Mitsubishi plans energy centre

One of the largest companies in the world has announced a £100 million
investment in a green energy centre for the UK.

Mitsubishi is establishing an engineering centre in Scotland for research
and development of offshore wind technology.

The firm expects to create up to 200 jobs at its Centre for Advanced
Technology in Edinburgh. Mitsubishi is also acquiring an Edinburgh
University spin-off, Artemis Power, safeguarding 25 jobs.

The move was welcomed by Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, who said:
"Scotland is a leader in the development of clean green energy and boasts a
world-class research and development base that is pioneering technologies
that will have a global impact on combating climate change."

The deal was made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) through its
subsidiary, Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe (MPSE), and announced at a press
conference in the Scottish capital.

http://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/mitsubishi_plans_energy_centre_1_28273
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Energy Market Brief December 2010:

Short Term Risk Drivers

Well the big news and main driver of prices for last month has been the
weather, and so far the system has coped well with the increased demand.
However any prolonged spells of cold weather will impact on storage levels
and could leave us with potential shortfalls. So any expected deliveries of LNG will be greatly received and could
contribute considerably to keeping supply margins in place. Prices have
steadily risen throughout the last month and as we write this report gas
demand is approaching all time highs as the wintery weather continues to
cause distribution. Any serious system issues could have wider implications
for our continued supply demand and with this uncertainty hanging over the
market.

Read More -
http://www.catalyst-commercial.co.uk/news/energy_market_brief_december2010/?
p

Clear incentive for London's workplaces to switch off lights, Assembly told

Switching off unnecessary lights would save money for London's workplaces,
which is a clear incentive in the current economic climate, the Assembly's
Environment Committee heard today.

In the capital, workplaces make up 43 percent of carbon emissions and
lighting accounts for a fifth of these. It has been estimated that lighting
costs could be cut by up to 15 percent simply by turning off lights in areas
that are not being used.

Howard Dawber, head of strategy at the Canary Wharf Group, told the
Committee that the Government's Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy
Efficiency Scheme ( CRC ), is acting as an incentive for companies to adopt
energy savings policies because it is now a business cost. Under the scheme,
all organisations whose annual electricity bill is equivalent to about
£500,000 a year must measure their carbon emissions and "buy" allowances to
cover their emissions for the previous year.
http://media-newswire.com/release_1135522.html

UK gas price rises as cold spell drains stocks

UK gas prices rose yesterday as high heating demand in a prolonged cold
spell continued to drain Britain's limited gas stocks, increasing fears over
supplies for the rest of winter.

With temperatures plunging to less than -20 degrees Celsius in Scotland
overnight, prompt UK wholesale gas prices rose to their highest level since
early 2009, when a fifth of Europe's gas was cut off during a row between
Russia and Ukraine.

Gas for delivery on Thursday rose to a high of 64 pence per therm before
easing to 62.50 at 0910 GMT, up 1.25 pence from the close on Wednesday,
while gas for delivery on Friday traded roughly in line with Thursday
contracts.

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/business-news/134471-uk-gas-price-rises-as-
cold-spell-drains-stocks.html

Opus Energy wins Independent Energy Supplier of the Year award

Opus Energy celebrated winning the Independent Energy Supplier of the Year
award at last week's inaugural Energy Excellence Awards. The result was decided by both a popular vote and a panel of judges. The
awarding panel acknowledged that: "[Opus Energy] has shown major growth and a rising profile in the past year,
with new and flexible products introduced for smaller companies. [Opus
Energy] offers smart meters for free, helping companies be greener and drive
emissions down." http://www.prlog.org/11122288-opus-energy-wins-independent-energy-supplier-o
f-the-year-award.html

Coal's Two-Year High Prompts U.K. Utilities to Burn Wood: Energy Markets

The highest-priced coal in two years is making wood pellets a viable
alternative as a fuel for U.K. power producers, heralding a doubling of
electricity generation from biomass in the next three years. Using coal to make a megawatt hour of electricity in the U.K. costs 40.25
euros ($53), compared with 39.35 euros for wood, according to Bloomberg New
Energy Finance. Prices have been "approximately the same" since May, it
said. Pledges by Prime Minister David Cameron's government to step up renewable
energy use are stoking investment in U.K. projects to get electricity from
biomass such as tree and vegetable matter just as coal prices surge amid
rising demand from China. Utilities plan to more than double biomass
capacity in Britain to 5,800 megawatts by 2014, enough to supply almost 6
million homes, New Energy Finance said. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-03/coal-s-surge-coaxes-u-k-utilities-t
o-burn-wood-energy-markets.html

UK gas price rise as cold spell drains stocks

UK business gas prices rose on Thursday as
high heating demand in a prolonged cold spell continued to drain Britain's
limited gas stocks, increasing fears over supplies for the rest of winter.

With temperatures plunging to less than -20 degrees Celsius in Scotland
overnight, prompt UK wholesale gas prices rose to their highest level since
early 2009, when a fifth of Europe's gas was cut off during a row between
Russia and Ukraine.

Gas for delivery on Thursday rose to a high of 64 pence per therm before
easing to 62.50 at 0910 GMT, up 1.25 pence from the close on Wednesday,
while gas for delivery on Friday traded roughly in line with Thursday
contracts.

Britain's biggest gas storage site, Rough, continued to pump into the UK
network at near capacity, according to data from National Grid, leaving less
to top up supplies for later in winter which is usually colder than early
December.

http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFLDE6B10GC20101202