Darrell Proctor
Articles By

Darrell Proctor

Darrell Proctor is a data analyst and communications professional with years of writing, editing, and analytical experience in the energy sector. He has been part of Pulitzer Prize-winning teams and has more than three decades of management expertise, leading teams in both newsrooms and boardrooms. He's a sought-after speaker and analyst on topics across the spectrum of power generation, energy infrastructure, financial aspects of the industry, and more.

  • Coal Continues as Key Part of Japan’s Energy Mix

    Japan’s energy mix is in flux as the country slowly brings idled nuclear reactors online. The 2011 Fukushima disaster upended the nation’s power generation, resulting in more reliance on coal and natural

  • New York Moves to Resurrect Two Major Offshore Wind Projects

    New York officials put forth conditional contracts to buy electricity from two proposed offshore wind farms, announcing the awards Feb. 29 for installations that would be the largest power generation projects built in the state in decades. The solicitation by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which allowed developers to exit […]

  • New Colorado Gas-Fired Plant Will Feature GE Vernova Power Units

    A new natural gas-fired peaker plant being built on Colorado’s eastern plains will feature aeroderivative gas power packages from GE Vernova. The Mountain Peak Power Plant, which will be managed and operated by Princeton, New Jersey-based Kindle Energy, and will serve the United Power electric cooperative, is expected to come online in 2025. GE Vernova’s […]

  • NRG Will Seek $900 Million in Loans to Build New Gas-Fired Power Plants

    The interim CEO of Texas-based NRG Energy Inc. said the company plans to apply for up to $900 million in loans from the state in order to finance construction of new natural gas-fired power plants. Larry Coben, who was appointed interim CEO in November 2023 after the resignation of long-time CEO Mauricio Gutierrez, on Feb. […]

  • Texas Adds Two More Utility-Scale Solar Power Projects

    Texas continues to add to its U.S.-leading portfolio of renewable energy projects, with two large solar power installations recently coming online. Clearway Energy Group on Feb. 22 said it had completed the 452-MW Texas Solar Nova complex in Kent County. The multimillion-dollar array, which was built in two phases, already has offtake agreements, including a […]

  • The POWER Interview: Heliene CEO Touts Support for U.S. Solar Manufacturing

    Several solar power equipment manufacturing companies are building factories in the U.S., with many of those groups saying the investments are due to passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its incentives tied to domestic production. One of those companies is Heliene, a Canada-based solar power equipment maker. Heliene, which also makes solar panels […]

  • Fusion Energy Project Sited at Former TVA Coal-Fired Power Plant

    A major U.S. utility is part of a fusion energy project that would be located at the site of one of the company’s retired coal-fired power plants. Type One Energy Group on Feb. 21 announced plans to build Infinity One, a stellarator fusion prototype machine, at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) closed Bull Run Fossil […]

  • RENEWABLE POWER Direct—February 21, 2024

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   February 21, 2024 EIA: Solar Will Surge in 2024, Account for More Than Half of New U.S. Capacity Installations of new solar power generation capacity this year are expected to nearly double the amount that was built in 2023, according to the […]

  • HYDROGEN POWER Direct—February 20, 2024

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   February 20, 2024 Pioneering GE F-Class Hydrogen-Capable Gas Power Plant Begins Operations in Australia  EnergyAustralia has begun operations at the 320-MW Tallawarra B gas-fired power station in New South Wales (NSW)—Australia’s first peaking power plant capable of operating on a natural gas […]

  • Diversification of Power Generation Brings Greater Need for Data-Based Decisions

    Utilities and other companies in the electric power sector are using data to solve the dilemma of decarbonizing the power grid while also diversifying their generation resources. Utilities and power generators know that collecting data is critical to their operations. The process has grown in importance as the power grid diversifies, with more renewable energy […]

  • From a Distance, Power Sector Gets Up Close with Assets

    The use of remote monitoring is enabling operators in the electric power sector to gain better insight into the real-time performance of equipment and systems. Owners and operators of power generation equipment are working in a challenging environment, as more technologies are used to produce electricity, more generation facilities are sited in rural areas, and […]

  • EIA: Solar Will Surge in 2024, Account for More Than Half of New U.S. Capacity

    Installations of new solar power generation capacity this year are expected to nearly double the amount that was built in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The agency is its latest “Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory” report said developers expect to add 36.4 GW of new solar capacity in 2024. That compares […]

  • The POWER Interview: District Energy Embraces Innovation

    District energy systems are evolving across the power generation sector. Downtown business districts, college and university campuses, hospitals and healthcare facilities, airports, military bases and more are utilizing these systems to create economies of scale that reduce energy costs, and promote energy efficiency. These systems, used to provide power, hot water, heating, air conditioning and […]

  • Study Finds Grid Transparency Behind-the-Meter a Challenge for Utilities

    North American electric utilities continue to grapple with the challenge of managing behind-the-meter distributed energy resources (DERs), according to the results of a survey of utility decision-makers published Feb. 15. A study of 100 leaders from utilities in the U.S. and Canada, commissioned by Siemens and done in partnership with Oxford Economics, found that “limited […]

  • RWE Boosts Battery Storage with Three New Projects

    German energy giant RWE has added three large battery energy storage (BESS) projects to the company’s U.S. portfolio. The group on Feb. 14 announced the completion of two installations in Texas and one in Arizona, and said energy storage systems now comprise more than one-third of the company’s U.S. renewable energy and storage development pipeline. […]

  • GAS POWER Direct—February 14, 2024

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   February 23, 2024 New 1.2-GW Natural Gas-Fired Plant Announced for Texas A Texas-based energy company has announced plans to build a 1.2-GW natural gas-fired power plant in Lee County, Texas, with construction expected to begin in 2025. Sandow Lakes Energy Co.… Mitsubishi […]

  • New 1.2-GW Natural Gas-Fired Plant Announced for Texas

    A Texas-based energy company has announced plans to build a 1.2-GW natural gas-fired power plant in Lee County, Texas, with construction expected to begin in 2025. Sandow Lakes Energy Co. on Feb. 12 said it would build the plant on property owned by the company. The facility, which would be powered by two SGT6-9000HL turbines […]

  • Mitsubishi Turbine Will Power New Gas-Fired Plant in Uzbekistan

    A third gas-fired unit planned at a power plant in Uzbekistan will use equipment from Mitsubishi Power, the company announced on Feb. 13. Mitsubishi said the 600-MW Navoi 3 facility is expected to come online in 2026. The plant will supply both electricity and industrial steam and district heating for the Navoi Free Economic Zone […]

  • Holtec Bets on Nuclear Paired with Solar to Support Decarbonization

    The decarbonization of power generation is fostering research and development of new energy technologies, and some companies are reimagining what’s possible when it comes to power plant design. That includes pairing nuclear power with solar power, in a system that could repurpose a brownfield site—for example, a closed or soon-to-retire thermal power plant with transmission […]

  • Global Domination—China Accounts for Nearly All New Coal-Fired Power Plant Construction

    Data from Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a group that tracks thermal and renewable power generation projects worldwide, shows that China was responsible for construction of 96% of all new coal-fired facilities globally last year, and for almost 70% of all new coal-fueled power plants that came online. GEM, a San Francisco, California-based non-governmental research organization, […]

  • Germany Will Support 10 GW of New Gas Plants, With Eye Toward Hydrogen

    German officials announced a new plan for the country’s power generation, a strategy that includes putting at least 10 GW of new gas-fired capacity up for tenders. Officials on Feb. 5 said the plants would be designed to eventually burn hydrogen at some point between 2035 and 2040, according to Germany’s Economy Ministry. The agency […]

  • Iran Starts Construction of Four New Nuclear Power Plants

    Iran’s state-run news service said the country has started construction on four new nuclear power units. The IRNA agency on Feb. 1 reported that the four reactors would have expected total generation capacity of about 5,000 MW. Iran, whose nuclear program continues to be closely watched by the United Nations and others, has one operating […]

  • Amazon Signs Deal With ENGIE for Power From Scottish Offshore Wind Farm

    A major offshore wind farm near Scotland set to come online later this year has a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Amazon, the technology company that continues as the largest purchaser of renewable energy worldwide. Amazon on Jan. 30 announced the corporate PPA with ENGIE, the French multinational utility, to take more power from Ocean […]

  • Report: Biden Administration Will Provide $1.5 Billion for Palisades Nuclear Restart

    The Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan could be another step closer to restarting, with reports saying the Biden administration in February will announce $1.5 billion in funding for the project. Holtec International Corp. purchased the 800-MW facility from Entergy in 2022, after Entergy closed the nuclear plant. Holtec was prepared to decommission the site […]

  • Onshore Wind Farm Part of Fukushima Rebuild in Japan

    GE Vernova announced it will supply the turbines for an onshore wind farm being developed in Japan, an energy project that is part of the effort to support industry in the area impacted by the Fukushima disaster in 2011. GE Vernova’s Onshore Wind business on Jan. 31 said that Abukuma South Wind Power LLC selected […]

  • Hydrogen Production Project Moves Forward at Wyoming Coal Plant

    Wyoming officials will help fund a hydrogen generation project that will have coal as its energy source, using carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) along with a chemical looping technology. Babcock & Wilcox (B&W), an Ohio-headquartered group working on technologies to produce cleaner energy, and electric utility Black Hills Energy recently announced the companies have received […]

  • GE Vernova Will Supply Wind Turbines for Three Australia Projects

    GE Vernova has entered into a wind turbine supply deal with an Australian company, a move that includes construction of onshore projects in New South Wales. GE Vernova on Jan. 29 confirmed it has signed a strategic framework agreement with Squadron Energy for about 1.5 GW of new onshore wind generation, what the companies on […]

  • Brazil Oil Major Buying Renewable Energy Assets

    Renewable energy in Brazil will get a boost after the chief executive of Petrobras, the country’s state-run oil giant, said the company will begin buying solar power and onshore wind projects in an effort to build a clean energy portfolio. Jean Paul Prates, in an interview with the Reuters news service published Jan. 22, said […]

  • SolarEdge Slashing 900 Jobs in Cost-Cutting Move

    Israel-headquartered SolarEdge Technologies is expected to cut about 900 jobs from its global workforce as the company seeks to reduce operating costs. SolarEdge on Jan. 21 said it would lay off about 16% of its employees. CEO Zvi Lando in a statement said, “We have made a very difficult, but necessary decision to implement a […]

  • HYDROGEN POWER Direct—January 22, 2024

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   January 22, 2024 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Provides Backup Power for Microsoft Data Center A demonstration project led by Caterpillar at a Wyoming site showed that large-format hydrogen fuel cells could be used to supply backup power to a data center. Caterpillar on […]