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.

  • LNG Floating Terminal Will Supply New 840-MW Gas-Fired Plant in Greece

    A joint venture featuring three energy companies is developing an 840-MW natural gas-fired power plant at the Aegean port of Alexandroupolis, Greece. The plant will be linked to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) floating terminal at the port. It is expected to supply electricity to Greece and also to markets in southeastern Europe. Damco Energy, […]

  • FPL CEO Retiring Amid Probe Into Utility’s Political Actions

    The president and CEO of Florida Power & Light (FPL) announced he will step down from his role as leader of the utility. Eric Silagy, who became FPL’s president in 2011 and was named CEO in 2014, on Jan. 25 said he will move into a transitional role with the utility next month. Silagy, 57, […]

  • Milestone for Major Pumped Hydro Storage Project in Wyoming

    A Utah-based company is developing a pumped hydro energy storage project in the heart of coal country, one of several renewable energy deployments being sited in Wyoming in an effort to diversify that state’s energy and power portfolio. Officials with the 900-MW Seminoe Pumped Storage Project, being developed by rPlus Hydro, part of rPlus Energies, […]

  • The POWER Interview: Benefits of Adding Storage to Solar Power Systems

    Utilizing energy storage with a solar power system is a way for power generators to help balance the supply of energy with demand for electricity. Energy storage can be used during periods when the sun isn’t shining, and it also help support periods of high demand for power along the grid. Many residential and commercial […]

  • NRC Rejects New Review of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Operating Extension

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has denied a request from California utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) to renew a review of an operating license application for the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. The move at least temporarily puts on hold plans to extend the operation of two reactors at Diablo Canyon, the last operating […]

  • The POWER Interview: Abu Dhabi’s Plan for Renewable Energy in the UAE

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is in the midst of an energy transition, moving away from its nearly exclusive use of natural gas-fired power generation to a strategy based on renewable energy resources. The country has an abundance of natural gas, and it also has significant solar power potential. The UAE also is adding nuclear […]

  • Texas Utility Will Close Remaining Coal-Fired Units

    The largest municipally-owned electric and gas utility in the U.S. will close its remaining coal-fired power units by 2030. The board of trustees for San Antonio, Texas-based CPS Energy on Jan. 23 voted 4-1 to approve a plan to shutter the last two coal-burning units at the J.K. Spruce power plant. The plan, known as […]

  • Group Says China Will Add 70 GW of Coal- and Gas-Fired Generation in 2023

    A lobbying group for China’s power generation sector said the country will add about 70 GW of fossil fuel-powered capacity this year, even as renewable energy is set to provide more than half of China’s electricity production in 2023. The China Electricity Council in a report published Jan. 19 said the 70 GW of new […]

  • Fast Neutron Reactor Installed at Russian Research Facility

    Workers at the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (RIAR) in Dimitrovgrad, Russia, have installed what they call the world’s largest multipurpose fast neutron research reactor, or MBIR, at the site. The group on Jan. 18 said the installation of the MBIR, a milestone in the assembly of the reactor facility, was completed 16 months ahead […]

  • Ørsted Buys PSEG Stake in Offshore Wind Project, Announces Major Texas Solar Farm

    Danish energy developer Ørsted continues to expand its presence in the U.S. market, with the company on Jan. 18 announcing it has signed a deal to acquire Public Service Enterprise Group’s (PSEG’s) 25% stake in the 1.1-GW Ocean Wind 1 project about 15 miles off the coast of New Jersey. The move will give Ørsted […]

  • New Mexico Transmission Line Will Support Renewable Energy Development

    A major power transmission project will proceed in New Mexico after a regulatory group approved a public-private partnership for development of a 400-mile high-voltage direct current line. The New Mexico North Path project could move as much as 4 GW of renewable energy from sites in northeastern New Mexico to the state’s Four Corners region, […]

  • RENEWABLE POWER Direct—January 18, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   January 18, 2023 Pioneering U.S. Wave Energy Power Plant Unveiled One of the first U.S.-based wave energy power plants is set to be deployed at AltaSea’s 35-acre campus located at the Port of Los Angeles. Israeli firm Eco Wave Power,… Construction Underway […]

  • South Korean President: Country Needs More Nuclear Power

    South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said his country’s push to be carbon-neutral by 2050 must include construction of more nuclear power generation, in a reversal of his predecessor’s call to move away from the technology. Yoon, speaking Jan. 16 at an event in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said his country would renew its […]

  • Energy Storage Being Added to California Gas-Fired Peaker Plants

    A North Carolina-based group that provides battery energy storage and software technology is set to co-locate 420 MWh of storage at four natural gas-fired facilities in California. Durham-headquartered FlexGen Power Systems on Jan. 17 said it would provide energy storage to Middle River Power (MRP), a Chicago, Illinois-based independent power company. MRP was created in […]

  • Watch Implosion Topple Florida Coal-Fired Plant

    A six-month-long project to demolish the last coal-fired unit at Lakeland Electric’s C.D. McIntosh Power Plant in Lakeland, Florida, reached a milestone on Jan. 14 with the implosion of the facility’s 260-foot stack and 90-foot selective catalytic reduction unit (video below). Unit 3 at McIntosh, the plant’s last operating coal-fired unit, was closed in 2021, […]

  • Officials Give Go-Ahead for UK-Based Fusion Power Project

    A prototype fusion power plant designed by a UK-based architectural and design firm has been approved by local regulators. The South Oxfordshire District Council’s planning committee on Jan. 11 gave the go-ahead to a project led by renowned architect Amanda Levete. Levete’s AL_A group is expected to build the prototype, developed by Canada’s General Fusion, […]

  • Pipe Issue Delays Startup of New Vogtle Nuclear Unit

    Startup of the first of two new reactors at the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia is being pushed back to at least April, one month after officials with Georgia Power had planned to start generating electricity from the unit. Georgia Power, part of Atlanta-based Southern Co., announced the latest setback for the oft-delayed two-unit expansion […]

  • Ørsted Plans Battery Storage to Support Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm

    Regulators in the UK have given the go-ahead for renewable energy developer Ørsted to build a utility-scale battery energy storage project to serve the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm. The South Norfolk Council—the planning authority for the region—on Jan. 11 unanimously approved the storage facility, which will feature lithium-ion battery technology and be built on […]

  • GAS POWER Direct—January 11, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   January 11, 2023 TVA Will Build Gas-Fired Plant to Replace Coal-Fired Units The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has approved retirement of the Cumberland coal-fired power plant, with officials on Jan. 10 saying the utility will replace one of the plant’s two units… […]

  • TVA Will Build Gas-Fired Plant to Replace Coal-Fired Units

    The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has approved retirement of the Cumberland coal-fired power plant, with officials on Jan. 10 saying the utility will replace one of the plant’s two units with a 1,450-MW natural gas-fired combined cycle facility at the site. The TVA has held public meetings over the past few years amid much discussion […]

  • Major Energy Storage Project Sited at Former Australian Coal-Fired Plant

    The Australian affiliate of energy giant Shell said it has acquired the development rights for a major battery energy storage project in that country. The new facility is at a site that formerly housed eight coal-fired generation units. Shell Energy Australia on Jan. 10 said it will build, own, and operate the planned 500-MW/1,000-MWh Wallerawang […]

  • Construction Underway on South Dakota’s Largest Solar Project

    A 128-MW solar energy project that will serve customers of a regional electric power cooperative is under construction in South Dakota, with the facility expected to enter commercial operation later this year. National Grid Renewables on Jan. 10 said work has begun on the company’s Wild Springs Solar Project in Pennington County. The array will […]

  • Renewable Natural Gas Projects Announced for South Dakota, Florida

    More projects to increase the supply of renewable natural gas (RNG) have been announced in Florida and South Dakota, as investments continue in technologies to produce a low-carbon fuel that could replace diesel and other fossil fuels. OPAL Fuels, headquartered in White Plains, New York, on Jan. 5 announced it has completed the ramp-up period […]

  • New 18-MW Model Takes Over as World’s Largest Offshore Wind Turbine

    A subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corp. (CSSC) has unveiled components for what would be the world’s largest and most-powerful wind turbine, an 18-MW product that tops the recent launching of a 16-MW turbine developed by other Chinese companies. CSSC Haizhuang unveiled the new turbine in a ceremony at the Dongying City industrial park […]

  • The POWER Interview: Sphera Exec Talks Supply Chain Solutions

    Several executives in the power generation space weighed in for POWER’s recent report on supply chain issues in the sector. Sourcing of equipment also was a hot topic in POWER’s 2023 forecast for the industry. It’s no surprise. The power sector is not exempt from the problems that have impacted business and industry worldwide, from […]

  • Power Sector Seeks Solutions for Supply Chain Issues

    The pandemic exposed issues with the global supply chain that provides resources for power generation. The pressure of having enough equipment to meet industry needs has spurred an emphasis on domestic

  • Egypt Uses COP27 to Announce Large-Scale Renewable, Hydrogen Projects

    The recent United Nations (UN) COP27 climate conference in Egypt was host to several announcements of large-scale renewable energy projects, including one of the world’s largest wind farms, along with an

  • Global Market for PPAs Supports Renewable Energy Projects

    Large global corporate groups continue to buy stakes in major renewable energy projects and sign power purchase agreements (PPAs) designed to provide long-term electricity for their operations. Some

  • China Breaks Ground on Massive 16-GW Solar, Wind, Coal Project

    A massive, multibillion-dollar renewable and fossil-fuel energy project is underway in China. The installation, being built by China Three Gorges (CTG), includes wind, solar, energy storage and coal-fired power generation. Ground was broken for the first pilot of the Kubuqi Base project in Dalate Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia on Dec. 28, 2022, according to Chinese […]

  • Permits Issued for Major Finnish Offshore Wind Projects

    Ireland’s Simply Blue Energy and Swedish wind developer Eolus Vina AB have been granted a research permit for a major offshore floating wind project sited near Finland in the Bothnian Sea. The location is in the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. The Dec. 30 announcement came the same day that Eolus said it was […]