Business

  • Future May Not Be as Rosy as It Seems for Natural Gas [PODCAST]

    The natural gas industry is doing quite well and the future looks bright to many observers. “We’re at a really great moment for the natural gas industry in the U.S. Production is growing dramatically. Shale continues to provide tremendous improvements technologically, bringing the cost down and growing the production, extending access to U.S. gas. At […]

  • New Jersey’s 100% Clean Energy Goal Imperils Gas Generation

    Through a series of incentives and mandates, New Jersey is planning to produce 100% of its power from carbon-neutral sources, electrify its vehicle fleet and building sectors, and set mandatory efficiency standards for electric utilities by 2050, an energy blueprint released by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) suggests.  The June 10-released “Draft 2019 Energy […]

  • In a Surprise Announcement, Colstrip Units 1 and 2 to Close by Year-End

    Talen Montana—part-owner and operator of the Colstrip Steam Electric Station—announced that Units 1 and 2 at the coal-fired power plant will be retired by year-end, well ahead of a previously announced July 2022 closure date. “The decision to retire Colstrip Units 1 and 2 comes after extensive review and exhaustive efforts over the last few […]

  • GE Launches New Analytics Technologies to Boost Grid Efficiency 

    General Electric (GE) has rolled out a new portfolio of predictive analytics that could allow utilities to use data from transmission and distribution networks to achieve better operational efficiency as more distributed assets are introduced to the grid.  The company on June 11 unveiled three new grid analytics—for storm readiness, network connectivity, and effective inertia—that […]

  • Deloitte Survey: Businesses Back Sustainability, Decarbonization

    Utilities need to adapt as businesses continue to focus on sustainability, looking for cleaner energy sources and viewing such measures as an opportunity to create value, according to a Deloitte study released June 11. What’s less-focused is residential consumers willingness to adopt sustainability improvements, with cost and convenience playing a large role in their choices, […]

  • Siemens Has Transformer Deal with Egyptian Electricity Transmission Co.

    Siemens announced that it has signed an agreement with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) to supply the country’s first digital power transformer – Siemens’ Sensformer. As the world’s first comprehensive digital transformer, Sensformer, is expected to increase energy reliability and efficiency for the Kafr El Sheikh and New Zagazig 500/220-kilovolt (kV) substations for the […]

  • MHPS Ships Gas Turbine for 500 MW Natural-gas-fired GTCC Power Generation System in Indonesia

    Operation to Commence in 2020 as Core of Muara Karang Power Plant – Full-turnkey order received jointly with Mitsubishi Corporation and WIKA, a leading Indonesian civil construction firm – Unit will contribute significantly to Indonesia’s power expansion program while also further boosting MHPS’ presence in the local market TOKYO, June 6, 2019 – (JCN Newswire) […]

  • India’s Coal Future Hinges on Advanced Ultrasupercritical Breakthroughs

    India is striving to conserve coal and slash its carbon emissions. The country which depended on coal for 56% of its total capacity of 356 GW as of May 2019, wants to reduce coal’s share to 45% of a planned capacity expansion to 480 GW by the end of 2022. During that period, it will […]

  • How China Is Improving Coal Technology

    In China, though specific achievements are hard to pinpoint owing in part to a dearth of public or internationally available information, coal technology developments appear to be advancing more rapidly than anywhere in the world. China’s efforts to foster technology advancements are in the country’s national interest, said Mi Shuhua, executive vice president of China […]

  • How the U.S. Is Investing in Advanced Coal Technologies

    The U.S. is investing heavily to ensure its future coal-fired power fleet will be cleaner, more efficient, and more flexible, experts said at the 9th International Conference on Clean Coal Technologies in Houston on June 4. The conference—which is taking place this week in the U.S. for the first time—is spearheaded by the IEA Clean […]

  • The POWER Interview: State of the Wind, Solar, Storage, and Hydro Markets

    Increased power generation from renewable resources such as wind and solar also has created a growing market for energy storage. Generators want to harness that power and have it available when it’s needed, whether or not the wind is blowing or the sun is shining. Rob Allerman, senior director of Power Analytics for Drillinginfo, which […]

  • Financing Secured for GE’s UAE Combined Cycle Project

    The first independent combined cycle power project in the emirate of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is taking shape after $1 billion in financing was recently secured from GE Energy Financial Services (EFS) and its partners. The plant, featuring three combined cycle blocks, is expected to have 1.8 GW of generation capacity. The […]

  • Sharp Builds Mega Solar Power Plant in Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam

    Large 49 MW-dc output enough to power 38,762 households(1) TOKYO, June 5, 2019 – (JCN Newswire) – Sharp Energy Solutions Corporation (SESJ)(2) announces the completion of a mega solar power plant in Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. The project was a collaboration with multiple partners, including Sermsang Power Corporation (SSP)(3) of Thailand, and SSP affiliate Truong […]

  • Scout Clean Energy Announces Completion of Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA) for the Three Waters Wind Farm

    20-year agreement for entire 200 MW capacity; Construction anticipated in 2021 JACKSON COUNTY, Minn., June 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Scout Clean Energy (“Scout”), is pleased to announce the completion of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA) for the purchase of 200 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy from the Three Waters Wind […]

  • POWER Notebook: GE Plant in France, Targeted for Job Cuts, Will Not Close

    The head of GE’s operations in France told a Paris newspaper that a French factory targeted for more than 1,000 job cuts will not close. GE last week said it wanted to make its operations in France more efficient and said changes would come at the Belfort plant in eastern France, which handles technology for […]

  • Charah Solutions Receives Construction Safety Award from Coalition for Construction Safety

    LOUISVILLE, KY (June 3, 2019) – Charah® Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: CHRA) (the “Company”), a leading provider of environmental and maintenance services to the power generation industry, announced today that it was recognized by the Coalition for Construction Safety (CCS) during their 26th Anniversary and Awards Celebration on April 25, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Charah Solutions […]

  • THE BIG PICTURE: Siemens’ Corporate History

    Siemens AG, the global technology conglomerate that today has headquarters in both Berlin and Munich, in May 2019 announced it will spin off its energy units to focus on its digital “core.” The news has stunned many in the power sector, where Siemens has clenched a formidable presence since 1866. But restructuring at Siemens is […]

  • How to Hire the Best Talent

    It’s no secret that the power industry workforce is aging and managers are struggling to find qualified candidates interested in filling open positions. In my April column, I referenced a

  • POWER Digest [June 2019]

    Ansaldo Leads Research Initiative for Low-NOx High-Hydrogen Retrofit Solution. The Dutch government has awarded six partners—Ansaldo Thomassen, Delft University of Technology, OPRA Turbines, Vattenfall

  • Storing Energy in Salt—Vattenfall Testing Technology at Berlin Plant

    Swedish power company Vattenfall is testing a technology that stores energy in salt, with a goal of proving whether the process would be useful for storage of renewable energy such as from wind and solar

  • Blockchain Pilot Shows Promise for Grid Balancing

    A blockchain pilot wrapped up by European transmission operator TenneT and storage solutions provider sonnen Group this May showed “tremendous potential” when used to network decentralized home storage

  • Vietnam Supports Solar and More Coal Generation

    The first solar power plant licensed to operate in Vietnam came online in late April, another signal of the country’s increasing reliance on renewable energy. But analysts forecast that coal-fired power

  • Temperature Monitoring Protects Low-Voltage Assets

    Early detection of increased temperatures helps avoid power distribution asset-related failures and unplanned shutdowns. Wireless technologies make implementing this predictive maintenance solution practical

  • IIoT and the Future of Hydropower

    Hydropower has evolved through multiple industrial revolutions. Today, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 offer solutions to take the industry to a whole new level. Rules-based analysis

  • Innovative Fabric Structures Offer Power Plants Options

    The design of a power plant often revolves around efficiency and mapping out operations in a manner that decreases unnecessary expenditures, while increasing productivity. This challenge produces the need for

  • Transformer Reliability: An Overview of Data-Driven Decision-Making

    Are you properly quantifying and assessing the health of your plant’s transformers? Oil testing, infrared scanning, electrical testing, and inspection provide a much deeper understanding of what is happening

  • Moonshots and Megaprojects

    Fifty years ago this July, NASA successfully landed men on the moon and safely returned them to Earth. In this year’s documentary about the mission, Apollo 11 , director Todd Douglas Miller draws on a

  • Harrington Hoists, Inc. Introduces Model HFH Fork Truck Hook

    Manheim, PA – Harrington Hoists, Inc. introduces their HFH Fork Truck Hook which is designed to lift and carry loads on the fork of a fork truck using a single latched hook or swivel hook. It is available to fit fork widths of 5¼ to 7 inches and 3¼ to 3 inches in height with […]

  • The POWER Interview: GE Unleashing a Hydrogen Gas Power Future

    Since the 1940s, when General Electric (GE), launched its gas turbine operations, the company has pioneered and commercialized a lengthy list of gas turbine technologies, large and small. As the decarbonization movement gains pace and more renewables flood the landscape, the company’s gas turbines have taken on new crucial roles to provide dispatchability and flexibility. […]

  • Enel Green Power First in North America to Deploy New Predictive Maintenance Technology at Geothermal Plants

    The software technology, created by NarrativeWave, will enable Enel Green Power North America to better anticipate maintenance needs at its geothermal sites saving the company time and money The technology has now been deployed at all of Enel Green Power’s North American geothermal sites, Cove Fort, Salt Wells and Stillwater BOSTON, May 30, 2019 (GLOBE […]