Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.energy,americast.usa-today.energy From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: energy Fri, Sep 18 1992 Date: Fri, 18 Sep 92 04:43:57 EDT Message-ID: 09-18 0000 DECISIONLINE: Energy USA TODAY Update Sept. 18-20, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network OIL PRICES DIVE: Oil prices tumbled on the New York Mercantile Exchange Thursday on initial reports from the OPEC meeting in Geneva that a deal was reached. October oil settled 9 cents lower at $22.30 a barrel. October unleaded gasoline fell 0.59 cent to 60.30 cents a gallon and October heating oil fell 0.60 cent to 62.44 cents a gallon. YELTSIN OKS OIL PRICE INCREASE: Russian President Boris Yeltsin, bowing to pressure from the International Monetary Fund, signed a decree Thursday that will roughly double domestic oil prices. The IMF and Western governments have been pushing Russia to free its subsidized energy prices, which allow inefficient factories to continue operating and slow the transition to a market economy. OPEC AGREES TO LIMIT PRODUCTION: The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, meeting in Geneva, Thursday agreed to hold fourth-quarter production to 2.42 million barrels per day. But oil brokers said the agreement leaves room for fudging. Secretary General Dr. Subroto said that OPEC's production "could be less, could be more by a little bit," than the 2.42 million barrels per day announced. ETHANOL CAN BE MADE FROM WASTE: Bionol Corp. Thursday announced a breakthrough that turns paper sludge and other waste into ethanol, which it calls an environmentally preferable fuel. Bionol announced plans to build a plant near Glens Falls, N.Y., to take paper sludge from Finch, Pruyn & Co. Inc. and turn it into fuel using a technique patented by microbiologist Dr. Lonnie Ingram of the University of Florida. PROCESS FOR MANY WASTE TYPES: Bionol Corp. said Thursday a process it will use to turn waste into ethanol can convert many types of organic waste matter, including municipal, agricultural and landfill waste and paper sludge. It said it will build a paper sludge conversion plant near Glens Falls, N.Y. Bionol said it could have products on the market within five years. UTILX SUES OVER ROYALTIES: UTILX Corp. Thursday said it filed a lawsuit against FlowMole Partners and Flow Industries Inc., the General Partner of FlowMole Partners. UTILX has asked the court to declare that revenues from the use of its new Vector I drilling system are not subject to the 6% royalty that UTILX pays to FlowMole Partners on revenues derived from technology developed by FlowMole Partners. DEVICE FINDS GAS CONTAMINATION: DNA Plant Technology Corp. said Thursday its Agri-Diagnostics Associates partnership is marketing a device to detect gasoline contamination of soil and water. The Quantix Environmental Workstation aims at making it cheaper and quicker to test and monitor contamination. It is the product of a partnership between DNA Plant and Union Carbide Corp. WESTINGHOUSE IN CZECH PROJECT: Westinghouse Electric Corp. on said it was notified Thursday that its Process Control Division has been selected to supply a control system for a power plant project in the Czech Republic. The instrumentation and control system will got to the partially complete two-unit Temelin nuclear project. Skoda Prague, the project's primary reactor supplier, notified Westinghouse. STUDY WILL CHECK EMISSIONS: A joint research study will conduct carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions testing in southeastern Michigan over the next two weeks. The tests using remote-sensing roadside tailpipe devices will be conducted by the Big Tree automakers, the EPA and the state of Michigan. Some people who are driving late-model cars will be stopped and asked for more extensive testing. EXPO SHOWS ALTERNATIVE CARS: The Alternative Transportation Exposition Thursday exhibited six vehicles run by non-gasoline power. The expo begins next week in Burbank, Calif. The six cars included three electric sports cars and a car powered by food industry waste ethanol. Producer Sanford Feldman said that the federal Clean Air Act and state requirements have put California at the leading edge of the new industry. PRIDE RENOVATES PIPELINE: Pride Refining Inc. said Thursday it has completed a $12.5 million renovation to a 143-mile crude pipeline, thus increasing the flow to its oil refinery in Abilene, Texas, by 10,000 barrels per day. Pride ad been transporting about 19,000 barrels per day to its 34,500 barrels per day refining before the renovation of the abandoned pipeline between Hearne and Comyn, Texas. ALAMCO TO REFOCUS EFFORTS: Alamco Environmental Resources Corp. said Thursday it will sell all or part of each of its nine mining properties to focus on other aspects of its business. It will turn its attention to manufacturing and marketing pollution equipment and cleaning up contaminated waste sites. The company said it plans to set up a marketing team and begin bidding on contracts by year's end. BERKSHIRE SEEKS RATE INCREASE: Berkshire Gas Co. Thursday filed with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities for a 5.1% rate increase. The hike would add $2.4 million in annual revenue, Berkshire said. The company said the impact of the hike on customer likely would be offset by an adjustment in the cost of gas. Energy Editor: Beth Mann. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution purposes violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM