Business

Siemens Energy completed “first fire” at Duke Energy’s Lincoln Combustion Turbine Station near Denver, North Carolina, on April 6. The accomplishment is a major milestone for the world’s first SGT6-9000HL gas turbine, confirming the engine and auxiliary systems, including the gas supply, lube oil system, control system, and startup systems, all work as designed. During […]

The U.S. power sector is rallying together to implore state and local governments to treat sector-wide “mission-essential employees” with higher priority and ensure they have top-level access to testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the intensifying COVID-19 pandemic. In a four-page April 2 white paper presumably addressing federal leadership, the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council […]

Federal regulators with oversight over U.S. power matters have issued a series of actions over recent weeks to respond to the potentially devastating impact that COVID-19, the new coronavirus, could have on North American power workforce operations and reliability. POWER will update this post regularly with COVID-19 response news and documents from federal and state […]

Operators of the world’s nuclear reactors are doing more than keeping the lights during the coronavirus pandemic. Along with taking steps to protect their workforce, and having plans in place to keep their facilities running at a time of critical need for power, they also are using nuclear technologies to detect and fight COVID-19. From […]

This moment is like nothing we’ve seen before in our lifetimes—impacting all our communities and disrupting lives everywhere. We are all concerned for our loved ones and our future. In our business, given the nature of what we do and, in turn, the basic but essential actions we help enable others to do—turn on the lights, refrigerate […]

UK-based bolt tensioning experts TensionPro has launched HYCOBOLT, an advanced hydraulic coupling bolt designed to deliver high performance torque transmission for critical load rotating shafts and couplings.HYCOBOLT is direct retrofit replacement to conventional fitted bolts on rotating machinery, providing significant benefits through both operational improvements in coupling performance and time saving during plant maintenance periods. Unlike conventional […]

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management said it continues to work on issuing a permit for a $1 billion solar power project in Nevada, after already missing two deadlines to move the project forward. The proposed 690-MW Gemini solar farm in Nevada is one of the country’s largest proposed solar projects. It would be operated […]

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS) has begun commissioning T-Point 2, its newest combined cycle power plant validation facility that will eventually host the company’s much-watched autonomous combined cycle power project. The 566-MW facility at Takasago Works in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, will replace the iconic  T-Point facility, which MHPS’s parent company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) completed […]

At Indeck, safety has always been one of our top priorities. Thus, our response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been to take proactive and necessary measures to protect the health and safety of our employees, our communities, and our customers. We will continue to serve our customers and ensure reliability throughout these unprecedented times. We […]

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (April 2, 2020) – The PPL Foundation will donate $300,000 to a dozen agencies providing COVID-19 relief efforts across central and eastern Pennsylvania, including the Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lehigh Valley, Poconos and Susquehanna Valley regions. “We are committed to helping our neighbors through these difficult times,” said Ryan Hill, president of the PPL Foundation. […]

Energy companies and equipment suppliers to the power generation industry have been at the forefront of efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilities have suspended shutoffs of services to customers impacted by the economic crisis, and have instituted protocols to maintain proper staffing levels to ensure the reliable delivery of electricity during a time when […]

A project to outfit an existing natural gas power plant with a “large-scale” carbon capture facility got its legs on April 2 with the finalization of key investment agreements. Private equity investment firm Starwood Energy Group Global and global investment fund OGCI Climate Investments announced Thursday they had finalized agreements to co-invest in the initial […]

Industry responses to a Level 2 alert on contingency planning issued by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) early last month suggest the “vast majority” of registered participants in the North American bulk power system are well prepared for the COVID-19 crisis.  NERC, the interconnected bulk power system’s Electric Reliability Organization (ERO), has underscored […]

PARUZZARO, Italy (April 1, 2020) – SPIG S.p.A. (SPIG), a subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. (B&W) (NYSE: BW), has been awarded a contract by BASF Antwerp NV for more than $3 million to design and supply two cooling towers for the company’s plant in Antwerp, Belgium. BASF Antwerp NV is one of the […]

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) unprecedented temporary policy to relax enforcement of noncompliance with certain environmental rules in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has provoked an impassioned response from industry experts, environmental groups, and from the agency itself. As POWER reported, the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) on March 26 adopted a […]

Newly formed Kurita America aims to change how water treatment solutions are designed and delivered  (April 1, 2020)  Nakano-ku, Japan – Kurita Water Industries, (Kurita), a leading global provider of water treatment products and services, today announced the completion of the merger of its consolidated subsidiaries in the United States, including U.S. Water Services, Inc., […]

Gas prices remain low worldwide, and the challenge for producers is to find a market for their supply. Gas remains the No. 1 source of U.S. power generation, and will continue in that spot for several more

It’s well-known that many of the workers and leaders in the energy sector are approaching retirement age, with 25% eligible in the next 5 years and 50% eligible in the next 10 years. With fewer and fewer people filling the talent bench and an industry that’s fighting a negative public perception, the situation is only […]

Rapid City, SD– April 1, 2020 – Black Hills Energy announced today plans to donate $375,000 to coronavirus relief efforts across its service area. This investment is supported by their electric and gas subsidiaries as well as the Black Hills Corporation Foundation, the charitable arm of Black Hills Energy. As the impact of the coronavirus […]

Ethernet bi-directional digital communication performance makes it possible for the field instruments and control devices to be a complete on-line system handling large data volumes at high speed  Yokogawa Corporation of America announces the release of its EtherNet/IP capability for the ADMAG Total Insight (TI) Magnetic Flowmeter. EtherNet/IP (Industrial Protocol) is an industrial network protocol […]

This blog is part of a special series from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the response to the coronavirus. The IMF is an organization of 189 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic […]

Rapid City, South Dakota (April 1, 2020) – Black Hills Energy announced today plans to donate $375,000 to coronavirus relief efforts across its service area. This investment is supported by their electric and gas subsidiaries as well as the Black Hills Corporation Foundation, the charitable arm of Black Hills Energy. As the impact of the […]

TerraPro Solutions recommends comprehensive risk mitigation strategies to avoid significant delays and cost overruns, with proactive steps that can be taken now to protect renewable project development timelines. In the midst of this expanding public health crisis, TerraPro Solutions understands the uncertainty that this news has triggered for us and our families. While safety is […]

April 1, 2020 — Siemens Gamesa’s first order in Brazil for its next-generation platform, the Siemens Gamesa 5.X, demonstrates the global reach and versatility of the technology. Following recent deals to supply both the 155 and the 170-meter rotor variants of the platform in Sweden, this benchmark technology arrives in Brazil thanks to an order […]

The U.S. has 96 licensed-to-operate nuclear power reactors and two reactors under construction. But the average age of the nation’s 96 licensed nuclear units is about 39 years old. That has been of some concern to the nuclear industry, which has provided roughly a fifth of the nation’s power since the 1990s. About 88 of […]

Electrification has been a much-touted driver for the global energy transition toward decarbonization. But though an all-electric future could have vast implications for the power and gas sectors, achieving it

In Part 1 of this series, published in the March 2020 issue, POWER explored how existing reactors may leverage advances in nuclear fuel to boost power generation safety and economics. This installment surveys

A new conveyor-based system offers an alternative energy storage technology. The heart of the system is a reversible conveyor belt that converts between electrical energy and gravitational potential energy by

A lot must be reviewed prior to selecting the right fitting for power plant instrumentation applications. Among the choices are whether to use single- or double-ferrule designs; heat codes, lubrication, and

When three scientists won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for their work on lithium-ion batteries, The New York Times was one of many outlets that drew the connection between improved energy storage and the