Darrell Proctor
Articles By

Darrell Proctor

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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. […]

  • Storage Bringing Change to Energy Markets

    Energy industry experts speaking at the MEGA Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 21 agreed that storage is becoming more important to the overall mix of U.S. power sources. They also said utility-scale storage solutions remain “years away,” even as technology advancements in battery systems occur more rapidly. Panelists at the session entitled “The Transformation […]

  • Trump Emissions Plan Aims to Boost Coal-Fired Power

    The Trump administration has proposed an overhaul of U.S. power plant emissions rules, unveiling a plan that would allow individual states to determine how they will regulate pollutants. The proposal, called the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) plan and discussed during the keynote address at the MEGA Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 21, would essentially dissolve […]

  • Wärtsilä to help ensure reliable power supply in challenging Hawaii conditions through Smart Technologies

    Clean, secure, and uninterrupted power is at the core of Hawaiian Electric’s 50-megawatt Schofield Generating Station. Wärtsilä has signed a Maintenance and Operational advisory agreement for the power plant, located on the island of Oahu, 40 kilometres from Honolulu. The agreement will help the utility to maximize the availability and efficiency of the power plant. […]

  • Potential Navajo Station Operator—Less Capacity Equals More Profit

    The possible new operator of the largest coal-fired power plant in the western U.S. told Arizona regulators this week the company would run the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) at less than half its installed generation capacity in order to maintain profitability. An official for Illinois-based Middle River Power (MRP) also said the plant would operate […]

  • Judge Rules New York Gas Plant Can Resume Startup Tests

    A New York Supreme Court judge on August 15 said Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) can resume startup tests at its new natural gas-fired power plant in Wawayanda. The decision Wednesday from Judge Roger D. McDonough came one day after CPV sued New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). CPV is seeking an injunction allowing it […]

  • States Would Set Rules Under Trump Emissions Plan

    A report from POLITICO says the Trump administration’s rollback of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP) would give individual states more leeway to set their own rules governing emissions from power plants. POLITICO, which covers politics and policy both in the U.S. and internationally, said its review of a draft document, and information from a […]

  • Group: Indiana Should Reject Vectren Plan for New Gas-Fired Plant

    An Indiana consumer protection agency has told state regulators they should reject Vectren Corp.’s plan to build a new natural gas-fired power plant in the state. Vectren wants the plant to replace four of the utility’s retiring coal-fired units. Indiana’s Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) on August 13 said it completed a five-month legal […]

  • Pattern Energy and PSP Investments Acquire 147 MW Mont Sainte-Marguerite Wind Facility in Québec

    MONTRÉAL, Québec, August 14, 2018 – Pattern Energy Group Inc. (NASDAQ and TSX: PEGI) (“Pattern Energy” or the “Company”) and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (“PSP Investments”) today announced the acquisition of the 147 megawatt (MW) Mont Sainte-Marguerite Wind power facility from Pattern Energy Group LP (“Pattern Development 1.0”). Mont Sainte-Marguerite Wind is located […]

  • Ørsted and Siemens Gamesa Sign First U.S. Offshore Turbine Supplier Contract

    VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Demonstrating that the offshore wind industry is gaining significant momentum in the United States, Ørsted and Siemens Gamesa today announced the signing of a subcontract to supply wind turbines for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project founded by Dominion Energy. Ørsted and Dominion Energy entered into a strategic initiative in 2017 to provide […]

  • Xcel Energy breaks ground on Foxtail Wind

    Fargo, ND (August 9, 2018) — Xcel Energy celebrated the construction of its newest 150-megawatt wind facility in central North Dakota today. The event featured local landowners, company representatives, U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, and other state and local officials. The Foxtail Wind project will provide low-cost wind energy to nearly 80,000 homes when it’s completed […]

  • Official: FERC, Other Agencies Identifying ‘Critical’ Coal, Nuclear Plants

    An official with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) told a nuclear industry group this week that the agency and Trump administration officials are trying to identify power plants they consider critical to the nation’s grid. The move is seen as part of the White House effort to prop up the struggling U.S. coal and […]

  • Study Finds California Can Close 28 Natural Gas Plants Immediately Without Affecting Electricity Reliability

    OAKLAND, Calif. (August 7, 2018)—California can retire at least 28 of its natural gas plants because they are no longer needed to meet the state’s electricity needs nor its carbon emissions reduction goals, according to an analysis released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The study analyzed the operations of all 89 natural gas plants […]

  • Growth ahead for Taiwanese offshore wind industry: Siemens Gamesa signs 10 MoUs with suppliers on one day

    August 8, 2018 — Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) signed 10 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with a range of suppliers today in Taipei, Taiwan. The MoUs come as a complement to previous agreements signed with Yeong Guan Energy Technology Group (YGG) and Swancor Holding Co. (Swancor). They further demonstrate the commitment of SGRE to the […]

  • High-voltage specialist Smith Brothers secures contract with CHP giant

    High-voltage power contractor Smith Brothers has secured an Independent Connection Provider (ICP) contract with sustainable energy specialist P3P Partners, marking the electrical engineering firm’s first foray into the fast-growing combined heat and power (CHP) market. A leading provider of CHP services, P3P develops energy-efficient centres across the UK and has previously delivered state-of-the-art solutions to […]

  • Siemens achieves breakthrough with 3D-printed combustion component for SGT-A05

    Siemens has reached yet another milestone in its journey to realize the many benefits of additive manufacturing (AM) and to lead the development of this innovative technology in the power generation industry. This time the company has successfully 3D-printed and engine tested a dry low emission (DLE) pre-mixer for the SGT-A05 aeroderivative gas turbine, with […]

  • Siemens Combining Business Units as Part of New Strategy

    Siemens reported a 2% rise in industrial profit for its fiscal third quarter on August 2, topping analyst forecasts, though the German engineering giant also reported that revenue for the quarter dropped 4%. The earnings report comes as the company prepares to implement a new strategy that cuts its number of business divisions. The company […]

  • GE Cutting 225 Jobs at New York Campus

    General Electric (GE), long considered the most-prominent business in Schenectady, New York, on August 7 announced another 225 job cuts at its main campus in the city. The announcement comes as GE continues to restructure its operations amid a downturn in global demand for the company’s turbines. GE cut about 110 jobs at the Schenectady […]

  • MHPS Continues Global Gas Turbine Leadership

    YOKOHAMA, JAPAN – (August 6, 2018) Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) today announced their continued leadership of the global market for gas turbines. Through the 2nd quarter of 2018, MHPS leads the industry with 40% of the total market and has led at the halfway point of a calendar year. In the highly competitive market […]