Business

  • Hydropower Grows but Industry Is Changing

    New hydropower capacity installed worldwide plunged 36% in 2017 compared to 2016, but the sector remains optimistic about its future despite a transitioning role for hydropower away from baseload power and

  • POWER Digest [July 2018]

    Renewable Projects Planned in Australia. CWP Renewables, a company based in Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, on May 28 said it received a $700 million investment from Partners Group, a

  • Sustainable from the Start: Tech Company a Model of Efficient Power Management

    OWC is known in the tech field for its computer hardware. It’s also known for its on-campus power generation, which sets it apart from others in the high-tech field, showcasing a commitment embraced by the

  • ABB, Ballard Power Systems Sign MOU on Zero-Emission Fuel Cell Power Plant

    ABB, the pioneering technology leader, and Ballard Power Systems, the leading global provider of innovative clean energy fuel cell solutions, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on developing the next-generation fuel cell power system for sustainable marine e-mobility. The fuel cell power system, to be jointly designed, developed and validated by ABB and Ballard […]

  • Gemma Power Systems and Balico Enter Into EPC Contract for 1,600 MW Chickahominy Power Project

    GLASTONBURY, CT, and HERNDON, VA, June 26, 2018 – Gemma Power Systems, LLC (GPS) and Chickahominy Power, LLC have entered into an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services contract to construct the Chickahominy Power Station, a 1,600 MW state-of-the-art natural gas-fired power plant, in Charles City County, Virginia. The facility is being developed by Balico, […]

  • Ice Energy announces long-term funding agreement with Argo Infrastructure Partners

    COSTA MESA, CA (June 26, 2018)— Ice Energy, the leading provider of distributed thermal energy storage solutions, announced that it has entered into a long-term funding agreement with private equity manager Argo Infrastructure Partners LLC (“Argo”). The investment establishes a strategic relationship that begins with $40 million in funding for Ice Energy and its current projects, […]

  • GE CEO: Company ‘Finished’ with Restructuring

    General Electric (GE) saw its stock price surge more than 7% on June 26 after the company said it would dissolve its stake in oil services company Baker Hughes and spin off its healthcare unit over the next few years. The announcement comes one day after GE said it would sell its Distributed Power business, […]

  • Rebranded ‘MAN Energy Solutions’ Replaces Former MAN Diesel & Turbo Name

    MAN Energy Solutions represents a new vision, as reflected by a new, corporate design. The new branding embodies a strategic and technological transformation, a process the company had already begun back in 2017 by implementing its new strategy for the future: to expand its business with sustainable technologies and solutions such that they become its […]

  • Wärtsilä, Hyundai Motor Group Announce Energy Storage Partnership

    Seoul, South Korea and Helsinki, Finland (June 26, 2018) — The technology group Wärtsilä and Hyundai Motor Group have signed a technology and commercial partnership designed to utilize second-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries towards the growing energy storage market. The global partnership will combine Hyundai’s expansion in electric vehicles, with Wärtsilä’s growing energy business, which includes […]

  • Siemens Will Supply Three Large Gas Turbines to Dubai

    Siemens has received an order for three SGT5-4000F gas turbines from United Arab Emirates (UAE). The turbines will be used in Unit H Phase 4 of the Al Aweer power plant complex which is located approximately 35 kilometers from downtown Dubai. DEWA has awarded the project EPC contract to Siemens in a consortium led by […]

  • GE to Sell Distributed Power Business to Private-Equity Firm

    GE will sell its Distributed Power business, which includes the company’s Jenbacher and Waukesha engines, to Advent International, a global private equity investment company, in a deal worth $3.25 billion. “In Advent, we have a partner that shares our team’s passion for delivering outstanding customer outcomes,” Carlos Lange, president of Distributed Power, said in a […]

  • FlexGen Awarded Contract for ESS at Upton 2 Solar Power Plant

    Vistra Energy, headquartered in Irving, Texas, has awarded a contract to FlexGen to design and integrate a 10-MW/42-MWh FlexGen energy storage system (ESS) at Upton 2 Solar Power Plant in Upton County, Texas. At 180 MW, Upton 2 is Texas’ largest operating solar facility. The Upton 2 plant consists of 718,000 photovoltaic solar panels. The lithium-ion energy storage project at […]

  • First AP1000 Nuclear Units Reach Key Milestones

    Two Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plants being constructed in China have successfully completed significant project milestones. Sanmen Unit 1—the world’s first AP1000 reactor—achieved initial criticality on June 21. Initial criticality is a nuclear industry term meaning the reactor’s neutron population has remained steady from one generation to the next and the nuclear fission chain reaction […]

  • Restructuring on Horizon for Siemens and GE

    Siemens and General Electric, two rivals battling financial problems due to fewer orders for their flagship energy products and services, could each announce major restructuring moves in the coming weeks, according to media reports. Reuters on June 21, citing a person familiar with the matter, said Siemens plans to merge or trim some of its […]

  • Puerto Rico’s Grid Needs Resiliency. Here’s Why It Won’t Be Easy.

    Puerto Rico’s energy infrastructure must be redesigned and rebuilt with an emphasis on resilience—and that will require wide-ranging, long-term efforts, the Department of Energy (DOE) says in a new report. In its June 20 report, “Energy Resilience Solutions for the Puerto Rico Grid,” the agency lists a number of recommendations for the government of the […]

  • AEP’s $4.5B Wind Catcher Project Gets Louisiana’s Approval

    American Electric Power’s (AEP’s) proposed $4.5 billion Wind Catcher Energy Connection project—the largest single-site wind project in the nation—has garnered approval from the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC).  The LPSC on June 20 approved a settlement agreement related to the project, which is proposed by AEP subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO). Under the proposal, […]

  • Increasingly Debt-Laden, Regulated Utility Sector Outlook Veers from ‘Stable’ to ‘Negative’

    For the first time since it began conducting sector outlooks, Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the regulated utility sector from stable to negative. The new outlook reflects a surge in financial risks in the sector as more individual companies in the regulated space funnel funds to debt. Using an analysis of 42 of the largest […]

  • Siemens’ CEO: Sale of Turbine Unit Just ‘Media Speculation’

    Siemens Chief Executive Joe Kaeser on June 19 said reports last week that the German engineering company was considering a sale of its gas turbines manufacturing unit are “media speculation.” Kaeser made the remarks during an event in Zurich, Switzerland. He told Reuters that his company wants to improve the performance of the turbine unit, […]

  • Analysts: Coal Generation Will Plummet More Than 70%

    About half the world’s power will be generated by wind and solar resources by 2050. Generation from coal will drop more than 70% from today’s levels. That’s according to research from energy analysts published June 19 in the “New Energy Outlook 2018” (NEO) from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The NEO report outlines information from […]

  • Memo: Siemens ‘Committed’ to Gas Turbines Unit

    Siemens still hasn’t commented on reports it could be looking to sell its gas turbine business. But the managing board member responsible for the company’s power and gas division reportedly issued a memo to staff in the wake of those reports, saying Siemens remains committed to its long-time flagship product. Bloomberg, which on June 13 […]

  • GE Power Announces New Achievements by HA Gas Turbine and Services Upgrades

    GREENVILLE, S.C.—June 14, 2018—GE Power (NYSE: GE) today announced a growing list of accomplishments by its industry-leading HA gas turbine and its services portfolio—including the 26th HA in commercial operation and the new MXL2 with Additive Manufactured Performance upgrade for the GT13E2 turbine. These accomplishments reiterate GE Power’s unique position to help gas power producers efficiently […]

  • Siemens Reportedly Considering Sale of Gas Turbine Business

    Siemens AG, the parent company of Siemens Power and Gas, is contemplating the sale of its lucrative but lately troubled gas turbine business, according to one major news outlet. Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg on June 13 reported that the German giant may be considering the sale of its power and gas business, possibly to a […]

  • FERC: There Is No Grid Emergency

    President Trump wants to provide financial support to struggling coal and nuclear power plants. He’s told the Department of Energy (DOE) to make it happen. But a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, along with commissioners from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), made it clear June 12 they don’t support federal government intervention […]

  • SPX Mobile Display Trailer Highlights Advantages of Marley® Cooling Tower Components

    Showcasing innovative gearbox, driveshaft, fan, and heat transfer fill options Overland Park, Kan. – SPX Cooling Technologies, Inc., a full-line, full-service industry leader in the design and manufacture of evaporative cooling towers and air-cooled heat exchangers, has outfitted an 18-foot mobile trailer with displays of field-erected cooling tower components. Visitors to the trailer can see […]

  • Montana Public Service Commission votes to approve the Hydro One and Avista merger

    TORONTO and SPOKANE, Wash., June 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hydro One Limited (“Hydro One”) (TSX:H) and Avista Corporation (“Avista”) (NYSE:AVA) today announced that the Montana Public Service Commission (“the Commission”) has voted to approve the proposed merger, with conditions. “Hydro One is very pleased that the Montana Public Service Commission has voted favourably on […]

  • GE Will Cut Jobs, End Manufacturing at Virginia Plant

    General Electric’s (GE’s) power unit has said it will end manufacturing operations at its plant in Salem, Virginia, next year, with more than 260 workers losing their jobs, according to union officials. Officials noted that 42% of the affected workers are eligible for retirement. The plan announced June 8 said the Salem plant, which opened […]

  • U.S. Water Plans to Appeal Recent Ruling That pHytOUT® Patents Are Invalid

    St. Michael, MN (June 2018) – U.S. Water announces that on May 25, 2018, the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin overturned a decision by a unanimous Federal Court jury that U.S. Patent Nos. 8,415,137 and 8,609,399 relating to U.S. Water’s pHytOUT® deposit control technology were valid. U.S. Water plans to […]

  • ABB to install multipurpose microgrid in Australia

    ABB will supply a microgrid solution to the Energy Storage for Commercial Renewable Integration (ESCRI) project, which will provide a more secure power supply in an area that has high renewable penetration into the grid. The solution will connect an ABB Ability PowerStore™ 30 megawatt (MW) battery energy storage solution to the Electranet transmission system […]

  • PENNSYLVANIA COAL PLANT SAVES ON REQUIRED MAINTENANCE UPGRADES AND OPERATING COSTS BY IMPLEMENTING SUEZ’S MOBILE WATER SOLUTIONS WITH INSIGHT*

    Seeking to reduce its operating costs and environmental footprint, the Conemaugh Generating Station in New Florence, Pennsylvania, utilizes SUEZ’s mobile water solutions to produce boiler feedwater. By using the mobile demineralizer with InSight*, the coal-fired power plant will gain $220,000 in annual operating cost savings, reduce chemicals associated with the make-up demineralized (DI) systems and […]

  • Chicago Company Preparing Offer for Navajo Generating Station

    A suburban Chicago-based energy company executive on June 7 told Arizona officials his group is putting together a proposal to purchase the Navajo Generating Station (NGS), the largest coal-fired power plant in the western U.S. The plant’s current owners have said they will close the 2,250-MW facility by year-end 2019 unless a buyer is found. […]