Coal

  • Reliability, Resiliency, Cost, and Climate Driving C&I Power Systems

    Commercial and industrial (C&I) entities want to ensure they have electricity when they need it. Businesses also are looking at sustainability, decarbonization, and control of their energy costs as factors

  • New Life for Dead and Dying Coal Plants?

    As coal plants are retired, power companies must decide what to do with sites. Some old plants have been added to the National Register of Historic Places and repurposed as commercial or office space, while

  • POWER Digest [June 2022]

    Twenty20 Energy Will Build Gas-Fired Plant in Papua New Guinea. Singapore-based Twenty20 Energy Systems in April announced it would design and build a new gas-fired power plant in Hela province, Papua New

  • India Plans to Reduce Coal-Fired Generation, and Mine More Coal

    India’s Power Ministry, despite the country facing shortages of electricity in recent years and as recently as the past month, said it plans to reduce the amount of power generation from at least 81 of the country’s 173 coal-fired power plants over the next four years. The agency, in a letter dated May 26 that […]

  • NERC Warns of Mounting Reliability Risks, Urges Preparation for Challenging Summer

    An unprecedented array of risks—ranging from capacity shortfalls, extreme weather, extended drought, supply chain issues, cybersecurity, solar PV tripping, fuel constraints, to wildfires—could imperil the reliability of nearly every North American bulk power system (BPS) region west of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) this summer, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) warned in […]

  • Keeping Coal Relevant: University of Wyoming Leads the Way

    To say the coal industry faces challenges is an understatement. Coal-fired power plants are being retired around the globe as efforts to decarbonize the world’s power supply have intensified due to climate change concerns. That’s a problem for people working in the coal industry, as well as for states and governments that rely on coal […]

  • ERCOT, MISO Warn of Potential Power Supply Shortfalls

    (Updated—May 6, 2022) The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) over the past week separately expressed concerns about power supply uncertainties in the face of upcoming warmer-than-normal temperatures. MISO raised an alarm on April 28 when it said that it projects “insufficient firm resources” to cover the summer […]

  • Revolutionizing Refractory Maintenance: Increasing Efficiency with Specialized Equipment

    Refractory maintenance, though vital, can often be a logistical and financial burden. This is especially true for power plants, cement plants, and other large facilities that rely on boilers, kilns, coolers, preheater towers, and risers for day-to-day operation. These facilities stand to lose many thousands of dollars a day in production if their refractory can’t […]

  • History of Power: Duke Energy’s Century-Old Legacy

    Duke Energy, one of the largest energy companies in the world, grew out of a system of lakes and dams along the Catawba River to generate power for the Piedmont Carolinas. While the company has sustained a

  • There’s Value in Old Power Generation Components

    Equipment from both renewable and thermal energy power plants is finding new life in the recycling market. The market for recycled power equipment components is getting a boost due to ongoing global supply

  • UK Leans Heavily on Nuclear in Bold New Energy Strategy

    A long-awaited energy strategy published by the UK government on April 6 lays out bold commitments that tackle Great Britain’s multi-pronged challenges, including achieving net-zero carbon emissions while

  • Advanced Analytics Applications Power Predictive Maintenance Efforts

    Moving from reactive to predictive maintenance requires the right tools for use by subject matter experts. As the power industry continues to advance from preventative to predictive maintenance, one thing is

  • POWER Digest [May 2022]

    Czech Republic Chooses Site for SMR Development. CEZ Group, a major conglomerate in the Czech Republic, in late March said it had set aside an area at the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant as a possible location for

  • ACES Delta’s Giant Utah Salt Cavern Hydrogen Storage Project Gets $504M Conditional DOE Loan Guarantee

    The Advanced Clean Energy Storage Project, a much-watched project under development in Delta, Utah, that is shaping up to be the largest renewable hydrogen energy hub in the U.S., has garnered a conditional commitment for a $504.4 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) federal loan guarantee program. The conditional loan guarantee commitment […]

  • At Least 15 China-Backed Coal Plants Canceled, Another 37 GW in Limbo

    A research group focused on the energy industry and its impact on air pollution said the Chinese government’s decision to no longer provide financing for overseas coal projects has resulted in the cancellation of at least 15 coal-fired power plants in recent months. The group said China’s investments are so far-reaching that the change in […]

  • America’s Power Statement on MISO Electric Capacity Shortfalls

    Washington, D.C. – Following the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) release of the results of its 2022-2023 annual Planning Resource Auction (PRA) indicating electric capacity shortfalls in both the north and central regions of MISO, America’s Power issued the following statement by Michelle Bloodworth, President and CEO: “MISO’s recent capacity auction shows that it might […]

  • EPA Proposes Tighter Controls on NOx Emissions from Power Plants, Industrial Sources

    A sweeping new proposed rule published in the Federal Register by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 6 establishes new nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions budgets that will require fossil fuel–fired power plants in 25 states to participate in an allowance-based ozone season trading program starting in 2023. The proposal, which builds on the agency’s […]

  • SCOTUS Reinstates Trump-Era Environmental Certification Rule

    The U.S. Supreme Court on April 6 reinstated a Trump-era environmental rule that limited state and tribal roles in enforcing a section of the Clean Water Act (CWA) related to project certification. The order is a temporary triumph for eight states and three energy trade associations, including the National Hydropower Association (NHA). The high court’s […]

  • Homer City Coal Plant to Keep All Three Units Operating

    The Homer City coal-fired power plant will continue operating, according to multiple news sources in western Pennsylvania, where the plant is located. Owners of the three-unit, 1,884-MW generating station in Indiana County, about 45 miles east of Pittsburgh, had been contemplating shuttering one or more units, while also exploring options to add renewable energy to […]

  • Australia’s Coal Conundrum: Economy, Climate at Odds

    Coal has long been a lifeblood for Australia. The country is the world’s largest exporter of metallurgical coal used to make steel, and it’s the second-largest exporter of coal for use in power generation

  • POWER Digest [April 2022]

    Taiwan Suffers New Blackout. Another massive blackout hit major cities in Taiwan on the morning of March 3, causing disruptions in the capital Taipei, Hsinchu, and Kaohsiung in the south. State-run

  • AEG to Sell Lumberton Facility to Phoenix Investors LLC

    Proceeds will be used for the development of commercial production facility in Ashland, Maine LUMBERTON, N.C., March 31, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Active Energy Group (AIM:AEG), producer of CoalSwitch™, a new clean energy pellet, announced it has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Phoenix Investors LLC for its Lumberton Site (“Lumberton”) in North […]

  • New Jersey’s Last Two Coal Power Plants to Close within Months

    The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) approved a petition filed by Atlantic City Electric Co. (ACE) that modifies power purchase agreements (PPAs) and power sales agreements (PSAs) between ACE and Chambers Cogeneration Ltd. and Logan Generating Co., the last two coal-fired electricity generation units in New Jersey. Under the agreements, coal-fired generation will […]

  • How Ammonia Could Help the World Transition to Clean Energy

    Hydrogen is widely seen as a vital component in efforts to decarbonize the world’s power supply. One example of this is a strategy being piloted by at least a couple of major gas turbine manufacturers, which involves storing “green hydrogen” produced through electrolysis using excess wind or solar power when renewable energy supplies exceed grid […]

  • Ohio Utility Says Two Coal Plants Could Close Next Year

    An Ohio-based utility said it plans to deactivate or sell the remaining coal-fired units at two of its power plants in 2023, five years earlier than previously expected. Akron-based Energy Harbor made the announcement March 14. The company in a news release said it wants to be a carbon-free power generator by the end of […]

  • Coal Use Rises, Prices Soar as War Impacts Energy Markets

    The war in Ukraine is having a global impact on energy prices, not only driving the cost of oil higher, but also sending coal prices to record levels as demand for the fuel grows during a period of diminished supply. The Newcastle (Australia) futures price of thermal coal for power generation hit $435/ton on March […]

  • Ban on Russian Energy Imports Gains Bipartisan, Bicameral Steam in Congress

    Eighteen bipartisan U.S. Senators are backing a bill that would direct the president to declare a national emergency and prohibit imports of Russian energy commodities, including crude oil, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and coal. While the measure does not include Russian uranium, a senior Department of Energy official said addressing U.S. reliance on […]

  • The Hydrogen Rainbow Is So 2021—It’s Time to Get Over It

    When it comes to hydrogen energy, the industry typically differentiates the final product in classes that correspond to the carbon intensity with a focus on “the colors of the rainbow,” such as gray, green, purple, and blue. According to The New York Times, the oil and gas industries are promoting blue hydrogen because (at the […]

  • Charah Solutions Places Final 20% of All Real Property Acreage at Former TMPA Gibbons Creek Steam Electric Station Under Contract

    In Less than One Year Since Acquisition, Environmental Risk Transfer Services Leader Has Successfully Executed Contracts for the Sale of 100% of Real Property Acreage and Demolition of Power Plant; Remediation of Existing Ash Ponds and Landfills Underway Proven Environmental Risk Transfer Services Model Benefits Utility Partners, Shareholders, Local Communities and the Environment LOUISVILLE, KY […]

  • POWER Digest [March 2022]

    Oman Adds Major Solar Project. A consortium consisting of Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power, Kuwait-based Gulf Investment Corp., and Kuwait’s Alternative Energy Projects Co. in January inaugurated Ibri 2, the