Business

China in late June began operating two of the world’s first 1-GW hydropower turbines at the Baihetan Hydropower Station in southwest China. When the project’s 16 generating units are completed by July 2022

The Biden administration is moving to add more safeguards to the nation’s critical infrastructure by establishing a new voluntary public-private collaboration that will focus wholly on industrial control systems (ICS) cybersecurity. The administration formally launched the “Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Initiative” in the “National Security Memorandum on Improving Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure Control Systems” signed by […]

How do utility asset managers deal with risks and failures of assets in the long-term? How much should they be budgeting for maintenance, asset renewal, and investments? The answers are not always obvious for asset managers that are faced with increasingly severe weather and the need for strengthened electrical grids. Another layer of unpredictability is […]

The American Clean Power Association (ACP)—a 2021-launched pan-renewables trade group—may be poised to merge with the U.S. Energy Storage Association (ESA) starting on Jan. 1, 2022. The groups’ intent to pursue a merger, announced on July 22, still requires ESA’s member approval. If successful, it would combine the two trade association’s staff programs and members, […]

GE recently announced the completion of the first implementation of its GT26 High-Efficiency (HE) upgrade for the GT26 gas turbine fleet. The work was done at Uniper’s Enfield Power Station (Figure 1) in north London. The upgrade was installed to improve the performance and extend the maintenance interval of the combined cycle plant, according to […]

Numerous energy facilities were afflicted by the major flooding event that inundated parts of Europe last week, and at least one major power generator has said the damage will likely mount into a “mid-double-digit million euro sum.” The flooding, which was caused by a cold, low-pressure area dubbed “Bernd,” crawled slowly across the continent over two […]

Environmental Risk Transfer Services Leader to Demolish Existing Power Plant, Remediate Site and Redevelop Property in a Sustainable Manner LOUISVILLE, KY (July 19, 2021) – Charah® Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: CHRA) (“Charah Solutions”), a leading provider of environmental services and byproduct sales to the power generation industry, today announced that it has entered into a binding […]

Company to offer $18-an-hour minimum starting wage for U.S.-based employees CHICAGO, July 15, 2021 – S&C Electric Company, Chicago’s second-largest manufacturer and a leading technology grid innovator improving power reliability and delivery worldwide, announced this week it is increasing the minimum hourly wage for U.S.-based employees to $18 per hour. In addition to the new […]

Work Is Part of $1.1 Billion, 15-Year ‘Next Generation Niagara’ Project to Extend the Operating Life of State’s Largest Hydropower Plant LEWISTON—The New York Power Authority (NYPA) Board of Trustees has approved the award of a competitively-bid contract, valued up to $275 million to Voith Hydro Inc., located in York, Pennsylvania, for mechanical and electrical […]

CHARLOTTE, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cormetech has been selected for an award from the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) to increase the amount of CO2 captured in Direct Air Capture (DAC) operations. Cormetech plans to further develop its DAC “contactor”. The “contactor” is the engine […]

The inventor of the Allam-Fetvedt Cycle, a novel power cycle that uses supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2), is collaborating with a subsidiary of Singapore-based Sembcorp Industries to potentially develop the UK’s first 300-MW natural gas–fired NET Power station at an existing site at Teesside, northeastern England.  Zero Degrees Whitetail Development Ltd. (ZDW), a subsidiary of North Carolina-based […]

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. (July 14, 2021) – The new Enerpac HMT 13000 Interchangeable Torque Wrench is an extension to the previously introduced HMT product line. Like the other models in the HMT series, the HMT 13000 offers the same advantages and low cost of ownership. The series is also cost effective because the cassettes have […]

Pilsen (07/12/2021) Doosan Škoda Power supplied Acciona with a steam turbine for the Avertas Energy facility in Australia. For the Pilsen-based steam turbine manufacturer, this project is the first contract on the Australian market and at the same time a steppingstone to other planned energy-from-waste projects in Australia, which are integrating the disposal of waste […]

Stricken by repeated extreme heat events, the prospect of a worsening drought, incremental resource delays, and the “unforeseen” loss of 300 MW in thermal resources, California has set out to secure additional energy resources to ensure reliability this summer. Responding to a June 29 letter from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California […]

AES Corp. will retire four coal-fired power plants—a total 1,097 MW—in Chile “as soon as” January 2025 if supported by grid requirements under an agreement the Virginia-headquartered company signed with the Chilean government on July 6. The coal closures, which are outlined in what AES described as a “voluntary” retirement plan, represent the “single largest […]

Valmet will deliver a complete turnkey BioPower 5 power plant to produce green electricity and heat for the city of Salzburg, Austria. The order was placed by Salzburg AG, a leading Austrian energy and technology company. The order is included in Valmet’s orders received of the third quarter 2021. The value of the order is […]

Shell Energy has started up a 10-MW polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer facility—one of the largest of its kind in the world—to produce green hydrogen at its Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland refinery in Wesseling, Germany, and it says plans are underway to expand the plant’s capacity to 100 MW.  The startup of the electrolyzer […]

Strategic acquisition for Artera brings geographic expansion of gas distribution and water infrastructure services into Colorado and New Mexico ATLANTA, July 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Artera Services (“Artera”), one of the nation’s industry-leading providers of integrated infrastructure services to natural gas and electric industries, completed the previously announced acquisition of K.R. Swerdfeger Construction (“KRSC”). KRSC […]

Winning POWER’s highest honor is Track 4A, Southern Power Generation’s 1.4-GW natural gas–fired power plant in southern Malaysia that is equipped with the first commercial GE 9HA.02 gas turbines—one of

Hitachi ABB Power Grids, the behemoth joint venture firm officially launched last year when Japanese technology conglomerate Hitachi acquired a majority share in Swiss conglomerate ABB’s Power Grids business, will be known as “Hitachi Energy” starting in October 2021. The name change reflects the firm’s business evolution amid a rapidly evolving energy landscape, the company […]

If you’ve seen the musical “Cabaret,” you know that “money makes the world go ‘round” in a variety of ways. While it may not indeed make the power and energy sectors “go ‘round,” money does

Now, more than ever, businesses are under pressure to ensure that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues are being managed effectively. Indeed, the coronavirus pandemic has exposed the need for

Utilities across the Pacific Northwest are bracing for exceptional stress on the grid as record-breaking temperatures continue to fester across the region, and at least one utility—Avista Corp.—this week began rolling outages as a measure to alleviate strain on the electric system. Despite pleas to customers to reduce their power consumption, Avista, which supplies power […]

The project will help OPG’s Darlington nuclear plant deliver reliable, carbon-free power generation for more than the next 30 years as part of its long-term refurbishment strategy Today the Darlington nuclear plant is responsible for generating over 20% of Ontario’s electricity needs, providing enough power for two million homes This latest project  builds on GE […]

As the U.S. moves toward cleaner energy sources, and utilities work toward carbon reduction mandates, coal plants are closing at rapid rates across the country. Approximately 79,000 Americans were employed in coal-fired electricity generation in 2019, 13,000 fewer than in 2016; and in the last year alone, 7,700 coal-fired generation jobs were lost nationwide. The […]

Michigan’s largest energy provider Consumers Energy will stop using coal as a fuel source for power generation within the next four years—15 years earlier than previously planned. In an updated integrated resource plan (IRP) filed with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) on June 23, the CMS Energy subsidiary said the effort would lead Michigan’s […]

Nuclear energy’s future as a critical pillar in a decarbonized world will depend on its adaptability to rapid change, but the sector must focus on costs, certainty of outcome, reliability, and experience to cement its role beyond the transition, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) President and CEO Jay Wileman told POWER in an exclusive interview. […]

Duke Energy has kicked off an effort to renew the operating licenses of all its 11 nuclear reactors for 20 more years, starting with Oconee Nuclear Station, its largest nuclear plant. The utility on June 21 filed an application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a subsequent license renewal (SLR) for the three-unit 2.5-GW […]

A pioneering pilot project in Lulea, Sweden, designed to produce “fossil-free” steel has successfully completed test production of sponge iron, demonstrating it is possible to use hydrogen made with fossil-free power to reduce iron ore, instead of coal and coke. Swedish energy company Vattenfall, mining company LKAB, and steel manufacturer SSAB—companies that are collaborating under […]