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Gas
Another World Record for Combined Cycle Efficiency
The Nishi Nagoya power plant in Japan is more than just the showcase of a successful fuel-conversion project. It’s the holder of a world record, thanks to a GE Power gas turbine that again has set the global
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Nuclear
Vogtle Owners Vote to Continue Nuclear Expansion Project
The four co-owners of the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project in Georgia have voted to continue construction of two new reactors at the site near Waynesboro. The vote on September 26 came two days after the original deadline for a vote on the future of Units 3 and 4, which are scheduled to come online […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Deadline Extended for Vote on Future of Plant Vogtle
The drama over the fate of the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion in Georgia continued September 25 as the four co-owners of the project sparred over conditions that one of the co-owners, Oglethorpe Power, wants in order to secure its support for moving forward with the project. A vote on the future of the oft-delayed, massively […]
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Gas
Siemens Cutting 2,900 Jobs, Vying with GE for $15B Iraqi Contract
Siemens on September 24 said it would cut about 2,900 jobs, mostly from its Power and Gas division in Germany, as it continues restructuring to achieve cost savings amid a tough global market for turbine manufacturers. Siemens on Monday said the cuts will save the company about €270 million ($318 million) and is part of […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Oglethorpe Agrees to Continue Vogtle Nuclear Project with Conditions; Final Vote Still to Come
Owners of the beleaguered Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project have voted—at least for now—to continue construction of two new AP1000 reactors at the site near Waynesboro, Georgia. Directors of the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power) and Oglethorpe Power on September 24 each agreed the oft-delayed and increasingly over-budget project should move forward, although […]
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Coal
Companies End Effort to Buy Navajo Generating Station
The companies negotiating to purchase the largest coal-fired power plant in the southwestern U.S. have ended their pursuit, which means the 2,250-MW Navajo Generating Station (NGS) near Page, Arizona, remains scheduled to close by year-end 2019. Avenue Capital, a New York-based global investment firm focused on distressed assets, and Chicago-based Middle River Power on September […]
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Nuclear
AP1000 Reactor Set for Commercial Operation in China
An AP1000 nuclear reactor at the Sanmen power plant in China will likely be the first of its kind to begin commercial operation, with reports saying the reactor could come online as early as September 21. A statement from China National Nuclear Power Company, issued to the stock exchange in Shanghai on September 20, said […]
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Renewables
How Independence Power & Light Saves Ratepayers $100k a Year Using Artificial Intelligence Technology
At this moment, the lights are on around the country in homes and workplaces. Most don’t realize, perhaps take it for granted, that those lights come on because of the hard work of dispatchers operating one of the most important manmade systems ever built, the national electric power grid. Without oversimplifying the process too much, […]
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Press Releases
Grasshopper Announces USD $10 Million Investment in 4-MW Solar Portfolio in Japan
TORONTO, September 18, 2018— Grasshopper Solar, Canada’s largest vertically integrated solar energy company, announces a USD $10 million investment in six solar power plants from Univergy Solar in Japan. These six ground mount projects, ranging from 439kW to 971kW totaling 4 MW, will utilize 12,500 solar panels, generate 4,544 MWh of clean energy and deliver […]
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Video
Oldest U.S. Nuclear Plant Shuts Down
The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey, the oldest operating nuclear plant in the U.S., was shut down September 17. Workers marked the closure with a ceremony at the plant, as 400 current employees and former workers watched via a livestream as operators took the plant offline. Oyster Creek, a 625-MW single-reactor plant […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Appeals Court Backs Illinois’ Nuclear Subsidies
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on September 13 upheld subsidies offered by Illinois to help struggling nuclear power plants. The court rejected arguments from power producers and some Illinois energy consumers that so-called zero-emission credits (ZEC) are preempted by the Federal Power Act. Opponents argued the program violates the Commerce Clause […]
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Press Releases
X-energy Holds First Public Meeting on Its Xe-100 Advanced Reactor
GREENBELT, Maryland (September 13, 2018) – X-energy held its first public meeting on September 11, 2018, with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to discuss the design of the Xe-100, a high temperature gas-cooled (HTGR) pebble bed advanced reactor. This week’s discussions are the beginning of X-energy’s pre-application engagement with the NRC and a follow-on […]
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Renewables
EIA Report Says Coal Still King on State-by-State Basis
A report this week from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows coal-fired power was still the major source of generation on a state-by-state basis in 2017, though natural gas-fueled electricity production slightly outpaced coal overall The EIA’s report, published September 10, said 18 states relied on coal for the bulk of their power generation […]
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Legal & Regulatory
EPA Schedules One Hearing on Proposed ACE Rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on September 10 announced it will hold one hearing to get input from the public and stakeholders on its Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, the Trump administration’s replacement for the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP). The EPA said it has scheduled an all-day hearing October 1 at the Ralph […]
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Legal & Regulatory
California Mandates 100% Renewable Energy
California Gov. Jerry Brown on September 10 signed into law a measure requiring the state to produce all its electricity from renewable sources by 2045. It’s a goal that also has been set by Hawaii and is being discussed by other states. Environmental groups and renewable energy advocates immediately praised Brown’s action. Utilities operating in […]
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Press Releases
Siemens wins major contract for grid connection at Triton Knoll offshore wind farm
Siemens Energy Management has received an order to design, supply and build the grid connection for the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm by German customer Innogy SE. The wind farm, 32 kilometers (km) off the Lincolnshire coast, will have an installed generation capacity of circa 860 megawatts (MW) after its completion. Triton Knoll will be […]
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Coal
Report: 10% of U.S. Coal Mined in 1H2018 Went to Plants Scheduled to Retire
More than 10% of the coal mined from eight U.S. regions in the first half of 2018 was sent to coal plants scheduled for retirement between this year and 2032, according to a report from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The trend is another troubling sign for the struggling coal industry. The analysis released September 7 […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Plans Move Forward for Privately Funded Storage of Nuclear Waste
The Trump administration has revived the discussion of using Yucca Mountain in Nevada as a repository for the nation’s nuclear waste. Nevada officials remain opposed to the idea of putting spent nuclear fuel in long-term storage at a site about 100 miles from Las Vegas. But while a bill to resurrect Yucca Mountain as a […]
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Supply Chains
Japan Program for Reuse of Nuclear MOX Fuel in Doubt
The Japanese government has pushed for the reuse of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel in the country’s nuclear reactors, but utilities that finance the reprocessing have not funded those operations since fiscal year 2016, according to financial reports released by the power companies on September 2. Japan’s KYODO News reported that sources said 10 utilities, including Tokyo […]
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Press Releases
Conti Solar Selected to Construct 35-MW Solar Energy Portfolio for Southern Sky Renewable Energy in Rhode Island
EDISON, N.J. (Sept. 4, 2018) — Conti Solar, a national solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), O&M and energy storage company, announced today that it was selected to provide full turnkey EPC services for Southern Sky Renewable Energy’s 35 MW solar project portfolio. Headquartered in Warwick, Rhode Island, Southern Sky is the region’s leading renewable […]
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Press Releases
GE and Construtora Quebec Partner to Build Power Plant in Brazil
GUANAMBI, BAHIA STATE, Brazil (Sept. 3, 2018) – GE Power (NYSE: GE) was chosen by EPC Construtora Quebec, a Brazilian engineering company, to provide its 4.4-megawatt (MW) and 2.2-MW LV5 1,500-volt inverters and skids for the 14-MW Verde Vale III project in Guanambi, Brazil. This project is owned by Vientos Solutions, an owner and operator […]
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Renewables
Egypt Brings New Natural Gas and Wind Power Plants Online
New natural gas-fired power plants and wind farms are part of Egypt’s strategy to increase the country’s power generation by at least 50%. It began delivering on that plan in July as it brought three
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Renewables
Renewed Vision Shines Light on Dormant Nuclear Site
The framework of a cooling tower. Weathered concrete walls, with empty holes as windows. The remains of what might have been provide the backdrop for what is—a solar farm that’s boosting economic
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Renewables
Hydro Project Overcomes Physical, Social Obstacles
Hydropower is Brazil’s major source of electricity. The country is moving toward more generation from solar and wind, and away from so-called “mega dams,” but what could be a final mammoth hydro project
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Connected Plant
Tesla Virtual Power Plant Takes Shape in Australia
Tesla in July released more details of its virtual power plant (VPP) project in South Australia (SA), outlining the initiative as well as its resources and the benefits it will bring to the region. The company
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Renewables
Oklahoma Coal Plant Sets Closing Date After Losing PPA
An executive with the AES Shady Point coal-fired power plant in Oklahoma said the facility could close as soon as January after being notified its power purchase agreement (PPA) will not be extended. Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. (OG&E) this month said it will not execute another five-year extension of a PPA between the two […]
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Press Releases
MHPS, NTE Energy Open Second Clean Power Plant In Three Months
Lake Mary, Florida (August 28, 2018) — Officials from Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas joined with NTE Energy executives today to mark the formal start of operations at a new North Carolina clean power plant featuring MHPS technology. MHPS executives helped cut the ribbon on NTE Energy’s $500 million Kings Mountain Energy Center (KMEC); located […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Coal’s ACE in the Hole? New Rule Still Faces Headwinds
The Trump administration has extended a potential lifeline to coal-fired power plants with its Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule. Now the debate is about how much the plan will actually help coal generation. Energy analysts and other industry experts who spoke with POWER on August 28 say the new rule, which would give individual states the […]
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Press Releases
Hull Street Energy Acquires Nine Hydroelectric Plants In New Hampshire From Eversource
BETHESDA, Md. (Aug. 27, 2018) — Hull Street Energy, LLC (“Hull Street Energy”) is pleased to announce it has closed on the previously-announced acquisition of nine hydroelectric power facilities in New Hampshire from Eversource through a special purpose affiliate. The transaction consists of nine facilities with approximately 68 MW of power generation capacity. The plants are […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Experts: Coal Plants Must Adapt to New Energy Landscape
The Trump administration’s Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule announced August 21 calls for coal-fired power plants to meet state-designed performance standards, most notably focused on increases in heat rate and overall efficiency for individual generating stations. Energy experts speaking at the MEGA Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 22 agreed it’s a goal worth pursuing. […]