ENERGY
Petroliam to sell UK oil units
Petroliam Nasional Bhd, Malaysia’s state oil and gas company, agreed to sell the oil production business of its UK unit, Star Energy Group Ltd, to IGas Energy PLC, according to a company statement yesterday. Petronas, which also signed a gas supply agreement with IGas, will focus on optimizing the Humbly Grove Gas Storage Facility, which will remain with the company, it said. The move is in line with its strategy to focus on growing its European asset returns through marketing and trading, Petronas said.
ENERGY
Repsol on offshore license
Spanish oil group Repsol has farmed into Providence Resources Irish offshore “Dunquin” license, the Irish oil and gas company said yesterday. Repsol’s Irish subsidiary will acquire a 25 percent equity interest in the project based 200km off southwest Ireland, assuming half of its stake from Italian energy group Eni and half from US group ExxonMobil. Following the completion of the transaction, ExxonMobil and Eni will each hold a 27.5 percent interest in the license, Repsol will have 25 percent with Providence and Britain-based Sosina sharing 16 percent and 4 percent respectively.
FINANCE
Credit Suisse settles probe
Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse said yesterday that it has reached a deal with German authorities to end a tax evasion probe, and that it would pay 150 million euros (US$205 million) to settle the case. “Credit Suisse group and the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Duesseldorf have reached an agreement regarding the proceedings against Credit Suisse employees,” the bank said in a statement. “The entire proceedings are to be resolved.” The bank said that meant “a complex and prolonged legal dispute has been avoided.”
AUTOMOBILES
Jaguar to build UK plant
Jaguar Land Rover is investing in a new plant in Britain to build low-emission engines. The company said yesterday that the new plant near Wolverhampton, England, would cost ￡355 million (US$560 million) and would employ up to 750 people. Jaguar Land Rover is part of Tata Motors, which acquired the company from Ford in 2008. Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Ralf Speth said the company planned to invest ￡1.5 billion a year over five years to expand its product lines.
TECHNOLOGY
Hynix sale to be debated
Hynix Semiconductor Inc shareholders will discuss whether they will proceed with current sale plan amid a lack of bidders after STX Group dropped out of bidding for a stake in the world’s second-biggest computer memorychip maker, Korea Exchange Bank said. A date for the meeting has not been decided, Korea Exchange Bank spokesman Lee Sun-hwan said.
STEEL
Asia steel imports probed
Australian authorities yesterday launched an inquiry into steel imports from China and four other Asian nations as domestic manufacturers suffer under the strong Australian dollar. Customs said it would examine dumping and subsidization of “certain hollow structural” steel products from Taiwan, China, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand after a complaint from OneSteel, Australia’s second-largest steelmaker. Officials would examine imports between July last year and June 30 for evidence of OneSteel’s complaint, and look back as far as July 2007 for proof of injury to the steelmaking industry.
Contract chipmaker United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電) yesterday said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Polar Semiconductor LLC to collaborate on the production of 8-inch wafers in the US. The collaboration aims to strengthen 8-inch wafer manufacturing in the US amid Washington’s efforts to increase onshore manufacturing of semiconductors, contribute to supply chain resilience against shifting geopolitical dynamics, and ensure a secure domestic supply of power semiconductors critical to automotive, electric grids, robotic manufacturing and data centers, the companies said in a joint statement. Under the MOU, Polar and UMC will identify devices for Polar to manufacture at
TARIFF TALKS: The US secretary of commerce is eyeing more than US$300 billion in investments and said Taiwan would train US workers, but Taipei has denied the latter US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said the US is expecting a large investment pledge from Taiwan in trade talks, while President William Lai (賴清德) listed areas that need improvement in order for projects to be completed. “We’re in the midst of discussions,” Lutnick said on Wednesday. “But the fact is, this administration’s goal is to bring semiconductor manufacturing to America.” Lai on Wednesday said Taiwan is supportive of US President Donald Trump’s goal of reindustrializing the US, including efforts to ramp up semiconductor production. Such a goal would require the US to reduce its reliance on Taiwan as a key source
The demise of the coal industry left the US’ Appalachian region in tatters, with lost jobs, spoiled water and countless kilometers of abandoned underground mines. Now entrepreneurs are eyeing the rural region with ambitious visions to rebuild its economy by converting old mines into solar power systems and data centers that could help fuel the increasing power demands of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. One such project is underway by a non-profit team calling itself Energy DELTA (Discovery, Education, Learning and Technology Accelerator) Lab, which is looking to develop energy sources on about 26,305 hectares of old coal land in
Netflix on Friday faced fierce criticism over its blockbuster deal to acquire Warner Bros Discovery. The streaming giant is already viewed as a pariah in some Hollywood circles, largely due to its reluctance to release content in theaters and its disruption of traditional industry practices. As Netflix emerged as the likely winning bidder for Warner Bros — the studio behind Casablanca, the Harry Potter movies and Friends — Hollywood’s elite launched an aggressive campaign against the acquisition. Titanic director James Cameron called the buyout a “disaster,” while a group of prominent producers are lobbying US Congress to oppose the deal,
RSS