The following information was released by Missouri Senator Roy Blunt:

In a letter to President Barack Obama, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) joined five of his Missouri Republican colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to express their continued concerns surrounding the Obama Administrations proposed regulations, which would effectively ban the construction of new coal fired power plants.

The proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would establish unprecedented Greenhouse Gas (GHG) New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for power plants. In the letter, the Missouri lawmakers called on President Obama and his administration to amend the proposed rule and utilize a technology-based approach to reduce carbon dioxide emissions an option that would not harm the economy or endanger the nations electricity supply.

The following information was released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA):

On April 15, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released guidance clarifying the eligibility for the recently extended renewable electricity production tax credit (PTC). Congress passed the extension on January 1, 2013 as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA). EIA expects this extension could result in significant wind capacity additions over the next three years, leading to higher generation from wind.

The following information was released by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce:

The U.S. House of Representatives today approved H.R. 271, the Resolving Environmental and Grid Reliability Conflicts Act by voice vote. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Reps. Pete Olson (R-TX) and Mike Doyle (D-PA), will ensure America's power companies are able to comply with Department of Energy emergency orders to maintain grid reliability without facing penalties for violating potentially conflicting environmental laws.

(600401) "Hareon Solar Technology Co., Ltd." (the Company) -- Announcement on Outward Investment of Establishing Gucheng Hareon Photovoltaic Power Generation Co., Ltd. and Building 50 MW Photovoltaic Grid-connection Power Generation Project

The abstract is for reference only. Please refer to the full text of the announcement on the very day.

New Delhi, May 22 -- As per the re-assessment studies carried out by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) during 1978-1987, the hydro power potential in terms of Installed Capacity (I.C.) is estimated at 148701 MW out of which 145320 MW of the potential consists of hydro electric schemes having I.C. above 25 MW.

New Delhi, May 21 -- Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the largest producer of oil and gas in Oman, and GlassPoint Solar, the global leader in solar enhanced oil recovery, today announced the successful commissioning of the Middle East's first solar enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project. By harnessing the sun's energy with GlassPoint's Enclosed Trough technology, the solar EOR project produces a daily average of 50 tons of emissions-free steam that feeds directly into existing thermal EOR operations at PDO's Amal West field in Southern Oman. The 7MW system is in regular operation and recently passed its first performance acceptance test since coming online, exceeding contracted steam output by 10 percent.

ADURAI, May 22 -- After a brief lull in electricity outages due to high output by windmills, Tamil Nadu Electricity Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) has been forced to revert to unscheduled power cuts of around 10 hours due to dip in wind power generation and outages in units of three power stations, including Madras Atomic Power Station.

All 10 major power companies and four gas suppliers in Japan will raise their rates for July due to rising costs for imported fuel reflecting the yen's sharp depreciation, informed sources told Jiji Press on Wednesday.

A decision by federal regulators on whether to allow the restart of one of San Onofre's shuttered nuclear reactors has been pushed back at least to mid-June.

The reaction to the March 2011 accident at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan continued to dominate the nuclear industry throughout 2012. Upgrades to improve safety are underway or planned at many reactors around the world, and are typically expected to be completed in a few years. Despite this, so far the effect of Fukushima on nuclear plant performance remains largely confined to Japan.

For example, looking at the world as a whole, the 400 (373.9 GW) units listed in our table generated 2317 TWh of electricity in 2012, representing a decrease of over 7% on the 2500 TWh generated in 2011. If we exclude the data from Japan, where 42 of the 50 units generated no electricity at all in 2012, there was only a small drop in generation of 25 TWh (approx 1%) compared with 2011, and this is well within normal fluctuations.

New Delhi, May 21 -- Juhl Energy, Inc. (OTCQB: JUHL), the leader in Community Wind Power, today announced the recent acquisition of two wind energy projects located in western New Brunswick, Canada from Canadian developer Terravis Wind. The projects are being developed under NB Power's "Embedded Generation" program, which is designed to allow Independent Power Producers to sell electricity to the NB Power distribution system at a fixed, stable price and under a long-term contract.

NEW DELHI, May 20 -- The government of India issued the following news release:

The surplus power from the States can be transferred to a power deficit State through the Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) from the source of supply depending upon the available transfer capacity (ATC) between the point of supply and point of drawl. Open Access in transmission (introduced by the Central Government through Electricity Act, 2003), trading mechanism and Power Exchange in accordance with the relevant regulations notified by CERC facilitate this process. National Grid, for evacuation of power from generating sources located in different regions in the country and facilitating transfer of power from surplus to deficit regions, is in place. In addition, licenses have been granted for trading of power. Power exchanges have also been set up for facilitating transfer of power from surplus to deficit States. The surplus power available with the States is also supplied by the States to other needy and desirous States under bilateral arrangements.

The Union power ministry has refuted the hydro subgroup's recommendation to declare all hydropower projects as renewables. The hydro sub-group, in its draft recommendations for revitalizing hydropower investments, suggested that all hydropower projects be declared as renewable and that existing generation be allowed to trade under the REC mechanism.

THE situation is really quite serious. We will have to keep our coal-fired power stations open and get fined by the EU," says UK energy expert, Prof Ian Fells.

Speaking from his home in Gosforth, he continued: "By 2015 we will be vulnerable. For the last four years the Government has been sitting on its hands doing nothing, and this is really unacceptable."

Back in 2004 Prof Fells warned of the UK's looming energy crisis and he followed this up in 2008 with a 50-page paper elaborating on his views.

Its publication was picked up by various media outlets and he recounts: "I appeared on Radio Four with Lord Hutton (Government minister with responsibility for energy security issues) where I was accused of being an alarmist.

Mumbai, May 22 -- China Lutian Machinery Co Ltd of Taizhou, China received approval from Office of The Trade Marks Registry on the trademark LUTIAN (2239101).

The description of the mark registered is "Electricity generating device by wind power, washing apparatus, pumps [machines], gasoline engine, alternators, hydraulic engines and motors, engines for boats, cleaning appliances utilizing steam, starters for motors and engines, dynamos, internal-combustion engine (not including automobile, tractor, com combine harvester, motor van, chain saw, engine of the steamer), gas engine, carburetor, wind powered equipment, road sweeping machines [self propelled], centrifugal pumps, lubricating pumps, pumps for heating installations, beer pumps, air suction machines, vehicle oil pump, lubricating pump for automotive engines, cleaning (machines and apparatus for -) [electric], carpet shampooing (machines and apparatus for -) [electric], dust exhausting installations for cleaning purposes, high pressure washers, bicycle dynamos, diesel engine, wind machine and its fittings, water powered equipment, sweeping machines (road -) [self-propelled], vehicle washing installations, pumps [parts of machines, engines or motors], pump diaphragms, air pumps [garage installations], pumps (vacuum -) [machines], compressed air pumps, hydraulic pump, vehicle water pump, gasoline pump for automotive engines, snow ploughs, dust removing installations for cleaning purposes, current generators, generators of electricity, boats (motors for -), motors for boats, atomizers [machines], agricultural machines, tools (hand-held -), other than hand operated, metalworking machines." It comes under Class 7 Trademark classification.

 Sempra U.S. Gas & Power and Consolidated Edison Development (ConEdison Development) today announced an agreement to partner in two of Sempra U.S. Gas & Power's solar power facilities, the 150-megawatt (MW) Copper Mountain Solar 2 plant near Las Vegas and the 150-MW Mesquite Solar 1 power plant near Phoenix.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120103/LA29138LOGO)

Under the sales agreement, each company will own a 50-percent interest in the two solar facilities, which are among the largest photovoltaic plants in the U.S.  Sempra U.S. Gas & Power will continue to provide operations and maintenance services to both plants.

In a fleet, a business decision would emanate from the top and be enforced on lower-level operations. The STARS Alliance of nuclear power plants in the western USA aims to develop common policies through technical collaboration and consensus-building. Alliance leaders argue that it will improve performance and increase member savings. Its first five-year operating plan in 2013 has ambitious targets for improving performance in terms of industry ranking: improvement from the bottom 25% to the top 25% of US plants in operations and maintenance cost, for example, and from the top 75% to top 25% of US nuclear plants in each of nuclear safety and personnel safety (Table 1). And in December 2012 it received clearance from the US Department of Justice to begin common procurement activities in areas such as valve services and low-level radwaste management.

The diesel generators, which are a part of the power plant's safety systems, are for the Olkiluoto 1 and Olkiluoto 2 units. The contract was signed with Teollisuuden Voima Oyj, or TVO, an electricity generating public company that owns and operates two nuclear power plants in Olkiluoto on the west coast of Finland.

A draft bill being drawn up to improve the functioning of state power distribution companies proposes to give more teeth to electricity regulators and make distributors more accountable for lapses in implementing reforms.The draft of the State Electricity Distribution Responsibility Bill proposes to give electricity regulators the power to enforce loss reduction programmes for these power distribution companies (discoms),monitor their subsidy payments and fund borrowing plans.The move is aimed at ensuring discipline among state discoms after they are through with the central governmentinitiated scheme for financial restructuring.According to estimates,the cumulative losses of state discoms in 2011-12 stood at.80,000 crore,against about.63,500 crore two years ago.Besides,more than 50% of the discoms have poor creditworthiness on account of low operational and financial performance capabilities.The draft legislation came up for discussion at a recent meeting of the Forum of Regulators,a body of state electricity regulators,that has been mandated by the power ministry to suggest the new guidelines."The consultants have identified areas such as devising a time-bound programme for loss reduction,advance subsidy payments to discoms,setting up of special courts to tackle theft,and allowing discoms to borrow funds only to create physical assets and not for funding operational losses,among others," said a member of one of the state electricity regulatory commissions.Commenting on the move,a top executive of a state discom said: "We are already highly regulated and governed by the Electricity Act 2003.The proposed legislations will increase our burden,since regulators will have higher control over even administrative matters." The regulators are also considering introduction of a code of conduct for the directors and top officials.Power Play DRAFT PROPOSES TO give electricity regulators the power to enforce loss reduction programmes for these discoms,monitor subsidy payments and fund borrowing plans DRAFT LEGISLATION came up for discussion at a recent meeting of the Forum of Regulators CUMULATIVE LOSSES OF state discoms in 2011-12 stood at.80,000 crore,against about.63,500 crore two years ago,according to estimates