Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee released emails between top officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which they say demonstrate a “very close working relationship” between the two organizations. The emails are associated with the development of the EPA’s proposed carbon rule, […]

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) reports that energy efficiency is the second-largest power resource in the Pacific Northwest region, ranking only behind hydroelectricity. The NPCC—authorized through the Northwest Power Act to develop and maintain a regional power plan, and fish and wildlife program, to balance the Northwest’s environment and energy needs—bases the claim […]

Plant engineers at Eskom’s Majuba Power Station in South Africa have been continuously looking for ways to improve efficiency and reliability. The six-unit, 4,000-MW, supercritical coal-fired plant was experiencing an efficiency decrease of 5% to 7%, which plant engineers determined was caused by poor performance of the actuators on their condensate level control valves (CLCVs). […]

A mix of lucky timing and post-Fukushima recalibration appears to be responsible for a general mood of optimism at the first biennial World Nuclear Exhibition being held just outside of Paris this week. The event, organized by the Association of French Nuclear Industry Exporters (AIFEN) has attracted 495 exhibitors and an estimated 7,000 visitors from […]

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On Oct. 8, the European Commission (EC) decided that the state aid included in the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant construction proposal is compatible with European Union state aid rules. The approval allows key elements of the agreement between EDF Group and the UK government, including a guaranteed “strike price” of £92.50/MWh ($148.76/MWh) for power […]

After more than a year of deliberation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Dominion’s proposal to construct and operate liquefaction and export facilities at its existing Cove Point liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal located in Lusby, Md. The proposed export facility will be contained within the existing footprint of the 131-acre import terminal […]

Dominion Virginia Power found two damaged nuclear fuel rods in Unit 2 of its North Anna Power Station located in Louisa County northwest of Richmond. The discovery was made during a regularly scheduled refueling outage that began on Sept. 7. The company believes the fuel rods were damaged as the result of “baffle jetting.” The […]

On Sept. 23, Duke Energy told the Public Service Commission of South Carolina that it intends to excavate a portion of coal ash at the W.S. Lee Steam Station located in Anderson County. The company has been dealing with a coal ash release from its Dan River Steam Station that occurred on Feb. 2, and […]

While meeting in Vienna on Sept. 22 for the 58th International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference, representatives from the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and the Russian Federation signed an Intergovernmental Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Cooperation in Nuclear Energy and Industry. “South Africa today, as never before, is interested in [the] massive development of […]

With Units 6 and 7 back in operation, Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) has restored 80% of the generation capacity at its Martin Drake Power Plant located in downtown Colorado Springs. The plant was taken offline after sustaining significant damage during a May 5 fire. Most of the damage occurred in the area surrounding Unit 5, […]

Consumers Energy—Michigan’s largest utility—reached an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice that will result in more than $2 billion being spent on upgrades at its power plants and the closure of seven coal-fired units, according to the company. The settlement resolves claims that Consumers Energy violated the […]

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On Aug. 28, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) approved an emergency order allowing Florida Power & Light (FPL) to divert water from the district’s L-31E Canal system to help moderate unusually high temperatures and salinity that are occurring in the Turkey Point cooling canal system (CCS). The CCS—an approximately 5,900-acre network of unlined […]

The El Arrayán Wind facility—located about 250 miles north of Santiago on the Chilean coast—was officially opened on Aug. 26 during a ceremony that included Chile’s president, Michelle Bachelet. “El Arrayán is the biggest wind farm in Chile and we are pleased at what we can achieve when we use the natural resources the earth […]

Calpine Corp. has its hands in two deals with large power companies—selling a plant to Duke Energy in Florida while buying a plant from Exelon Corp. in Massachusetts. On Aug. 25, Calpine announced that it has agreed to buy Exelon’s 809-MW Fore River Generating Station, which is located about 12 miles southeast of Boston, for […]

Strategies for compliance with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards led the list of topics covered during the Power Plant Pollutant Control “MEGA” Symposium held Aug. 19–21, in Baltimore, Md., but carbon dioxide (CO2) control solutions and sessions dealing with water problems weren’t far behind. The conference—hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Electric […]

Dynegy Inc.—the Houston-based power company with operations in the Midwestern, Northeastern, and Western U.S.—has signed two separate agreements to acquire generation assets from Duke Energy and Energy Capital Partners (ECP). The acquisition includes a total of 12,313 MW of coal and gas generation, which will increase the company’s total portfolio to nearly 26 GW. Dynegy […]

Low wholesale electricity prices and uncertainty surrounding Australia’s Renewable Energy Target have resulted in the suspension of development at the Mildura Solar Power Station—a concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) project located in Carwarp, about 40 kilometers south of Mildura in Victoria, Australia. The project, which was being developed by Solar Systems Pty. Ltd., received initial funding commitments […]

Steve Byrne, chief operating officer for South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. (SCE&G), provided an update on the company’s new nuclear construction project at the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station during a conference call held on Aug. 11. On the call, Byrne disclosed that the construction consortium informed SCE&G this month that the substantial […]

The U.S. Department of Energy issued the final Environmental Impact Statement for the Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line on Aug. 8, clearing the project for final permitting. The $2.2 billion venture is expected to bring up to 1,000 MW of renewable power from Canada to the New York City metropolitan area. The plans call […]

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A group of 12 states and a coal mining company have filed separate lawsuits in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in an effort to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating CO2 emissions from existing coal-fired power plants. The states—Alabama, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, […]

Ongoing service issues with BNSF Railway Co. have resulted in a “coal supply crisis” for several generators in the Upper Midwest. According to a document provided by the government relations staff of Dairyland Power Cooperative, the poor rail service may result in its coal-fired plant in Genoa, Wisconsin, running out of fuel during the upcoming […]

According to a report released this week by Mycle Schneider Consulting—a Paris-based independent consultant—nuclear power’s share of global commercial primary energy production declined to only 4.4%, a level not seen since 1984. In the report, “The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2014,” Mycle Schneider suggests that “the nuclear industry is in decline.” One piece of […]

In an effort to reduce air pollution from the Navajo Generating Station (NGS)—a coal-fired power plant located near Page, Ariz.—the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule on July 28 that will result in the permanent shutdown of one of NGS’s three units. The EPA had issued an initial proposal in February 2013 but invited […]

Speaking at the Energy Innovation Symposium in Washington D.C. on July 23, Southern Co. CEO Tom Fanning said that he would love “to announce another nuclear plant” later this year. But Fanning made it clear during his keynote address to attendees at the Bipartisan Policy Center’s American Energy Innovation Council–sponsored event that he favors an […]

Constellation Energy Nuclear Group (CENG)—a joint venture between Exelon Corp. and EDF Group—filed a petition on July 11 with the New York State Public Service Commission (NYPSC) in an effort to keep the R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant in Ontario, N.Y., operating. Ginna—a 581-MW single-unit pressurized water reactor located along the south shore of Lake […]

The Department of Energy (DOE), NRG Energy Inc., and JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corp. announced on July 15 that construction has begun on the first commercial-scale post-combustion carbon capture retrofit project on an existing coal-fired power plant in the U.S. The Petra Nova Carbon Capture Project is expected to capture 90% of the […]

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