Business

A variety of approaches have been used to capture new benefits from combined heat and power (CHP) facilities. Some owners have transitioned to new fuels or added renewables to the mix, while others have implemented unique business models to spur development. As district heating systems are brought into the 21st century, the CHP sector seems […]

Canada Inches Closer to Nationwide Carbon Price. Canada’s government in early December struck a deal with eight of the country’s 10 provinces to introduce its first national carbon price. The government has proposed that carbon would cost C$10 per metric ton in 2018, rising by C$10 a year until it reaches C$50 in 2022. Only […]

When it comes to running a power plant, it’s easy to take the little things for granted. Yet it’s the little things that often have the greatest impact on plant managers’ ability to deliver reliable service for their customers. Take power, for instance. Plant managers are focused on bringing power to their customers. But are […]

Combined heat and power (CHP) has long been a popular option for industrial self-generation, but new technologies and business partnerships are taking the sector well beyond the traditional boilers and diesel gensets. The Erving Paper Mill in the western Massachusetts town of the same name has operated for more than 100 years. Once part of […]

In recent years, coal power generators have faced increasing difficulty predicting annual fuel requirements due to more cycling and low-load operation. That presents problems for the people negotiating fuel contracts. Not all mining companies are amenable to contract changes, but some unique solutions have been developed. Remember when coal-fired power plants supplied baseload power 24/7/365 […]

Uranium oxide, the basic fuel for nuclear power plants, has recently sold at prices not seen in the past 13 years. In fact, the price is less than the cost of production in many cases. That could be a problem, because little is being done to increase the fuel supply, even though the world is […]

Homer City Generation, operator of a three-unit, 1,884-MW coal-fired generating station about 45 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, Pa., has initiated a voluntary, pre-packaged Chapter 11 case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The financial restructuring process is expected to eliminate more than $600 million in existing secured debt from Homer City’s […]

Non-utility generators urge FERC to overturn state actions in New York and Illinois that the generators claim distort FERC’s wholesale electricity markets.

Entergy Corp. and the state of New York have reached an agreement that will see the Indian Point nuclear power plant retired by 2021. “Key considerations in our decision to shut down Indian Point ahead of schedule include sustained low current and projected wholesale energy prices that have reduced revenues, as well as increased operating […]