Energy Roundup: OPEC's "Economic Terror," Venezuela to Diversify, HelioVolt Opens Huge New Plant, and More

John W. Rich, Jr.: OPEC production cuts are economic terrorism – True to its word, the OPEC cartel cut production Friday by some 1 million barrels per day. Always outspoken coal-to-liquid advocate and WMPI PTY President, John. W. Rich, Jr., was quick to react, labeling the move nothing less than “economic terrorism.” Oh, snap.  [Source: Macroworld]

Venezuela to announce licensing round for oil blocks in Orinoco region — Venezuela’s oil minister has said that next week he will announce that his ministry will put several oil blocks in the Orinoco up for licensing in a bid to diversify Venezuela’s oil trading partners. Venezuela’s anti-American President Hugo Chavez has vowed to make oil available to clients other than the U.S., the country’s largest customer. [Source: Rigzone]

Small world: Turkish Petroleum seeks deal with Japanese to drill in Iraq — Turkish Petroleum, Turkey’s state-run oil company, is seeking a deal with Japanese companies to form a consortium to apply for the first round of bidding for contracts to develop Iraqi oil fields. [Source: Rigzone]

HelioVolt opens new thin-film solar plant – Austin, Texas.-based HelioVolt held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its first thin-film solar factory. The company expects to start selling material made at the 122,400-square-foot factory in early 2009. [Source: Earth2Tech]

Huge coal-to-liquid project abandoned — An $800 million coal-to-liquid project in West Virginia was abandoned after falling short of capital. The plant was a joint effort between mining giant Consol Energy and the gasification company Synthesis Energy Systems. It was to produce about 100 million gallons per year of gasoline from coal. [Source: Earth2Tech]