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.

  • GAS POWER Direct—September 14, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 14, 2022 Two Illinois Gas Power Plants Acquired by Public Benefit Corporation Earthrise Energy Two Eastern Generation natural gas power plants in northeastern Illinois have been acquired by Earthrise Energy, an emerging independent power producer and “public benefit corporation” that has […]

  • Oxford Group: Decarbonizing Energy Would Save $12 Trillion

    A new study from business and environmental researchers at Oxford University disputes the notion that a strategy to transition global power generation toward renewable energy and away from fossil fuels is too expensive to pursue. The study, released Sept. 13 and published in the journal Joule, reports that decarbonizing the world’s energy systems would save […]

  • Researchers at Sandia Lab Successfully Test New Power Generation Technology

    Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico announced they completed a successful test of a new power-generating technology, delivering electricity to the local grid using an energy conversion system that they say could drive a major increase in efficiency for power plants across the U.S. and perhaps the world. The researchers, in a news […]

  • The POWER Interview: Developing Platforms for Renewable Energy

    Billions of dollars are supporting renewable energy development in the U.S. The International Energy Agency has said record amounts of spending on clean energy will increase global energy investment by 8% in 2022. Julie McLaughlin, a managing director with Alvarez & Marsal’s U.S. Energy practice in San Francisco, California, has extensive experience in the energy space, working with […]

  • GE H-Class Turbine Will Power New Louisiana Gas-Fired Plant

    General Electric’s (GE’s) H-Class power generation equipment technology will be used at a new natural gas-fired power plant in Louisiana. GE on Sept. 1 said it received an order from Kindle Energy for a 7HA.03 gas turbine to serve the 725-MW Magnolia Power Project that will be built in Plaquemine. The new facility is expected […]

  • Siemens Gamesa in Deal with SSE Renewables for European Assets

    Siemens Gamesa said it has sold its renewable energy assets in southern Europe to SSE Renewables, a division of Scottish multinational energy company SSE. The deal announced Sept. 1 is for a 3.8-GW portfolio of projects, including onshore wind facilities in Spain, Italy, Greece, and France. The agreement also includes potential opportunities for Siemens Gamesa […]

  • Solar Project Forges a Bright Future for Colorado Steel Mill

    The Bighorn Solar farm has been called the future of renewable energy. It’s a project dedicated to providing cleaner power for a major industrial facility, while also investing in the community and

  • Iceland Geothermal Station Energizes an Entire Economy

    The Svartsengi plant in Iceland has operated for decades, and continues to build its legacy as the facility’s electricity generation and hot water support new businesses and provide a remarkable example of

  • Airport Upgrade Highlights History, Energy Efficiency

    A terminal at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the world’s first to receive a new and important design recognition from a green building group. Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at SFO is being recognized

  • ‘Superhybrid’ Projects Support Hydrogen Production in Australia

    An Australia-based company is designing a project that combines multiple power generation technologies into a system that not only creates electricity but also can result in production of hydrogen. Sunshine

  • The POWER Interview: Modeling Solutions for the Future of Energy

    Utilities function in the present but must always plan for the future. That’s even more true today, as the rapid pace of change with power generation technologies, and the transition to cleaner forms of energy, means utilities—whether they deal with electricity, natural gas, water, transportation, or are a municipality that pays attention to all those […]

  • Hungary Adding New VVER-1200 Nuclear Reactors in First for EU

    Hungary’s nuclear energy agency has issued a license for construction of two reactors for Paks II, a power generation project first launched in early 2014 as part of an inter-governmental agreement between Hungary and Russia. Officials said Paks II would be the first nuclear plant in the European Union to use Rosatom’s Generation III+ VVER-1200 […]

  • Japan Looks at Ramping Up Nuclear Power to Ensure Energy Supply

    Japan’s prime minister said the country is prepared to restart more of its idled nuclear reactors, and look at building more power generation facilities with next-generation nuclear technology. The comments from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during an Aug. 24 news conference in Tokyo signal a shift in Japan’s thinking about nuclear power after the country […]

  • The POWER Interview: Fluence Exec Offers Insight on Energy Storage

    There’s global growth in energy storage. The latest evidence is a report that BlackRock, the New York-based asset manager and a major player in energy sector, is ready to buy Akyasha Energy, an Australian company that specializes in battery storage and renewable energy projects. BlackRock in an Aug. 16 news release said it would commit […]

  • RENEWABLE POWER Direct—August 17, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 17, 2022 Biden Signs Bill to Transform U.S. Energy, Combat Climate Change President Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) should provide further impetus for growth of U.S. renewable energy, coming on the heels of a report from the Federal […]

  • Biden Signs Bill to Transform U.S. Energy, Combat Climate Change

    President Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) should provide further impetus for growth of U.S. renewable energy, coming on the heels of a report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that installations of solar and wind power accounted for more than two-thirds of new domestic utility-scale generation in the first six months […]

  • Renewable Energy, Electrification Big Winners in Inflation Reduction Act

    The U.S. House on Aug. 12 passed a bill with major implications for the power generation industry, joining the U.S. Senate in supporting the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The bill, which now heads to President Joe Biden for his signature, includes major provisions to combat climate change, including support for a variety of clean energy […]

  • California Governor Has Plan to Keep Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Open

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a plan that would keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open into 2035, a decade beyond the facility’s current closure date. The proposal, which in part includes giving plant owner Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) a forgivable $1.4-billion loan, was included in a draft legislative package sent to […]

  • Report Notes Continued Growth of Hybrid Power Plants

    Hybrid power plants continue to be deployed across the U.S., with almost 300 such facilities (all with 1 MW or more of generation capacity) operating at the end of last year. An August 2022 report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, based on research funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) and […]

  • California Sets Goals for Buildout of Offshore Wind

    California officials have taken a major step toward establishing the state’s offshore wind energy industry, setting a goal of installing as much as 5 GW of generation capacity this decade, and 25 GW by 2045. The California Energy Commission (CEC) on Aug. 10 put out a report detailing the state’s plan for offshore wind, which […]

  • GAS POWER Direct—August 10, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 10, 2022 Illinois EPA Issues Permit for New 1.1-GW Gas-Fired Facility Environmental officials in Illinois have signed off on construction of a 1,100-MW natural gas-fired power plant sited near Springfield, the state capital. EmberClear, an energy company with offices in Houston,… […]

  • Chicago Announces Plan to Power City with 100% Renewable Energy

    Chicago’s public buildings could all be powered by renewable energy under a plan announced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Aug. 8. The mayor, along with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, on Monday said the city has an agreement with Chicago utility Constellation Energy, along with Massachusetts-based Swift Current Energy, a renewable energy developer. The two spoke […]

  • Illinois EPA Issues Permit for New 1.1-GW Gas-Fired Facility

    Environmental officials in Illinois have signed off on construction of a 1,100-MW natural gas-fired power plant sited near Springfield, the state capital. EmberClear, an energy company with offices in Houston, Texas, and Moosic, Pennsylvania, is behind the $1 billion project, which will be located near Pawnee in Sangamon County. The Lincoln Land Energy Center will […]

  • Equinor May Postpone Closure of Norwegian Gas-Fired Power Plant

    Norway-based energy major Equinor could continue to operate its natural gas-fired Mongstad power plant to support the country’s electricity supply. The company recently said it may reconsider its decision to close the plant by the end of August. Norway, which like many other countries has suffered drought conditions over the past several months, is experiencing […]

  • AVANGRID Will Operate, Manage Major U.S. Offshore Wind Project

    AVANGRID announced it has finalized a deal to operate and manage the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind project, an 800-MW installation being built off the coast of Massachusetts. Vineyard Wind 1 is owned in a joint venture between AVANGRID, part of the Iberdrola Group, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. Construction of what would be the first […]

  • Rosatom Picks New EPC Lead for Turkey’s First Nuclear Power Plant

    A new contractor has been named to finish construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant. Russia’s state-owned energy giant Rosatom on July 30 said it had chosen TSM Enerji, a company owned by three Russian groups and incorporated in Turkey, as the project’s new engineering, procurement, and construction lead. The Turkish government has said it […]

  • Shanghaimiao Part of China’s Push for More Efficient Coal Plant Designs

    China’s rapid buildout of new power plants, needed to satisfy the country’s increasing demand for electricity, includes several gigawatts of coal-fired generation. The first 1-GW unit of an eventual 4-GW

  • Upgrades to Line Sensors Support Reliability of the Power Grid

    New technologies to monitor power lines are emerging worldwide, part of continuing efforts to harden the power grid and increase reliability and resiliency. Utilities and other operators of electricity

  • POWER Digest [August 2022]

    Emerson Involved in Coal-to-Biomass Switch. Albioma, a French independent energy provider, is working with Emerson, a global technology and software company, on the transition of the Bois Rouge 108-MW

  • Southern CEO Fanning Set to Step Down

    Longtime Southern Co. CEO Tom Fanning plans to announce his retirement, perhaps by the end of this year, stepping down after leading the company since 2010. A Bloomberg report on July 29, citing “people familiar with the matter,” said the U.S. utility giant already has launched a search to find Fanning’s replacement. Bloomberg reported that […]