Energy Roundup: Shell Shops Iraq, Orient Green Raises $55M, L.A. Goes Green, and More

(MoneyWatch)  Shell hones Iraq oil pitch -- As Iraq's Oil Ministry makes ready to issue new exploration permits next year, Royal Dutch Shell is examining possible oilfield projects in that war-ravaged but settling nation. Iraq expects to award contracts by June, 2009. It will be the first oil-licensing round since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. [Source: Bloomberg]

Shell inks huge liquefied natural gas deal with PetroChina -- Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina have signed an agreement for China to buy up to 40 million tons of liquefied natural gas from Shell over 20 years. The total monetary value of the deal was not disclosed. [Source: Sun Herald]

Orient Green Power raises $55 million -- The Indian renewables firm, Orient Green Power, has raised $55 million in a new round of funding led by Olympus Capital Holdings Asia with Shriram EPC and Bessemer Venture Partners also contributing. Orient will use the cash infusion to implement its plan to set up and acquire power generation assets based on renewable including biomass, cogeneration, wind, small hydro, and biogas. At present, Orient operates biomass and wind energy plants with 70 megawatts capacity. It also plans install or acquire renewable assets with a total capacity of 500 megawatts over the next five years. [Source: TurkmenistanNews.net]

Get on L.A.'s solar bandwagon -- Antonio Villaraigosa, L.A.'s star-powered democratic mayor, is set to announce a plan to meet 10 percent of the megacity's power needs in less than 12 years. The mayor is to announce will the plan at L.A.'s Solar Integrated Technologies, a thin-film solar firm. Ten percent by 2020 may not sound like that much, and it wouldn't be if we were talking about Paris, Texas. But we're talking about L.A. We're talking 1.3 gigawatts here. Time to peddle your wares in Tinsel Town, solar vendors. [Source: Earth2Tech]