wiredinUSA September 2012

INDEX

CSC to consider price cut

Low take–up of fiber facility

Solar projects for Japan

Iran confirms its power capacity

Iranian minister of energy, Majid Namjou, has stressed that the country has no shortfall in supplying its domestic power needs, and added that Iran generates sufficient electricity to meet the power demands of its neighboring states. He said that export of electricity indicates that the country has satiated its domestic needs and is exporting the surplus. The minister further underlined Iran’s domestic repair and maintenance capabilities, and said all the necessary repair and maintenance operations in its power plants have been carried out by domestic experts. The Iranian energy ministry announced that the country exported 3,949GW/h of electricity in the first four months of the current Iranian year (beginning 20 th March), a 46 percent increase over the same period last year. Iran has power agreements withArmenia, Pakistan,Turkmenistan,Turkey,Azerbaijan, Iraq, Afghanistan and the autonomous region of Nakhichevan.

China Steel Corp (CSC), the largest steelmaker in Taiwan, is reported to have held a meeting with screw manufacturers on 14 th August to discuss its prices for steel wire and bar for October and November deliveries. CSC reduced its list prices of steel wire and bar for September but, apparently, the Taiwanese screw makers have urged CSC to further cut prices as received order volumes from overseas markets have continued to drop. CSC has said it will consider the difficulties that downstream buyers face, and the current market situation, when adjusting its prices.

The Kenyan government has expressed disappointment with the low utilization of a multi-million fiber optic connection in the country. Information Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo has said that a huge investment is “going to waste”, adding that it has not achieved its intended purpose of making Internet services cheaper and more accessible. Speaking in Murang’a town, during a visit to the Murang’a postal corporation of Kenya and county information offices, the PS said most of the established resource centers in the country are not operational. “I am disappointed that the investment that cost the government a lot of money is not benefiting the public as it is supposed to,” he said. Ndemo said the government spent over KSh7 billion to install the fiber optic Internet connection in most of the 47 counties. Hesaid it isawasteofgovernment resources if resource centers are not assisting the public to access information. He directed the government officers concerned to ensure that the resources are operational.

Orix Corp, a Japanese finance and leasing firm, is planning to invest around $680 million in solar power projects over the next three years. Tamaki Shibata, spokeswoman for Orix, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying that the company will spend $378 million to build solar power stations with a total capacity of 100MW, and a further $302m will be spent to lease rooftop space from factories and warehouses for the installation of panels to produce another 100MW of capacity. The move follows Japan’s recently introduced incentive program for clean energy, including solar and wind. Bloomberg stated that Shibata also confirmed a report in the Tokyo Shimbun that theOrix Corpmay increase investment to build as much as 400MW of capacity. “We will closely monitor panel and land prices,” she said. Orix Corp is currently developing a 2MW solar plant inKagawaprefecture, expected to begin operations in January 2013.

ASIA / AFRICA NEWS

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wiredInUSA - September 2012

wiredInUSA - September 2012

39