Copper end use trends

XINYU CITY, CHINA, September 3, 2008. Solar wafers manufacturer LDK Solar Co Ltd has awarded a US$220 million contract to Applied Materials Inc to provide precision wafering systems to support its next phase of production expansion. Shipping to LDK Solar's facility in Xinyu, China, is scheduled to start early 2009, and it will support LDK Solar's previously announced plans to expand to 3.2 GW annual wafer capacity in 2010. "We believe that Applied's state-of-the-art wafering systems, including its HCT wire saws and squarers, are the best choice to help us scale up capacity to meet the expanding global demand for wafers," says Xiaofeng Peng, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LDK Solar.

Long ago, the industry determined that the combination of copper tubing and aluminum fins provided the most efficient transfer of thermal heat in condenser coils. Manufacturers of residential units are not necessarily on that same page - or that line of thinking - today. Most manufacturers, if not all, are revising, have revised, or continue to revise their outdoor coil construction. One of the main objectives, of course, is to increase heat transfer efficiency, as energy efficiency is high on every homeowner's wish list. In the end, each manufacturer believes it has engineered and/or perfected - at least up to now - the most-efficient coil design. Some, like Goodman Manufacturing, have made changes as a direct result of the efficiency offered from R-410A refrigerant.

TOKYO, JAPAN, September 4, 2008. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation plans to quadruple its annual photovoltaic (PV) cell production to 600 MW by 2012, investing ¥50 billion.\n\nMitsubishi says it plans to construct a new building for PV cell production, the PV Cell Plant #2, at its Nakatsugawa Works Iida Factory in Nagano Prefecture.\n\nThe expansion comes as a response to "a sharp increase in demand" for solar power generation systems.\n\nThe company forecasts a global PV market size of 1,950 MW in 2009 growing to 4,430 MW in 2012, with further growth expected.\n

DOE announced on September 8 that it will award $6.6 million in competitive grants for 15 state-level projects, nine of which focus on developing policy and regulations to support gigawatt-scale clean energy capacity, and six of which focus on developing advanced building codes. Of these awards, $4 million will go to the gigawatt-scale clean energy capacity projects, which will develop policy and regulatory frameworks that will enable gigawatt-scale clean energy, either through renewable energy or demand-side reductions. Although no cost share was mandated, state partners will contribute up to $1.8 million for these projects. The six advanced building codes projects will receive $2.6 million, which will assist states in developing and implementing residential, commercial, or overarching building codes. Along with its financial assistance, DOE will support these projects with ongoing technical assistance.

The Pebble Partnership views the recent vote by Alaskans against Ballot Measure 4, the Clean Water Initiative, as an affirmation for the future of one of North America's largest copper and gold projects.

U.S. wind industry has raced past the 20,000-megawatt (MW) installed capacity milestone, achieving in two years what had previously taken more than two decades, according to new figures. The 10,000-MW mark was reached in 2006. Wind now provides 20,152 MW of electricity generating capacity in the U.S., producing enough electricity to serve 5.3 million American homes or power a fleet of more than 1 million plug-in hybrid vehicle, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). "Wind energy installations are well ahead of the curve for contributing 20% of the U.S. electric power supply by 2030 as envisioned by the U.S. Department of Energy," said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. "However, the looming expiration of the federal renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) less than four months from now threatens this spectacular progress. The PTC has been a critical factor in wind's very rapid growth as a part of the nation's power portfolio." The PTC is currently set to expire at the end of 2008.

SINGAPORE, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Shanghai copper fell around 2 percent on Monday but it lagged behind a 4.5 percent slide in London prices after big jumps in inventories on Friday. But prices in London bounced on Monday, lifted by gains in other other commodity markets as the dollar lost ground against the euro after the U.S. government on Sunday seized control of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae (nyse: FNM - news - people ) and Freddie Mac (nyse: FRE - news - people ), which own or guarantee half of all U.S. mortgages. LME copper rose $75 or 1.1 percent, to $6,975 at 0232 GMT, while Shanghai November copper dropped 1,030 yuan to 55,630 yuan ($8,130) and earlier touched a nine-month low.

MUMBAI : Indian copper futures fell on Friday after a huge rise in inventories coupled with demand concerns weighed on investor sentiment, analysts said

Legs with joints driven by motors struggle to recycle energy during walking in the way biological legs with springy tendons and muscles do. But, according to a report in New Scientist, a new design driven by steel cable tendons and with built-in springs could provide the answer.

SANTIAGO, Chile - BHP Billiton is seeking approval to build a $3.5 billion US water desalinization plant to service its Escondida copper mine in northern Chile, one of the world's top sources of the metal, a company spokesman said Saturday.

Mining group Xstrata on Friday bought a 17.83 per cent stake in Indophil Resources for A$82m, potentially blocking a management buy-out of the Australian copper miner.

Batteries are becoming increasingly important to our lives. Not only to sustain our rapidly expanding wireless technology requirements, but also to support our need to travel about. With hybrids, plug in hybrids and fully electric vehicles beginning to provide us with more cost effective transport, we're bound to depend more and more on batteries. And at a larger scale, as we integrate more renewable sources of energy into our electricity grid, we'll need to manage supplies with more uncertainty. So, there is likely to be an increased need for energy storage solutions to help temper the ups and downs of power supply irregularity.

Recent weakening copper prices does not necessarily mean that copper foil makers will have a potential price revision in the following months, as electricity costs are going to rise in October, said industry players.

According to a new technical market research report from BCC Research, the domestic market for wind turbine components and systems will be worth $60.9 billion in 2013. This represents an increase from the 2007 market value of $7.9 billion and the estimated 2008 market value of $11.2 billion. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2008 and 2013 is expected to be 40.0%. \n\nThe market is analyzed by state and includes the top ten spenders on wind turbine technology: Texas, California, Iowa, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New York, Kansas and Illinois. Texas has the largest statewide expenditure, exceeding $2.4 billion in 2007 and an estimated $3.0 billion in 2008. This should grow at a CAGR of 38.0% to reach $15.2 billion in 2013. \n

BRUSSELS -- European Union antitrust regulators said Tuesday that they had put on hold an antitrust probe into miner BHP Billiton's bid for rival Rio Tinto Inc. because the companies have not provided information.

The Chilean state-owned copper firm Nacional del Cobre (Codelco) is seeking a joint venture with Chinese company MinMetals to explore minerals in African and Asian countries.

China's economy will maintain strong growth thanks to resilient investment and exports and the government's strong fiscal position, an HSBC report said on Wednesday.

Wolverine Tube, the Huntsville, Alabama based brass and copper tube manufacturer, reported a net loss of US$3.2m in Q2 2008, down from US$13.3m in the same period last year. Net sales were US$245.5m an 18% decrease y-o-y, with total volume of shipments down 30% to 46.5m lbs. Wolverine said, "The comparative decrease in shipments was due primarily to the company's withdrawl from the domestic wholesale plumbing tube business and closure of its Decatur, Alabama facility in late 2007." The gross margin was 3.2%, down from 5.1% a year earlier owing to lower production and shipping volumes, a result of the downturn in demand from the residential housing market.

South Africa's largest steel producer, ArcelorMittal South Africa, has announced its first price decrease for the year and will cut the price of both hot-rolled coil (HRC) and wire rod by 5% as from October. The price of HRC and wire rod, which provide the base prices for flat and long steel respectively, will decline from their record levels, with the price to be cut by about R500/t on just about about all grades, barring plate which will remain unchanged.

Copper and Brass Servicenter Association (CBSA) reported shipments increased by 1.5% month-on-month in July. The association said the increase was a surprise as July shipments historically follow the trend of the previous month. In July, copper and copper alloy shipments decreased by 2.8% year-on-year while average daily shipping rate went down by 7.2%. Total warehouse inventories dropped by 2.8%. The association also said that it is getting more difficult to search for 'positive economic news' as the months go by.