Business news with words announced+plans+power. 12 news.

Curbing dangerous nuclear technologies gets trickier WHEN Russia announced it had started shipping low-enriched uranium fuel to power the civilian nuclear reactor it is helping Iran build at Bushehr, George Bush tried to squeeze some comfort out of a piece of news which--for the international effort to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions--was a disappointing about-turn. "If the Iranians accept that [Russian] uranium for a civilian power plant, then there's no need for them to learn how to enrich," he said on December 17th. True, in theory. But Iran refuses to follow such logic. By making long-delayed fuel shipments to Bushehr now, Russia will weaken further the UN Security Council effort to end Iran's defiance. It also risks undermining plans to limit the spread of dangerous nuclear technologies at a time when many governments, including a number in the volatile Middle East, plan to invest in nuclear power. ...

New plans for detaining suspects have been rushed out. Why the hurry? "A MORE comprehensively consensual approach than we have ever taken before" was promised six months ago, when the government announced its fifth counter-terrorism bill in eight years. Previous bills had been piloted through Parliament at top speed, dividing MPs and in some cases leading to legislation that breached human-rights laws. This time a soothing consultation period and cross-party co-operation would prevent squabbling and mistakes, ministers pledged. The consensus approach now seems to be on the rocks. On December 6th the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, called an emergency press conference to announce plans to hold suspected terrorists for longer before charging them, a power long coveted by the government and opposed by other parties. Opposition MPs, who say they were shown the detailed plans no earlier than journalists were, accused the government of "pig-headed stubbornness". On the contrary, Ms Smith retorted, it is they who have refused to compromise. ...

Love them or hate them, Germany's two power giants keep the lights on IN AN apparent victory for the little man, the burghers of Ensdorf this week successfully blocked plans by RWE, a huge German power company, to build a spanking new coal-fired power station in their back yard. But those Saarland villagers have won an incomplete victory. Germany needs to add about 35,000 megawatts (MW) of new capacity by 2020, plus another 16,000MW if its nuclear plants are to be phased out by then, as planned. So new power stations will have to be built somewhere. RWE and E.ON, the other German power giant, are treading on eggshells these days. Their duopoly over electricity generation and distribution in Germany is under attack from almost every quarter: the European Commission, the Federal Cartel Office, the Federal Network Agency and, of course, consumers. People are livid that the two giants recently announced price rises of 7-10% for next year, despite record profits in the first three quarters and windfall gains from CO2 emission certificates that they were given free. ...

CLP Holdings Ltd, the larger of Hong Kong's two power producers, is considering bidding for Singapore's three biggest utilities being sold by Temasek Holdings Pte, said Group Director Stefan Robertsson. "Electricity is a growth industry in Asia, the industry dynamics are one of consolidation and privatization," Robertsson said in an interview yesterday in Singapore. "Given that we are interested in Asia-Pacific, it is an important opportunity for us." OneEnergy Ltd, a joint venture between CLP and Mitsubishi Corp, is expanding in Asia to take advantage of rising demand for electricity. Last month, CLP said it plans to buy two coal-fired electricity projects in India, Bloomberg News reported. Temasek, the Singapore government's investment company, announced in June it's reviving the plan to sell the island's three biggest generators after a six-year delay. The three utilities account for 90 percent of the island's electricity capacity. So far this year,

The conglomerate's new boss may rearrange more than the furniture PETER LOSCHER, the first outsider to become chief executive of Siemens, one of the world's biggest electrical-engineering firms, spent his first three months at the firm travelling and listening. Then on October 4th he announced plans to centralise the conglomerate, reduce its nine divisions to three and downsize its 11-man executive board, which would truncate the power of the company's regional bosses. On the same day Siemens accepted a EURO201m ($285m) fine imposed by a court in Munich for bribery by its communications division, forgoing the right to appeal. The coincidence could mark a turning point in attempts to change the firm's culture and put past scandals behind it. Last November police raided Siemens's offices, starting a scourge on bribery which so far has cost the company its chairman, its chief executive, another board member and its chief compliance officer, as well as at least EURO239m in fines and EURO179m in tax liabilities (the bribes had been deducted). What is more, in the nine months to June 30th alone, the bill for legal expenses and external advice came to EURO188m.

GD Power Development Co plans to raise about 3.1 billion yuan (US$413 million) in a pubic share offering to fund expansion, the major Chinese electricity producer said yesterday. It priced the offer at 17.52 yuan apiece, or the average price over the past 20 trading days. It aims to raise no more than 3.1 billion yuan "in principle" in the share placement, the company said in a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The utility will use the proceeds to acquire stakes in three power generating projects, including a hydro power project, from its state-owned parent, China Guodian Corp. These stakes are valued at around 3.1 billion yuan. The share offer was first announced in April when GD Power said it planned to issue no more than 400 million shares. At that time GD Power was quoted around 14 yuan but the stock has risen some 40 percent since then, meaning the final issuance amount could probably be short of 400 million shares based on the 3.1-billion-yuan fund-raising target. In yesterday's trading, GD Power opened higher at 21.77 yuan but closed at 19.23 yuan, down 2.83 percent. The statement was released before the market opened. If the funds to be raised exceed 3.1 billion yuan, the addition will be used to replenish working capital and repay bank loans. Everbright Securities said the share offer could pave the way for GD Power to buy more assets form its parent. Subscriptions for the shares will start tomorrow.

Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE), one of Britain's biggest power companies, announced this morning it is to upgrade the Ferrybridge power station to a supercritical 800 megawatt plant equipped for carbon capture, as it said profits for the year were likely to exceed expectations.

Scottish and Southern Energy today announced plans to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in green and more environmentally friendly power plants

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Waste Management Inc. announced plans Monday to build 60 facilities over the next five years that will turn gas generated from garbage decomposition into electricity. The Houston company operates two such landfill gas-to-energy facilities in South Carolina, one of which has been in operation for more than 20 years. Combined, they generate 16 megawatts of electricity. The new effort would result in more than 700 megawatts of "clean renewable energy," enough to power 700,000 homes a year or replace over 8 million barrels of oil. Waste Management, the nation's largest garbage hauler, has 281 landfills.

FARGO, N.D. A smaller version of a proposed coal-fired power plant in South Dakota is being planned after two partners announced plans to back out, an official says. The proposed Big Stone II plant now likely would have a generating capacity of about 500 megawatts instead of the 630 megawatts originally proposed, said Dan Sharp, a spokesman for the Big Stone II utility partnership. Two utility partners, Great River Energy and Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, have said they are withdrawing as owners in the $1.6 billion project, which would serve electricity customers in Minnesot

By now, you've probably heard that the solar energy business is booming. Wal-Mart and Tiffany's, Microsoft and Google, Estee Lauder and Target, Kohl's and Staples - all use or have announced plans to use solar photovoltaic panels on their rooftops to power their businesses.

Most UK coal-fired power stations have announced plans to burn more energy crops such as willow chippings in their boilers. Recent changes to the subsidy scheme for renewable energy have boosted the attractiveness of wood and dried grasses to supplant coal.