Darrell Proctor
Articles By

Darrell Proctor

  • Japan Utility Will Bring 2.34-GW Gas-Fired Plant Online Ahead of Schedule

    Japan’s largest utility said it will start the first of three units at a new natural gas-fired power plant near Tokyo in an effort to provide more electricity during the peak summer demand season. JERA on July 26 said the 780-MW Unit 1 at the Goi site in Chiba will enter service August 1. The […]

  • Nuclear Power Startup Plans 6-GW Fleet of U.S. Plants

    A Kentucky-based group has announced plans to build a 6-GW fleet of nuclear power stations in the U.S., looking to take advantage of bipartisan support for nuclear technology and the need to build more baseload, zero-carbon sources of energy. The Nuclear Company, headquartered in Lexington, said its business model would lean on “proven, licensed technology […]

  • India Pledges Support for Nuclear, Coal, and Pumped Storage Projects

    Officials in India said that country’s energy transition plan will focus on developing small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), pumped energy storage projects, and more efficient coal-fired power plants. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, presenting the government’s 2024-2025 budget, noted the latest financial allocations outline a shift in priorities for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sitharaman on July […]

  • Shanghai Group Calls for 29 GW of Offshore Wind to Support Grid

    China’s central government has approved Shanghai’s plan to build 29 GW of offshore wind generation capacity, part of the city’s strategy to build more energy infrastructure and diversify the electricity mix. Reports said the plan was devised by the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission, with a goal to have offshore wind generate as much […]

  • HYDROGEN POWER Direct—July 22, 2024

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   July 22, 2024 Auditors Call EU Hydrogen Production Goals ‘Overly Ambitious’ A group that assesses the effectiveness of actions by the European Union (EU), including how energy initiatives impact the economies of EU member states, said the current goals for EU… Aussie […]

  • Aussie Hydrogen Leader Cutting Jobs, Moving Production Target

    An Australian company at the forefront of the global push to utilize hydrogen has reduced its workforce and cut its production targets, citing high costs for power needed to produce the fuel. Fortescue, a technology, energy and metal company headquartered in Perth, on July 17 said it would cut 700 jobs as part of a […]

  • Historic Gemini Solar-Plus-Storage Project Now Fully Operational

    One of the largest solar-plus-storage installations in the U.S. has entered commercial operation. Primergy Solar and Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners on July 18 announced that the Gemini Solar + Energy Storage project, which will provide power to Las Vegas, Nevada, and other communities, is now fully online. Gemini has 690 MW of power generation capacity and […]

  • Auditors Call EU Hydrogen Production Goals ‘Overly Ambitious’

    A group that assesses the effectiveness of actions by the European Union (EU), including how energy initiatives impact the economies of EU member states, said the current goals for EU hydrogen production are “overly ambitious” and not realistic. The European Court of Auditors (ECA) in a report published July 16 said targets to produce as […]

  • RENEWABLE POWER Direct—July 17, 2024

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   July 17, 2024 Offshore Wind Group Looks to Challenge China’s Dominance of Sector Countries active in the offshore wind industry continue to consider steps to counter China’s dominance of the sector. The latest to announce a move is South Korea, where officials […]

  • Struggling SolarEdge Technologies Will Cut 400 Jobs

    SolarEdge Technologies said it would lay off about 400 workers, including 200 in its home country of Israel, as the company tries to become more financially stable. SolarEdge on July 15 announced the job cuts in a letter to employees. The company, which said it had about 4,600 workers prior to the layoffs, had announced […]

  • Avangrid Brings First Phase of Solar Farm in Texas Online

    Avangrid said it has started producing power from the first phase of the True North solar project in Texas, an installation the company said is its first solar installation in the state. Avangrid, headquartered in Orange, Connecticut, on July 15 said the solar farm when complete will have 238 MWac (321 MWdc) of generation capacity, […]

  • Offshore Wind Group Looks to Challenge China’s Dominance of Sector

    Countries active in the offshore wind industry continue to consider steps to counter China’s dominance of the sector. The latest to announce a move is South Korea, where officials recently announced they may work with a global offshore wind industry group in order to better compete with China. Officials have said joining the Global Offshore […]

  • Price Swings Mean Coal May Replace Natural Gas in European Power Mix This Winter

    Higher prices for natural gas across Europe mean some countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, likely will burn more coal for power generation during the upcoming winter season. Coal remains a large part of the energy mix in Germany—the largest energy consumer in Europe—as well as other countries such as Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, […]

  • Group Selected to Develop Pilot Nuclear Fusion Plant

    A global professional services and project management company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, announced it has been chose to develop the pre-concept design for a nuclear fusion pilot plant (FPP). The pilot, announced by Canada-based Canada-based AtkinsRéalis on July 10 as part of Type One Energy’s FusionDirect program, will be a commercial-scale FPP. It will use […]

  • Solar Roundup: EDP Projects Highlight New Developments

    EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) on July 10 marked the inauguration of Pearl River Solar Park in Scott County, Mississippi. Pearl River has an installed generation capacity of 210 MWp (175 MWac). The project features 400,000 monofacial and bifacial tracking photovoltaic panels, and is EDPR NA’s official entry into Mississippi, the company said Wednesday. […]

  • GAS POWER Direct—July 10, 2024

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   July 10, 2024 Mexico Increases Reliance on Natural Gas to Support Electricity Demand Mexico is ramping up its use of natural gas for power generation, with several plants coming online in recent years, and at least 10 more (Table 1) expected to […]

  • Largest Maine Natural Gas Provider Acquiring Second-Largest Supplier

    Unitil Corp., the largest provider of natural gas in Maine, on July 9 said it has a deal to purchase Bangor Natural Gas Co., which has been the state’s No. 2 provider of the fuel. The Maine Public Utilities Commission, which still must approve the merger, said Unitil has about 27,000 customers in Maine, most […]

  • The POWER Interview: Growing Importance of Solar Recycling

    Waste from end-of-life solar panels and other solar-related equipment provides an opportunity to recover valuable materials, along with other benefits. The International Renewable Energy Agency said that by 2030, the cumulative value of recoverable raw materials from end-of-life panels alone will be about $450 million worldwide, which the agency said is equivalent to the cost […]

  • Report: India Supports $33 Billion Investment in New Coal-Fired Generation

    Government officials in India have reportedly asked the country’s power companies to spend billions on equipment to support additional coal-fired generation. India is looking for ways to more quickly increase its baseload electricity supply as demand for power increases across the country. Reuters news service on July 3 said the Indian government supports tenders for […]

  • Efficiency in Production at Heart of Bloom Technology

    Decarbonization of power generation and other industrial sectors relies on hydrogen, and a Bloom Energy demonstration project is supporting the fuel’s production through an advanced electrolyzer system. The

  • Hydropower Remains Renewable Leader Despite Climate Challenges

    As the oldest renewable energy resource, hydropower is well-established as a reliable source of dispatchable energy. Yet, it is often overlooked and taken for granted. It’s commonly believed that hydro’s

  • Mexico Increases Reliance on Natural Gas to Support Electricity Demand

    Mexico is ramping up its use of natural gas for power generation, with several plants coming online in recent years, and at least 10 more (Table 1) expected to come online this year, next year, or in 2026. The

  • POWER Digest [July 2024]

    Economics Could Bring Early Closure for Slovenia Coal-Fired Plant. Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob in May said the Termoelektrana Šoštanj (TEŠ) facility, the country’s only remaining coal-fired

  • The POWER Interview: Solving the Challenges Facing the Grid

    The power generation industry continues to grapple with a multitude of challenges when it comes to producing more electricity, and to ensure that power is delivered where and when it is needed. There is pressure to integrate more renewable energy resources to help meet net-zero targets and other decarbonization goals. Electrification efforts, notably from the […]

  • Building a Better Grid—Infrastructure Upgrades Require Ingenuity, Innovation, and Investment

    The need for more reliability and resilience of power delivery, both in the U.S. and worldwide, has utilities and grid operators looking for solutions to the challenge of bolstering the electricity supply. Electric grid infrastructure, both in the U.S. and other parts of the world, needs an upgrade. Increased power demand from energy-intensive industries such […]

  • Microgrids Take Major Role for Reliability, Resiliency

    An array of technologies, both thermal and renewable, are being used in the design of microgrids, supporting distributed power generation across several sectors. The use of microgrids to provide reliable power for critical infrastructure is growing, and these off-grid installations also are becoming more prevalent as part of commercial and industrial (C&I) enterprises and residential […]

  • Siemens Energy, GE Vernova Each Will Build Two, 2-GW Gas-Fired Power Stations in Saudi Arabia

    Siemens Energy and GE Vernova each announced the companies would support construction of large combined-cycle power plants in Saudi Arabia as part of that country’s plan to increase its supply of electricity to support a growing population. The gas-fired facilities—Taiba 1 and 2, and Qassim 1 and 2—will be built in the western and central […]

  • Masdar Inks $3.4 Billion Deal to Acquire Greece Renewable Energy Major

    Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy major, said it has agreed to buy Greece’s Terna Energy in a €3.2 billion ($3.4 billion) deal. The agreement signed June 20 is one of the largest renewable energy transactions in the history of the European Union. Masdar—also known as Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co.—said Thursday it had a […]

  • NVIDIA CEO: AI Will Impact the Future of Energy

    The future of energy may depend on technology with roots in the video game industry, by a company founded more than 30 years ago that wanted to use accelerated computing to improve the look and feel of the gaming experience. Jensen Huang, NVIDIA’s CEO and president since co-founding the Santa Clara, California-based company in 1993, […]

  • Construction Moves Forward on Australia’s Largest Wind Farm

    The second stage of one of the world’s largest wind farms is moving forward after developer TagEnergy announced it had closed financing for the project. The $2.6 billion Golden Plains Wind Farm in Australia, which when complete will have about 1.3 GW of generation capacity, will be the largest wind farm in Australia once fully […]