Aaron Larson
Articles By

Aaron Larson

Aaron Larson is the Executive Editor of POWER, where he has covered the global power generation industry since joining the editorial team in 2013. He oversees editorial operations and budget, and serves as content director for the Experience POWER Conference, where he frequently moderates sessions.

Aaron is the host of The POWER Podcast, with more than 200 episodes featuring in-depth conversations with energy industry leaders, technologists, and policymakers. His work has earned regional and national editorial awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) and the Specialized Information Publishers Association (SIPA), including recognition for best interview, best editorial, and best podcast.

Before entering trade journalism, Aaron spent 13 years in the U.S. Navy nuclear power program, rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer. He has also worked at commercial nuclear, biomass, and coal-fired power plants in operations, maintenance, safety, financial, and management roles. He holds a Chief A Engineer boiler operator license in Minnesota, a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering technology, and a master's degree with a specialization in finance.

  • Vaisala’s MHT410 boosts efficiencies in transformer condition assessment

    Leading industrial measurement provider highlights benefits of online monitoring in reducing oil analysis inconsistencies Vaisala, a global leader in environmental and industrial measurement, has highlighted how online monitoring can complement more traditional sampling methodologies. Vaisala’s MHT410, for instance, quickly delivers accurate hydrogen and moisture data directly from transformer oil. Used in conjunction with traditional methods, the […]

  • SolarReserve Receives Environmental Approval for 450 Megawatt 24/7 Baseload Solar Facility in Chile

    Tamarugal Solar Project in the Tarapacá region will provide reliable, non-intermittent electricity from solar energy 24-hours a day SANTIAGO, Chile–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SolarReserve, the industry leader in baseload solar power solutions and advanced solar thermal technology with energy storage, has received environmental approval from the Chilean government to build one of the world’s largest solar projects with […]

  • Veolia Nuclear Solutions To Deploy Contaminated Water Treatment Systems At Four Magnox Sites in the U.K.

    Veolia announced that its Nuclear Solutions entity, through its subsidiary Kurion Inc., will deploy effluent treatment systems at four Magnox sites in the United Kingdom under a new contract between the two firms. Under the agreement with Magnox Limited, the company will design, build and install the new systems at the four sites, enabling the […]

  • Minnesota Power Deploys Smart Wires Solutions to Optimize Grid and Save Customers Money

    SAN FRANCISCO, March 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Minnesota Power and Smart Wires completed the installation of a deployment of PowerLine Guardians® in Little Falls, Minnesota, on a 115 kV circuit. The installation occurred over a three-day period in December and the units were placed into operation in early 2017. Part of the Smart Wires Guardian […]

  • New Capital and Burullus Power Plants Formally Inaugurated Today

    Orascom Construction Limited (NASDAQ Dubai: OC; EGX: ORAS) announces the formal inauguration of the first phase of New Capital and Burullus Power Plants, which will be the largest gas-fired combined cycle power plants in the world once complete. The ceremony was attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, and […]

  • Business Forum Italia – Cina: agreement between Cdp, Ansaldo Energia and Shanghai Electric

    Stronger long-term strategic partnership for investment sharing and access to Asian markets Beijing, February 22, 2017 – Today, during the Business Forum Italia-Cina in Beijing, with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping in attendance, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Cassa depositi e prestiti Group (represented by Chief […]

  • Wärtsilä to supply its first ever gas-fired power plant to China

    Wärtsilä will supply a 30 MW combined heat and power (CHP) plant to CGGC UN Power in China. This will be the first gas-fired medium-speed engine power plant in China, marking the entry of a new technology in the market. This is a landmark project and proof that innovative, flexible and efficient power generation plays […]

  • FPL accelerates major solar energy development projects – now plans to add eight new universal solar power plants cost-effectively by early 2018

    – Expanding on its recently announced plan to build four new universal solar power plants this year, FPL is now effectively doubling its near-term commitment – bringing more solar energy to its customers sooner – With FPL’s ability to build large-scale solar cost effectively, the new solar power plants are expected to produce millions of […]

  • Siemens to build EnBW Hohe See as first offshore wind project with extended scope

    EnBW orders 71 offshore wind turbines including foundations 497 megawatts offshore wind power plant to be grid connected in 2019 Site located 90 kilometers northern of German island Borkum Grid connection via HVDC platform BorWin Gamma Siemens Wind Power will, for the first time, provide complete offshore wind power plant solutions including foundations for the […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—Feb. 8, 2017

    Coal Power Direct   Current Issue | Find a Job | Post a Job Energy Industries Look Forward to Regulatory Relief under Trump Heads of some of the nation’s energy trade groups are looking forward to a rollback of regulations under the Trump administration, they said January 31 during a panel discussion at the United […]

  • Explosion and Fire Forces Gas-Fueled Combined Cycle Power Plant Offline

    An explosion and fire at the Delta Energy Center—an 835-MW combined cycle power plant located in Pittsburg, Calif.—forced the station offline on January 29. A spokesperson for Calpine Corp., the plant owner, told POWER that the fire was contained to the facility and that there was no danger to the neighboring community. No injuries occurred […]

  • RCMT to provide Detailed Design Engineering for safe and efficient project execution

    Earlier this month, Bruce Power and RCM Technologies Canada Corp. entered into contracts valued more than $1.5 million for Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program. The Major Component Replacement Lead In, Lead Out Program, part of Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program, is responsible for the activities that will take the unit from an operational state to one that […]

  • WPPI Energy, NextEra Energy Resources announce plans to build Wisconsin’s largest solar energy center

    TWO RIVERS, Wis., Jan. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — WPPI Energy and NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), today announced plans to build a 100-megawatt solar energy center – Wisconsin’s largest – with a capacity to serve more than 23,000 people with affordable, clean energy. “This solar energy center adds diversity to […]

  • Scotland’s first new power conductor in almost 30 years goes live

    Also the first live installation of 3M ACCR in Scotland 3M, the science-based technology company, and Scottish Power Energy Networks, have announced the successful installation and energisation of the first new live electricity conductor in Scotland in almost three decades.  Using a 3M Aluminium Conductor Composite Reinforced (ACCR), the 275kV single conductor doubles the available […]

  • Siemens 8-megawatt wind turbine up and running

    Product platform with cumulative operating time of more than 100 years Prototype for both mechanical and electrical testing installed Final type certificate expected for 2018 Siemens Wind Power has installed the latest version of its offshore direct drive wind turbine at the national test center in Østerild, Denmark – according to plan. The SWT-8.0-154 is […]

  • Crane Collapse at Nuclear Power Plant Adds to Safety Concerns

    A crane boom collapsed under heavy winds at the Takahama nuclear power plant in Japan, landing on the Unit 2 reactor building and fuel handling building at around 9:50 p.m. local time on January 20. Plant operator, Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO), reported that no injuries and no adverse environmental effects resulted from the accident. […]

  • Duke Energy Settles Florida Power Plant Lawsuit

    While admitting no wrongdoing or liability, Duke Energy reached an agreement with the U.S. government to resolve a lawsuit related to its acquisition of a Florida gas-fired power plant. The plant in question—Osprey Energy Center (Figure 1)—is a 537-MW two-unit combined cycle facility located in Auburndale, Fla., that Duke Energy purchased from Calpine Construction Finance […]

  • CG wins USD 105 million order from PT PLN Indonesia

    Critical equipment for a project to improve the Indonesian transmission grid Transformers to be manufactured in CG’s world-class facility in Indonesia To be installed at more than 100 substations and power plants all over Indonesia Mumbai, January 17, 2017: Avantha Group Company CG has won a significant order of USD 105 million (INR 720 crore […]

  • DNV GL certifies new prototype of Siemens’ 8 MW Offshore Wind Turbine

    DNV GL supports Siemens to prepare optimised turbine for the offshore market with a rated power increase of 14% compared to the previously certified turbine variant. Certification confirms new turbine is built according to latest safety and performance standards With the SWT-8.0-154, Siemens takes important third step in industrialising their offshore direct drive platform  Hamburg, […]

  • Wärtsilä to supply 150 MW power plant to Bangladesh

    Wärtsilä will supply a 150 MW Smart Power Generation plant to Ace Alliance Power Limited, a special purpose company owned by the Summit Group of Companies in Bangladesh. The order comprises eight Wärtsilä 50 and one Wärtsilä 32 engines. The contract includes the engineering and equipment (EEQ) with additional advisory services for the plant’s installation, […]

  • Struggling to Compete with Natural Gas, Pennsylvania Coal Plant Files for Bankruptcy

    Homer City Generation, operator of a three-unit, 1,884-MW coal-fired generating station about 45 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, Pa., has initiated a voluntary, pre-packaged Chapter 11 case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The financial restructuring process is expected to eliminate more than $600 million in existing secured debt from Homer City’s […]

  • AREVA to Supply Refueling Equipment Upgrades to TVA Reactors

    AREVA NP signed a multimillion-dollar agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to provide fleet-wide refuel equipment upgrades. Under this contract, AREVA NP will upgrade existing refueling platforms, manipulator cranes, fuel transfer systems and used fuel bridge components. This modern equipment will help operators increase efficiency, strengthen performance and reduce time when receiving, moving and […]

  • World Coal Association welcomes Berau Coal Energy as its newest member

    The only body acting internationally on behalf of coal, the World Coal Association (WCA), announced today that Indonesian coal mining company, Berau Coal Energy, has joined its membership. Berau Coal is Indonesia’s fifth-largest coal producer with an estimated 509 million tonnes of coal reserves . Berau was established in 1983 and now operates three mines […]

  • J-POWER USA Acquires Equity Stake in Tenaska Power Plant Project in Pennsylvania

    J-POWER Westmoreland, LLC, a subsidiary of J-POWER USA Investment Co., Ltd.(“J-POWER USA”), has secured an equity stake from Tenaska in the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station, a 925-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fueled power plant project near Pittsburgh. The transaction closed on Jan. 11. “This acquisition is consistent with our strategy of investing in and developing high-quality power […]

  • AES and Mitsubishi Corporation to Deliver India’s First Grid-Scale Energy Storage Array to Tata Power DDL

    Advancion® deployment will solve critical infrastructure challenges on Delhi electric grid NEW DELHI, India, January 12, 2017 – AES India, a subsidiary of The AES Corporation (NYSE:AES) and Mitsubishi Corporation, today announced a joint partnership agreement to deliver India’s first grid-scale energy storage array to the electric grid operated by Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata […]

  • 17 U.S. Nuclear Units Have Components Forged at Site Under Investigation

    Although AREVA recently disclosed that 17 U.S. nuclear power plant units have installed components that were forged at the Le Creusot facility in France—a forge that has been under scrutiny due to questionable quality assurance documentation and carbon segregation irregularities in some parts manufactured at the site—the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) does not consider the […]

  • Six People Injured by Explosion at Ohio Coal Power Plant

    An incident at J.M. Stuart Station—a 2,318-MW coal and diesel generating facility operated by Dayton Power and Light Co. (DP&L)—resulted in six people being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Several media outlets referred to the event as an explosion, citing nearby residents’ accounts of the incident. At least a few people said they heard and felt […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—Jan. 11, 2017

    Coal Power Direct   Current Issue | Find a Job | Post a Job World’s Largest Post-Combustion Carbon Capture Project Completed Petra Nova—a commercial-scale post-combustion carbon capture project designed to remove more than 90% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) from a 240-MW slipstream of flue gas off of the W.A. Parish generating station in Fort […]

  • World’s Largest Post-Combustion Carbon Capture Project Completed

    Petra Nova—a commercial-scale post-combustion carbon capture project designed to remove more than 90% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) from a 240-MW slipstream of flue gas off of the W.A. Parish generating station in Fort Bend County, Texas—has been completed, according to project partners NRG Energy Inc. and JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corp. The […]

  • Deal Reached to Permanently Close Indian Point Nuclear Plant

    Entergy Corp. and the state of New York have reached an agreement that will see the Indian Point nuclear power plant retired by 2021. “Key considerations in our decision to shut down Indian Point ahead of schedule include sustained low current and projected wholesale energy prices that have reduced revenues, as well as increased operating […]