On June 30, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued its “Quarterly Coal Report” covering the first quarter of 2014. The report includes data on coal production, exports, imports, receipts, prices, consumption, quality, stocks, and refined coal. U.S. coke production, consumption, stocks, imports, and exports are also provided in the EIA report. Of particular note […]

A report released July 10 finds alarming gaps in the security of the world’s critical infrastructure. The study—sponsored by Unisys and conducted by Michigan-based security research firm Ponemon Institute—was based on an Internet survey of 599 respondents from 13 countries in the oil and gas, utilities, alternative energy, and manufacturing industries conducted in April and […]

Arizona Public Service Co. (APS), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) reached a settlement on July 7 related to the Sept. 8, 2011 blackout that left more than 5 million people in the Southwest without power. As a result of the agreement, APS will pay a $3.25 […]

The Atucha II nuclear power plant—a 745-MW pressurized heavy water reactor located in Lima, in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province—was synchronized to the Argentine electrical grid on June 27. Construction on the plant began in 1981, but was halted from 1994 until the government re-launched the Argentine nuclear program in 2006. At the time, expectations were […]

On July 2, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a “white” inspection finding to the Wolf Creek Generating Station in Burlington, Kan., in response to a deficiency identified during an emergency preparedness exercise conducted last year. Inspectors observed the biennial exercise on Nov. 5, 2013, to assess if the drill adequately tested elements of the […]

National Hydro Power Corp. (NHPC) and the Renewable Energy College (REC) of Kolkata have partnered to develop a 50-MW floating solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Indian state of Kerala, according to a report in the Economic Times. The project would represent the largest floating solar PV plant in the world, dwarfing a 1.2-MW plant […]

Continually falling costs and tightening emissions regulations are set to drive huge growth in global renewable energy capacity despite flagging support for subsidies in Europe and the U.S., says a new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The BNEF report projects global spending on new power generation will be around $7.7 trillion through 2030, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued two “yellow” findings on June 24 to Arkansas Nuclear One—the 1,823-MW dual-unit nuclear power plant located near Russellville that is operated by Entergy Corp.—in connection with a heavy equipment handling incident at the facility last year. On March 31, 2013, a 525-ton generator stator fell when a temporary lifting […]

After nearly two months of wooing, General Electric (GE) is finally going to get what it wants. On June 21, GE announced that the Alstom Board of Directors had chosen the GE offer to acquire the power and grid businesses over a separate offer proposed by Siemens and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. GE said the offer […]

Thirty-two projects—most headed by universities—were awarded grants of various amounts totaling $100 million by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs). The projects were selected from more than 200 proposals. Of the projects, 10 were new while the other 22 received renewed funding. Awards ranged from $2 million to $4 […]