Climate Change
August 18, 2010
Now Blackstone has decided to gamble on India's Power Deficit Story by investing $300 million for an undisclosed stake in the company.With investment plans of $6.5 billion and parent company sinking under loads of debt,Moser Baer Projects desperately needed equity which has been provided by Blackstone.Its previous track record in Solar and Optical Media does not inspire a lot of confidence.But India's 8-9% Growth Rate is like a Rising Tide which will lift all sorts of Boats.Blackstone is perhaps gambling more on that rather than on Moser Baer.
August 18, 2010
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Technology is akin to putting Lipstick on a Pig (read Coal Power Plants).This Technology which has been hyped as the Green Answer to Coal's Dirty Polluting Ways has never been proven on a commercial scale .Note the British Government promising CCS with every new Coal Plant.Despite numerous large pilot projects,the Technology remains immature.Even China which gets 80% of its electricity from Coal Power Plants and is the biggest emitter of GHGs,remains skeptical of this technology.
August 17, 2010
To reduce its expense Vedanta will only pay Rs 355/share to minority shareholders in the open offer while offering Cairn Rs 405/share .This will include Rs 50/share for a non compete agreement.This seems a ruse to shaft minority shareholders as I don't think Cairn poses much of a threat to Vedanta from further Oil Explorationin India.I don't know how Vedanta's returns from the Cairn's oil fields can be impacted through Oil Exploration by Cairn's parent in the future.Indian stock market regulator had earlier rejected Heidelberg's premium to be paid to SK Birla Group when buying Mysore Cements stake.The controlling premium has been paid in earlier M&A by foreign promoters to Indian promoters.The area of controlling premium remains a grey one and I think it is being exploited by Vedanta to lower its open offer price.It remains to be seen if SEBI rules in the favor of the minority shareholders.
August 12, 2010
UN's CDM panel which decides on the eligibility of projects under this scheme has come under criticism for being too lenient in approving projects.It has been said that these projects sometimes lead to more emissions defeating the very purpose of this scheme.The Panel has become more discerning and has rejected around 50 Wind Projects in China because they were thought to be profitable even without these credits.
August 10, 2010
Only communities adjacent to the rivers can use this water.An Environmental Group has also accused the state EPA of colluding with these corporate interests.This may lead to huge lawsuits against these companies and force the Boom to a halt.Shale Gas is supposed to be the new energy panacea as the deposits can meet US energy needs for 20 years.However like other fossil fuels it will deplete leaving behind a legacy of ecological degradation and destruction.
August 10, 2010
Extreme Weather Conditions has increased in frequency this decade.In fact this decade is the hottest decade in records with temperatures making new records every year.While nothing can be said with a 100% possibility that it is due to Global Warming,the evidence is certainly pointing in that direction.
August 5, 2010
Poor Island Nations like Maldives are most vulnerable to Climate Change with their very existence at stake as rising sea levels threaten to sink them completely […]
August 5, 2010
United Kingdom has been a laggard in climate change and global warming issues especially compared to its European neighbours.While countries like Italy,Germany and Spain have installed […]
July 21, 2010
Google’s paltry $39mm investment in a Wind Farm was puzzling as it really seemed to meet no goals.The investment would not lead to any significant advancement […]
July 21, 2010
Climate Change Mitigation and Global Warming have been put in cold storage by world’s major countries like USA and China.While Europe and Japan are pushing initiatives […]
July 21, 2010
Tata Group is the most respected Indian Industrial Group,however that seems to be changing India’s Tata Group of companies is the most respected corporate group in […]
July 20, 2010
Honda is betting more on the success of Hybrid Vehicles than on Electric Vehicles.It seems that the Japanese auto giant thinks that Hybrid Vehicles will get […]
July 20, 2010
China surpassed the USA as the largest emitter of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) in 2006 when it produced 6.2 billion tons of CO2 overtaking the USA at […]
July 19, 2010
Now it has become easier to invest in this metal with the launch of an ETF dedicated to Lithium alone.This ETF which is being launched by Global X Management with tracks stocks of electric vehicle producers and battery makers.I am not a fan of the Lithium Battery makers or Electric Vehicle producers
July 17, 2010
India is facing a growing backlog of environmental cases with rapid industrialization leading to disputes with traditional stakeholders.Land acquisition has become a huge problem with industries […]
July 16, 2010
Green Energy has increasingly become mainstream rather than a niche category supported by some environmental activists and hippies.This is proved by the fact that almost half […]
July 16, 2010
A huge 2640 MW coal plant has received a major jolt after its environment clearance was rejected by he National Environmental Appellate Authority (NEAA).This plant which […]
July 15, 2010
World’s biggest Oil company Exxon Mobil has opened a Greenhouse facility to grow and test algae which will be used for producing biofuels.Algae based Biofuels is […]
July 14, 2010
US Export Import Bank (Exim) is a government owned financial institution which helps support US trade through credit financing of exports/imports of US companies.The Bank is […]
July 13, 2010
Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL),one of India’s biggest private sector Steel companies is looking to build a Rs 42000 crore ( ~$10 billion) Coal to […]
July 5, 2010
Solar Energy in India has the potential to be one of the biggest opportunities in the Energy Sector in the 21st Century.The government’s strong backing through […]
July 3, 2010
India’s Rising Inflation crosses into Double Digit territory India has seen inflation increase at a rapid pace in the recent months with the Wholesale Price Infalation […]
July 2, 2010
India-China Economic Growth leads to sharp increase in GHG Emissions The 21st Century is said to be a China-India Century with these Large Asian economies expected […]
July 2, 2010
Shale Gas is the newest Fossil Fuel Technology which would greatly help extend the world’s fast depleting oil and gas reserves.Shale gas has boomed in the […]
July 2, 2010
It was earlier reported that China would promotes its CleanTech Industry through Electric Vehicle subsidies.It would give between $7000-9000 in subsidies to Electric Vehicles and Hybrid […]
June 26, 2010
Most of these reports had been quite vague but a recent report explicitly mentions that Danish Pension Funds writing to Spanish and EU investors voicing their concerns.With such Big Players joining the fray,its no wonder that Spain is reconsidering its whole Energy Policy.
June 23, 2010
The Oil Industry which had gone on the defensive with questions being raised about their commitment towards environment and society has learned nothing from the BP […]
June 22, 2010
Fossil Fuels form the main Energy source for humanity due to their abundance,general ease of extraction and high energy density.However the Environmental costs and the Loss […]
June 20, 2010
Valero Energy which is the US’s largest oil refiner has positioned itself strongly to take advantage of future shift in the fuel industry.The massive drop in […]
June 20, 2010
Andarko Petroleum is a 25% owner of the the Deephorizon Oil Rig which exploded recently leading to a huge ecological and economic disaster in the US […]