Coal

  • The POWER Interview: How Industry 4.0 Will Improve Sustainability

    As the world continues to face climate uncertainties, industrial companies are looking for ways to ensure they are as sustainable as possible while maintaining profitability. POWER’s recent Distributed Energy Conference included a session on sustainability from the viewpoint of utilities and others in the power generation industry. Many companies are working toward the goal of […]

  • IEA World Energy Outlook: Solar Capacity Surges Past Coal and Gas by 2040

    Solar photovoltaic (PV) could surge ahead of coal and gas and become the largest source of installed power capacity in the world in the next two decades if countries pursue stated policies and targets, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its newly released World Energy Outlook 2019 (WEO2019).  The agency’s annual publication, which it […]

  • How the DOE Plans to Modernize the Grid in the Near Term

    Twenty-three projects chosen by the Department of Energy (DOE) in response to its 2019 Grid Modernization Lab Call provide a broad look at the critical issues that are roiling the nation’s power sector, as well as the tools and technologies that it has determined will best bolster the grid of the future in the near […]

  • 2.2-GW Coal-Fired Behemoth Could Permanently Close This Week

    The 2,250-MW coal-fired Navajo Generating Station (NGS) in Arizona will permanently close likely this week, ending a long and bitter fight to keep the plant and its affiliated coal mine open. The plant’s utility owners—Salt River Project (SRP), Arizona Public Service Co., Tucson Electric Power Co., and NV Energy—in February 2017 voted to shut down […]

  • ExxonMobil Extends Deal for Fuel Cell Carbon Capture Project

    ExxonMobil and FuelCell Energy announced a new joint-development agreement to enhance carbon capture fuel cell technology, as the groups work on a process to capture combustion exhaust from power plants and other industrial facilities. The two-year deal, announced Nov. 6 and an extension of an earlier agreement, is aimed at optimizing core technology, process integration, […]

  • AES Commits to Build 2.2-GW CCGT Plant in Vietnam

    AES Corp. on Nov. 8 signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vietnamese government to build a $1.7 billion gas-fired power plant in Vietnam. The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi made the announcement along with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, who was attending a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the American […]

  • Mississippi Lime Attains ISO Certification

    ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Nov. 8, 2019 – Mississippi Lime Company’s (MLC) specialty operations in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri has received the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Certification from NSF International Strategic Registrations (NSF-ISR). The certification recognizes quality management systems and looks at factors such as customer satisfaction, support of top management, product processes, and continual […]

  • EPA Proposes Revisions to Two Obama-Era Rules: Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Coal Ash

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued long-awaited proposed revisions of two 2015 Obama-era rules that apply to effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) for steam electric power plants and coal combustion residuals (CCR) management by electric utilities.  The agency coordinated the release of the two related revisions, which apply overwhelmingly to coal-fired steam power plants, after […]

  • Alliant Announces Plan for 1 GW of Solar in Wisconsin

    Wisconsin-based Alliant Energy has announced a plan to add 1 GW of solar power generation to its portfolio by 2023. The company on Oct. 31 in its “Powering What’s Next Plan” said it would begin construction of its first “Community Solar” site in Fond du Lac County next year. David de Leon, president of Alliant […]

  • The POWER Interview: Eaton Targets Skilled Labor Shortage With Hands-on Training

    POWER in 2018 reported on the lasting impact that a dip in training programs has had on the utility workforce. In the 1980s, there were fewer training programs and the impact is still being felt today. There are fewer utility workers able to move into middle- and upper-management positions, contributing to a workforce gap as […]

  • Protecting Critical Infrastructure from Drone Intrusions

    Drones represent a classic good news/bad news scenario. The good news is great. The bad news is terrifying. On the good news front, drones can keep utility-sector workers safely on the ground, with the

  • EAM Solutions Stretch Capabilities of Lean Plant Maintenance Teams

    Of the many challenges power and industrial plant maintenance teams face, stretching the capabilities of their ultra-lean staff is one of the most critical. Assets can range from industrial generators, to

  • Poland Pushing Back Against EU Goal to End Coal-Fired Generation

    Polish officials have said it is “not possible” for the country to meet the European Union’s (EU’s) goal of cutting net carbon emissions to zero by 2050, and as such the government will continue to

  • Equipment Showcase: Boilers, Burners, Combustion

    Boiler and burner manufacturers, along with suppliers of combustion control systems, work with the power generation sector along with other industries. They provide equipment for low- and high-pressure steam

  • Dependable Renewable Energy for the Power Grid

    Although wind and solar facilities receive most of the renewable power publicity, biomass offers a reliable baseload solution for power generators. State-of-the-art circulating fluidized bed boilers are a

  • When the Storm Strikes, Will You Be Ready?

    Is your plant’s natural disaster preparedness plan leaving your site vulnerable? This article provides some best practices to help you prepare for the worst. At some point in a plant’s life, there will

  • History of Power Plant Renovation and Modernization in India

    Good infrastructure is an essential component for the economic growth of a country, and power plays a crucial role in infrastructure development. India is home to 18% of the world’s total population, and it uses about 6% of the world’s primary energy. The total power generating capacity from all sources of power in India has […]

  • Ritter’s Message: Market Forces Drive Growth in Distributed Generation

    Market forces are playing as much if not more of a role than regulatory policy in the transition from fossil-fueled power generation to renewables, as utilities in the U.S. and worldwide establish decarbonization goals. That was the message from Bill Ritter Jr., former governor of Colorado, during his keynote address at POWER’s Distributed Energy Conference […]

  • States to FERC: Promote Market Designs That Recognize State Priorities 

    Attorneys general from 11 states ramped up pressure on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to recognize state policy goals as it makes decisions related to market design, siting of new gas pipelines and storage facilities, and grid reliability.  The measure is the latest in a string of recent pushes by states to ensure federally […]

  • Restructuring Report: Eskom ‘Fundamentally Insolvent, Permanently Impaired’

    Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned utility that produces nearly 90% of the African powerhouse’s electricity, is saddled with liabilities, unavoidable expenses, and stranded costs that exceed $113 billion, and for various reasons, it is “fundamentally insolvent, permanently impaired, and will never be a true going concern enterprise under its current legal, operational, and governance structure,” concludes […]

  • Report: Nearly 80% of EU Coal Units Operate at a Loss

    A new report from a group that studies the impact of climate change on financial markets recommends that European Union (EU) governments move to phase out coal-fired power generation completely by 2030 in order to avoid even-greater economic damage. Carbon Tracker, a London, UK-based group supported by foundations in Europe and the U.S., on Oct. 24 […]

  • CPHGC Power Plant in Pakistan Reaches Commercial Operation with GE Technology

    GE supplied the steam turbines, generators and boilers for the 1,320MW power project Will provide power to 4 million homes and significantly reduce the cost of electricity generation in Pakistan  Completed on time and on budget Baden, Switzerland; October 23, 2019: The 1,320 MW China Power Hub Generation Company (Pvt.) Ltd. Power Plant (CPHGC) in […]

  • Eight Years on the Firing Line: Fronting for a Fossil-Fuel Power Company

    A public relations expert who worked for a major coal generator provides key advice to professionals joining the power sector amid the energy transition.

  • Energy Secretary Perry Tells Trump He is Resigning

    Energy Secretary Rick Perry told President Donald Trump on Oct. 17 that he is resigning his post. Trump confirmed to reporters in Texas, where he and Perry flew Thursday, that the energy secretary will step down, and Trump said he would quickly name a replacement. DOE Deputy Secretary Don Brouillette is viewed as Perry’s likely […]

  • FERC Backs First Compliance Filings on Energy Storage Rule

    The energy storage market received a boost Oct. 17 when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the first two compliance filings implementing Order 841, a rule the commission said is designed to eliminate market barriers to electricity storage. Order 841 was enacted in February 2018. The measure directs regional power grid operators to establish […]

  • AECOM selected to provide clean closure of a coal ash impoundment involving the beneficial use of ponded ash

    LOS ANGELES (October 17, 2019) — AECOM, the world’s premier infrastructure firm, announced today it will provide engineering, procurement and construction management services for the clean closure of the coal ash pond at A.B. Brown Generating Station located outside Evansville, Indiana. The project will remove up to 6,000,000 tons of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) from […]

  • Moody’s: Carbon Concerns Denting Merchant Coal Refinancing Prospects

    Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks are diminishing the number of potential investors in U.S. merchant coal projects, and that is putting more pressure on already squeezed coal plant economics, Moody’s Investors Service said in a new sector report.   The U.S. merchant coal plants, which are already grappling with persistently low power prices that […]

  • Tiny Underwater Robot Has Big Impact at Endesa’s Thermal Power Plants

    Spain’s largest electric utility Endesa has successfully tested a new remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that it says will make inspection and maintenance in fully or partially submerged environments at its thermal power plants less costly and more efficient. The underwater robot, which was custom manufactured by Spanish startup NIDO Robotics for Endesa’s applications, is about […]

  • Siemens’ gearless drive technology powers high-capacity overland conveyor in Quellaveco

    Conveyor system will move 127,500 tons of primary crushed ore per day New Siemens’ gearless drive technology to increase reliability and efficiency additionally by up to 4 percent Maintenance requirements of the drive system significantly reduced Powered by Siemens’ new gearless drive technology, thyssenkrupp’s high-capacity overland conveyor will access one of the world’s largest copper […]

  • Exelon Utilities’ CEO Retires as Federal Investigation Continues

    The CEO of major U.S. energy company Exelon Utilities retired on Oct. 15, leaving the company as federal officials investigate Exelon’s lobbying activities at the Illinois State Capitol. The retirement of Anne Pramaggiore, 61, who became CEO of Exelon Utilities in 2018, comes less than a week after Exelon subsidiary Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), Illinois’ largest […]