TPT November 2010

73 / 124

November 2010 71 ›
Global Marketplace
there threefold since 2003, is considering additional Chinese
acquisitions. “Some of our assets are getting close to full capacity
utilization,” BlueScope CEO Paul O’Malley said in a 17 August
interview with Bloomberg News. “So to take the next step in China
we probably have to add manufacturing capability.”
According to Rio Tinto Group forecasts, steel consumption
in China is expected to double by 2020 from 2008 levels. Mr
O’Malley said BlueScope has its eye on the western region of
China, where growth is now stronger than in the east. “[Ours]
will be smaller-scale investments,” he told Bloomberg’s Rebecca
Keenan, in Melbourne. “They will be add-ons. We want to make
sure we take a very conservative approach to growth, but we do
see real opportunity.”
Having benefitted from growth in Australia, its biggest market, and
increased sales in Asia, BlueScope swung to profit in the second
half. The company said its steel prices averaged 41% higher in the
period than in second-half 2009.
› As reported by SteelOrbis (25 August), the Ukrainian mining
and steel producing company Metinvest Group said it plans
to complete construction in 2011 of a general-purpose terminal
at the port of Mykolaiv, Ukraine, to be operated by Vienna-based
Danube Shipping. The new terminal, with an annual capacity of
approximately 3.4 million metric tons of iron ore concentrate and
pellets, is expected to reduce the company’s port handling fees and
improve connections between Metinvest’s mining operations and
Mykolaiv.
Energy
New turbine technology holds promise
for reaping much more electricity from
the winds offshore Japan
Most of the renewable energy generated in Japan derives from
the geothermal power of volcanoes and hot springs, from which 18
power plants currently produce 0.2% of the electricity used in the
country. Now, an experimental design for wind turbines showcased
at the Yokohama Renewable Energy International Exhibition 2010
raises hopes of significantly higher electricity production from
Japanese sustainable sources.
As reported by Robert Michael Poole, the Tokyo city editor for
CNNGo, the “visually spectacular” Wind Lens focuses the wind
to the centre of a hoop, intensifying its power. When deployed in
their dozens, the 112-metre diameter structures could contribute
importantly to the amount of power harvested annually from wind.
(This stands at 159.2 gigawatts, supplying 2% of the world’s
electricity needs. Source: World Wind Energy Association.)
At Yokahama, Kyushu University professor Yuji Ohya attributed
to the Wind Lens “the merit of two- or threefold increase in power
output” as well as a reduction in the noise pollution associated
with wind turbines. And, Mr Poole wrote, “With their unique floating
hexagonal bases, Wind Lenses might also win over the many