Darrell Proctor
Articles By

Darrell Proctor

  • 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 […]

  • SparkCognition Partners with Siemens To Advance Industrial Market

    AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 7, 2018 — SparkCognition, a global artificial intelligence (AI) company, announced its collaboration with Siemens to deploy SparkCognition’s AI solutions on MindSphere, the Internet of Things (IoT) operating system from Siemens. SparkCognition is also joining the global MindSphere Partner Program, which will further enable them to enhance operations for companies in the Industrial IoT (IIoT) market. “SparkCognition […]

  • New York Denies Air Permit for New Gas-Fired Power Plant

    A natural gas-fired power plant in New York state that planned to ramp up to full operations this month has been denied an air quality permit from state officials. Competitive Power Ventures’ (CPV’s) Valley Energy Center in Wawayanda, located in Orange County north of New York City, is in the final testing and commissioning phase, […]

  • MAN Energy Solutions Secures Orders for Plants in Bangladesh

    MAN Energy Solutions has been chosen as the solution provider for two power plants in Bangladesh with a total of 15 MAN engines to boost energy generation capacities in the rapidly developing Asian country. The first plant is currently being erected in the country’s Chittagong District on the eastern bank of Karnaphuli River and is […]

  • POWER Digest [August 2018]

    Large Energy Storage System Commissioned in Germany. NEC Energy Solutions (NEC) in late June said it had commissioned the largest energy storage system in Europe for Germany-based EnspireME, a joint venture

  • GE Power Launches Advanced Management System in Delhi

    Maintaining a reliable supply of power in Delhi, India, has been a major issue for the area as local demand for electricity continues to increase. The city in June repeatedly set new records for electricity

  • More Solar Power Comes Online in Mongolia

    The Mongolian government in late June commissioned the country’s second photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant, a 15-MW facility in the province of Dornogovi, in an “economic development zone” of

  • EV Batteries Repurposed for Energy Storage

    Daimler, the German automotive company best-known for the Mercedes-Benz line of vehicles, obviously knows a bit about cars. So perhaps it’s no surprise its subsidiary, Mercedes-Benz Energy, is using vehicle

  • Extensive Planning, Innovative Work Strategies, Teamwork Combine for Successful SCR Project

    A coal-fired plant in Colorado needed to further reduce its emissions to comply with more-stringent regulations. The work presented several challenges, and the owner and contractors worked together to complete

  • South Korean Plant Finds Flexibility with Advanced CFB Technology

    The Samcheok Green Power Plant requires less maintenance and is more cost-effective than conventional coal plants, and more environmentally friendly with its use of once-through ultrasupercritical boilers

  • Pattern Development Signs Power Purchase Agreements in New Mexico with Silicon Valley Clean Energy and Monterey Bay Community Power

    Albuquerque, New Mexico (July 31, 2018) – Pattern Energy Group 2 LP (Pattern Development) today announced it has signed 15-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) and Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP) to deliver wind power from the 200 megawatt (MW) Duran Mesa Wind project currently in development near Corona, New Mexico. […]

  • Plan in Works to Finish Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Alabama

    It’s been 30 years since the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) called a halt to construction of the Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama. Details of a deal to finish the plant and its two Babcock & Wilcox pressurized water reactors were announced at a news conference near the idled project July 30. Business executives and […]

  • Large Solar-Plus-Storage Projects Planned Near Las Vegas

    Two planned solar projects in Nevada would be the first in that state to include battery storage, part of an increasing trend toward such projects to help mitigate issues with integrating renewable energy into the larger transmission grid. Both projects are scheduled to begin construction next year pending regulatory approval, with the Bureau of Land […]