Staff Reporter

China's environment ministry called upon hydropower developers to "put ecology first".

India has devised a plan to promote energy efficient products in the country.

The foundation stone of the Nabinagar Super Thermal Power Project in Aurangabad district has been laid.

Chettinad Power invited bids for the BTG--Boiler, Turbine, Generator and associated equipment/auxiliaries--Package its proposed 1,320 MW project.

Vietnam's province of Binh Thuan now has 16 wind energy projects with investments from 12 domestic and foreign businesses.

Ohi mayor Shinobu Tokioka wants the Japanese government to come up with a comprehensive set of safety standards and measures based on information from the Fukushima accident.

Tohoku Electric secured 2.2 million tonnes of additional LNG to offset lost output from two quake-damaged nuclear and fossil fuel plants.

The government of Japan announced that the country will avoid power cuts this summer even without nuclear power.

India chooses to stimulate competition, and drive down prices of solar products, to grow renewable energy.

The price of solar electricity from renewable energy sources in the Philippines will remain double that of China’s despite a move to lower the Feed-in-Tariff.

Northern province of Ha Giang in Vietnam will have its first hydro power plant using the oscillating water column technology.

Japanese small solar panel owners  sold 50 percent more power to utilities last year than in 2010. Owners sold a total 2,150 gigawatt hours to power utilities last year, helped by the government scheme. The data showed Japan's 10 regional power companies spent a total 96 billion yen or $1.2 billion for surplus solar power from house owners and small businesses last year via a feed-in tariff scheme, which requires them to buy such power, reports Reuters. Last year's purchase volume is equivalent to 0.24 percent of sales from the power companies of some 884,000 gigawatt hours a year on average in the three years to March 2011. In 2010, power companies bought 1,400 gigawatt hours of such surplus solar power via the same scheme. When a full-fledged scheme applying any electricity from solar, wind, small hydro, biomass and geothermal power plants is launched in July, the existing one will remain but cover surplus power from solar panel owners of up to 10 kilowatts only. Currently, regional power firms pay 48 yen per kilowatt hour for surplus electricity from solar panel owners of less than 10 kilowatts and 24 yen for surplus power from owners of 10 to 500 kilowatts, and allowed to add on the extra costs to all users in the same region evenly.

Tepco will agree to be taken over by the government in a near-$13 billion bailout.

China covered 48% of 2011 demand solar PBV installation in Asia-Pacific.

Thailand has made tepid progress in weaning itself from its inordinate reliance on fossil fuels.

Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) Limited has declared that the 125 MW first unit of its Barsingsar thermal power station has started commercial operations from January 20, 2012. Torrent Power Limited (TPL) has posted a net profit of Rs 211.28 crore for the third quarter of the ongoing fiscal, registering 6.1% rise over the Rs 199.12 crore earned during the quarter ended December 31, 2011. Total income increased to Rs 1,902.86 crore during the said third quarter from Rs 1,579.23 crore during the corresponding period in the previous financial period. SJVN Limited has registered a net profit after tax of Rs 189.63 crore for the third quarter of FY12, a decline from the Rs 191.50 crore posted during the corresponding quarter of FY11. In addition, the company's net income from operations fell to Rs 368.25 crore during the said quarter, in comparison to Rs 396.41 crore earned during the quarter ended December 31, 2011.