Petrol Malaysia

It was reported in the Financial Mail (from South Africa) on 24th April 2009 that Petronas is a "state owned success". (Ref: Financial Mail, 24th April 2009. State Owned Success: Petronas Accounts for Half Malaysia's GDP, and It's Not Cutting Back . URL: http://free.financialmail.co.za/09/0424/features/afeat.htm) The reporter, Matthew Hill, interviewed Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican, head of Petronas. Among the interesting points disclosed during the interview, were: Despite oil prices coming down (from the high price of USD$147 per barrel), the cost of oil production (that rose during the boom) has not come down. Margins have thinned. Thinning margins have led to deferment of exploration and development of new oil fields. In the long run, a shortage of supply would raise oil prices. Petronas did not get caught up in last year's "frenzy" (presumably, to develop its supply capacity). It now has capacity for development. 40% of Petronas' revenue comes fr...

In Australia, it was reported by the Sydney Morning Herald that the Australian government's target that fuel companies should have at least 2% ethanol blended with their petrols by the end of 2008, was not met. (Ref: The Sydney Morning Herald, 23rd March 2009.  Companies Miss Ethanol Target . URL: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/energy-smart/companies-miss-ethanol-target-20090322-95mu.html) From the same report: The revelations cast doubt on the likelihood of achieving the Rees Government's mandatory target of 6 per cent by 2010, with plans to give motorists the choice in 2011 of only E10 (which contains 10 per cent ethanol) or premium unleaded. Gasoline (a.k.a. petrol ) containing a 10 percent blend of ethanol is known as E10 or "gasohol". (Source: US Energy Information Administration, February 2007.  Biofuels in the US Transportation Sector . URL: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/analysispaper/biomass.html) Is ethanol really the solution to the problem of peak oil? So...

While browsing about the Internet today I was curious about the state of car pooling in Malaysia. Car pooling is also known as ride sharing. Car pooling is the act of several individuals using the same vehicle at the same time to get from one point to another. For obvious reasons, car pooling works best in the "get to work" commute, and back. But there is nothing to stop individuals from sharing a ride for a different kind of commute, e.g. four individuals who want to go to Penang from KL can always share a ride. A few years ago the Government suggested that all vehicles entering the city center (Kuala Lumpur) should be charged a toll, and the toll would depend on whether the car was on car pool. That phase engendered some funny comments from an uncle of mine who joked that I might like to buy an inflatable doll (I can't mention the type) to put on the appearance of car pooling! Fancy that ... an inflatable doll of unmentionable proportions being my comrade of commutes.  ...

Shell is currently selling model race cars in conjunction with the F1 races which usually take place in March. There are seven models available. You can buy them at RM6.90 when you buy a minimum RM40.00 of V-Power Racing fuel and/or RM8.90 when you buy a minimum RM40.00 of other types of fuel. The campaign ends on 11th May 2009. (Ref: The Star Business, Shell's Model Cars A Hit Among Consumers , 28th March 2009. URL: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/3/28/business/3542375) An advert on the model cars. Thanks to user OgilvyShell@YouTube . What is V-Power? I've sometimes bought it and admittedly it does give my gas guzzler a bit of a kick. From Shell's website: Shell V-Power is a high-octane fuel (98 RON) designed to help improve the performance of many modern engines with adaptive spark timing capacity. It is helped by Friction Modification Technology (FMT) which is formulated to reduce friction between the cylinder and piston rings, a critical area of the ...

Today Najib Tun Razak was sworn in as Malaysia's sixth Prime Minister. He is the son of Malaysia's second Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak. Our new Prime Minister's father, Tun Abdul Razak, according to Wikipedia , is most well known for two things: the formation of Barisan Nasional (ruling coalition) , and the New Economic Policy (NEP). (Ref: Wikipedia, Tun Abdul Razak . URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tun_Abdul_Razak) His inauguration has been covered by Bloomberg TV. So did CCTV China. Before his ascent as Prime Minister, some people commented that he should await the outcome of a certain high profile court case. (But why should he? He was not made a party to that court case.) He was interviewed by talk show host, Riz Khan, on Al-Jazeera, in December 2008. Part One If you look at the Al-Jazeera video above, you will see that one watcher emailed, "Why was the petrol price so suddenly decreased? Was it a tactic to silence the opposition?" Part Two It is said tha...