Energy Roundup: A New NG OPEC? Cobalts' $25m Biobutanol Gambit, GreenFuel's Spanish Algae, and More

(MoneyWatch)  Will Iran, Russia, Qatar form OPEC-style natural gas cartel? -- Iran, Russia and Qatar have agreed to an initiative that could one day lead to a natural gas version of the oil cartel, OPEC. Iran's Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari discussed plans with Qatar's energy minister, Abdullah Bin Hamad al-Attiya, and the head of Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom, Alexei Miller, in Tehran. [Source: Voice of America]

Acergy, Subsea-7 drop merger talks -- The seabed-to-surface engineering and construction contractor, Acergy, has announced to its board that it has ended talks with fellow subsea engineering firm, Subsea-7. Acergy chairman Mark Woolveridge cited Acergy remains "well positioned for profitable growth." [Source: MSN Money]

Jindal Drilling lands $165 million contract from ONGC -- Jindal Drilling & Industries has provided a new jack-up rig to India's state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp. in a deal worth $165 million. The rig has been contracted for three years. [Source: TopNews]
Cobalt raises $25 million for biobutanol -- Cobalt Biofuels has raised $25 million in a Series C round led by LSP and Pinnacle Ventures. The round also included VantagePoint Venture Partners, Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund, @Ventures and Harris & Harris. Cobalt says it will use the cash to develop technology to make biobutanol, a biofuel chemically similar to gasoline. [Source: StrategyEye Cleantech]

APS and U.S. Solar win $4.35 million from the U.S. DoE -- The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Idaho's U.S. Solar and Arizona Public Service a $4.35 million grant to devise new ways of storing solar thermal energy. U.S. Solar is to direct research from its Tucson lab while APS will test the technology at its 1 megawatt solar thermal plant in Red Rock. [Source: StrategyEye Cleantech]

GreenFuel set to build 25K-ton per year algae biomass farm in Spain-- GreenFuel Technologies is building a $92 million algae farm near Jerez, Spain. Aurantia will also be involved in the project. The farm will grow algae in greenhouses covering some 100 hectares of and produce 25,000 tons of algae biomass a year. [Source: StrategyEye Cleantech]