Coal

  • United Conveyor Corporation Acquires North American Bottom Ash Material Handling Offerings from GE Steam Power

    Waukegan, IL – May 3, 2021 – United Conveyor Corporation (UCC) announced today that the company has acquired GE Steam Power’s bottom ash business in North America. The deal reached April 21 includes intellectual property, know-how, and inventory transfer. This agreement combines the strengths of UCC and GE Steam Power’s bottom ash capabilities and will […]

  • Japan Pulls Back from Coal, Though New Plants Move Forward

    Japanese financial institutions and energy companies continue to move away from supporting coal-fired power generation, as the country’s leadership reiterates what it says is an “unwavering resolve to

  • Process Control Strategies for Reducing the Minimum Load of Fossil-Fired Plants

    Recent Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) research aims to better understand the potential of process control enhancements, such as load control, sliding pressure control, and steam temperature control

  • Coal-Fired Power Station Provides Natural Ecological Environment for Fireflies and Birds

    In the 1980s, Taiwan’s economy grew rapidly and its demand for electricity surged. New power plants were urgently needed. In order to reduce transportation costs of imported coal and to promote economic

  • POWER Digest [May 2021]

    Uzbekistan Wind Farm Project Expanding. Masdar, a global renewable energy company, has signed an agreement with Uzbekistan’s government to extend the capacity of its utility-scale wind farm project in the

  • Are Model and Field Liquid Collection Efficiency the Same? No.

    “Because droplet trajectories and deposition patterns cannot be modeled simultaneously with the liquid-film motion, physical-flow models cannot be used to accurately determine the collection efficiency of

  • Alabama Coal Plant Tops List of Emitters

    A report from a Colorado-based group that provides analysis and market reports to the energy industry says an Alabama power plant has the highest emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) of any coal-fired facility in the Lower 48 states. BTU Analytics in a report released April 29 ranked the James H. Miller plant in West Jefferson, […]

  • More Coal Cuts—AEP, Mississippi Power Detail Closures

    American Electric Power (AEP), which in 2019 reached an agreement to close Unit 1 of the two-unit, 2.6-GW coal-fired Rockport power plant in Indiana, has now announced a plan to close Unit 2 of the facility. Both units at Rockport are now expected to be shuttered by year-end 2028. AEP, the parent of Indiana Michigan […]

  • DOE Earmarks $109.5 Million to Support Coal Workers

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said it will provide $109.5 million in funding for projects that directly support job creation in communities impacted by the energy transition, particularly for workers and areas struggling due to closures of coal-fired power plants and coal mines. The DOE in the April 23 announcement, made in connection with […]

  • Charah Solutions Awarded Fly Ash Sales and Operations Contract Extension from Luminant Through 2027

    Additional 3-Year Extension Will Provide Landfill and Ash Pond Management and Material Handling Operations to Miami Fort and Zimmer Power Plants in Ohio of Approximately 180,000 Tons of Ash Annually Approximately 400,000 Tons of Fly Ash Per Year from Both Sites Will be Recycled and Sold for Beneficial Use in Portland Cement LOUISVILLE, KY (April […]

  • India Cites ‘Cheaper’ Coal in Planning New Units

    A draft copy of a document outlining India’s latest National Electricity Policy (NEP) reportedly shows the country is considering building new coal-fired generation capacity, even as it sets new carbon reduction targets. The document also said government officials would push for better technology to help reduce emissions from those plants. Reuters on April 19 reported […]

  • Self-Tuning Artificial Intelligence Improves Plant Efficiency and Flexibility

    Flexible plant operations are highly desirable in today’s power generation industry. Every plant owner desires increased ramp rates and the ability to operate at lower loads so their plants will remain “in the money” longer in today’s competitive power markets. This goal, while laudable, remains elusive. The ADEX self-tuning artificial intelligence (AI) system allows plants […]

  • Vistra Backs Illinois Transition Measure to Keep At-Risk Coal Plants Online Through 2025

    Bleeding financially from underperforming and legally burdened coal generation in downstate Illinois and elsewhere, Vistra, the nation’s largest competitive generator, has renewed its call for passage of the Illinois Coal to Solar and Energy Storage Act, a bill that could help keep 2.2 GW of existing at-risk capacity online through 2025 while the state expands […]

  • Power Infrastructure Prominent in Biden’s $2.25 Trillion Blueprint

    A major chunk of President Joe Biden’s $2.25 trillion transformational plan to overhaul the nation’s infrastructure is dedicated to re-energizing America’s power infrastructure. The initiatives garnered the industry’s approval—with notable exceptions. The “American Jobs Plan,” released on March 31, strives to jumpstart the U.S. economy, which drooped under burdens posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But […]

  • Key Pre-Demolition Considerations for Fossil Fuel Power Plants

    As the existing electric generation infrastructure matures, electric generation system owners are looking to the future for newer and greener technologies to meet the demands of electric consumption. An important part of this future perspective may include the demolition and removal of older generation plants and facilities to free up land resources for new development.  Prior […]

  • ST Equipment & Technology Teams with Salt River Materials Group on Fly Ash Recycling System

    NEEDHAM, Mass., March 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — ST Equipment & Technology LLC (STET) headquartered in Needham, MA, announces the collaboration of a fly ash beneficiation project with the Phoenix Cement Company, a company of the Salt River Materials Group (SRMG). STET is a leader in proprietary technology converting fly ash to useful products for cement […]

  • All Fuels Are Important, but Thermal Power Generation Is Still Number 1

    COMMENTARY Throughout my career—and also POWER magazine’s long history—thermal power generation has been the greatest source of dispatchable electricity generation. In my view, policymakers have run a very good and smooth evolution of power generation diversity off the rails. The Biden Administration and Democrat Congress policies constitute an anti-American war on carbon. These policies, if […]

  • EPA Finalizes Rule to Curb Cross-State Pollution

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an update and finalized a pollution rule that will require reductions in ozone emissions from power plants in 12 states this year. The update to the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), issued March 15, is designed to curb emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx)—primarily from coal-fired power plants—ahead […]

  • Are 1-in-10-Year Events Really 1-in-10-Year Events Anymore?

    When evaluating resource adequacy requirements, many power companies and grid operators have used a methodology that originated more than 70 years ago. This probabilistic reliability approach has generally performed adequately through the years. It has generally evaluated loss-of-load events occurring at frequencies of one-day-in-10-years (1-in-10) to be acceptable in terms of system reliability. However, it’s […]

  • ERCOT Lists Generators Forced Offline During Texas Extreme Cold Event

    The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) in freshly revealed data on March 4 reported that the Texas grid suffered 1,796 generating or energy storage outages or derates as winter storm Uri bore down on the state in mid-February.  The grid operator made the list public in a letter it sent to lawmakers in the […]

  • 1.6-GW Coal Plant May Get New Life as Green Hydrogen Hub

    Global technology heavyweights Shell and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Swedish state-owned energy firm Vattenfall, and German municipal heat generator Wärme Hamburg are teaming on a massive project to repurpose a 2015-commissioned 1.6-GW coal plant in northern Germany as a massive green hydrogen hub.  The four companies in January said they signed a letter of intent to […]

  • Improving Load Response and NOx Emissions with Boiler Tuning and Coal-Fired Unit Optimization

    Maintaining and operating a coal-fired generating station requires the utmost attention to detail to stay competitive. Focusing on the fundamentals of combustion allows engineers to improve reliability

  • Charah Solutions Awarded 5-Year Ash Marketing Contract by NV Energy for Beneficial Use of Production Fly Ash

    Fly Ash from North Valmy Generating Station in Northern Nevada Will Be Sold for Beneficial Use in Ready Mix Concrete Market LOUISVILLE, KY (February 23, 2021) – Charah® Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: CHRA) (the “Company”), a leading provider of mission-critical environmental services and byproduct sales to the power generation industry, today announced that it has been […]

  • GE Gas Turbines Will Replace Coal at Colorado Plant

    The plan to retire the last coal-fired units at a power plant in Colorado has moved a step closer to completion, with the announcement that Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) has chosen General Electric (GE) technology to keep the plant operating at least temporarily as a gas-fired facility. GE on Feb. 10 announced that six of […]

  • NIPSCO reduces TSS levels and complies with NPDES regulations using innovative technology

    NIPSCO uses a large reservoir for settling out suspended solids prior to discharging the water back to the Kankakee River. This water is rich in nutrients, causing algae to grow at an undesired rate. Algae has a direct effect on pH and TSS levels in water. By using LG Sonic MPC-Buoy systems, NIPSCO has improved […]

  • Retirement Set for Wisconsin’s Second-Largest Coal Plant

    The Columbia Energy Center, a two-unit 1,100-MW coal-fired station located in Columbia County, Wisconsin, south of Portage, will be permanently retired by the end of 2024.    Alliant Energy, which co-owns the facility with Wisconsin Public Service Corp. (a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group) and Madison Gas and Electric Co., made the announcement on Feb. […]

  • The Biden Administration Can Help Set American Energy on a Winning Course

    The 46th president of the United States has officially been sworn in. During his inauguration address President Joe Biden spoke of unity, empathy, and the challenges Americans must face together. Challenges indeed abound for Biden’s incoming environmental and energy team, including New Mexico congresswoman Deb Haaland as Interior Secretary, former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as […]

  • Morgan Stanley: Coal-Fired Power Off U.S. Grid by 2033

    A report from Morgan Stanley, a global wealth management company, said coal-fired power generation is likely to disappear from the U.S. power grid by 2033, largely displaced by renewable energy resources. The report published Feb. 1 said renewable energy such as solar and wind power will provide nearly 40% of U.S. electricity in 2030, and […]

  • Fending Off Forced Power Plant Outages

    The changing profile of the power system has added new stressors on conventional power generation and may have raised the potential for forced outages. Addressing them requires a closer look at traditional and