industry but effects will be chain-like. One example: generators may buy domestically mfg equipment in order to cut costs. Also, the non-residential price increases are being implemented differently in different places; e.g., Sichuan prices have not gone up as much and appear to be preserving lower prices for downstream industries. Article concludes with recommendations for differential pricing mechanisms that account for relative efficiency of different fuels.天然气价格影响分布式天然气项目几何？日前，《中国能源报》记者获悉，中国城市燃气协会分布式能源专委会、中国能源研究会分布式能源专业委员会将分别于近期组织闭门讨论会，探讨“分布式能源如何应对气价变化带来的影响”。显然，随着新的天然气价格开始实施，天然气分布式能源产业未来如何发展成为业内人士的关注焦点。

Iran To Take Chinese Subway Cars For Oil - RFE | An Iranian official says international sanctions have forced Tehran to accept subway cars from China in place of cash payments for oil. Amir Jafarpour, deputy head of Iran's Transportation and Fuel Management Committee, said the government ordered 315 carriages from Beijing for their subway system. He says billions of dollars of payments from crude-oil exports to China have not been transferred to Iran because of international sanctions.

China Looks to Kurdistan as Growing Oil Partner - Rudaw Kurdistan (Iraq) | With China already sucking up more than half of the oil production coming from Iraq, the Kurds may be next in the Chinese energy cross hairs. The Chinese begun to sink their teeth into the Kurdish Region’s vast oil potential in 2009 when Sinopec acquired Addax Petroleum, which holds a joint agreement with Genel Energy to develop the Taq Taq oil field....“Sinopec is China’s largest oil company and has immense capacity to support the development of the downstream sector, both in Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq,” Yi Zhang, the chief executive officer of Addax Petroleum, said in the report...Recently, a Chinese delegation visited Rasheed Tahir, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) minister of finance and economy, to discuss the investment potential for numerous sectors, including oil...The Kurds offer more generous terms than the central government, but Iraq and the United States consider such deals illegal, it noted...

光伏下一站：配额争夺战 - 中国能源 /深度报道 |Summary: Solar's Next Stop: Fight Over European Market Share. The new cap on Chinese PV volume sold into Europe will accelerate the consolidation of Chinese PV industry. Smaller mfgs will be at disadvantage because they have older eqpt, lower quality output and lack economies of scale. 持续一年的中欧光伏案终于峰回路转。7月27日，中国机电产品进出口商会(以下简称“机电商会”)宣布其代表中国光伏产业与欧委会贸易救济调查机关就中国输欧光伏产品贸易争端已达成价格承诺。在国内各方均表示“欢迎”的同时，业界也有声音称，出口数量的限制或将加剧企业间的竞争，由此将引发光伏行业的整合提速，更多小企业或被淘汰出局。

Heshan decision to abandon uranium plant 'unjustified - SCMP |Authorities' decision to abandon plans for a uranium enrichment plant in Heshan in the face of public pressure was a mistake, experts say. Professor Gu Zhongmao , a senior scientific adviser to the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) with the China Institute of Atomic Energy, said the Heshan government's hasty surrender in light of "uninformed public fears" would become an "international joke". The people were protesting, Gu said, because they had never been made aware of basic facts. Fears of radiation poisoning from such a plant were unfounded, as the nuclear fuel rods produced contain mostly uranium-238 - the most stable uranium isotope."A nuclear power plant emits less radiation than a coal-fired power plant, and a nuclear fuel plant is safer still," Gu said.Gu conceded that the public's knowledge of such plants may be poor, but government officials should have known better. "The best way to deal with public unrest is to tell people the truth. It is a local government's duty to inform the public about the project as much as possible," he said. "But these officials have no courage, no credibility, no accountability. They are idiots."

China-Myanmar energy pipelines to lower costs -  China Daily | ...Dr. Gao Zhikai from the China-Myanmar Friendship Association, who's also the director of the China National Association of International Studies, says the pipelines are China's most strategically important investment in Myanmar....The multibillion-dollar pipeline stretches 870 kilometres and will be able to ship natural gas and petroleum all the way from the coastal port in Myanmar to China's Southwest Yunnan Province...The designed annual capacity is 22 million tons for the oil pipeline and 12 billion cubic meters for the gas pipeline..."It shorten the distance of transportation original go through the Malacca Strait." Gao Zhikai said... Experts estimate that the pipelines will satisfy a quarter of China's natural gas demand every year ...

Changing face of Colombo - TTR/AFP | Sri Lanka has signed a deal with a Chinese company to build a US $1.4 billion city complex on reclaimed land near the harbour of the capital Colombo, an official said Wednesday.The state-run Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) will reclaim 230 hectares (568 acres) next to the new Colombo South port, said SLPA chairman Priyath Bandu Wickrama. He said the SLPA finalised a deal under which China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) will invest US$1.43 billion to build a “Port City” that will change the coastline in the capital.

Grumbling All Around After Solar Panel Deal - NYTimes | The agreement sets a minimum price for Chinese panels of €0.56, or $0.74, per watt. That is actually 25 percent lower than what the products were selling for last year when the industry complained to the commission that the Chinese makers, heavily subsidized by state-owned banks, were dumping them on the market at prices below their actual cost... China has captured close to 80 percent of the European market... $27 billion in 2011... expect China’s market share to fall to between 60 and 70 percent as a result of the deal struck Saturday...(T)he German government not only opposed the case but rallied other European governments to do so. China helped Germany do so by threatening to impose tariffs on imports of European wine if the European Commission levied the solar tariffs — a warning that appalled France...Out of 140 Chinese solar panel exporters, 50 refused to accept the European Commission’s minimum price, industry executives said.

煤炭行业将取消生产和经营许可证 加深市场化 - 人民网/中国广播网 | Summary: Coal production and business licensing to be canceled, deepening reach of market forces. At end of June, NPCSC Standing Committee of Nat'l People's Congress (led by Zhang Dejiang) decided to change the coal laws by canceling the production and business licenses. The concrete revisions could come out in a month. Industry insiders say cancelling the double license will increase the extent to which coal industry is driven by market forces. 据经济之声《天下财经》报道，全国人大常委会上月底通过了修改《煤炭法》的决定，将取消煤炭的生产和经营许可证。有消息说，具体修改措施最早将在一个月内出台。业内人士认为，煤炭行业取消双证，煤炭市场化程度会进一步加深，这有利于行业的良性发展。

下半年煤炭需求难以明显好转 国内产量将进一步下滑 - 新华/中国能源报 | 2nd half outlook for coal production is not good (prices probably heading down too, despite the output decrease) 1) Chinese domestic economy lagging, the govt and HSBC PMI stats are trending down (HSBC's is in contraction range - less than 50), 2) protectionism risks and global economy, Europe may double dip, 3) weak domestic fixed capital investment due to overcapacity and local government indebtedness / financial risk ... 国内煤价之所以迟迟不能止跌企稳，原因之一是去库存过程缓慢，在煤炭需求持续疲软的情况下，尽管上半年供应量同比出现了小幅下降，供给还是相对较多。如果下半年煤炭需求继续疲软，煤炭进口仍保持较高水平，想要让煤价尽快止跌企稳，唯有将国内原煤产量进一步压缩。...　今年三月份之前，除了重点电煤之外，其他煤炭价格完全是由市场决定，供求关系是影响煤价走势的根本性因素。3月22日炼焦煤期货合约正式上市交易之后，除了供求关系之外，商品期货市场的整体表现成为影响煤价的另一重要因素。因此，未来判断煤价走势不仅要看供求关系，还要看整个商品市场的表现。

Eni completes sale of 20% stake in Mozambique gas block to CNPC - Platts | Italy's Eni has completed the sale of a 20% stake in the Area 4 gas block offshore Mozambique to China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for $4.21 billion, the Italian company said Friday...Eni along with US-based Anadarko has made significant gas discoveries in the gas-rich Rovuma Basin offshore Mozambique, potentially making the country one of the world's largest LNG exporters in future. The two companies agreed last year to build an LNG export plant with first exports slated for 2018.

中国石油或上调天然气价 部分气价升至2.48元-人民网 | Summary: According to CNPC subsidiary, some gas customers will have their prices adjusted between 1.2 and 2.48 rmb per cubic meter as a result of the new price policies affect on LNG source prices.记者从中国石油集团下属企业了解到，为了落实国家6月底调高天然气价格的通知，该企业正下文要求其旗下各地工厂，将液化天然气的源头价上调至各地非居民用气的最高水平，并且做好进一步的调价准备。据该企业员工透露：按照新的计价方式，部分客户的用气价格将由原来的1.2元上升到2.48元每立方米，价格上调的幅度较大。但该企业落实调价通知的信息传出后，似乎“利好出尽”，中国石油的周五股价并无向好变化，反而跌了0.62%。
Controversial pipeline to begin sending gas to China this week - Myanmar Times | The controversial pipeline that will ship natural gas from Rakhine State to China will begin operating this week, after an official opening ceremony at a control station in Mandalay Region on the evening of July 28, local officials said on July 26. Note: This is not news, trials started last week, but it is a good summary of the project.

风电企业走出去需“软硬”兼备 走的好需要软实力 - 新华/中国能源报| Summary: Chinese wind power needs both soft and hard power to compete globally. Advocating for softer touch in addition to government support seizing a strategic oppty to make Chinese wind energies competitive in international market and become globally dominant players. Global market is 3X the size of domestic. Already world's leader in mfg scale, installed capacity and in speed of expansion, but not in technology.  ...一位风机行业资深人士表示，我国的风电企业“走出去”所面临的重要问题就是技术壁垒森严，中国企业的技术条件是否能适应当地产业发展需要成为进入市场的一道“门槛”。在硬件具备的条件下，软件能不能跟上形势的发展也成为一大问题，例如对合同的理解和执行需要我们以国际化的思维去处理，金风在北美和欧洲项目就特别注意这一点，以本土化适应当地企业的发展。同时，企业还要注意外部环境的营造，适应所在国的政策、法律、法规的要求，尽可能的避开贸易壁垒。中国风电产业的规模和发展速度已在全球位居前列，但中国风电产业标准体系缺乏与之相称的国际地位。中国风电“走出去”的市场定位在广大的发展中国家，但由于这些国家自身缺乏通行的标准，而主要依据欧洲标准对产品进行检测和认证，对中国风电标准尚不认可，形成了中国企业进入市场的技术壁垒，对中国风电“走出去”很不利。

广东发现两处罕见巨型铷矿 资源量达360万吨 - 人民网/羊城晚报 | Summary: Guangdong discovers two unusually massive rubidium mines - deposits of 3.6 million tonnes. Sounds like a lot to me - 3.6 million tonnes of Rubidium, value of 1 Tn Rmb according to article. Purple fireworks, rockets and clean energy uses.记者从广东省国土资源厅召开的“找矿突破战略行动调研汇报会议”上获悉，经过近3年的努力，广东地质勘查部门相继在武夷成矿带广东南段的紫金县、蕉岭县发现罕见巨型铷矿产地，两处估算铷资源量达360万吨以上。有专家称，潜在经济价值以上万亿元计算。

重型车在京加国四 出京只能“喝”国二 - 新华/北京日报 | English summary: Beijing trucks meeting new Nat'l 4 fuel standards cannot "drink" the Nat'l 2 and 3 grade fuels outside Beijing. Taking heavy trucks from to National 4 diesel standards from National 3 standards is facing more delay (after delay of 2+ years already). The 300K heavy trucks in Beijing are only 6% of capitol's 5.1 million vehicles and create half the capitol's emissions. Going from Nat'l 2 to Nat'l 3 cuts fine particulate emissions 50%, and from Nat'l 3 to Nat'l 4 (as Beijing wants to do) cuts another 90%. [So that would mean that replacing all 300K heave trucks with one's using Nat'l 4 diesel would cut vehicle emissions in Beijing 40%]. One problem Beijing truckers meeting Nat'l 4 standards are facing is that they cannot refuel outside of Beijing because it will damage their National 4 compliant equipment.  Going from Nat'l 2 to Nat'l 3 was a jump from mechanical to electronic control and from Nat'l 3 ot Nat'l 4 adds on electronic emissions control. Some weaker companies are still stuck at "fake National 3" - so, basically level 2.  Even competitively sound trucking companies have grown accustomed to dragging their feet and face rising costs, not just for the equipment, but for the fuel. Nat'l 3 diesel is 4 mao more per litre than Nat'l 2. Now add on that refiner's upgrade cost to get to Nat'l 4: 5.7 bn RMB to upgrade 1mm tonne per year refinery. | Original Article Intro: 今年五六月份，环保部一再强调重型车国四标准不能推迟，但汽车工业协会和工信部则坚持车油要同步。目前，商用车企是否为排放标准升级做好了准备？中汽协相关负责人日前表示，车企已经做好了国三向国四升级的技术储备，在过渡期内完全可以实现产品的切换。　不过，记者从多家商用车企业获悉，国三向国四的过渡并不轻松，因为国四标准是柴油车污染防治的重要门槛，不仅污染物排放大幅削减，污染控制技术也必须实现飞跃。“国二到国三，是从机械控制到电子控制，而从国三到国四，不仅要有电控系统，还要装备后处理技术系统。”业内人士透露，很多竞争力不强的商用车企，实际还停留在国二车型的技术水平，通过弄虚作假的手段获得生产资质，这也是饱受诟病的“假国三”现象。即便是实力较强的商用车企，对何时停产国三重型柴油车也徘徊观望，因为排放标准的升级已经“习惯性”延迟。这导致车企没有足够动力进行升级改造。根据工信部通知，7月1日起已停止国三重型柴油车新公告的申报，这意味着商用车企必须尽快消化处理旧车型，并加快国四新车的研发和投放。

China and EU reach deal on solar panel trade - Al Jazeera | ... minimum panel price would be equal to 56 cents per watt of power they produced.This regime would apply to the first seven gigawatts of solar panels imported, with any above that threshold incurring an average anti-dumping tariff of 47.6 percent, the sources said. Floor on prices and ceiling on quantity

• EU, China resolve solar dispute - their biggest trade row by far - Reuters |After six weeks of talks, the EU's trade chief and his Chinese counterpart sealed the deal over the telephone, setting a minimum price for panels from China near spot market prices... EU consumption was about 15 gigawatts in 2012, and China will be able to provide 7 gigawatts without being subject to tariffs under the deal, the EU source said.

• Europe and China Agree to Settle Solar Panel Fight - NYTimes |...The European solar manufacturers who lobbied for tougher action against the Chinese exporters on Saturday promised to sue over the settlement. The agreement “is contrary in every respect to European law,” said Milan Nitzschke, the president of EU ProSun, an industry group. A minimum price of 0.55 to 0.57 euros was at the level of “the current dumping price for Chinese modules,” the group said in a statement.

Tesla goes to China - San Jose Mercury News | a coal-fired, luxury-branded China dream car | Its first showroom in mainland China, scheduled to open later this year, will be in central Beijing at the exclusive Parkview Green mall, a gleaming, pyramid-shaped plaza designed with sky-gardens and atria spaces. It is the first mixed-use commercial project in China to be certified LEED Platinum for its energy-efficient design, and Tesla's 8,000-square-foot showroom will be roughly three times larger than its U.S. showrooms...."Huge risk," said Theodore O'Neill of Litchfield Hills Research. "I don't see the China market as having any meaningful impact for Tesla's numbers over the next 18-24 months. I'm far more concerned that the Chinese will take a Model S, tear it apart and knock it off."

China's Bad Earth - WSJ | Industrialization has turned much of the Chinese countryside into an environmental disaster zone ..."Nothing comes from these plants," says the farmer, pointing past the irrigation pond to a handful of stunted rice shoots. She grows the rice, which can't be sold because of its low quality, only in order to qualify for payments made by the factory owners to compensate for polluting the area. But the amount is only a fraction of what she used to earn when the land was healthy, she says. The plants look alive, "but they're actually dead inside."

21 dead as floods strike quake-hit Chinese province - SCMP | At least 21 people have been killed and four reported missing in floods and mudslides that hit a Chinese province where at least 95 others died this week in twin earthquakes, state media reported on Saturday.

China betting on overland energy-supply lines - Japan Times | China’s strategy to diversify supply routes for its rapidly rising energy imports has just taken a major step forward.On July 15, natural gas from Myanmar (aka Burma) started to flow along a recently completed pipeline that stretches for 1,100 kilometers from the sea coast, through jungle and mountains, to Kunming in southwest China.

Sudan Agrees to China-AU Plea for Postponement of Oil Shutdown Deadline - All Africa | The Sudanese government formally agreed to a request made by Chinese and African Union (AU) officials to postpone for at least two weeks the deadline by which it will shut down the pipelines carrying oil from landlocked South Sudan. . .  China sees itself in partnership with north and south Sudan in oil production and therefore it stepped into the row in a timely manner. China, heavily invested in the oil sector of both nations, has found itself caught between its long-time ally in Khartoum in the north and its new partner in the South, which inherited three quarters of Sudan's oil output after the split.

No Deal Yet on Solar Panel Trade Dispute with EU, Chinese Negotiator Says - Caixin | Talks said to be still in progress, despite media reports that price and quota issues have been resolved China and the European Union are still trying to negotiate a settlement to a dispute over solar panel imports to the EU, a Chinese representative involved in the talks says. The EU has said it will increase a temporary anti-dumping tariff on the Chinese products if no deal is reached by August 6... The Reuters report said Chinese negotiators have left Brussels and only a few numbers had not been settled.  EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and China's commerce minister, Gao Hucheng, would hold more talks, the report said...On June 4, the EU announced it was levying a provisional 11.8 percent anti-dumping tariff on Chinese solar panels from June 6 to August 6. This would rise to 47.6 percent if no agreement is reached by August 6. A day later, China's Ministry of Commerce announced it would launch an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation into wine imported from EU countries.

Living a nightmare in China's city of sinkholes - CNN |Xiao Guoqiang, a 50-year-old farmer stands before his sunken village in Jining, Shandong Province on June 26, 2013. Underground mining in this region is devouring 20 million square meters of land a year...Ten years ago, the area where Xiao lived was a vibrant farming community on the North China Plain. But sinkholes are devouring 20 million square meters (7.7 square miles) of land here a year, according to the Jining Land Resource Bureau, and have displaced an estimated 100,000 people, mostly farmers and their families, over the past decade

China In £180bn Clean Air Plan For Beijing - Sky News |China plans to invest 1.7trn yuan (£180bn) to combat air pollution over the next five years, as the new government's seeks to address a key source of growing social discontent...The investment is larger than the total economic output of Hong Kong in 2012...China Daily said the plan targets Beijing, the neighbouring port city of Tianjin and densely populated Hebei province, which surrounds them.

China's wine boom of little profit to giant pandas and small farmers - Guardian | Vineyard growth plan for 'Bordeaux of China' raises concerns for animal habitats and livelihoods of villagers who switch to grapes. There are 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of vines in Aba, but in December the local government announced a project to plant 6,700 hectares by 2020. ...A recent reform in land tenure in the area, according to research published in the journal Science, could threaten the natural habitat of endangered species such as the giant panda, red panda, golden snub-nosed monkey and Thorold's deer.

Transforming China’s Grid: Will Coal Remain King in China’s Energy Mix? - The Energy Collective | Interesting charts and stats - the overview of entire sector is good reading// ...Huaneng, one of China's largest electricity generation companies, now reportedly controls 40 billion tons of reserves, roughly ten times China’s annual production... China’s coal plants are also now more efficient on average than the U.S. coal fleet...Retiring a 600 MW state-of-the-art plant before its economic lifetime comes at a much steeper price. As a result, the new generation of modern coal plants built in recent years may still be operating in 2050.

CNOOC building multibillion dollar CTG project – Interfax | China National Offshore Oil Corp. is overtaking larger rivals PetroChina and Sinopec in the race to turn coal in remote parts of the country into synthetic natural gas, with local media reporting China’s main offshore energy explorer has started building a coal-to-gas project in north China. //Posted in Chinese on Wed- 80Bn Rmb investment

Dalian terminal receives 10 cargoes this year - Interfax | PetroChina’s Dalian LNG import terminal has received 10 cargoes amounting to 1.06 mt so far this year, the company said in its in-house newspaper.

China would not like India to gain access to Central Asian gas - Economic Times India | ...China has replaced Russia as the largest importer of Turkmen gas and this volume is slated to double or triple in the coming years.  The next growing source of competition for Central Asia oil and gas is likely to come from India, which closely follows China in growth in oil and gas demand and consequently oil and gas imports, Chow said. Indeed, as Chinese demographic growth slows and population ages, India's energy demand is commonly forecasted to grow faster than China's in a decade or so.

中欧光伏价格承诺底线初步达成:0.57欧元/瓦 - xinhua/上海证券|A preliminary .57 euro/watt price floor on solar panels may avoid Chinese mfg getting hit with punitive tariffs next month //   昨天，记者从一位接近中欧光伏双反案件的知情人士处证实，中欧光伏价格承诺谈判已达成一个初步协议，价格承诺底线将在0.57欧元/瓦，这意味着中国光伏产品有可能避免47.6%的高额惩罚性关税。   就在数天前，国务院出台促进光伏行业发展“国六条”，为光伏业在国内市场发展打开了大门。另据行业权威人士透露，光伏发电补贴细则也将在未来两个月左右出炉。对国内光伏企业尤其是对欧盟出口比重较高的一线大厂来说，这无疑是双重利好。    上述知情人士透露，按照中欧双方此次达成的协议，中国出口欧盟的光伏组件承诺价格为0.57欧元/瓦，期限是两年。中国方面期望在2014年底前能彻底解决光伏反倾销的问题。

• 光伏贸易谈判现转机中欧有望避免贸易战 - 厦门网| . . .or maybe 0.55 euros per watt; August 6th tariff start date, needs two week lead time; 47.6% tariff rate. Chines can sell for .38 euros per watt, Chinese solar sales to Europe 21Bn euros// 消息称，北京的谈判代表已与欧盟就一项协议的关键内容达成一致，仍然有可能避免欧盟计划下月对中国太阳能面板实施的惩罚性关税。这是欧盟和中国之间最大的贸易争端，已导致中国威胁对欧洲葡萄酒征收关税，并有可能引发贸易战，或给有意在中国扩大经营的欧洲企业制造障碍。欧盟执委会表示，中国正在以低于生产成本的价格向欧洲出口数百亿欧元的廉价太阳能面板。欧盟已对其征收低关税，双方若无法达成协议，8月6日关税将大幅上调。 经六周谈判，谈判代表接近就中国太阳能面板在欧盟28国的最低售价以及年度配额达成一致。消息人士称，关于中国光伏模组在欧洲市场的最低价格，双方立场接近每瓦0.55欧元。6月德国太阳能面板在国际现货市场上的平均价格为每瓦0.77欧元。根据欧盟执委会介绍，中国曾一度以每瓦0.38欧元的低价销售。设定0.55欧元的最低价格，将意味着中国光伏模组的价格不能再下降。自2010年1月以来，中国光伏模组的价格几乎逐月下降。 欧盟谈判代表已向中方表示，如果达成协议，欧盟在8月6日前需要有两周时间来实施，意味着7月23日是达成协议以避免47.6%关税生效的最后一天。 据悉，中国太阳能产业在欧洲销售额达到210亿欧元。 

13项能源政策年内亮相 -21世纪经济报道|New energy policies to come out to address modernizing coal processing (coal to gas, coal to oil, coal gradation), power generation mfg industry (like GE, what is this called?) , safe high efficiency nuclear development, natural gas industry foundation construction and management practices, shale gas production policy//根据能源局2013年产业政策制定计划，年内将出台（修订）13大能源产业政策，以弥补政策漏洞。这13产业政策既涉及国家宏观能源产略，又针对煤炭、电力、新能源等具体产业。...拟定并组织实施能源产业政策是新一轮机构改革赋予能源局的重要职责。按照国家能源管理的思路，新组建的能源局从微观审批向宏观战略、规划研究、政策制定转变。...近年来，国家陆续制定出台一系列能源产业政策，但仍有部分领域存在政策盲区。国家能源局按照能源发展需求迫切、制定条件基本成熟、各方面意见基本一致的原则，今年内计划出台（修订）13产业政策。具体包括：控制能源消费总量考核实施办法、现代煤炭深加工（煤制油、煤制气、煤炭分级分质利用等）发展若干意见、能源装备制造业健康发展若干意见、煤电基地建设若干意见、安全高效发展核电若干意见、煤炭产业政策（修订）、天然气基础设施规划建设和运营管理办法、页岩气产业政策。（21世纪经济报道）

 500强煤企生存实况：五家大鳄手持589亿白条 sina/第一财经日报|Shanxi's  5 big coal conglomerates increased revenue 33% in the first six months despite main business declining 10%-- benefited from diversification as non-coal business lines increase 49%. Overall first half of 2013 revenue for the group of 5 was 503.8Bn RMB//   尽管煤炭销售滑坡，但今年刚进入《财富》“世界500强”的山西省属五大煤炭集团依靠非煤业务保持了整体销售收入的增长。今年1~6月，该五大煤炭集团的煤炭主业收入已下滑超过10%，相比之下非煤业务却大幅增长了48.53%，总体销售收入达到5038亿元。

• 电煤价格平缓下滑 火电行业由严重亏损转为盈利 - 人民网/中国广播网 | With the gradual decline in coal prices, thermal power producers have gone from severe losses to making profit//　中国电力企业联合会在今天发布《2013年上半年全国电力供需形式分析预测报告》中建议，尽管近来煤炭价格持续下滑，煤炭行业发展阶段性不景气，但应该继续严格执行，有效整治部分省市自行制定的“煤电互保”政策，减少行政干预。中电联报告中指出，随着电煤价格平缓下滑，火电行业从过去严重亏损转变为当期盈利。与此同时，影响盈利的不利因素也客观存在：一是受全社会用电需求增长下行影响，火电设备利用小时数下降，企业边际利润在下降；二是去年开始的全面脱硝等环保改造工作需要较大投资，而国家出台的补贴电价远不能抵消成本的增加；三是因往年煤电联动价格远没到位，火电企业历史欠账较多，五大发电集团负债率均在80%以上，远高于国资委预警线；四是各地煤价变化情况相异，甚至部分地区煤炭企业上调煤价（如龙煤集团要求煤价较去年底价格再上涨90元／吨，其他部分地区也有类似情况），火电企业实际享受到的到场煤价下降幅度差异较大。综合以上因素，建议国家近年内不宜下调电价，给火电企业一个休生养息的机会，以恢复火电行业的可持续发展能力。

汉能成功并购美国第二家薄膜光伏企业 - zhongxinwang/中国经济网| Hanneng buys US based mfg of flexible solar cells, US-based Global Solar Energy.7月25日，汉能控股集团(以下简称“汉能”)宣布成功并购美国Global Solar Energy公司(以下简称“GSE”)。这是汉能继2012年并购德国Solibro和美国MiaSolé公司之后，在一年内完成的第三次海外技术并购。此次对GSE的并购，使汉能成为全球首家实现柔性薄膜太阳能组件大规模量产的公司，同时也标志着汉能通过全球技术整合，占据了薄膜光伏技术的最前沿。

高温限电促水泥提价 中期整体产量超预期 -人民网/中国经济网|Cement mfgs hit by power limits due to high temps raised their prices//随着我国多地高温纪录不断被刷新，水泥等高耗能企业进入限额用电名单，进一步刺激行业淡季价格提升。公开数据显示，海螺水泥沿江熟料7月22日发往浙江、福建的价格上调20元/吨，出厂价240元/吨;23日发往江苏熟料上调10元/吨，出厂价235元/吨。这是继7月16日上调10元/吨之后，海螺水泥沿江熟料近期第二次调价，累计提价幅度20~30元/吨。据悉，浙江、江苏本地水泥企业已陆续跟进提价，目前华东市场供货紧张。

China to extend resource tax reforms to cover coal - Interfax |China – the world’s largest producer, buyer and user of coal – is advancing plans to tax its main energy source by value of output rather than volume, as part of long-mooted resource tax reforms that saw a similar system implemented for oil and gas less than two years ago. “China will push forward resource tax reform comprehensively… in the next step we plan to change tax collection for resources like coal to value-based, and increase the tax rate by an appropriate level,” said Lou Jiwei, head of China’s Ministry of Finance (MOF), at the fifth US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue earlier this month.//A few days ago I pulled this in Chinese and my translation was more along the lines of "we will study (yanjiu) value-based taxes at a higher level." My point being the certainty here seems exaggerated. That was back on Thursday or Friday of last week.

Growing pains felt as new gas pricing kicks -  Xinhua | HARBIN -- Public transport fell into disarray as over half of the city's 23 natural gas stations serving some 3,500 buses and 4,000 taxis running on gas closed their doors. It followed a price hike that gas stations were not allowed to pass on to customers. Gas stations in the city previously bought gas at around 3 yuan ($0.49) per metric meter and sold it at 3.7 yuan. Now their costs have risen to around 4.2 yuan per metric meter, according to local government documents acquired by Xinhua. "Retail prices in Harbin remain unchanged. For gas stations, the more they sell, the more they lose. It makes sense for them to stay closed for the moment," said Jia Dongjiang, a Harbin official in charge of fuel management. Similar scenes have been reported in other places, according to Wang Xiaokun, an analyst at SCI, a Chinese energy information provider. Despite chaos caused by the price hikes, analysts said it is necessary to keep expanding the use of natural gas, which the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) described as "an efficient, clean and low-carbon energy source".

China's coal-fired economy dying of thirst - Newcastle Herald | At first glance, Daliuta in northern China appears to have a river running through it. A closer look reveals the stretch of water in the centre is a pond, dammed at both ends. Beyond the barriers, the Wulanmulun's bed is dry.Daliuta in Shaanxi province sits on top of the world's biggest underground coal mine, which requires millions of liters of water a day for extracting, washing and processing the fuel.The town is the epicenter of a looming collision between China's increasingly scarce supplies of water and its plan to power economic growth with coal. “Water shortages will severely limit thermal power capacity additions,” said Charles Yonts, head of sustainable research at brokerage CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets in Hong Kong. “You can't reconcile targets for coal production in, say, Shanxi province and Inner Mongolia with their water targets.”Coal industries and power stations use as much as 17 per cent of China's water, and almost all of the collieries are in the vast energy basin in the north that is also one of the country's driest regions. By 2020 the government plans to boost coal-fired power by twice the total generating capacity of India.

Coal Imports by Source - Coalguru/Press Trust of India | According to customs trade statistics, China’s coal imports in June fell to an 8 month low of 22.3 MT (including lignite). This took total imports in the H1 2013 to 158.6 MT up 18.6 Mt YoY.A breakdown of H1 2013 imports into China by source shows annual increases for coal shipments from Australia (+ 12.2 MT to 38.4 MT), Indonesia (+6.7 MT to 64.4 MT) and Russia (+1.5 MT to 9.3 MT).Meanwhile, combined long haul imports from the US (4.8 MT) and Canada (6.0 MT) during the H1 2013 also grew 2.0 MT YoY while shipments from South Africa slipped by 1.2 MT to 5.8 MT and imports from Colombia in the January to June period were only 0.2 MT compared with 0.7 MT in the corresponding period in 2012.

Antidumping tariffs increase Chinese solar prices - renewableenergyfocus.com| The era of low-cost Chinese solar PVmodules in Europe has come to an end, as the European Union’s antidumping tariffs spur an increase in prices for Chinese solar modules, says a new report. After declining for 48 months since the first quarter of 2009, the average price of Chinese crystal polysilicon modules in Europe rose by 4% in June to €0.54, up from €0.52 in May, according to “PV Price Tracker – Modules” from information and analytics provider IHS.

What does America's shale gas revolution mean for China? - Journal of Energy Security | Recent development in the U.S. of technologies for extracting oil and natural gas from shale formations are changing the global energy landscape. Thanks to hydraulic fracturing or fracking U.S. oil imports have dropped to the lowest level in 20 years and the U.S. is well on its way to become a major player in the global market for liquefied natural gas (LNG). But this so called energy revolution has been received in China with perplexity and trepidation. Many Chinese officials believe that U.S. self-sufficiency in energy, should it come to pass, would weaken U.S. interest in the Persian Gulf, leading to a military withdrawal from the region. This could in turn compromise China’s energy security. Others see a U.S. energy transition as an American plot to de-industrialize China by luring industrial production from the mainland to the U.S., where natural gas prices are cheap.

Mega miners cut costs, sell assets to placate yield-hungry investors - Reuters | For years, miners had splurged on projects and acquisitions to meet soaring orders from China. They are now slashing costs, dumping assets and slowing new projects to appease investors after moderating Chinese demand triggered $33 billion in writedowns in the past year and sparked management sweep-outs.

EIA summary slides for the new Annual Energy Outook 2013

• CHART OF THE DAY: China Is Literally Going Nuclear - Business Insider
• China's Energy Use to Double U.S.'s by 2040 - Motley Fool |China's energy use is expected to be double that of the U.S.'s by 2040, according to the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) newly released International Energy Outlook 2013. Despite a recent drop in GDP growth to 7.2%, the EIA predicts that China's economic growth, and relatively inefficient energy use, will propel energy consumption to 220 quadrillion Btu in 2040, compared to 107 for the United States, and 55 for India.

上半年国内天然气产量588亿立方米 增长9.0% - People's Daily/经济日报 | NDRC update: 1st half of year China's domestic natural gas production was 58.8BCM, a 9% increase; Q1 increased 6.2%, Q2 increased 12.3%. Imports were 24.7BCM, a 24.6% increase; apparent consumption was 81.5BCM, at 13.1% increased; Q1 consumpiton increased 13.3% and Q2 increse 12.7%.据国家发改委发布的运行快报统计,今年上半年,国内天然气产量588亿立方米,增长9.0%,其中一季度增长6.2%,二季度增长12.3%;天然气进口量(含液化天然气)约合247亿立方米,增长24.6%;天然气表观消费量815亿立方米,增长13.1%,其中一季度增长13.3%,二季度增长12.7%。

我国最大煤制天然气项目组在内蒙古准格尔奠基 | Ordos Inner Mongolia - groundbeaking on China's largest coal-to-gas plant with 12BCM annual capacity comprising three 4BCM projects. Owned by 3 SOEs: CNOOC, Beijing xxxx and Hebei Construction. Total investiment 80BN Rmb. Also produces 600 tonnes of tar, 140K tonnes of crude phenol, 180K tonnes of sulfur, 210k tonnes of ammonium sulfate.中国最大的煤制天然气项目组——内蒙古鄂尔多斯120亿立方米煤制天然气项目，今天奠基。内蒙古鄂尔多斯煤制气工业园同时开工建设。鄂尔多斯煤制气工业园区，共有三个年产40亿立方米的煤制天然气项目，分别由中国海洋石油总公司、北京控股集团有限公司和河北建设集团有限责任公司，三大国有控股企业投资建设。项目总投资800亿元，总规模为年产120亿立方米煤制天然气、60万吨焦油、14万吨粗酚、18万吨硫磺、21万吨硫酸铵及其它副产品。是我国目前投资建设的规模最大的煤制天然气项目组。京控股集团公司董事长王东说：“项目在技术上是世界上最领先的；同时环保水平上节约能源、环境友好，也是作为示范的；经济效益、综合效益将成为国内的典范，也将成为内蒙古自治区的产业名片。”

• Same / Related: 鄂尔多斯市120亿立方米煤制天然气项目开工奠基 - 正北方网-内蒙古日报

新疆口岸2013年上半年进口天然气同比增加近三成 - 新疆网 | 1st half of 2013, Xinjiang's imports of natural gas increased 30%. 90% of the imports came from Turkmenistan; 9% from Uzbekistan. $4.8Bn USD;  over 9.4 million tonnes.  1 tonne = 1428 cubic meters. Since 2007 imports have gone from 2% to 27%, every year avg increase 5 pct. Coal-to-gas has turned Urumqi into China's 7 th largest nat gas consumer. 因供需缺口不断扩大，2013年上半年，新疆口岸进口天然气稳步增长，九成进口气产自土库曼斯坦。 7月23日，乌鲁木齐海关上半年新疆口岸天然气进口统计显示，新疆口岸进口了价值48.2亿美元942.7万吨天然气，进口量同比增加29.5%。861万吨天然气来自土库曼斯坦，占全部进量的91.3%，81.7万吨是乌兹别克斯坦，占比8.7%。（标准天然气的密度是0.7kg/m3，1吨天然气约为1428立方米） 尽管天然气在我国能源结构中占比很小，不过我国对天然气进口的依存度却在不断攀升，2007年至2012年，中国天然气进口依存度从2%提高到27%，平均每年提高5个百分点。... 据安迅思息旺能源发布的2012年度中国十大天然气消费城市最新排名，煤改气助推乌鲁木齐一跃成为我国天然气消费第七大城市，排在北京、重庆、上海、成都、苏州、深圳之后，赶超天津、杭州和西安。

Coal Production Falling in China Due to Water Shortage - Oanda Forex blog | “Water shortages will severely limit thermal power capacity additions,” said Charles Yonts, head of sustainable research at brokerage CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets in Hong Kong. “You can’t reconcile targets for coal production in, say, Shanxi province and Inner Mongolia with their water targets.” Coal industries and power stations use as much as 17 percent of China’s water, and almost all of the collieries are in the vast energy basin in the north that is also one of the country’s driest regions. By 2020 the government plans to boost coal-fired power by twice the total generating capacity of India.

Polar Thaw Opens Shortcut for Russian Natural Gas - NYtimes | Novatek, in partnership with the French energy company Total and the China National Petroleum Corporation, is building a $20 billion liquefied natural gas plant on the central Arctic coast of Russia. It is one of the first major energy projects to take advantage of the summer thawing of the Arctic caused by global warming.The plant, called Yamal LNG, would send gas to Asia along the sea lanes known as the Northeast Passage, which opened for regular international shipping only four years ago.

Comment: polluters shouldn't be the judge of other polluters - Chinadialogue | The government-backed NGO All-China Environmental Federation (ACEF) shouldn't be given a monopoly over legal action against polluters, argues chinadialogue's Beijing editor Liu Jianqiang

China’s Environmental Governance Crisis - CFR | In her testimony before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Elizabeth C. Economy argues that Beijing has thus far been willing to ignore the people's demands for greater transparency, though the burden on both the environment and the Chinese leadership's legitimacy will only continue to grow.

俄报：俄天然气出口计划超出中国需求-参考消息 | Russian nat gas export plan exceeds China demand 俄罗斯媒体称，俄罗斯公司向中国出口天然气的计划面临问题。虽然经济停滞，但北京一直都在扩大天然气的进口和消费。中国的天然气购买量只会增长。据市场认为，天然气将取代煤，并将注入地下储库。但是即便如此，2030年前俄罗斯只能供应1000亿立方米的天然气，而俄罗斯公司目前的出口计划已经达到了这一规模。据俄罗斯《生意人报》7月24日报道，中国发改委表示，2013年1月至6月国内天然气消费量增长了13.1%，达到815亿立方米。国内自采量约为590亿立方米，天然气进口量半年内增长了24.6%，达到247亿立方米。但是中国海关总署的数据显示，6月中国通过管道进口的天然气增长了26.54%，达22亿立方米，进口额增长了15.56%，达到7.9779亿美元（每千立方米的价格为347美元）。与此同时，液化天然气6月份的采购量共增长3.21%，达到125万吨。液化天然气总价下降了1.16%，为7.2117亿美元（每吨577美元）。

Chinese thermal coal imports fall to 9.75 million mt in June - Platts | China's thermal coal imports in June fell 24% on the month to 9.75 million mt, the country's lowest monthly intake since February when imports were severely impacted by the Lunar New Year holiday, according to China customs data released Tuesday...Indonesian sub-bituminous coal landing in China dropped to 1.74 million mt in June, 50% lower year-on-year.The future of sub-bituminous coal imports to China -- most of which originates from Indonesia -- remains uncertain, due to a Chinese National Energy Administration draft regulation proposing the banning of lower CV grades.

China imports 40% less methanol in June, exports eight times more compared with May - Platts |China imported 275,337 mt of methanol in June, 40% less than it did in May, data released by the General Administration of Customs on Tuesday showed. The fall can be explained by the high domestic methanol production in the country.Over the same period, China's methanol exports surged to around eight times the volume exported in May to 175,902 mt, the data showed. Methanol prices outside China are strong enough for traders to eye arbitrage opportunities."Some traders are buying CFR China cargo, then re-exporting it," said a source at a major Chinese trader, adding that domestic cargoes were dominating the local market.China's largest supplier of methanol in June was Iran, which delivered 25% more cargoes compared with May at 137,452 mt. Apart from Iran, the only other region that delivered more volumes in June was Bahrain, which saw supplies to China increase 55% month on month to 21,137 mt. 

 中石油调低投资预算超百亿 减少中下游领域投资 - 2 1世纪经济报道|  CNPC reduced investment forecast more than 10Bn RMB, cut downstream investment in chems, will likely cut upstream next year. New chairman with shareholder value ideas.  7月24日，有接近中国石油高层的知情人士向记者透露，“中石油今年实际资本性投资将较年初公布的预测数据低5%，即减支180亿元左右。”    据他透露，自2008年原董事长蒋洁敏主导制定2020年建立“世界一流综合国际能源公司”目标后，中国石油的资本开支即开始连年增长；然而随着国际、国内经济情势的变化，今年新上任的中石油首脑开始为如何创造股东价值勾画新思路，不再盲目追求产量提升了。    据介绍，中石油高层认为，今年中国经济增速放缓，市场中对成品油、化工品需求的增速将出现下滑，因此降低对中下游领域的投资是“题中应有之意”；另一方 面，前期已经启动的上游勘探开发及管输都不是短期就能结束的，维持它们的投资规模也是必须的。“但是公司已决心不再启动更多上游项目，一切静待情势变化再 定，明年一部分上游投资可能也会出现缩减。”（21世纪经济报道）

煤企面临“塌方” 山西扶持政策将密集出台 - 证券时报 | Coal industry facing collapse - Shanxi rolling out support policy　山西是中国第一产煤、输煤大省及能源重化工基地，煤炭资源优势得天独厚。但是，自去年下半年以来，煤炭价格持续下跌，行业利润和税收大幅下降， 山西省煤炭企业亏损面增大。...面对煤炭行业亏损加剧和财政缺口加大的严峻局面，7月份以来，山西省政府连续召开相关会议，要求各个铁路、税收、金融等条口拿出具体对策，尽快研究出台一批扶持企业发展的政策措施，解决好当前企业生产经营过程中遇到的困难和问题，预计相关扶持具体政策将密集出台。同时，山西省政府重点加大与五大电力集团的联系，期待在煤电联营方面取得新突破。加快建设以煤炭、火电为主体的综合能源基地，以特高压输电线路、智能电网等重点电力工程为重点，将山西建设成强大的电力生产基地和电力输送网络，将山西能源变为输煤和输电并重。

中西部多修铁路 民生与增长得兼- 新京报| Rail investment in China's midwest - Li Keqiang says it will address a weak link; past investment focus in east on high spreed rail; lack of rail in midwest rail contribute to large imbalance in regional economies　加快中西部铁路建设，造福当地民众，利于全局性的经济发展均衡。能否实施好铁路投融资改革，决定着铁路系统市场化的高度。7月24日，李克强总理主持召开国务院常务会议，研究部署铁路投融资体制改革和进一步加快中西部铁路建设。在会上，李克强总理动情“两谢”220万铁路职工：“我要代表国务院感谢220万铁路职工，他们为中国铁路系统的体制改革做出了重大贡献；我要代表中西部贫困地区的百姓感谢220万铁路职工，他们翘首以盼加快中西部的铁路建设。”

Jiangxi’s H1 gas consumption jumps by 45% - Interfax | Central China’s Jiangxi province consumed 45% more gas in H1 2013 than a year ago, according to the local arm of the National Development and Reform Commission.

Hess, PetroChina sign China's first shale oil deal - Reuters Hess
Hess Corp, which has experience with shale oil in North Dakota, signed the deal on Tuesday to explore and develop the 800 square-kilometre Malang block of Santanghu basin in China's northwest region of Xinjiang...In March 2012 Shell landed the country's first shale gas production-sharing contract, also with PetroChina, to develop a block in Sichuan. The global oil major has said it will step up drilling in China this year and next... Those contracts normally last 30 years, with the foreign party bearing all the cost of exploration, and the Chinese firm has the right to back in with a maximum 51 percent interest during the production stage.

China Petroleum wins $548m Iraqi oilfield contract - Trade Arabia/Reuters | China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC) has won a $547.95 million service contract to develop Iraq's Halfaya oilfield, Iraq's cabinet said on Wednesday...CPECC, which is affiliated to China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), will handle engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning work at the oilfield, which is forecast to produce 535,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) in 2017, Iraq's oil ministry has said.

Tanzania: China to Build Tanzania Gas Pipeline - East African Business Week
...Presently only 20% of Tanzanians have access to grid electricity...One ambitious project is the 534-kilometre long Mtwara-Dar es Salaam natural gas pipeline. The government has already secured a $1.2 billion loan from Exim Bank of China to finance the project. Construction of the pipeline is expected to take 16 months with planned extensions to Tanga, Arusha and Mwanza regions...The pipeline is expected to supply 103 million cubic metres of gas to Dar es Salaam.

Trinidad, China Talk Energy - Caribbean Journal
Trinidad and Tobago Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine met last week with Chinese officials to discuss the establishment of direct trade of liquefied natural gas...Ramnarine’s talks with Zhang Yuqing, deputy head of China’s National Energy Administration, followed up on matters raised during the visit by Chinese President Xu Jinping to Trinidad in June, according to a statement from the Ministry.

ARRC biweekly update

A brief list this time . . . only the most recent stuff. 

US blocks Vietnam coal-fired power plant loan in 'first crucial test' - Sydney Morning Herald | The US Export-Import Bank board of directors voted on Thursday not to proceed with the financing of US exports to help build a coal-fired power plant in Vietnam, following a plea from US environmental groups to stop the project.

S.Korea's energy imports fall in Q2 amid lower prices - Xinhua | South Korea's energy imports fell in the second quarter due to lower commodity prices that offset a rise in energy import volume, customs office data showed Tuesday...Falling energy imports came amid lower commodity prices. Prices of coal imported from overseas tumbled 21.8 percent, with those for crude oil and natural gas declining more than 10 percent. ... Inbound shipments of coal tumbled 15.2 percent to 3.25 billion dollars over the same period, but those for natural gas increased 8.5 percent to 8.37 billion dollars. 

Japan coal consumption up by 26pct in June | Reuters reported that Japan's regional power monopolies used 26% more thermal coal in June than a year earlier to generate electricity to compensate for the shutdowns of all but two of their 50 nuclear reactors amid public concerns about safety

Japan Utilities Use Less Oil On Nuclear Restart, New Coal Units - Bloomberg | Japan’s utilities used less crude and fuel oil in June as the operation of two nuclear reactors and new coal-fired units helped them reduce reliance on more-expensive sources.

Locals stall $4 billion Indonesia power plant - Japan Times | JAKARTA – A $4 billion Japanese project to build a large coal-fired power station in Indonesia has hit a major snag due to opposition from local residents, sources revealed.

Job cuts in Australia’s coal sector climb to 11,000 - mining.com | Lost jobs in Australia's coal sector becoming a hard-to-heal wound. Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) tipped the job cutting balance in the coal sector a bit further Tuesday as the US giant announced it is axing another 170 employees, about 5.7% of its total workforce at its Australian operations.

Coal Carriers Returning to Profit on Australian Exports: Freight - Bloomberg | The largest commodity carriers are poised to profit for the first time this year as Australia exports near-record amounts of coal, diminishing a glut of ships that caused rates to drop as much as 99 percent since 2008.

...“The wall of supply from expansion projects in Australia will prove very challenging for coal prices,” said Marc Pauchet, a senior analyst at ACM Shipping Group Plc, a shipbroker in London. “It’s a baby step for the shipping market on its road to recovery.”

Gov't Plans to Spend 1.7 Tln Yuan on Plan to Fight Air Pollution - Caixin | The new plan, approved by the State Council in June, has five main components, Zhou said. Among the most important tasks is curbing excess capacity in industries that emit high levels of pollution, consume high amounts of energy and are heavily reliant on natural resources. This would include the steel, cement and glass industries...The plan will speed up changes in the country's energy sector, encouraging a shift away from coal as the main energy source, Zhou said. It will aim both to promote the clean and efficient use of coal and to increase the use of clean energy sources...The plan will also try to control emissions related to transportation. The ministry is considering raising emission standards and fuel consumption standards for vehicles.

Coal-rich county denies cutting free medicare after protest - Xinhua |XI'AN, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Coal-rich Shenmu County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province has vowed to continue free medical care and education despite rumors that the local government is deeply in debt and cannot provide such services any more.

Coal Watch: Are lower prices having an impact on Chinese coal demand? - Platts Video

Other China:

China's state-owned electric utilities announced record profits for the first half of 2013 because of the low cost of coal. They will not be required to adjust consumer electric prices downwards until Jan. 01 of next year. Imports of coal into China are still at or near record levels although Shenhua (world's largest coal producer) cut imports of coal in half from May to June and is rumored to be further decreasing coal imports. The company (Shenhua) is also taking market share from domestic producers by aggressively cutting prices and leveraging its access to rail services. Smaller producers are forming regional protectionist organizations in effort to slow price decrease and loss of market share. During Energy Safety small-group meeting that was part of US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue, Lou Jiwei said China will move ahead to reform natural resource taxes and will consider ad valorem taxes for coal and increased tax levels.  Coal Industry Analyst Zhang Zhibin (张志斌) says it will be very hard to implement and might raise taxes 300% from 5rmb per tonne to 20 rmb per tonne (at 5% of 400RMB coal-mouth value).

Crude imports from Iran down 1.9pc - SCMP/Reuters | First-half year-on-year fall buoys case for waiver extension on US sanctions against Tehran
The major cut on crude imports for the year could come from Unipec, the trading vehicle of Sinopec.The mainland's daily crude oil imports from Iran fell 1.9 per cent year on year in the first half of this year, making it easier for it to stake another claim to a waiver extension on US sanctions against Tehran.
...Beijing won a six-month waiver last month, along with other Asian importers of Iranian crude, and officials have said mainland refiners were likely to cut imports from Iran by 5 to 10 per cent this year. The next waiver review is due in November or December...The drop in first-half volumes came on top of a 21 per cent cut in purchases from Tehran in the first half of last year after a contract dispute slashed shipments in the first quarter of 2012.

PetroChina set for windfall from price reforms – Bernstein - Interfax | Leading natural gas producer PetroChina stands to reap an earnings windfall of up to RMB 70 billion (over the next three years if Chinese gas price reforms are fully carried out, Bernstein Research said on Tuesday.

Chinese coal company releasing toxic wastewater, Greenpeace says - Guardian |
State-owned mining firm's operations in Inner Mongolia depleting groundwater levels and polluting water sources, report claims ... project operated by China's largest coal miner, Shenhua Group, has reduced groundwater levels in an Inner Mongolia region and discharged high levels of toxic wastewater, environmental campaign group Greenpeace said on Tuesday.

Mikkal E. Herberg on China's Energy Future -Mikkal E. Herberg is Research Director of NBR's Energy Security Program. He is also a senior lecturer on international and Asian energy at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, University of California, San Diego | Discusses the state of China's energy policy and the changes China needs to make for its future energy security.

Massive earthquake strikes rural Gansu - Danwei | Early yesterday morning, Zhu Wenqing 祝文清 had just arisen from bed in Majiagou 马家沟 village, Min county 岷县, Gansu, when he heard a spectacular boom. He rushed outside and watched as the building he had just exited began to sway violently, and moments later, collapse from an aftershock. Many neighbors were not so lucky, as newspapers are reporting today with headlines around China exclaiming “Magnitude 6.6 Earthquake Yesterday in Gansu: 89 Dead, More than 500 Injured” (甘肃昨发生6.6级强震89人遇难800余人伤).

China Confronts Natural Gas Costs - RFA
An analysis by Michael Lelyveld

Even with the rate increase, the resulting retail prices of gas for industry will still be slightly lower than pipeline supplies from Central Asia when they enter the country, said market analyst Clyde Russell in a Reuters report.

...
Power plants with fuel-switching capability should have plans ready for shifting to coal or oil, the NDRC said.

...Philip Andrews-Speed, a China energy expert at the National University of Singapore's Energy Studies Institute, suggested that the complex measure could have the opposite of the intended effect by pushing some industries back into cheaper coal.

"Potential incremental users of gas will need to decide if they can afford to buy gas at the higher price or, alternatively, use coal or not invest," said Andrews-Speed.

Pakistan and China revisit energy corridor - Interfax
If completed, the cross-border pipelines could shorten the transport distance for some of China’s Middle Eastern oil, while also opening up a new western corridor for the country’s growing gas imports. However, while China and Pakistan have previously talked about building cross-border oil and gas pipelines along the Karakoram Highway – which already connects the two countries through the Khunjerab Pass – security concerns have complicated discussions.

Schlumberger to team up with CNOOC oilfield unit - Interfax
China Oilfield Services (COSL) has signed an agreement with Schlumberger to cooperate in deepwater operations, the offshore oilfield services subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) said in an announcement.

Under the recently signed agreement, Schlumberger will provide COSL with training in technology and management of seven areas – including drilling, cable logging and well cementing in deepwater – according to the announcement.

China’s gas growth bucks economic slowdown - Interfax
China’s gas market fundamentals remained strong during H1 2013, shrugging off a
China’s implied gas consumption increased by 13.1% year on year, to 81.5 billion cubic metres in H1, while output rose by 9% to 58.8 bcm, data from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) showed. Imports climbed by 24.6% over the same period to 24.7 bcm.
...
Piped gas imports last month surged by 26.54% from a year earlier to 1.63 mt at a total cost of $797.79 million – up by 15.56% from 2012.
...
June LNG imports, however, inched up just 3.21% from last year, to 1.25 mt. That was the only single-digit increase for this year and the lowest growth since last November, when import volumes fell year on year.

The value of China’s LNG shipments from countries such as Qatar, Australia and Indonesia last month declined by 1.16% annually to $721.17 million – again, for the first time since November.

Do China’s polluting firms deserve better treatment? Chinadialogue.net
In 2012 Beijing shut down 200 polluting or energy inefficient firms, with a similar number to be closed this year. In Taiyuan 118 firms were shut down in the first half of the year. The companies closed were mostly producing construction materials, chemicals, or were foundries and electroplating plants. These sectors are often responsible for pollution and carbon emissions; shutting them down will certainly have a positive environmental impact in the short-term.

But Yang Zhaofei, deputy chair of the China Society for Environmental Sciences and formerly chief engineer at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, believes that simply ordering polluting firms to shut down will fail to resolve environmental problems. The real question is how to responsibly help the companies cease operations or change sector.

Yang told chinadialogue that “when faced with public anger the government often shuts down the firm without even thinking about its circumstances – i.e. is it a legal business, what investments have been made, etc.”