Energy & Oil

• Monday, March 29th 2010 - 18:30 UTC

  Solar power project to refine Chilean copper

  

  Codelco, Chile’s nationally-owned copper company and one of the world’s largest, announced last week a plan to outfit some of their mines with solar power over the next few years, a move expected to save millions of dollars in energy costs.

• Sunday, March 28th 2010 - 04:56 UTC

  Oil in Falklands but not in commercial volumes, reports The Times

  

  The first well drilled off the Falkland Islands in 12 years has struck oil — but not enough for a commercial well, according to a report from the Sunday edition of The Times.

• Saturday, March 27th 2010 - 06:40 UTC

  Argentina and Bolivia sign expansion of natural gas agreement

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner met Friday with her Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales and signed a deal that expands until 2026 the current gas-sharing bilateral agreement, which is expected to supply the Argentine Northeast.

• Saturday, March 27th 2010 - 06:19 UTC

  In support of our planet, Earth Hour’s global display of climate action

  

  Saturday March 27 at 8.30pm local time, more than 4000 cities and towns across 125 countries and regions will switch off their lights for Earth Hour in an historic moment of global unity.

• Friday, March 26th 2010 - 21:37 UTC

  Chavez adds 3 days to Easter holiday (completing a week) to save energy

  

  President Hugo Chavez has added three days to Venezuela's Easter holiday to deal with a growing energy crisis. The move which will close government and public offices means most Venezuelans will have a seven-day break starting on 1 April.

• Friday, March 26th 2010 - 00:59 UTC

  Chilean government announces biggest fuel price hike in months

  

  Chile’s government has decided to “un-freeze” the increase of the gasoline prices considering that the value of both oil and the US dollar is growing all around the world.
  By law, on March 25 the transitory price reduction to the specific oil tax must come to an end. The decree was passed last year to help the local economy given the financial crisis that affected many countries.

• Friday, March 19th 2010 - 15:25 UTC

  Falklands rife with speculation waiting for first oil drilling results

  

  Speculation was mounting this week on news of a potential oil strike as a promised announcement from hydrocarbons exploration company Desire Petroleum grew closer.

• Friday, March 19th 2010 - 03:47 UTC

  Warning petrol in UK could reach 120p a litre; 3p increase from April

  

  Petrol prices could reach an eye-watering 120 pennies per litre later this year, the AA is warning. The organisation is claiming that unleaded fuel could even top the price, equivalent to £5.41 a gallon, and Alistair Darling is being urged to delay the introduction of a planned 3p increase in petrol duty due to come in on April 1.

• Tuesday, March 16th 2010 - 18:26 UTC

  Chile’s power supply “fragile” for the next six months

  

  Chile’s new Energy Minister Ricardo Raineri said the country’s electricity supply may not normalize for another six months, following a blackout which hit more than 70% of the country late Sunday night.

• Tuesday, March 16th 2010 - 18:20 UTC

  Petrobras planning to issue 60 billion US dollars of new stock

  

  Brazil’s government managed oil company Petrobras will issue as much as 60 billion US dollars of new stock, most of which will go to the government in exchange for oil rights, Energy Minister Edison Lobao announced Tuesday.