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Kuwait - LS Cable & System wins $110M order LS Cable & System announced that it had secured a 400kV extra-high voltage cable project valued at $110 million (about KRW130 billion) from the Ministry of Electricity and Water of Kuwait. LS Cable & System said it will supply and install 400kV extra-high voltage conductor with insulated cables and connectors on a turnkey basis. LS Cable & System said that unlike ordinary extra-high voltage cable using pure copper for the conductor, the conductor with insulated cables to be installed will be a high-tech cable in which the strands of wire comprising the conductors are coated with enamel to reduce transmission resistance. This raises transmission capacity by more than 20%. When this type of conductor with insulated cable is used, the overall weight and thickness of the cable can be reduced, as much as the transmission resistance falls, greatly reducing the cost of cable manufacturing and power grid implementation.

According to a survey conducted by the Copper & Brass Servicenter Association, a US-based trade group, US servicenter shipments of copper and brass products amounted to 22.7Mlbs (10,297t) in April, down by 7.0% m-o-m and down by 0.9% y-o-y. The m-o-m decline was largely attributed to weaker demand for 300-series brass rod and bar, as shipments declined by 9.9%, reaching 5.2Mlbs. Servicenters enjoyed a good Q1 as shipment levels rose to reach 72.7Mlbs (32,736t), up by 4.2% y-o-y, with the peak of the quarter occurring in March, just as it did in 2011. Over 50% of servicecenters surveyed believed that incoming orders will stay at the same level in June-August 2012 as they were in March-May 2012.

Aurubis AG, the Germany-headquartered refined copper cathode and copper products fabricator, reported a weak performance in sales of copper products in the first quarter of this year. In Q1, the outputs of wirerod; pre-rolled strip; continuous cast shapes; rolled products and speciality wire reached 179,000t, 41,000t, 47,000t and 60,000t, down by 17% y-o-y, down by 15% y-o-y, up by 2% y-o-y and up by 329% y-o-y, respectively. Generally, the seasonal upswing in Q2 was weaker than expected, however, there was a mixture of performances in the sectors within each market, as some wirerod market sectors ordered strongly but European semi-fabricators and customers of strip and speciality wire continued to order shrinking quantities at late notice.

Aurubis reported a growth outlook for its copper products business unit. The company said that the performance of copper wirerod depends upon the progress of power grid expansion projects in Europe. The automotive sector is expected to continue to support growing wirerod sales for the next few months, however the enamelled wire industry is expected to remain weak attributed to poor demand in southern Europe. North American demand is anticipated to support growth in shipments of copper shapes as well as the company's market for flat copper products. In this regard, the US electronics and electrical industry, engine cooling and distribution segments are expected to continue improving. Stagnant European and Asian demand for flat copper products will partially undermine growth in North America. The company added that it does not anticipate the Asian copper products market to recover until the end of Summer 2012, at which time, demand in the US is expected to be good and demand from European-based operations will be recovering.

In connection with a global trend of increasing the use of electric motors in the electric power consumption in order to raise the energy efficiency, the development of copper motors and the applicati

"The Netherlands was aiming to cut its greenhouse emissions by 17 per cent by 2020, but the court has ordered that they must be cut by 25 per cent in the same time frame."

"Conflict mining remains an important issue, and one we are beginning to see governments step in to address in different ways. With the global economy as interconnected as ever, it's important to note that many of the products and technologies we use in our daily lives begin at the same source: mines. With leading companies across industries such as electronics, retail and jewelry, auto manufacturing, lighting aerospace, construction, and other industries relying on these commonly used 3TG metals - tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold - implementing effective regulation is essential in order to further advance support to eliminate or reduce human rights violation."

PKE is the new range of ECO Coils&Coolers branded air condensers launched by Luvata for commercial AC and refrigeration applications. It is the enhanced offspring of the PCE range (currently phasing out), with improved efficiency and optimized sound emission parameters. Like all ECO Coils&Coolers ventilated units, even the PKE range is available for CO2 applications. The PKE offers an improved hauling and fastening system, thanks to new features. Moreover, the side panels are removable allowing easy access to the units' internal compartments, which have been increased by 120 mm. In order to facilitate maintenance and service, the PKE range has also been equipped with special door holders with a hold open feature. For models with 4 and 5 fan motors, the number of doors has been reduced and the width has been increased, as to allow easy access to the internal components. Lastly, the base has been reinforced for particularly difficult installations. On the other hand, thanks to a compartment incorporated with the condenser to enclose the compressing and the electrical control units, called housing, the PKE range does not require long connection pipe-work, thus reducing the risk of possible leaks. The special internal surface of the compressor compartment has been designed so as to increase sound absorption, reveals the company's press release.

Two Japanese companies are working together to develop carbon fiber materials for use in cars, according to a Reuters report. Toray Industries (3402.T) and Mitsubishi Rayon (3404.T) hope to mass produce the lightweight material by 2010 in an effot to make vehicles 40% lighter and up to 30% more fuel efficient. They also intend to develop technology to recycle carbon fiberin order to bring costs down. For years, proponents of carbon fiber materials have supported its widespread use in vehicles, but the cost of the highly engineered materials was prohibitive. Now with gasoline and steel prices on the rise, carbon fiber is becoming more economically feasible. The Nikkei business daily reported that Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. were participating in the partnership, along with Toyobo Takagi Seiko Corp and researchers from the University of Tokyo. However, both Nissan and Honda denied that they were participating in the project. A spokeswomam for Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization said teh government is also researching the further use of aluminum and other light-weight metals to replace steel.

It's about to get that much easier to create a tempest in a teapot. Conventional wisdom holds that a watched pot never boils and while "never" might be an exaggeration, most of us can agree that it takes longer than we'd like. However, researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered that by coating the inside of a pot with a microscopic layer of copper nanotubes-which under appropriate magnification make the surface of the cooking vessel look hairy-they can increase the efficiency of energy transfer from the pot to the water it holds by an order of magnitude.

Applied Nanotech Holdings Inc announced that its subsidiary, Applied Nanotech Inc (ANI), established a strategic development program with Optomec, Inc, a provider of printed electronics for solar, display, electronic packaging and flexible electronics applications. As a part of the commitment, ANI will install a dedicated Optomec M3D aerosol jet printer at its facilities in order to adapt its copper ink to Optomec's patented ultra high resolution printing technology. By utilizing ANI's copper ink, the Optomec printer will offer the solar, display, flexible circuit and PCB manufacturers contact-free deposition of high quality, low cost metal lines, the companies said. According to the companies, the Optomec printing solution is able to produce much finer lines than is currently possible with traditional screen printing and inkjet printing equipment. The combined ANI/Optomec copper ink printing solution will provide an alternative to silver inks facilitating lower cost, coupled with the promise of higher reliability. Furthermore, ANI's copper inks do not require expensive vacuum installation or inert gas environment lowering the cost of the capital for manufacturing equipment.

ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT), a steel manufacturer based in New Deli, launched a clean technology venture capital fund to support ventures that have relevance for the carbon-intensive steel industry. The Fund has made its first investment of US$20 million in Miasolé, a California-based pioneer in the development of thin-film solar panels Miasolé has developed unique high volume manufacturing processes that enable efficient production of Copper Indium Gallium Selenium (CIGS) solar products on a flexible stainless steel substrate. This technology promises to dramatically lowers the installed cost of Photovoltaic (PV) systems and will enable renewable energy from the sun to replace carbon generating fossil fuels. Fund managers will be working with leading venture capital firms, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, to identify worthy cleantech ventures. ArcelorMittal also announced that it has created a new carbon fund in order to strategically engage in the carbon market and promote climate friendly solutions that are relevant for the steel industry. The fund, which has an initial investment commitment of €100 million (US$ 157 million) is currently looking at investment opportunities in renewable energy, energy efficiency, methane capture and greenhouse gas reducing technologies--all of which have the potential to generate carbon credits under the Kyoto Protocol. ArcelorMittal intends to use the carbon credits received from these Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation projects for compliance in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

TORONTO, July 28 (Reuters) - Copper Mountain Mining Corp (CUM.V: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) plans to spend C$402 million ($394 million) to revive a copper mine in British Columbia that it expects will produce nearly 100 million pounds of the metal per year, the company said on Monday. The company said production at its Copper Mountain open pit mine should begin at the end of 2010 with a 35,000 tonne-per-day mill. The project would have an an initial mine life of 15 years, according to a feasibility study. The news drove the junior miner's shares up by nearly 6 percent. The construction decision has not formally been approved by the company's board of directors, but the company has already ordered equipment, said Don Graham, director of Copper Mountain's investor relations.

DuPont Photovoltaic Fluoromaterials (PVFM) announced that it has signed a Technology Licensing Agreement with Toppan Inc. Printing Co. LTD, located in Tokyo, Japan, to commercialize its new backsheet for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. This technical and business deal with Toppan is in line with the PVFM strategic intent to significantly increase the availability of DuPont Tedlar films and backsheet for the fast growing PV market, according to the company. "This collaboration combines DuPont's proprietary technology for Tedlar polymer in backsheets, with Toppan's unique coating capability," said Kelly Kolliopoulos, global business manager of DuPont's Tedlar Division. "We view the new backsheet technology as complementary to our continuing activities to increase the supply of Tedlar films in order to meet the industry's growth and demand for Tedlar."

Compared to other solar energy applications, solar cooling is a relatively new, but growing, technology. Many projects using the technology are still for the purposes of demonstration only, but a growing number of systems are being implemented all over the world for conventional use. In order to give an insight into this innovative technology, detailed information about the possible technical applications of solar cooling systems is provided in this section.\n\nPassive solar cooling, based on bioclimatic strategies such as sun protection using natural screening devices or increased cooling by using ponds or water basins o the roof or close to the external walls, is widely applied and should be the first step to take in cooling a building. Such measures are easier and less costly to implement, they decrease the need for additional cooling and, therefore, for additional energy demand (and also for investment). Sufficient insulation of the building also decreases the need for cooling, as well as for heating.\n\nIf the outcome of these measures is not sufficient in itself, a solar assisted cooling system may be an intelligent solution. In solar assisted cooling systems solar heat is used to drive the cooling process for air conditioning in buildings. Instead of using electricity, free solar thermal energy is used for cooling through a thermal-chemical sorption process.\n\n

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Lonmin shares surged on Wednesday after Swiss rival Xstrata launched an unsolicited $10 billion takeover bid for the platinum producer, with the move sparking gains across the entire London-listed mining sector. Lonmin (UK:LMI: news, chart, profile) shares traded 46.9% higher at 34.06 pounds, above the 33 pounds a share that Xstrata said it's prepared to pay to take control of the platinum producer in order to boost its own production of the metal.

LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK) said Monday it expects to generate between $2.8 billion and $3 billion in revenue and ship between 1.45 gigawatts and 1.55 gigawatts of silicon wafers in 2009. The Chinese company also said its wafer manufacturing plant has reached 1 gigawatt of annual capacity. It's a noteworthy milestone on the way to production capacity targets of 1.2 gigawatts by the end of the year, 2.2 gigawatts by the end of 2009 and 3.2 gigawatts by 2010 that the company announced earlier this month. LDK shares rose more than 8 percent to reach $49.63 per share in recent trading. The wafer maker's stock has climbed since it posted blockbuster second-quarter earnings on Aug. 11. LDK's net income grew more than fivefold year-over-year to reach $149.5 million, or $1.29 per share. Second-quarter sales more than quadrupled to $441.7 million from $99.1 million from the year-ago period (see LDK 2Q Profit Triples, Margin Falls). Strong demand for its wafers has prompted the company to expand its production capacity quickly. LDK also plans to start making it own polysilicon, in addition to buying the raw material for making the wafers. Production at LDK's first polysilicon plant is expected to begin soon and produce between 100 metric tons and 350 metric tons by December. The company is also building a second plant (see LDK Silicon Confirms Plant Is on Track). LDK CEO Xiaofeng Peng told analysts two weeks ago that the company had a backlog of more than 12 gigawatts of wafer orders. LDK expects to generate between $1.65 billion and $1.75 billion in revenue and ship between 750 megawatts and 770 megawatts of wafers for the whole of 2008.

"Everything that is important to this world will be solved by semiconductor technology." That was the claim of National Semiconductor CEO and Chairman Brian Halla at the EcoChip forum hosted at chip-maker Actel's Silicon Valley campus Monday. It's a tall order, of course, not least of all for an industry expecting to see its annual sales plummet by 5.6 percent to $246.7 billion in 2009 compared to 2008. For the fourth quarter alone, the Semiconductor Industry Association anticipates sales will drop 5.9 percent from the previous quarter.

German renewable energy companies and bankers will meet officials in Berlin on Monday to discuss ways of preventing the financial crisis from casting a storm cloud over a vital domestic growth industry. Up to 30 companies and organisations are expected to outline the problems facing the renewables sector, whose bullish projections have been overshadowed by concerns about project finance, falling prices and delayed orders.

Top Trends for 2009: On our GloboTrends wiki homepage, we will keep an updated list of global macro trends that we think are the most important to keep an eye on. Some of this list are statistically unlikely to occur, but if they did, it could cause global disruption. These unlikely events were dubbed Black Swan's in a book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb , or might be called the "fat tail" probability in statistics. Others trends we are watching in the GloboTrends wiki are currently ongoing right now (such as our coverage of the credit crisis, deleveraging, margin calls, etc), and we will talk about how they happened, and predict their likely outcome. The format of a wiki makes the document dynamic, so any of our community is welcome to help shape our views of these important developments. Please log in to our wiki, and feel free to comment... In no particular order, here are the global macro trends that we think will be most significant in the coming year (2009): 1. credit crisis of 2007/08 will continue on into 2009...this one is clear...but, how long will it last? how will it fundamentally change international finance? Add your comments to our wiki... 2. fiscal stimulus and crisis recovery 2009 3. deleveraging of Financial markets will continue. In my opinion, this is the most destructive of all the trends. 4. Risk of deflation in the US as Fed Funds target rate approaches zero (other analysts see the opposite risk of potential hyper inflation). Add your comments.. 5. more... add to this list.. Predictions-for-2009

Several rolled copper makers in Japan have announced plans to increase the rolling margin of their rolled copper products as a result of higher copper ingot, energy and subsidiary materials costs. Sumitomo Light Metal Industries says it plans to increase the rolling margin of its rolled copper products by between ¥30-50 per kilogram for orders from July 1st..The company said it sold 59,000 tonnes of rolled copper products in the fiscal year ending March 2008 and expects raw materials and energy costs to increase by ¥2.7 billion in the 2008 fiscal year. Gonda Metal Industry will increase its brass bar rolling margin by ¥20 per kilogram for orders after July 15. Hitachi Cable has increased its rolling margins by 5%, Furukawa Electric by ¥50 per kilogram and Kobelco & Materials Copper Tube have a higher rolling margin of between ¥20-30.