A new order issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) last week gives 31 U.S. reactors a year to further improve their venting systems as a safeguard during potential accidents. Over the past week, the NRC also called for comment on foreign public ownership issues and issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Watts Bar 2 operating license.

A report recently released by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) identifies policy goals—and their fundamental differences—identified in the 2012 presidential election and as highlighted in recent energy-related legislation. Among the nation’s energy priorities are to stabilize oil and gas markets, create natural gas pipeline infrastructure, dispose of nuclear radioactive waste, and replace conventional energy resources with renewables.

By Kennedy Maize Washington, D.C., June 10, 2013 – Working on a book involving, among lots of other stuff, electric vehicles, I’ve been spending a lot of time researching star-crossed Fisker Automotive. In the process, I’ve looked at a lot of images of the company’s iconic Karma sedan, designed by Henrik Fisker. It’s a stunning […]

By Kennedy Maize Washington, D.C., June 7, 2013 – It comes as no surprise that Southern California Edison this morning announced it would permanently shut both of its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station nuclear reactors, a total of 2,350 MW of base load generating capacity. The signs of inevitable shutdown have been evident at least […]

A much greater coal power burn is expected this summer in reaction to an anticipated rebound in natural gas prices, suggests a recent reliability assessment from staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Among other key aspects of the new report is that while electric reliability for the rest of the nation will be adequate, Texas could see a significant chance of an energy emergency.

One of the first concrete-composite floating platform wind turbines in the U.S. was last week deployed off the coast of Castine, Maine. The project’s launch, led by the University of Maine (UMaine), is a milestone for a nation whose 4,000 GW of offshore wind energy potential lies in deep water—but has no grid-connected commercial offshore wind farms yet.

A new version of coal ash legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday sets minimum federal standards for coal residuals from coal-fired power plants, but it gives states—not the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—responsibility for crafting their own permit programs.

Starting development work on a new nuclear plant in Iowa is "premature," given the uncertainty of carbon regulation and extensive regulatory review for new nuclear reactor designs, Des Moines–based MidAmerican Energy Co. said on Tuesday after it completed its nuclear feasibility study.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will on July 31 put up for auction 164,750 acres offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts for commercial wind energy leasing. The auction will be the first ever competitive lease sale for renewable energy on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and it marks "the true beginning of an offshore wind market" in the U.S., experts said.

A 660-MW underground and underwater transmission project linking Ridgefield, N.J., and Manhattan in New York City began operations on Monday.

By Robynn Andracsek, P.E., Burns & McDonnell Most power plant emission control efforts have focused on mercury, NOx and SO2 emissions, but in recent years PM2.5 has risen in importance for Clean Air Act compliance. PM2.5 is a complex and not well understood pollutant, even though it was first regulated via a National Ambient Air […]

Though current low natural gas prices are thought to deter renewable development, the long-term outlook suggests gas and renewables can work together.

Commissioner Philip Moeller of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission talks with Editor Thomas Overton about the progress of gas-electric harmonization, potential risks to reliability in the dash to gas, and the future of gas-fired power.

In a report released on May 13, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) presents data on energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for each state by year, fuel, sector, and other breakouts for the years 2000 through 2010.

AES Corp.’s subsidiary Dayton Power & Light (DP&L) plans to retire six coal-fired units representing about 390 MW at its 414-MW Hutchings coal-, gas-, and oil-fired plant in Miamisburg, Ohio, by June 2015 as a result of existing and expected environmental regulations, including the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). The news comes on the heels of Indianapolis Power & Light Co.’s (IPL’s) announcement that it plans to retire 600 MW of coal-fired capacity to comply with environmental rules.

Cost overruns of nearly $1 billion to build the 582-MW Kemper integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant in Kemper County, Miss., were underscored on May 20 as Mississippi Power’s Board of Directors took the dramatic step of replacing the Southern Co. subsidiary’s leadership.

Water has been one of the biggest headaches for fracking. But a new method offers a means to fracture shale—using natural gas itself.

EU leaders are beginning to comprehend that there is a practical limit to their dogged pursuit of reducing carbon emissions: their customers’ ability to pay their energy bills each month.

Beware the letter from the Environmental Protection Agency asking seemingly innocuous questions about your plant.

Protecting polar bears was the subject of two recent legal rulings. The courts ensured the bears remain protected but also closed to door to those wanting to use the Endangered Species laws to effect new greenhouse gas rules.

Operators familiar with the unique requirements of burning Powder River Basin (PRB) coal will tell you that it’s not a case of “if” you will have a PRB coal fire, it’s “when.”

Every piece of equipment that transports or processes coal creates some level of particulate matter. Having a strategy for coal dust management in your plant is essential.

Electric motors are the largest energy consumer within a typical industrial plant. Motors also present the greatest opportunity to reduce auxiliary loads, particularly those with high usage factors.

Investments into Australia’s power sector enable the industry to meet the collective goal of becoming a cleaner, greener nation. Download the report.

URS recently performed a combined cycle repowering study to determine the feasibility and economics of repowering an existing steam turbine that went into service in the 1950s. The competing option was building a new combined cycle unit. The results of the study provide insight for others considering the same alternatives.

Only through proper troubleshooting and then solving the underlying problems can control loop performance be improved. Process design certainly plays a role in control loop performance, but experience has shown that the majority of control loops can perform better—provided that the root cause of the poor performance is found and corrected.