Coal

  • POWER Digest [April 2025]

    U.S. Withdraws from Global Clean Energy Partnership. The U.S. has withdrawn from the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), a 2021-launched financing cooperation mechanism, that seeks to help a selection

  • South Africa Grants Emissions Exemptions to Coal-Fired Plants in Effort to Avoid Blackouts

    South African officials will allow some of the country’s coal-fired power plants to operate without the need to adhere to regulations on carbon and other emissions. The move comes as South Africa continues to struggle with producing enough electricity to power the country’s growing economy. South Africa, which relies on coal for more than 80% […]

  • Overcoming Engineering Challenges in Energy Generation

    This whitepaper from SimuTech Group explores how multiphysics simulation helps engineers solve performance and reliability challenges across the energy generation industry. Covering structural, thermal, fluid, and electromagnetic domains, it highlights practical applications across fossil, nuclear, hydro, wind, solar, and hydrogen systems. Backed by 40+ years of experience, SimuTech Group offers proven strategies to accelerate innovation […]

  • Trump’s EPA Set to Undo Limits on Power Plant Emissions

    The Trump administration has announced several regulatory rollbacks designed to curb limits on power plant emissions, along with cutting protections for air and water quality. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin on March 12 said the agency is moving to undo at least 31 regulations established during the Biden administration in an effort to […]

  • Lawmakers Scrutinize Power Sector’s Future as Surging Demand Raises Alarms

    In a hearing that underscored the mounting challenges facing the American power sector, industry leaders warned Congress that the nation’s power infrastructure is approaching a precarious juncture as unprecedented demand growth collides with retiring baseload generation. At the House Energy Subcommittee hearing on March 5, titled “Scaling for Growth: Meeting Demand for Reliable, Affordable Electricity,” […]

  • LG&E, KU Propose $3.7B Power Buildout: 1.3 GW of New Gas Plants, $153M Coal Unit Upgrade

    PPL subsidiaries Louisville Gas and Electric Company (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities Company (KU) have proposed to upgrade environmental controls at a 1974-built coal unit, build two new gas-fired power plants at a combined cost of $2.8 billion, and add 400 MW of battery storage. The measures seek to significantly boost the companies’ capacity to ready […]

  • Canada Bitcoin Miner Acquiring Two Pennsylvania Coal Plants

    A Canada-based crypto mining company is acquiring two Pennsylvania coal-fired power plants as part of its purchase of a digital mining group.

  • Alabama Power Building BESS at Former Coal-Fired Power Plant Site

    Officials with Alabama Power said the company will develop the state’s first utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) at the site of the former coal-fired William Crawford Gorgas Electric Generating Plant.

  • China’s Belt and Road Initiative Is Reshaping Global Power Infrastructure

    Since 2013, when China launched its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), interest in the measure has been sharply divided. Proponents in Beijing and across the Global South view the BRI as a transformational

  • POWER Digest (March 2025)

    Major Solar-Plus-Storage Project Announced in Middle East. A solar-plus-storage project that could provide gigawatts of generation capacity was unveiled in January during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW)

  • ERCOT and CAISO market trends and successful bid optimization

    Battery energy storage systems (BESS) play an essential role in balancing grids with high renewable energy. They can charge during low price hours and discharge during high price hours in the wholesale markets, or support grid stability participating in the ancillary markets. It is important for BESS owners to maximise their profit by deciding how […]

  • Turbine MRO Best Practices: Expert Guide to Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul

    Effective maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) practices are vital for reliable turbine operation. Innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and 3D scanning are transforming MRO processes

  • O&M Innovation in the Power Sector: The Latest Tools Redefining Asset Optimization

    As the power sector grapples with aging infrastructure, stricter sustainability mandates, and the rapid integration of renewables, innovation in operations and maintenance (O&M) has become critical to

  • Cut Downtime and Costs with Predictive Maintenance (PdM): Here’s How

    Predictive maintenance (PdM) is transforming power plant operations by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and automation to prevent costly equipment failures. Learn about real-world

  • POWER Magazine February 2025 Operations and Maintenance Special Report Preview

    POWER is the one brand that addresses all electric power generation and related technologies and fuels across North America and around the world, providing insight into this increasingly complex industry. Established in 1882, it is dedicated to providing its global audience with exclusive analysis of the latest trends, best practices, and power generation and related […]

  • U.S. Coal Plants Get Reprieve as Market and Policies Change

    Several U.S. utilities in recent months have said they plan to keep coal-fired units in their generation fleets operating past their scheduled retirement dates, in most cases citing increased demand for electricity in their service areas. Some also note that the Trump administration is likely to eschew enforcement of current pollution standards, and attempt to […]

  • Georgia Power to Keep Coal, Gas Power Plants Running Longer as Demand Climbs

    Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power has proposed a pivot toward extending the life of several existing coal and natural gas-fired power plants into the late 2030s—well beyond previous retirement timelines—citing rising electricity demand, regulatory constraints, and grid reliability risks. The utility’s 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) on […]

  • Xcel Says Coal-Fired Texas Plant’s Conversion to Natural Gas Nearly Complete

    Xcel Energy said the company’s coal-fired Harrington Generating Station in Amarillo, Texas should fully complete its transition to burning natural gas in May. Harrington, whose three units have 1,018 MW of generation capacity, was Xcel’s first coal-fired power plant in Texas. It came online in 1976. The utility in 2020 made the decision to convert […]

  • Zeldin Takes the Helm at Trump’s EPA Amid Industry Pressure for Regulatory Rollbacks

    Lee Zeldin has been sworn in as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 17th administrator, inheriting an agency that the power industry sees as increasingly central to the future of U.S. energy policy, grid reliability, and regulatory uncertainty. At his confirmation hearing on Jan. 16, Zeldin, a former congressman from New York’s First District with […]

  • Talen, PJM Reach Agreement to Keep 2 GW of Coal, Oil Generation Online for Reliability in Maryland

    Talen Energy has reached an agreement with PJM Interconnection, the Maryland Public Service Commission, Maryland electric utilities, consumer representatives, and the Sierra Club to extend operations at its 1.3-GW coal-fired Brandon Shores power plant and 774-MW oil-fired H.A. Wagner units until May 31, 2029, under a reliability-must-run (RMR) contract. If approved by the Federal Energy […]

  • PJM, Facing Capacity Shortage as Early as 2026/2027 Delivery Year, Agrees to Lower Auction Price Cap

    PJM Interconnection and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro have settled a lawsuit over PJM’s capacity market pricing, agreeing to lower the grid operator’s auction price cap from over $500/MW-day to $325/MW-day. The move comes as PJM acknowledges a capacity shortage could affect its system as early as the 2026/2027 delivery year. The agreement announced on Jan. […]

  • DeepSeek Sparks Demand Debate, While Chevron Plans Gas-Fired Plants for Data Centers

    The debate over just how much power will be needed to support the artificial intelligence (AI) industry became heated when a Chinese company said it has a low-cost AI model that could upend the sector’s energy needs. DeepSeek created a global stir after releasing information that said the company’s DeepSeek-V3 required less than $6 million […]

  • India Energy Group Plans ‘World’s Largest’ Data Center

    India’s government is pledging billions in financial support for the country’s ambitions around artificial intelligence (AI), and a Mumbai-headquartered energy group has said it plans to build what it calls the “world’s largest” data center in Jamnagar. Reliance Industries, led by Mukesh Ambani, a billionaire and the company’s chairman, already has a partnership with California-based […]

  • Coal Continues to Lead China’s Record Levels of Power Generation

    China’s thermal power generation reached a record high in 2024, primarily due to the country’s coal-fired power plants, even as the country continues to add renewable energy resources to its power grid. Data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics showed electricity production from the country’s coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear power sectors increased 1.5% […]

  • Babcock & Wilcox Secures Major Coal Power Plant Retrofit Contract in Southeast Asia

    Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) reported that its B&W Thermal business segment has been awarded a contract valued at approximately $13 million to retrofit boiler cleaning equipment for a power plant in Southeast Asia. B&W Thermal’s scope includes equipment design and supply, installation, integration, and commissioning of its Diamond Power boiler cleaning equipment, including retractable and standard […]

  • Officials Approve Duke Energy’s Plan to Replace Coal with Gas-Fired Units

    Regulators in North Carolina have approved Duke Energy’s plan to replace some of the utility’s coal-fired units with natural gas-fired generation. The North Carolina Utilities Commission in December issued orders in support of the gas-fired units. The state’s Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on Dec. 20 granted air permits for the gas-fired plants. Duke plans […]

  • Kentucky Utility Plans New Gas-Fired Units, Coal-to-Gas Conversion, and Solar Farms

    A Kentucky electric cooperative plans to build new natural gas-fired units, and convert some of its coal-fired units to burn natural gas, as part of an expansion of its power generation fleet. East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) also has received the go-ahead from state regulators to build two new solar power facilities as it seeks […]

  • 2025’s Energy Crossroads: 6 Trends Redefining the Global Power Sector

    Compared to recent years, which have been characterized by chronic energy shortages and price volatility, the world appears to be trundling toward a new energy market context, defined by an unprecedented

  • POWER Digest [January 2025]

    First Hualong One at Zhangzhou No. 1 Mega-Nuclear Plant Powers Up in China. China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC), on Nov. 28, successfully connected Zhangzhou Nuclear Power Plant No. 1, a 1.1-GW Hualong One

  • How to Prevent Oxygen Pitting in Boilers: A Safer Alternative to Hydrazine

    Experienced boiler operators know that oxygen can cause localized, severe corrosion in steam boiler systems through a process called oxygen pitting. This occurs when dissolved oxygen in the water comes into