Sonal Patel
Articles By

Sonal Patel

  • UK Picks Coal Power Plant as Site for Nuclear Fusion Energy Prototype

    The UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA’s) ground-breaking STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) prototype fusion energy plant will be built at the site of the West Burton power station, a 1-GW coal-fired plant owned by EDF in North Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands region of England, the UK government announced on Oct. 6. UKAEA, which carries out […]

  • Thailand Starts Up First of Two Giant 2.7-GW Natural Gas-Fired Combined Cycle Power Plants

    Mitsubishi Power has declared complete a 2,650-MW natural gas–fired power plant in Chonburi province, Thailand, delivering its four M701JAC power trains to the plant’s joint owners Gulf Energy Development PCL, one of the largest independent power producers (IPPs) in Thailand, and Tokyo-based conglomerate Mitsui & Co., Ltd. The Gulf SRC (GSRC) power plant, located about 130 […]

  • Switzerland Secures 250-MW GE Gas Power Temporary Power Plant For Crucial Winter Reserve

    The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) will install 250 MW of temporary reserve power—via eight trailer-mounted GE Gas Power TM2500 mobile aeroderivative gas turbine units—to secure critical power supplies this winter. GE Gas Power said the units, which will be located at GE’s Manufacturing Center in Birr, in the Swiss canton of Aargau, near […]

  • Ansaldo, Westinghouse Partner on Nuclear Plant Based on Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor Design

    Westinghouse and Ansaldo Energia’s Switzerland-based nuclear arm, Ansaldo Nucleare, will cooperate in developing a nuclear power plant based on lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) technology. The two companies, which have separately spearheaded the development of fast-reactor designs, said they will advance a common design “to maximize synergies, combine experience in design, testing and licensing, and align […]

  • A New Breed of Energy Security: HO Clarke Power Plant

    WattBridge, a relatively new independent power producer that evolved out of a non-OEM aeroderivative gas turbine solutions provider, completed its first power facility based on a standardized LM6000 plant

  • Harnessing an H-Class for Hydrogen: Long Ridge Energy Terminal

    Long Ridge Energy Terminal in Hannibal, Ohio, is one of the first power plants in the U.S. to be purpose-built for generating power with hydrogen fuel. But embarking on the pioneering journey that could

  • Can Power Plant Wastewater Be Valuable?

    The rise and rapid adoption of the circular economy—a systems solution framework that seeks to keep materials, products, and services in circulation for as long as possible—is triggering an interesting

  • The Big Picture: Power Plant Additions Over the Decades [Infographic]

    The deployment of new power plants in the U.S. over the past 14 decades has hinged on policies, markets, technologies, and new industry players. Every decade has presented its own state of multidimensional, multivariate complexity. The ongoing “energy transition,” which has been characterized by the addition of smaller, carbon-free resources, marks another pivotal period in […]

  • POWERnews—Sept. 29, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 29, 2022 NYPA, GE Successfully Pilot Hydrogen Retrofit at Aeroderivative Gas Turbine A pioneering GE aeroderivative gas turbine project to demonstrate hydrogen combustion as part of a retrofit at an existing U.S. natural gas power plant has successfully utilized blends of […]

  • Carbon Capture Begins at India’s Largest Coal Power Plant

    India’s largest coal-fired power plant, NTPC’s 4.8-GW Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station, has begun capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from plant flue gas as part of a foundational project to explore the conversion of CO2 to methanol.  The carbon capture plant, built by UK-based carbon capture solutions provider Carbon Clean and Green Power International, an engineering, procurement, […]

  • Boost for Mitsubishi Power Ammonia Gas Turbines in Singapore, Indonesia

    A month after Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Japanese power generator JERA set out to jointly explore developing a 60-MW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant fueled with 100% ammonia on Singapore’s Jurong Island, MHI announced it is partnering with another Singapore industrial heavyweight to explore the feasibility of an ammonia-fired gas turbine in the […]

  • NYPA, GE Successfully Pilot Hydrogen Retrofit at Aeroderivative Gas Turbine

    A pioneering GE aeroderivative gas turbine project to demonstrate hydrogen combustion as part of a retrofit at an existing U.S. natural gas power plant has successfully utilized blends of 5% to 44% hydrogen with natural gas—some of the highest volumes of hydrogen blended into a commercially operating gas turbine. The project spearheaded by New York […]

  • DOE Unveils Next Steps for Nuclear Waste Consent-Based Siting Process

    The Department of Energy (DOE) has initiated community outreach to facilitate consent-based siting, management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), and interim storage facility siting. The effort, outlined in a series of steps the DOE expects to take in response to a recent request for public input, marks a significant first step toward advancing the agency’s […]

  • POWERnews—Sept. 22, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 22, 2022 DOE Unveils Next Steps for Nuclear Waste Consent-Based Siting Process The Department of Energy (DOE) has initiated community outreach to facilitate consent-based siting, management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), and interim storage facility siting. The effort, which is outlined […]

  • RENEWABLE POWER Direct—Sept. 21, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 21, 2022 Biden Administration Throws Support Behind Floating Offshore Wind The Biden administration announced a goal of installing as much as 15 GW of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035, and said it plans to auction off leases to… DOE’s […]

  • Oklo Relaunches NRC Licensing Process for Nuclear Microreactor

    Oklo, the developer of the much-watched 1.5-MW Aurora microreactor, has submitted a recharged licensing project plan (LPP) with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), launching a renewed effort that could help the advanced nuclear reactor developer set the stage for “effective and efficient” application reviews by the federal regulator. The move is a significant step for […]

  • POWERnews—Sept. 15, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 15, 2022 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…   […]

  • NuScale, Last Energy Make Significant Insteps for SMRs in Poland

    NuScale has signed a first task order and a statement of commencement with Polish mining and processing firm KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., kicking off early work for a VOYGR nuclear power plant of up to 924 MWe that the partners could deploy as early as 2029 to support KGHM’s copper and silver production in Poland. […]

  • Michigan Governor Urges DOE to Support Palisades Nuclear Plant’s Reopening

    Michigan’s governor has asked the Department of Energy (DOE) to support Holtec International’s efforts to “save” the 800-MW Palisades nuclear power plant, marking a potential turnaround for the facility in Southwest Michigan, which was taken offline for the final time on May 20, 2022, after 50 years of operation. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s in a […]

  • DOE’s Latest Energy Earthshot Will Tackle Technical, Economic Challenges for Enhanced Geothermal Systems

    The Department of Energy’s (DOE)’s latest Energy Earthshot will seek to cut the cost of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) to $45/MWh by 2035, an ambitious goal that would shave current EGS costs by 90%. The DOE’s latest Energy Earthshot—part of a 2021-research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) initiative it launched to accelerate breakthroughs for emerging technologies—will […]

  • POWERnews—Sept. 8, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 8, 2022 Biden Administration Targets Industrial Decarbonization Through Electrification, Low-Carbon Fuels, CCUS The Biden administration has laid out a comprehensive roadmap to help five energy-intensive manufacturing sectors reduce their fuel- and power-related carbon emissions and achieve net-zero by 2050. The pathways […]

  • Germany Halts Closure of Two Nuclear Plants Until April 2023

    Germany plans to keep two of its three last nuclear power plants on standby until mid-2023—beyond their year-end closure deadline—to bolster its energy security through the winter. However, the declaration has prompted confusion within Germany’s nuclear industry, which says nuclear plants aren’t suited to perform as operating reserve. Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action […]

  • 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 now amassed a 1.7-GW natural gas fleet in Illinois. Earthrise on Sept. 6 said it acquired the 328-MW Crete (Figure 1) and 656-MW Lincoln Generating Facility from Eastern […]

  • Biden Administration Targets Industrial Decarbonization Through Electrification, Low-Carbon Fuels, CCUS

    The Biden administration has laid out a comprehensive roadmap to help five energy-intensive manufacturing sectors reduce their fuel- and power-related carbon emissions and achieve net-zero by 2050. The pathways proposed for the iron and steel, cement and concrete, food and beverage, chemical manufacturing, and petroleum refining sectors may have substantial implications for future power demand. […]

  • California Declares Stage 3 Emergency Alert, Warns Rotating Outages Possible

    California’s grid operator issued a Stage 3 energy emergency alert (EEA) at 5:17 p.m. PST on Sept. 6, warning it would order rotating power outages to lower soaring power demand and stabilize its grid, if necessary. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) cautiously raised the emergency alert from Stage 2, which it had declared earlier […]

  • Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Gets Legislative Approval for Operation to 2030

    California’s lawmakers have passed Senate Bill 846, effectively offering Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) a pathway to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open until at least 2030. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham, a Republican from San Luis Obispo, and Democratic state Sen. Bill Dodd of Napa, passed the California Assembly by 69–3 […]

  • POWERnews—Sept. 1, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 1, 2022 Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Gets Legislative Approval for Operation to 2030 California’s lawmakers have passed Senate Bill 846, effectively offering Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) a pathway to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open until at least […]

  • Another Major Leadership Shuffle: PSEG Gets New CEO

    In another high-profile leadership shuffle at a major U.S. power generating company, PSEG’s longtime president and CEO Ralph Izzo on Sept. 1 passed leadership of the regulated infrastructure company to Ralph LaRossa, who was previously PSEG’s chief operating officer (COO). Izzo, who will continue to serve as executive chair of the PSEG board until December […]

  • DOE Backs Carbon Capture Development at Two Major Gas-Fired Power Plants   

    Two major U.S. gas power plants will be part of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) efforts to develop carbon capture technologies capable of capturing at least 95% of carbon dioxide.  The agency’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) on Aug. 26 announced $31 million in funding for 10 projects. While many of the […]

  • A Fine Balance: Building One of Europe’s Largest Hybrid Facilities

    When Swedish company Vattenfall in 2018 set out to combine wind, solar, and battery storage resources at this pioneering energy park in the Netherlands, its foremost focus was to demonstrate a clean energy