natural gas

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO’s) geographic footprint extends down the middle of the U.S. Because of the structure of its market, MISO has artfully avoided some nasty policy and

A newly released update to the Power Sector Carbon Index, developed by Carnegie Mellon University with the support of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS), found that U.S. power plant emissions averaged 955 lb of CO2 per MWh during the first three months of 2017. 1. Carnegie Mellon University Power Sector Carbon Index. The index shows […]

Kiewit Power Constructors Co. has been selected as the EPC contractor for the CPV Fairview Energy Center, a new natural-gas powered electric generating facility in Jackson Township, north of the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The project is led by Competitive Power Ventures (CPV), an independent power producer dedicated to increasing America’s energy sustainability by providing […]

Increased use of less-expensive natural gas and renewable sources of energy for power generation is putting financial pressure on U.S. nuclear power plants, according to an analysis of electricity costs from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Nicholas Steckler, an analyst for BNEF, in a June 14 report said nuclear operators are losing about $2.9 billion […]

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects natural gas–fueled electricity generation will exceed all other fuel sources once again this summer, marking the third year in a row that gas has been the leader. However, the EIA anticipates electricity generation from both gas and coal will be less this summer than in 2016. The reason […]

PEORIA, IL – Caterpillar Inc. today announced the release of the latest variant of the Cat® G3512, targeted for flexible applications, where a single unit is used for both standby and load management operations. The G3512 is engineered to meet a full suite of critical market standards including NFPA 110 Level 1 Type 10 compatibility, […]

Beijing, China—a city known for its dreadful air pollution—no longer has any large coal-fired power plants adding to the problem. The Huaneng Beijing Thermal Power Plant’s final unit suspended operations on March 18, marking the end of coal-fueled generation in the city. Beijing’s power is now being supplied by what Xinhua (the Chinese government’s official […]

Though Southern California weathered last summer without major natural gas supply constraints that were feared as a result of the 2015–2016 leak from the Aliso Canyon storage field, a blast of cold weather this week has forced Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) to withdraw stored gas from the still-damaged facility to maintain reliability. The limited […]

J-POWER Westmoreland, LLC, a subsidiary of J-POWER USA Investment Co., Ltd.(“J-POWER USA”), has secured an equity stake from Tenaska in the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station, a 925-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fueled power plant project near Pittsburgh. The transaction closed on Jan. 11. “This acquisition is consistent with our strategy of investing in and developing high-quality power […]

Coal, the unchallenged leader in U.S. power generation for most of the past century, may regain its place at the top of the energy mix hierarchy this winter, according to projections released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA’s November Short-Term Energy Outlook suggests that prices for natural gas delivered to the power […]

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — APR Energy, a global leader in fast-track power solutions, announces today that it has signed a contract for a 12-month project by the Ministry of Energy, Water and Mines in Benin to provide 50MW of power generation using its fuel-flexible aeroderivative turbines. The turbines will be fuelled by natural gas, with the […]

For several years, states in the northeastern U.S. have been in the midst of a major shift away from coal and nuclear power toward natural gas. As aging coal plants shut down on environmental concerns, and several of the region’s nuclear plants have been prematurely retired or faced with challenging economics, developers of natural gas–fired […]

Wärtsilä has signed a major contract to supply a 225 MW Smart Power Generation plant to Denton Municipal Electric, the locally-owned utility for the City of Denton, Texas. The plant will provide balancing power to the community, which is moving towards a green, low emissions power system, aiming to have 70 % of its energy […]

  Wärtsilä Corporation, Press release, 30 August 2016 at 10 am EET Wärtsilä will supply a 100 MW dual-fuel plant to Albares Renovables in Argentina. The turn-key order includes six Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines running on gas and heavy fuel oil. The order is one of five contracts that Wärtsilä was recently awarded in Argentina. These orders […]

By the end of this year, energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from natural gas could surpass emissions from coal for the first time in nearly 45 years, according to projections by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook notes that consumption of natural gas in the U.S. between 1990 and 2005 […]

Hopes that the beleaguered U.S. shale gas industry can find new markets have come to fruition as the second shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) was unloaded at a European port on July 22, with the promise of more to come. After being loaded at the Cheniere-owned Sabine Pass Terminal in Louisiana (Figure) on July […]

Gas-fired Combined Cycle Power Plant is the Third in the State Owned by the Firm WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fortistar announced today that it has closed on its purchase of Castleton Power, LLC, a 72 megawatt (MW) gas-fired combined cycle power plant located in Castleton-on-Hudson, NY. The General Electric (GE) Frame 6 turbine power plant dispatches […]

Guinness World Records recognized GE’s HA gas turbine for powering the world’s most efficient—up to 62.22%—combined cycle power plant. The first unit equipped with an HA turbine officially began operation on June 17 at EDF’s plant located in Bouchain, France. “Today we are making history with this power plant for the future,” said Steve Bolze, […]

The two probable major-party U.S. presidential candidates hold very different views on energy and climate. One intends to focus on expanding and developing America’s fossil-fuel industries, while the other plans to grow renewable energy and promote efficiency. Can you guess who’s who? Fossil vs. Renewable Donald Trump, the presumed Republican nominee, presented his “America-First Energy […]

Wärtsilä will supply a 70 MW Smart Power Generation plant to Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd. (APGCL) in north-eastern India. The order includes seven Wärtsilä 34SG engines running on natural gas. The letter of award was issued in December 2015, and the power plant, delivered on a turn-key basis, is expected to be operational by […]

  Power generators consumed 34% of total U.S. energy uses from fossil fuels and accounted for 39% of the nation’s carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion in 2014—a fraction of a percent more than in 2013—the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in its newly released Greenhouse Gas Inventory report. In 2014, 2,054.8 million metric tons […]

In large part because of swelling supplies of natural gas, and failing crude oil prices that have helped depress gas prices around the world, as well as because of its environmental advantage over fuel oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is garnering growing interest as a generation fuel. While huge, multi-billion-dollar LNG import and export terminals […]

Richmond, Va.–based Dominion Resources announced on February 1 that it would add to its more than 12,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering, and storage pipeline, by acquiring Salt Lake City, Utah–headquartered Questar Corp. The $4.4 billion deal would pay Questar shareholders $25 per share of common stock, a 30% premium to the company’s volume-weighted […]

The near-simultaneous surge in U.S. natural gas production and recent enactment of environmental regulations will usher U.S. power supply from reliance on coal to increased usage of natural gas and renewables

In a major speech setting out the future direction of the UK’s energy policy, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd announced plans to restrict the use of the country’s coal-fired power stations by 2023 and close all of the facilities by 2025. “Frankly, it cannot be satisfactory for an advanced economy like the UK […]

Another month, another premature nuclear plant retirement. About two weeks ago, Entergy finally threw in the towel on the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Scriba, N.Y., a move that came as a surprise to exactly no one who has been paying attention to the merchant nuclear business in the U.S. the past few […]

  As liquefied natural gas (LNG) continues to draw attention in the gas market, with the first new U.S. LNG export terminal in decades coming online next year, another liquefied gas—propane—is beginning to expand its share of the mix as propane power options continue to grow. While propane-powered engines and microturbines have been around for […]

Gas-fired power is hot, at least in North America, and quite a few smaller utilities and generators that have never owned a gas turbine plant have begun looking at building one. For large investor-owned companies with plenty of institutional experience in power plant construction, it may be business as usual, but for smaller firms that […]

Talen Energy Corp. announced on July 20 that it has agreed to acquire MACH Gen LLC, which owns three combined cycle, natural gas–fired power plants with more than 2.5 GW of total capacity for $1.175 billion. Talen Energy was formed on June 1 when PPL Corp. spun off its PPL Energy Supply business and combined […]