Make the most of your time in Rosemont, Illinois at ELECTRIC POWER. The conference runs May 10 to 12, but Monday, May 9 offers several preconference workshops for in-depth professional advancement. Topics include: PRB Foundation (Conveyor Safety) Course Combustion Optimization in Utility Boilers—Performance Improvements and NOx PRB Combustible Dust—How to Perform a Process Hazard Analysis […]

See the latest power generation technology solutions by visiting the Exhibit Hall between sessions and during special show floor events. You’ll find more than 500 exhibits in one place, at one time. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to evaluate prospective suppliers. The Exhibit Hall is also a great place to network and catch up with […]

In the past week, Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano separately rejected suggestions that Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) could be exempt from liability for damages at its crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant caused by the magnitude 9 quake and 14-meter tsunami wave on March 11.

Workers are scrambling to contain highly radioactive water and prevent another explosion at the quake-devastated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, the situation—which still remains “very serious,” according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)—has improved only incrementally, the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) told lawmakers.

Seventeen industry groups, including the Biomass Power Association (BPA) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, last week petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to put on hold rules for industrial boilers while the agency reconsiders them.

Don’t miss the most important generation industry event of the year! State of the Industry speaker confirmed: John Shelk, President & CEO, Electric Power Supply Association, will deliver the State of the Industry speech before the Executive Roundtable, Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m. What you’ll hear on Tuesday morning alone is worth the price of […]

During the show, you’ll find brief reports on selected sessions and presentations in this space. It’s no substitute for attending the sessions, but we know you can’t get to them all, so we give you a taste of tracks you might have missed. To help you plan your time at ELECTRIC POWER, consult the online […]

The ELECTRIC POWER Exhibit Hall is the real-world meet-up for the power generation industry. It’s where everyone comes together between sessions, for lunches, for receptions-and, of course, to visit a wealth of exhibits and industry vendors. Here’s just a glimpse of what you’ll find on the Exhibit Floor… Tuesday, May 10 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 […]

In the latest of a string of mergers in the utility sector, Exelon on Thursday said it would buy Constellation Energy in a $7.9 billion deal. The agreement would bring together Exelon’s large nuclear fleet and Constellation’s “customer-facing” business, creating a platform for growth, the companies said in a joint statement.

The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) plans to conduct a large-scale grid security exercise later this year that will involve bulk North American power system owners and operators.

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) on Tuesday filed draft rules with the state Legislature that could require large wood-burning power producers to meet strict greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards before they can receive state financing. The rules were modeled on conclusions reached in a June 2010 study that burning forest trees for power is not carbon neutral.

A law signed by Governor Chris Gregoire on Friday phases out coal-fired power production in Washington State with the closure of two coal boilers at TransAlta’s Centralia power plant.

May 6 is the last day to save by registering for ELECTRIC POWER online! Register online today and save $200. Stay in the middle of the action. Book your hotel room now. ELECTRIC POWER has discounted hotel rooms at several different hotels, but time is running out, so make your reservation today. When you register, […]

ELECTRIC POWER conference tracks are programmed by a 100-member industry committee to ensure that session content is substantive, practical, and timely. It’s information you can use presented by people who have been in your shoes. To help you plan your time at ELECTRIC POWER, consult the online conference grid. You’ll have complete session details when […]

Do you have limited time, or do you just want to visit with hundreds of North American and international industry exhibitors? Then the Expo-Only Special Package is for you: See the latest power generation technology solutions at more than 500 exhibits. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to evaluate prospective suppliers. Attend the Keynote and CEO […]

By Kennedy Maize Washington, D.C., May 2, 2011 – The Obama administration’s response to current high gasoline prices is so 1970s…or 1980s…or 1990s…or 2000s. Been there, done that, dead end. Washington seems to be perfumed with a silliness pheromone that gets loosed in the Nation’s Capital whenever gasoline prices go up. As pump prices climb, […]

U.S. Supreme Court rulings in two recent cases further advance the rights of employees in disputes with employers, continuing a long-term trend in federal law on employment discrimination.

Hamworthy Peabody Combustion’s new Q-jet Low NOx Burner Optimization Kit can be retrofitted to practically any existing burner, regardless of manufacturer, to increase efficiency and reduce maintenance. In addition, the Q-jet Kit eliminates the need to replace complete burner assemblies just to meet emissions requirements, saving time and money. A key feature is that the […]

The devastation in Japan has focused new attention on supply chain issues and the impact of the partial collapse of that country’s manufacturing infrastructure on both Japanese imports and exports.

Valve-maker Conval announced that its popular Camseal zero-leakage ball valves now have forged bodies. These new forged ball valves are available in half-inch through 4-inch sizes with top entry, socket weld, butt weld, and flanged ends. Pressure classes range from ASME 900 through 4500. Camseal forged ball valves feature zero body leakage, zero seat leakage, zero seal […]

John Hanger, who led Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection until January, talked with ProPublica earlier this year about the challenges of trying to regulate the expanding drilling industry.

A renewed attack on nuclear power immediately followed the March 11 catastrophe at the six-unit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex in Japan. At least one legislator and a multitude of anti-nuclear groups have demanded that the U.S. cease approval of all new nuclear plants for the foreseeable future and/or close our Mark I boiling water reactor (BWR) plants. This knee-jerk response adds nothing substantive to the nuclear safety debate. (Be sure to read our cover story for more on this issue.)

The electric power generation landscape in both America and the rest of the world is poised to undergo a fundamental transformation in the next several decades. Global energy consumption is projected to rise dramatically by 2035, and the methods by which we generate electricity and the fuels we choose to use will begin to change as well.

Not complying with current law can be expensive in today’s legal climate. Employers should review their employee handbooks and employment-related policies to make sure they are up to date. More importantly, employers should draft their handbooks so that employees actually read them and follow their policies.

Weeks after a massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent 14-meter-high tsunami devastated Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan, workers from the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) were still struggling to regain control of four severely damaged reactors at the six-unit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Wish you could get inside your customer’s head? If so, forget data and go to the source.

The People’s Republic of China’s Congress approved a much-anticipated draft of the country’s 12th Five-Year Plan (2011–2015) on March 14. Along with key objectives that included boosting its gross domestic product (GDP) by 7% annually on average, the country for the first time in a five-year plan established targets to tackle climate change. It plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 17% from 2010 levels by 2015 and to reduce energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16% from 2010 levels by 2015.

Many large utility-scale units with copper alloy condensers and feedwater heaters lose generating capacity when copper and copper oxide deposits develop on high-pressure (HP) steam turbine blading. It is not unusual for a 400-MW unit to lose 10% of its generating capacity over a six-month period when water treatment processes aren’t properly tuned to prevent copper transport in the steam and condensate systems. In fact, one utility reported that it lost 20 MW of capacity in one month because of such deposits. The financial implications of such deposits, particularly in power markets where plants are pushed to their generating limits, are tremendous.

Regulators are asked to balance a societal need with the cost burden placed on those who pay for the service. Sometimes they forget that it’s other people’s money at stake.

Subsidized by the Dutch government, a number of Dutch utilities, the European Membrane Institute at the University of Twente, and Dutch consulting firm KEMA have, for over a decade, been testing membrane technology that promises to directly convert water vapor from power and other industrial plants’ flue gases into drinking water. The technology could provide a new source of large volumes of potable water.