The report, “Ripe for Retirement: The Case for Closing America’s Costliest Coal Plants,” found that as many as 353 coal generators, located in 31 states, may no longer be economically viable even after they are upgraded with modern pollution controls.

According to the report, the cost associated with continuing to run these plants would exceed power generated from natural gas-fired power plants and, in certain cases, wind. In total, the plants that were found to be “ripe-for-retirement” represent some 59 gigawatts (GW) of U.S. power generation.

“Our analysis shows that switching to cleaner energy sources and investing in energy efficiency often makes more economic sense than spending billions to extend the life of obsolete coal plants,” said Steve Frenkel, report co-author and director of UCS’s Midwest office.

via USC: 59 GW of U.S. coal-fired power capacity ripe for retirement – Pennenergy.

“Currently America exports only a little gas. The government has granted one import terminal a licence to convert its machinery so that it can turn gas into liquid for export. Another dozen want to do the same. The White House is unsure about this. Sending gas abroad might raise prices at home; though of course it would also generate pots of money.”

Exporting LNG would be a positive for Japan and Western Europe, spur investment in terminals, and a positive for all these economies.

On October 23, 2012, the International Copper Study Group’s (ICSG) preliminary data showed that world copper production fell short of refined usage by 23,000 tons in July of 2012. So far in 2012, world refined production is up 2% from a year ago while refined usage is up 6%. In all of 2011, world copper showed a production deficit of 214,000 tons, after a deficit of 343,000 tons in 2010.

via Fundamental notes and key events for copper, gold, and silver futures..

On October 23, 2012, the International Copper Study Group’s (ICSG) preliminary data showed that world copper production fell short of refined usage by 23,000 tons in July of 2012. So far in 2012, world refined production is up 2% from a year ago while refined usage is up 6%. In all of 2011, world copper showed a production deficit of 214,000 tons, after a deficit of 343,000 tons in 2010.

On October 10, 2012, the ICSG said that it expects a world production surplus of 458,000 tons in 2013, the most since 2001. On August 17, 2009, the world’s largest copper producer, Codelco, said that it had production costs of roughly $1.70 per pound in the first half of 2009.

via Fundamental notes and key events for copper, gold, and silver futures..

via Major manufacturers abandoning China for U.S.? – latimes.com.

“What about gains in productivity?
Productivity has been eroding, not that fast but pretty steadily. And part of it is just the maturing of society. There’s no way we’re going to recapture that robustness that you get from a huge surge in manufacturing. It’s quite different for the developing markets. They probably have 20 years before they cool down. But it’s a big factor for the U.S. Every five years, you’ve dropped another point in manufacturing and replaced it with people cutting each others’ hair.”

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Tenaris, the Luxembourg-based steel tube manufacturer, is close to a decision on a site for its new $1.5bn US plant in the Gulf of Mexico region, in the latest sign of the revival in US industry driven by the boom in shale oil and gas production.

Paolo Rocca, its chief executive, told the Financial Times Tenaris had narrowed the choice of location down to two states, Texas and Louisiana, and was within one or two months of making an announcement.

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It has benefited from the increase in oil development caused by high prices and the rising difficulty of oil exploration and production, which means that wells have to be longer and more complex, and require more steel pipes.

Demand for pipes in the oil and gas industry has been growing at an annual average of 5.5 per cent over the past seven years, and Tenaris has been increasingly selling more sophisticated products designed for more challenging wells.

Mr Rocca argued that quality was vital for pipes used for oil and gas, helping defend Tenaris against competition from China.

“After BP’s Macondo disaster, the question of the integrity of the well has become heavily scrutinised. In that case it was a different issue – the cementing – but it could have been related to the steel casing. A problem in the column could cause a major disaster,” he said.

Shale oil and gas will create about 600,000 new jobs in production companies and their suppliers by 2020, according to research published on Tuesday by IHS, the research group, which was backed by industry associations.

That would represent roughly 7 per cent of the 8m jobs lost in the US during 2007-10.

John Larson of IHS said: “This is not a panacea for all the ills of the eocnomy, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. It’s a sizeable number of jobs in the context of what has been a patchy recovery.”

However, that projection of job growth depends on a continued strong increase in shale gas production. Gas drilling has plunged over the past year as a result of the fall in natural gas prices, which this year hit a 10-year low, although they have since recovered.

THe above link details the buildup of inventory in China and the slowdown in their manufacturing sector.  Naturally this has a big impact for the world economy, but more significant American manufacturing sector.  From conversations with raw material suppliers in the metals industry, many are saying that the supply of credit from the Chinese government has forced many manufacturers to stop providing credit across the ocean.  Rising wages and better US productivity due to the replacement of labor with capital (fixed investment in equipment) has lowered competitiveness of Chinese manufacturers.  Increased focus on delivery, quality, total cost, and risk analysis has shifted many US customers to US based suppliers. Enjoy the article above and send your opinions or comments to AMERITUBE.

Ameritube, is a copper nickel and brass manufacturer dedicated to supplying quality material made in the USA.