U.S.
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Nuclear
Global Commitments Bolster Romanian NuScale Nuclear Project
A project to deploy the first NuScale 462-MWe VOYGR-6 nuclear power plant in Romania by 2029 has garnered a $275 million public-private funding commitment from the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of a global infrastructure partnership. The Romanian project may be bolstered by an additional $4 billion outlined […]
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Nuclear
India Eyes Major Expansion of Nuclear Power
India’s government is pushing for construction of more nuclear power plants as the country looks to increase its supply of cleaner energy. Officials have made some ambitious pronouncements, calling for as
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Wind
Vestas’ Year-End Deals Include Wind Projects in U.S., Brazil, Ireland
Major wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has announced several deals as the company ends 2022, including what the Danish company calls the largest wind project in Latin America, along with a U.S. onshore wind repowering project. The announcements come as the wind power industry continues to be challenged by several factors, including equipment supply chain problems […]
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Offshore Wind
‘Largest’ Floating Offshore Wind Farm Comes Online in North Sea
An installation that at present is considered the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm has produced its first power, providing electricity for oil and gas exploration operations in the North Sea. Hywind Tampen on Nov. 13 began powering Equinor’s drilling at the Gullfaks oil and gas field. The wind farm is located about 87 miles […]
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Renewables
U.S., Others Tout $20 Billion Plan to Move Indonesia Away from Coal, Toward Renewables
The U.S. and other countries have announced a $20 billion financing plan to help Indonesia more quickly shutter the country’s coal-fired power plants and decarbonize its power generation sector. “We’ve built a platform for cooperation that can truly transform Indonesia’s power sector from coal to renewables and support significant economic growth,” U.S. Special Envoy on […]
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Coal
U.S. Coal Plant Closures Continue, While China Rapidly Builds More
A wave of retirements for U.S. coal-fired power plants continues, with the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reporting almost a quarter of the nation’s remaining facilities could be shuttered by the end of 2029. The EIA in its preliminary monthly electric generator inventory report released Nov. 7 said that 23% of the nearly 201 GW of […]
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Hydro
Massive Projects Move Forward as Groups Celebrate Global Hydropower Day
A new 16-GW hydropower project in China and a 9-GW plant in Indonesia are among several projects being highlighted as part of Global Hydropower Day, being celebrated Oct. 11 as the hydro sector notes the importance of the technology to the world’s power generation. The Baihetan Hydropower Station in China is being developed by Jinsha […]
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Infographics
THE BIG PICTURE: Momentum for CCS
While only one commercial power plant equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS) remains in operation today, the momentum for CCS appears to have picked up dramatically over the past year. According to a database curated by the Global CCS Institute, more than 30 power generation CCS projects are under construction or in various stages […]
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Solar
China Group Announces Successful Test of Space-Based Solar Power
A research team at Xidian University in China announced it has successfully tested technology that would enable a space-based solar power plant that could transmit energy to Earth, akin to similar technology earlier announced by NASA and studied by other groups over the past decade. The “Daily Project” team, led by Duan Baoyan of Xidian […]
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Gas
Gas Power Outlook: Volatility and Viability
Natural gas generation’s future hinges on a precarious and exceptionally volatile set of issues that the conflict in Ukraine intensified. Experts from the full natural gas chain shed light on how that
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Gas
U.S. Agrees to Ramp Up LNG Exports to Europe, Actively Reduce Natural Gas Demand
The Biden administration and the European Commission launched a multi-pronged effort that will dramatically ramp up U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to the European Union (EU) but also reduce overall natural gas demand in the U.S. and EU through “accelerated market deployment” of clean energy measures. The measures are part of strategic energy cooperation […]
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Coal
Coal Use Rises, Prices Soar as War Impacts Energy Markets
The war in Ukraine is having a global impact on energy prices, not only driving the cost of oil higher, but also sending coal prices to record levels as demand for the fuel grows during a period of diminished supply. The Newcastle (Australia) futures price of thermal coal for power generation hit $435/ton on March […]
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News
G20 Environment Ministers: No Consensus on Phasing Out Coal
The U.S., UK and other countries want world governments to commit to a phaseout of the use and financing of coal-fired power generation, but officials who met at the G20 Environment Ministers Meeting summit in Naples, Italy, this past week ended their talks without an agreement on the future of the fuel. The topic will […]
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News
DOE Providing $27 Million for Wave Energy Research Projects
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced it will provide as much as $27 million in federal funding for research and development projects designed to advance the efficient conversion of wave-based energy into electricity, with a goal to make the technology commercially viable. The DOE on July 7 said the money supports the Biden […]
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Commentary
U.S. Must Take Lead Role in Hydrogen Use For Our Energy Future
For a century our country has relied on fossil fuels to power our economy. But that is beginning to change with wind, solar, renewable fuels, hydrogen, advanced nuclear options, and more. The effort to decarbonize our economy and protect the planet from greenhouse gas emissions is now aggressively underway in the U.S. and other parts […]
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News
Biden Sets New Paris Agreement GHG Target: 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030
President Biden has set a new nationally determined contribution (NDC) for the U.S. to achieve a 50% to 52% reduction in economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2030 compared to 2005 levels. The White House said on Thursday the NDC, which was determined after a “a whole-of-government process” organized through the Biden administration’s National Climate […]
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News
Report Touts Huge Potential of Offshore Wind
Researchers who study the U.S. offshore wind industry have issued a new report that says the sector could potentially meet 90% of the nation’s electricity demand by 2050. The key is for offshore wind to be fully developed along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts, as well as in the Great Lakes, all areas the […]
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Fuel
The POWER Interview: USNC Making Headway on Advanced Nuclear Fuel
In a brief interview this February, Francesco Venneri, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. CEO, explained to POWER why the company’s development of its proprietary fully ceramic microencapsulated (FCM) fuel is significant for the future of advanced nuclear, and how the company plans to roll it out. Seattle-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC), developer of the 5-MWe […]
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Offshore Wind
South Korea Has Plan for $43 Billion Offshore Wind Farm
The South Korean government has announced a major part of the country’s effort to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. President Moon Jae-in on Feb. 5 attended a ceremony in which contracts were signed for a 48.5 trillion won ($43.2 billion) plan to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm by 2030, an installation that would […]
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Coal
Thanks to Asia, Coal Is Still King Worldwide
Despite the U.S. and Europe shuttering coal-fired power plants, coal remains a major fuel in global energy systems. In 2018, global coal demand rebounded and grew by 1.4% due to increased consumption in Asia, where coal consumption increased by 2.5%. This increased consumption was mainly from power generation, which reached an all-time high, increasing 3% […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Solving Issues of Power Deliverability for Offshore Wind Generation
Offshore wind generation could be a game-changer for U.S. generation—tremendous size, scalability, high capacity factors, zero-carbon, zero-cost fuel, and a proven track record in the UK and Europe. The
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News
Canada SMR Initiative Adds New Brunswick Project
Moltex Energy, a privately held nuclear power development company headquartered in the UK with an office in New Brunswick, Canada, has entered into a collaboration agreement with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) to support Moltex’s nuclear fuel development program for its Stable Salt Reactor (SSR), among the latest technology advancements for small modular reactors (SMRs). The […]
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News
The POWER Interview: Keeping the Flame for Natural Gas
The crash in global oil prices, though a challenge for cash-strapped drillers and U.S. exploration and production (E&P) companies, may provide an opportunity to move natural gas prices higher. Analysts in recent days have said higher gas prices could come as soon as next winter—some predict prices could more than double from recent lows of […]
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News
Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, GE Top Wind Turbine Growth
An energy and finance research group on Feb. 18 said Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy’s (SGRE’s) offshore wind installations make it far and away the market leader in that category, while Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas continues to lead the onshore and overall wind turbine market. The report published Tuesday from BloombergNEF (BNEF) said Vestas took […]
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News
California Official: Solar’s Future Bright, but Clouds Persist
The technology behind solar power is changing rapidly. Researchers at the University of California, Davis have said so-called “anti-solar” panels could even generate power at night. But even as solar deployments grow worldwide, more innovative solar products are launched, and more governments enact clean energy mandates, political headwinds threaten to slow the progress of the […]
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News
Report: Investment in Renewables Hit Record High in 2019
Financial support for installations of offshore wind projects helped investment in renewable energy capacity hit a record high in 2019, according to data from research company BloombergNEF (BNEF) released Jan. 16. The group said worldwide investment in renewables was $282.2 billion last year, up 1% from $280.2 billion in 2018. Financing of offshore wind projects, […]
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Nuclear
A Decade of Turmoil: How Nuclear and Coal Have Struggled to Survive
The past 10 years have been filled with trials and tribulations for both the nuclear and coal power industries. From accidents to plant closures there has been little to cheer about. Still, nuclear and coal power continue to provide reliable baseload generation to billions of customers around the globe. Here’s a look back at the […]
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Commentary
Hydrocarbon Molecules Know No Borders: The U.S.-Mexico Natural Gas Dilemma
Natural gas traders once spoke of the North American continent as a potential seamless natural gas trading market, where market synergies could be perfected and hydrocarbon molecules could flow freely to the
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Coal
Removing Asbestos and Regulated Materials Key to Power Plant Decommissioning
Retiring and decommissioning coal power plants is becoming a more-frequent occurrence around the world. The job comes with many challenges, but projects in the U.S. and UK have proven that remediation and
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News
Westinghouse Will Acquire Rolls-Royce’s Civil Nuclear Business
Westinghouse Electric Co. will acquire Rolls-Royce’s Civil Nuclear Systems and Services businesses in North America for an undisclosed amount under a “definitive agreement” announced on Sept. 26. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, will see Westinghouse absorb Rolls-Royce’s civil nuclear service businesses in the U.S. and Canada, along with […]