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.

  • 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 […]

  • EDF Announces More Delays, Cost Overruns for Flamanville 3 Reactor

    French utility Électricité de France (EDF)on July 25 said it has pushed fuel loading at its 1.6-GW Flamanville 3 nuclear project to the fourth quarter of 2019 and increased cost estimates for the project by another €400 million (USD $467.1 million). EDF said its current cost for the project has ballooned to €10.9 billion (USD […]

  • Death Toll Likely to Rise After Dam Failure at Laos Hydro Project

    More than two dozen people have died in southeastern Laos after part of a newly built hydroelectric dam broke on July 23, flooding nearby villages. Government officials on July 25 said it had confirmed 26 deaths, with fears the death toll will rise with more than 130 people officially listed as missing and heavy rain […]

  • KYOCERA TCL Solar Completes 28-MW Solar Power Plant in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan

    Kyocera Corporation and Tokyo Century Corporation announced that Kyocera TCL Solar LLC (herein “Kyocera TCL Solar”) has completed construction of a 28-MW utility-scale solar power plant in the town of Taiwa, Kurokawa District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The company has developed this solar power plant in collaboration with Tokyo-based Tsuboi Corporation and started operations in late June […]

  • esVolta Selected for 75 MW / 300 MWh Hummingbird Energy Storage Project in Northern California

    ALISO VIEJO, Calif. — esVolta, a developer and owner of utility-scale energy storage projects across North America, has been selected by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to build an energy storage system in Santa Clara County, California. Under the proposal, which is pending approval by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), esVolta will develop, […]

  • Report: Human Error to Blame in Fatal India Plant Accident

    An internal report from NTPC said an “error in judgment” by plant operators led to an explosion at India’s Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Station last year that resulted in the deaths of 45 workers. Reuters news service on July 23 said it had reviewed a summary of the report on the accident that occurred […]

  • Siemens Gamesa wins order for a 235-MW onshore project in Sweden

    Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) announces the order for the 235-megawatt (MW) Överturingen wind park in central Sweden. The scope of the project is to supply 56 units of the SWT-DD-130 wind turbine rated at 4.2 MW each, including delivery, installation and long term service. The customer is the Green Investment Group (GIG), a business […]

  • NRG Ends Effort to Repower Dunkirk Plant

    NRG Energy will not restart its Dunkirk power plant in western New York, with the company on July 11 saying the cost to reconnect the facility to the state’s electric grid prohibits reopening the retired coal-fired plant as a natural gas-fueled facility. David Gaier, an NRG spokesman, told POWER the project’s increased costs, along with needed […]

  • Navajo Nation Negotiating Sale of West’s Largest Coal Plant

    The Navajo Nation on July 12 said it has identified a potential buyer for the 2,250-MW Navajo Generating Station (NGS) in Arizona, the largest coal-fired power plant in the western U.S. The Navajo Nation Council, in a joint news release with the Navajo Nation’s Office of the President and Vice President, said the Hopi Tribe […]

  • ABB wins $150 million order to grid-connect world’s largest offshore wind farm

    Key technologies and ABB Ability digital solutions will integrate wind energy from Hornsea Project Two to the UK grid, powering more than 1.3 million homes. ABB has won orders worth more than $150 million from Danish energy company, Ørsted (previously Dong Energy), to supply a range of technologies that will help integrate and transmit renewable […]

  • MAN to Power Gas-Engine Power Plant in Oman

    MAN Energy Solutions has won the order from Oman Liquefied Natural Gas LLC (Oman LNG) to equip a new power plant with nine MAN 51/60 gas engines. The contract was signed by Wayne Jones, Chief Sales Officer of MAN Energy Solutions, and Harib Al Kitani, Chief Executive Officer of Oman LNG, on June 4th in […]

  • Siemens launches performance enhancement for select SGT-800 gas turbines

    Siemens has introduced a new SGT-800 performance enhancement that is applicable to all existing SGT-800 units with 43-47.5-MW ratings. The new upgrade is designed to provide owners and operators with significant fuel savings and CO2emissions reduction for improved sustainable energy production. The upgrade offers up to a 3.5 percent increase of simple cycle gas turbine […]