Aaron Larson
Articles By

Aaron Larson

  • Idaho Power Pursues Accelerated Depreciation of North Valmy Coal Plant

    Idaho Power—co-owner with NV Energy of the two-unit 522-MW North Valmy Generating Station near Battle Mountain, Nevada—filed a request with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (IPUC) last week seeking to accelerate the depreciable life of the power plant from 2031 for Unit 1 and 2035 for Unit 2 to 2025 for both units. In Idaho […]

  • Sweet Dreams Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant

    After more than 43 years of service, the Fort Calhoun Station—a single-unit 478-MW nuclear power plant, which was the smallest operating reactor in the U.S. fleet—came offline for the final time at 12:55 p.m. CDT on October 24, 2016. Some said the mood at the plant was subdued, but professional. Many workers and other plant […]

  • H.F. Lee Coal Ash Spill Puts Duke Energy Under the Spotlight Again

    Although Duke Energy maintains that “only very minor erosion of material” migrated from an inactive coal ash basin on the H.F. Lee Power Plant site, several environmental advocacy groups are concerned that the spill has dirtied North Carolina’s Neuse River. “This spill is easily visible to anyone in a boat. The area looks like a […]

  • Election Result Throws Restart of World’s Largest Nuclear Plant into Question

    A surprising win in a Japanese prefectural gubernatorial race by the anti-nuclear, Communist Party–backed candidate Ryuichi Yoneyama—a 49-year-old doctor who has never held public office—makes the restart of the 8-GW Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant a much taller task for owner Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO). The election of Yoneyama (Figure 1) is also a setback for […]

  • Toshiba Wins Major Orders for Malea Hydroelectric Power Plant Project in Indonesia

    Continuous contributions in hydroelectric generating equipment for over forty years TOKYO—Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) today announced that Toshiba Group has won major orders to supply hydroelectric generating equipment for the Malea Hydro Power Plant Project in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The orders were received from PT Malea Energy, the subsidiary of Kalla Group that generates and […]

  • MPUC Decision Spells End for Two Coal Units at Xcel’s Largest Plant

    The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) voted unanimously to support Xcel Energy’s latest long-range plan, which will transform the company’s energy fleet. Xcel expects to more than double its renewable energy portfolio as a result, delivering greater than 60% carbon-free energy to its Upper Midwest (Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin) customers by […]

  • Aquila Capital acquires 148 MW Lehtirova wind farm in Scandinavia

    The alternative investment manager secures long-term cooperation with Google and OX2 Aquila Capital has extended its portfolio in the renewable energy sector with the acquisition of a large wind power project in Lehtirova in the North of Sweden. The wind park will have 41 Vestas V 126 3.6 MW turbines with an installed capacity of […]

  • Brüel & Kjær Vibro wins monitoring order for British biomass power plant

    The Danish engineering and contracting company Aalborg Energie Technik (AET) has selected a Brüel & Kjær Vibro online condition monitoring solution for machine condition monitoring of the 40MW Tilbury Green Power biomass power plant in the London area. AET and its consortium partner are responsible for the design, supply, construction, and commissioning of the plant. […]

  • ENGIE and Holyoke Gas & Electric Announce Construction of a 5.76 MW Mt. Tom Solar Farm in Western Massachusetts

    Holyoke residents to benefit from Holyoke Gas & Electric Power Purchase Agreement Holyoke, MA – October 13, 2016 – Mt. Tom Solar, LLC, a subsidiary of ENGIE North America, held a groundbreaking ceremony today for a 5.76 megawatt solar farm on the property of the former coal-fired Mt. Tom Power Station in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Beginning […]

  • Vasari Energy Signs Major Solar Deal for 68 MW Project

    IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Vasari Energy, Inc. a California based solar energy provider, signed a contract to purchase 450 acres of land in Maricopa County, Arizona for the development of a project with up to 68 MW of solar power. The project will be developed through Sonoran Solar Development Partners, LLC, a wholly […]

  • E.ON Energy Services to Manage Lincoln Clean Energy Facility

    E.ON to Provide Asset Management and Balance of Plant Management at the Amazon Wind Farm in Texas AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Lincoln Clean Energy (LCE) has selected E.ON Energy Services to provide asset management and balance of plant services for its Amazon Wind Farm Texas near Snyder, TX. The 253 megawatt facility […]

  • New Technology Offers Hope for Cost-Effective Carbon Capture and Storage Systems

    Academics at the University of Sheffield—a public research university in the UK—have begun two new carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, searching for cheaper methods of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil-fueled power plants. The work is being funded by the European Commission’s (EC’s) Horizon 2020 Low Carbon Energy program. Solvents Could Be Game-Changing The […]

  • GE Is Acquiring World’s Largest Wind Turbine Blade Manufacturer

    GE announced on October 11 that it would purchase Denmark-based LM Wind Power—the world’s largest designer and independent supplier of wind turbine rotor blades. GE will acquire the company from Doughty Hanson (a London-based private equity firm that has owned LM Wind Power since 2001) for $1.65 billion. The deal is seen as a way […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—Oct. 12, 2016

    Coal Power Direct   Current Issue | Find a Job | Post a Job Coal Combustion By-products Aren't All Bad: The Beneficial Use Solution While it’s true that coal ash can be an environmental hazard if it’s not properly managed, there are a lot of positive uses for coal combustion products that actually provide benefits […]

  • AREVA wins new EDF service contracts

    Paris, October 6th 2016 AREVA has been awarded several significant contracts following an EDF tender for support activities associated with electricity generation. These services include handling of casks, low-level radioactive waste management, radiation protection and assembly of scaffolding and insulating protections. The contracts won by AREVA represent a total of several tens of millions of […]

  • Xcel Energy completes New Mexico-Texas power link

    A $38 million transmission line CLOVIS, N.M. (Oct. 6, 2016) – Xcel Energy has energized a new high-voltage transmission line across the New Mexico-Texas state line that is supporting a growing economy in eastern New Mexico and West Texas. The new Curry-to-Bailey 115-kilovolt transmission line cost approximately $38 million and spans more than 37 miles between the Curry […]

  • Valmet’s advanced boiler control application for optimized combustion successfully commissioned at Catalyst Paper’s Rumford Mill in Maine, USA

    Valmet Oyj’s trade press release on October 5, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. EET Valmet’s advanced boiler control application for optimized combustion has been successfully commissioned at Catalyst Paper’s Rumford Mill in Maine, USA. The new combustion management application optimizes the performance of the paper mill’s fluidized bed boiler units 6 and 7. “Valmet’s experts have […]

  • POWER Engineers Awarded Detailed Engineering and Design Services Contract for CPV Towantic Energy Center in Oxford, Connecticut

    HAILEY, Idaho (October 5, 2016) — POWER Engineers Incorporated (POWER) was awarded a contract from Gemma Power Systems to provide detailed engineering and design services for Competitive Power Venture’s (CPV) Towantic Energy Center project located on a secluded 26-acre site in Woodruff Hill Industrial Park in Oxford, Connecticut. Ronald Polaske, Gemma’s Senior Vice President stated, […]

  • PSEG Will Retire Two New Jersey Coal Power Plants

    Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) will close the 620-MW Hudson Generation Station in Jersey City, N.J., and the 632-MW Mercer Generation Station in Hamilton Township, N.J., on June 1, 2017. “The sustained low prices of natural gas have put economic pressure on these plants for some time. In that context, we could not justify the […]

  • Watts Bar Unit 2 Nuclear Plant Completes Power Ascension Testing

    The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has reached another milestone in its effort to bring Watts Bar Unit 2 into commercial operation: The unit completed its final power ascension test—a 50% load rejection from full power—and safely returned to full power on September 30. The testing had been halted on August 30 due to a switchyard […]

  • A World View of New Nuclear Power Plant Construction [Slideshow]

    According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), there are 60 nuclear reactors currently under construction around the world. China leads the way with 20 units in progress, followed by Russia with seven, and India with five. Twelve other countries, including the U.S., round out the list. The IAEA predicts that nuclear power generating capacity […]

  • Duke Energy completes acquisition of Piedmont Natural Gas

    CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Duke Energy has completed its acquisition of Piedmont Natural Gas, closing the transaction effective today. Piedmont will retain its name and operate as a business unit of Duke Energy. Both companies are headquartered in Charlotte. The acquisition will add Piedmont’s 1 million natural gas customers to Duke Energy’s […]

  • X-energy and Burns & McDonnell Partner on Deployment of Xe-100 Advanced Nuclear Reactor

    GREENBELT, Maryland – September 29, 2016 – X Energy, LLC (X-energy) and Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc., have entered into a memorandum of understanding as a step toward deployment of X-energy’s High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR): the Xe-100. Burns & McDonnell, a full-service engineering, construction and environmental solutions firm, will work with X-energy as […]

  • Dutch Parliament Vote Could End Coal Power Generation in the Netherlands

    The Dutch parliament’s vote in favor of a motion to cut carbon emissions 55% by 2030 could spell the end of coal-fired power generation in the European nation. Although nonbinding, the measure would bring the Netherlands in line with agreements negotiated during the Paris climate talks that took place late last year. What it means […]

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

    DULUTH, Minn. and SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 27, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Minnesota Power and Smart Wires announced today their partnership to deploy an innovative solution for optimizing the flow of power on the grid. Smart Wires is a leading provider of power flow control technology for transmission systems. This first deployment of Smart Wires at […]

  • Maui Electric Leverages GRID2020 Solution

    Sensors help to monitor fluctuating voltages and reverse energy impacts RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 27, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GRID2020, Inc., a leading distribution transformer monitoring solutions provider, announced today that Maui Electric Company is strategically deploying its sensors throughout key areas of its electrical grid to help identify and monitor fluctuating voltages and reverse power […]

  • Siemens secures first LTP order for industrial gas turbines in China

    Siemens and Hangzhou Steam Turbine Co., Ltd. (HTC) have secured a long term service program (LTP) order from Kunshan GCL Blue Sky Distributed Energy Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Golden Concord Power Group Limited (GCL). Siemens and HTC will provide service and maintenance for two Siemens SGT-800 gas turbines located at the Kunshan GCL Blue […]

  • Nuclear Power Projected to Expand: 30 Developing Countries Considering the Energy Source

    A recently released International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) study predicts that nuclear power will continue expanding globally in the coming years, even as the pace of development slows due to low fossil fuel prices and the growth of renewable energy. The IAEA presents nuclear power generating capacity projections annually. The estimates were released just days […]

  • Amec Foster Wheeler wins new Dounreay design and build contract

    Decommissioning of former fast reactor research and development centre, UK Design and construction of new effluent plant Amec Foster Wheeler announces today that it has won a contract to provide a new effluent treatment plant for the Dounreay nuclear site in the UK. The contract, valued at £7m, was awarded by Dounreay Site Restoration Limited […]

  • Xcel Energy Uses Vaisala’s Due Diligence Services to Finance Colorado’s Largest Wind Energy Project

    When complete, 600 MW Rush Creek will be one of the largest wind farms in Colorado and the most economical Vaisala, a global leader in environmental and industrial measurement and provider of industry-leading renewable energy consulting services, has partnered with Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest utility, to provide due diligence services on its 600 MW Rush […]