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Nuclear
South Korean Grid Connects World’s First APR1400 Nuclear Reactor
The world’s first 1,400-MW Advanced Pressurized Reactor (APR1400), a South Korean Generation III design, has now been connected to the grid. Nearly eight years since construction kicked off in October
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Gas
Desalination Expands, but Energy Challenges Remain
At the ballyhooed Paris climate conference last December, a little-noticed event occurred that could lead to important developments for electric generators. At the Paris meeting, some 80
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Legal & Regulatory
Germany’s Energiewende at a New Turning Point
Germany’s Energiewende (energy transition) was adopted as policy beginning in September 2010, some six months before the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant, and full legislative support was
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Legal & Regulatory
Zero-Discharge Pozzolanic Brine Solidification: Another Option for Treating FGD Wastewater
In late 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published new regulations governing wastewater discharge from steam electric power plants. These new regulations, or effluent limitation guidelines
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O&M
Monitoring and Treatment of Closed-Loop Cooling Water Systems
There may be multiple closed-loop cooling systems at your power plant. Chances are good that they cool or control temperature on some very critical components. The two that are most likely to exist are the
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Renewables
Xcel Energy: Committed to Renewables, but Going Its Own Way
Utility holding company Xcel Energy, headquartered in Minneapolis and with large electric and gas operations in eight states in the upper Midwest, the Rocky Mountain West, and Texas, has ambitions to be the
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Technology
Beyond the Firewall: Best Practices for Cybersecurity Risk Management
Generating companies wondering if concerns about cybersecurity are overblown got some rude wake-up calls this winter. The first call came when Ukrainian media reported that a December 23 blackout that left
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Coal
Will Tomorrow’s Power Plants Have Enough Water?
In a growing number of regions, power plants are competing with many other users for scarce freshwater supplies, and the situation is likely to get worse. The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently
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Gas
New Metering Solution Controls Condensate in HRSG Systems
Many combined cycle and cogeneration plants with heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) were originally intended as baseload power sources or steam producers. In recent years, however, some have been
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International
POWER Digest
Exelon Completes Peach Bottom Reactor Uprate. An extended power uprate (EPU), begun in 2009 to increase the output from the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station by 270 MW, was completed in January, said the
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Energy Storage
Researchers Find a New Energy Role for Desert Sand
Desert sand from the United Arab Emirates could be used in concentrating solar power (CSP) facilities to store thermal energy up to 1,000C. And replacing the typical heat storage materials used in thermal
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Nuclear
China Is Readying a 60-MW Floating Nuclear Power Plant
China, which is seeing a nuclear plant boom with 30 reactors already in operation and 24 under construction, is accelerating development of its first 60-MWe (200-MWt) floating nuclear reactor. China General
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Power
Why the Clean Power Plan Needs a Dynamic Reliability Safety Valve
John J. Novak The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Clean Power Plan is arguably the most ambitious and far-reaching regulation in the agency’s history. America’s electric cooperatives
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U.S. Water Launches SMART Care™ for Membranes
St. Michael, MN (February 24, 2016) –U.S. Water, the leading national provider of integrated solutions for water treatment, has launched the SMART Care™ for Membranes Service Program. The SMART Care™ for Membranes program provides proper management and monitoring of membrane systems, reducing the risks of production downtime due to insufficient quality or quantity of water […]
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Nuclear
DOE Secretary Moniz on WIPP and Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage
Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz reaffirmed that the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, N.M., is on track for reopening later this year, but he did not offer any encouragement to those in the southwest corner of the state who support using the site for permanent disposal of the country’s spent nuclear fuel.
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Gas
What Unites OPEC, U.S. Shale, and Power Generation
The OPEC secretary general and Saudi Arabia’s minister of petroleum shared their views on low oil prices, shale, and climate change at IHS CERAWeek.
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Coal
GE’s Immelt: It’s a World of “Slow Growth and Volatility”
We live in a world of “slow growth and volatility,” said Jeffrey Immelt, chairman and CEO of General Electric, but there’s an opportunity to “make a lot of money” if you have courage in such times.
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Van Beest expands the range of Green Pin® ROV shackles with the introduction of: Green Pin® ROV Release and Retrieve shackles with tapered pin.
Van Beest expands the range of Green Pin® ROV shackles with the introduction of: Green Pin® ROV Release and Retrieve shackles with tapered pin. These shackles are available with two types of handles; a Fishtail-handle or D-handle. Green Pin® ROV shackles have handles that can be manipulated easily by a hydraulically operated ROV arm, without compromising safety. […]
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Renewables
Morgan Stanley Investment Banker “Bearish” on New U.S. Nuclear
Despite the positive attributes of nuclear power—zero carbon emissions, reliable generation, low fuel costs, and a small footprint—the outlook for new nuclear in the United States is “bearish,” said Anthony Ianno, a Morgan Stanley managing director who follows the electricity business as an investment banker and dealmaker.
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Renewables
Electric Co-ops Launch “Community Storage” Initiative
Electric cooperatives are poised to increase their use of electric water heaters as a demand response (DR) and energy storage tool in their service territories.
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Legal & Regulatory
EPA, DOE Experts Upbeat on Regulatory Agenda
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) acting administrator of the Office of Air and Radiation, and the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) head of clean coal and carbon management gave upbeat assessments of the Obama administration’s regulatory agenda and power sector priorities speaking at the EUEC 2016 conference in San Diego on February 3. Janet McCabe of […]
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Legal & Regulatory
TransAlta Plays Defense with Coal Out, Renewables In
When it comes to a transition away from coal, TransAlta Corp. is playing political defense. The Canadian province of Alberta contains among the richest fossil energy resources in the world, including oil (and
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O&M
Using Sensor Technologies to Optimize Maintenance of Power Plant Water Systems
When we undertook an initiative at Granite Ridge Energy (GRE) to identify, prioritize, and assess components that were due for their 10-year assessments, we didn’t know quite what we were taking on or how to
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Commentary
And Now, a Word from (and to) Our Sponsors
You’ve heard that Nothing in life is free , yet this magazine is free for the vast majority of readers—both in print and online. That’s only because of the continued support of our advertisers. No media
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Renewables
Power Technology Innovations from the Developing World
In its recently released Energy Technology Perspectives 2015, the International Energy Agency (IEA) noted that innovation in the energy sector differs from progress in other sectors in that it tends to move
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Renewables
POWER Digest (February 2016)
RWE Abandons Hard Coal Construction Project. RWE scrapped plans to complete the 800-MW Block D of the Hamm hard coal plant in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on December 18, citing damage and delays
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Commentary
Fusion Power Illusions, Delusions, and Hope
Fusion provides the energy of the sun and all stars, but harnessing fusion for civilian electric power has proven exceptionally difficult. For over 50 years the U.S. government has pursued
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Renewables
Wind Funnel Generator Is Channeling Interest
A unique wind funnel–based power generating system that is quickly garnering interest from investors could see first construction kickoff in the first quarter of 2016. The INVELOX (short for “increased
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Nuclear
Nuclear Relicensing: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times
There is perhaps no industry in the U.S. experiencing a greater range of fortunes than nuclear power. Across much of the country, nuclear plants that must compete in deregulated markets are often economically
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Nuclear
Russian Fast Reactor Connected to the Grid
In a leap for fast neutron power technology, Russia’s Rosatom has connected Unit 4 of its Beloyarsk nuclear plant in the Urals region to the grid. The 880-MW BN-800 unit–the latest generation of fast reactors