Tag Archives: development
Call to address abuse of war victims
Call to address abuse of war victims (Wam) / 29 September 2013 Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Development and International Co-operation underscored that the UAE is playing an effective role globally in the field of protecting the rights of individuals and ensuring their dignity, particularly its strong support for the international issues related to sexual violence, suffered by victims of the armed conflicts in various spots in the world. On the sidelines of the 68th United Nations General Assembly, New York, Shaikha Lubna discussed with Zainab Hawa Bangura, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence Conflict, the importance of continuing the international efforts in this regard. They also discussed a number of international humanitarian issues, especially the increase of sexual abuse crimes during wars and armed conflicts, the tragedies witnessed by refugees and the importance of addressing them effectively through the partnership among all various sides. They also reviewed the UAE’s effective contributions in alleviating the suffering of the affected people in various parts worldwide. Shaikha Lubna also met with Alan Duncan, the UK’s Minister of State for International Development and discussed with him the latest developments in the humanitarian issues and the two countries’ contributions in alleviating their repercussions, particularly in Syria, Somalia and Yemen. They also agreed on the importance of continuing the joint efforts and building on the previous strong partnership channels for the sake of increasing their contributions in the developmental, relief and humanitarian aspects. Shaikha Lubna also met with Anthony Lake, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). During the meeting, they discussed ways to respond to the challenges of the Syrian crises and its results on the Syrian people, specially children and the need to secure protection for them. On his part, Anthony Lake hailed the UAE’s unique efforts in the fields of securing living conditions and educational services for the Syrian children through establishing the UAE-funded camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan. Continue reading
Concord Energy, Cool Planet To Bring Biofuel To Asian Pacific Market
Published on Wednesday, 25 September 2013 Singapore’s Concord Energy has signed an agreement with biorefinery developer Cool Planet Energy Systems to establish a joint venture in the Asia Pacific Region for the development of biofuel facilities. Concord Energy is a leading crude oil and refined petroleum product trading company. They have made a financial investment in Cool Planet, which develops and deploys small-scale biorefineries that can convert non-food biomass into high-octane, drop-in biofuels and biochar. “We believe that Cool Planet has developed a unique technology that will revolutionize the production of biofuels and we are delighted that Cool Planet has chosen Concord Energy as its partner,” said John Stuart, chief executive officer of Concord’s Asset Group. Concords extensive operational and development experience in the Asia Pacific is considered key to the J.V.’s plans to establish a presence in the biofuels production market in the region. “We chose Concord Energy because we know they have the strong desire and the technological capability to deploy quickly the Cool Planet technology in East Asia and in Oceania,” said Vital Aelion, Cool Planet’s head of international business development. Commercial facilities for biomass to biofuel Just last week (September 17), Cool Planet also announced another business breakthrough, the second close of“D round” equity raise that garnered them $19.4 million in investments. The round added investors from Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Mexico to a marquee existing investor base, including North Bridge Venture Partners, Shea Ventures, BP, Google Ventures, Energy Technology Ventures (GE, ConocoPhillips, NRG Energy), and the Constellation division of Exelon. The new investors are committing to help bring Cool Planet’s drop-in fuel technology to countries around the world, and Cool Planet is actively developing partnerships to commercialize its technology internationally. Cool Planet now has over $60 million in investments to see the deployment of their technology. A portion of the equity raise will be used to finalize the engineering design of Cool Planet’s first commercial biorefinery in Louisiana in the United States (see related story ). URS Corporation will be the front-end engineering and design contractor for this facility which will begin operations before the end of 2014. The plant will produce 10 million gallons of biofuel a year. – EcoSeed Staff Continue reading
Cool Planet Raises Additional $19.4 Million In Funding
By Cool Planet Energy Systems | September 18, 2013 Cool Planet Energy Systems, a developer of small-scale bio-refineries for the conversion of non-food biomass into fuels and soil enhancing biochar, has announced the second close of a “D round” equity raise. After closing on more than $29.9 million in June of 2013, Cool Planet has added another $19.4 million in this closing. This brings the total amount raised and committed to over $60 million, including the remaining commitments from existing investors. “While equity markets remain closed to most biofuel businesses, investors are seeing a differentiated opportunity in Cool Planet. Our drop-in cellulosic gasoline and biochar technology has global potential,” said Cool Planet CEO Howard Janzen. “A strong proof point for this potential is the impressive group of international investors who have participated in our equity raise, positioning the company for long-term growth globally.” Cool Planet will use a portion of the equity raise to finalize engineering design for the company’s first commercial facility. This work will be supported by leading international engineering firm, URS Corp., as the company recently announced. The funding will also provide capital to construct Cool Planet’s first commercial plant, which will be located at the Port of Alexandria, La. The company expects the facility to be in operation before the end of 2014, producing high-octane cellulosic gasoline and soil enhancing biochar from wood biomass. “We are very pleased to have attracted investors from around the world, which will accelerate the development of our business internationally,” said Cool Planet Chief Financial Officer Barry Rowan. “This funding, combined with the strong ongoing commitments from our current investors, keeps us squarely on our path to commercialization.” The round added investors from Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Mexico to a marquee existing investor base, including North Bridge Venture Partners, Shea Ventures, BP, Google Ventures, Energy Technology Ventures (GE, ConocoPhillips, NRG Energy), and the Constellation division of Exelon. The new investors are committing to help bring Cool Planet’s drop-in fuel technology to countries around the world, and Cool Planet is actively developing partnerships to commercialize its technology internationally. Continue reading
