IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Coal exports down

China exported 45.43 million tons of coal in 2008, down 14.6 percent, the General Administration of Customs said.

In December, exports of coal stood at 4.47 million tons, down from 5.73 million tons a year earlier. Coke exports dropped 20.7 percent to 12.13 million tons last year, while exports in December stood at 220,000 tons, sharply down from 970,000 tons a year earlier, the Customs said.

Crude imports up

China imported 178.88 million tons of crude oil in 2008, up 9.6 percent, the General Administration of Customs said. December crude imports stood at 14.37 million tons, up from 12.88 million a year earlier.

China exported 4.16 million tons of crude oil in 2008, down 28.4 percent, while December crude exports stood at 420,000 tons, down from 690,000 tons a year earlier, the customs said.

Huadian output rises

Huadian Power International Corp Ltd said electricity output in 2008 rose 27.12 percent to 100.68 billion kWh due to the launch of new plants.

In a statement, the company said it sold 93.62 billion kWh of electricity last year, also up 27.12 percent year-on-year.

As of end-December, total installed capacity controlled or invested in by the group amounted to 22.99 million kW, the company added.

The company said it expects a net loss in 2008 due to a "significant increase" in coal prices. In addition, a hike in power tariffs during the second half of the year also failed to offset higher coal costs.

Waste-to-energy plant

China Everbright International Ltd said it will invest about 900 million yuan to build a waste-to-energy plant in Jinan, Shandong province.

The infrastructure operator said it will operate the project for 25 years before handing it over to the municipal authority. The plant is expected to be able to process 2,000 tons of waste daily, the company said.

Shenergy profits down

Shenergy Co Ltd, a Shanghai-based energy firm involved in oil, gas and power generation, said net profit in 2008 are expected to have decreased by over 50 percent due to surging coal prices.

In a statement, the company said its average coal purchase price in 2008 rose about 53 percent and even the hike in power tariffs during the second half of the year failed to offset higher coal costs.

In 2007, the company booked net profits of 1.86 billion yuan, or 0.64 yuan per share.

Coal output up

China National Coal Group said it is planning to increase its coal output by 10 percent this year.

Coal output may reach 130 million metric tons in 2009, the Beijing-based company said in a statement. China Coal had set a target of producing 118 million tons of the fuel in 2008. The coal producer didn't say if last year's output met the target.

Coal output may exceed 150 million tons in 2010 from 105 million tons in 2007, it said.

Power generation capacity may rise to 1.6 million kw this year and coalbed methane output may increase to 1 billion cum, China Coal said.

Oil production up

China National Petroleum Corp boosted crude output at its Latin American fields last year by 24 percent as the company expedited overseas exploration.

Oil production at China National's Latin American unit rose to 10.56 million metric tons in 2008, exceeding an original target.

(China Daily 01/19/2009 page4)