China Industry: Feb. 12

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Feb. 12 – This is a regular series of relevant industry news from around China.

Solar power
Chinese photovoltaic giants including Suntech Power, LDK Solar, Trina Solar Ltd. and Canadian Solar Inc. offered the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology a plan to cut power generation costs to RMB1 per kw/h.

The firms proposed a labor division of the companies which manufacture silicon and solar cells and those which assemble them. Industry insiders believe that in one year PV-generated electricity will cost RMB3 per kw/h and RMB1 by 2020. The government plans to inject RMB580 billion in nuclear and wind power generation.

A-Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd (NASDAQ: APWR) said it will participate in the Piper Jaffray Fourth Annual Clean Technology and Renewables Conference in New York on February 19.

Executives of Chinese solar modules maker, Suntech Power Holdings Ltd. and government officials have opened the NYSE market from Wuxi, China, to celebrate the recent completion of the company’s new headquarters. The new building incorporates a 1 MW solar facade.

Air transport

Cathay Pacific Airways Limited  plans to start cargo flights to Miami and Houston from March, thus increasing the number of the U.S. cities it serves to eight.

Malaysian Air Asia will increase its flights to China with routes to Tianjin, Chengdu, Xi’an and Chongqing. The company also plans to launch flights to Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

China Southern Airlines has lowered its fuel surcharges on flights from Hong Kong and Macau to the mainland, effective February 1. The company will charge HKD66 instead of HKD108 for a single journey and HKD 122 instead of HKD 216 for  a roundtrip flight. However, the company will not change its fuel surcharges from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong and Macau. They will remain at RMB95 for single flights and RMB190 for return journeys.

Shenzhen Airlines has started flying between Zhengzhou, China, and Taipei, Taiwan. Additionally, the company’s majority-owned Kunming Airlines will conduct its first flight on February 15. It will be between Kunming, Changsha and Harbin.

China Eastern Airlines has entered into a cooperative agreement with China West Airport Group to boost the construction of a regional aviation hub at the Xi’an airport, Shaanxi Province. The aviation giant will try to turn the Xi’an Xianyang International Airport into a major aviation center for northwestern China.

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals said its cargo volume for January 2009 fell 30 percent to 142,754 tonnes compared to the same period in 2008. More specifically, the import cargo volume dropped 34.7 percent to 36,631 tonnes compared to January 2008 and the export cargo volume to 75,691 tonnes, a 32.6 percent year-on-year decrease. Transshipment tonnage decreased 20.5 percent to 30,432 tonnes

This industry report brief is courtesy of Aii Data Processing.