Engineering

  • How to Provide Reliable and Resilient Electricity Amid Today’s Changing Climate

    The United Nations has gone on record to spotlight the negative effects of climate change that have affected the world in recent years. The group stated, “destructive storms have become more intense and more frequent in many regions … while the frequency and extent of tropical storms has led to destroyed homes and communities, causing […]

  • OPG Embarks on Major Refurbishment of Niagara Falls Hydropower Stations

    Ontario Power Generation (OPG) will partner with GE Vernova to complete a 15-year project to refurbish the iconic 1.7-GW Sir Adam Beck I and II hydroelectric complex near Niagara Falls. The C$1 billion ($724 million) project unveiled on April 16 will comprise the first phase of OPG’s larger plans to overhaul all five of its […]

  • Massive Electrical and Instrumentation Contract Awarded for Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Project

    BGEN, one of the UK’s largest engineering firms, has been awarded an £84 million project by GE Steam Power Systems to provide electrical and instrumentation solutions to Hinkley Point C (HPC), which is a two-unit EPR nuclear power station under construction in Somerset, England. When complete, Hinkley Point C is expected to deliver 7% of […]

  • The POWER Interview: American Battery Factory Ramps Up U.S. Manufacturing

    Support for battery energy storage, and manufacturing of equipment for the electrification of transportation, is spurring construction of battery factories across the U.S. American Battery Factory, a leader in development of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells, recently announced a partnership with Lead Intelligent Equipment (LEAD) to secure custom automation equipment and machinery that will […]

  • Gas Turbine and Hydrogen Technologies Grow Together

    The future of gas turbines and hydrogen are intricately intertwined. Gas turbine manufacturers know that they need their equipment to be ready to operate on higher levels of hydrogen as electrolysis technology

  • Modern Control Systems Provide Insights for Power Sector

    As power generation embraces digitization, and looks for more reliability and flexibility, the need for advanced instrumentation and control systems grows. Power plant operators know the importance of

  • How to Get the Most Out of EPC Contracts

    Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts are agreements in which a contractor is given major project responsibilities under a single contract established with an owner or developer. A

  • Critical Importance of Annual Turbine Oil Analysis

    Turbines are by far the single most-costly piece of equipment for many energy businesses, which highlights the importance of lubrication for these assets. Although turbine oil could last for more than a

  • UK Companies See Major Opportunity in Nuclear Supply Chain

    The UK government has ambitions for 24 GW of nuclear energy by 2050 to help in providing energy security for the UK and for meeting its net-zero goals. Among groups helping to revive and expand the UK’s nuclear industry is the University of Sheffield Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC), part of the High […]

  • The POWER Interview: Engineering the Best Use of Data in the Electricity Sector

    Utilities and other power generators recognize the importance of proper data management and the use of data analytics. Maximizing the value of data enables utilities to draw operational insights, including identifying current or potential issues at power plants and along the transmission and distribution system. Power generators are adopting communications networks to improve their operations, […]

  • UK’s Drax Eyes U.S. for Bioenergy CCS Expansion Drive

    The 2.6-GW Drax Power Station in northeastern England—once Western Europe’s largest coal-fired power plant—is poised to pioneer bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), a negative emissions

  • Commercial, Industrial Sites Embrace Innovation for New Generation

    The importance of a reliable and resilient power supply continues to grow, and so does the need to control energy costs. That’s why more institutions want power systems that support operational efficiency

  • Marnie Surfaceblow: Marnie Finds a Pest

    Small clues can sometimes help reveal larger problems. Don’t ignore unusual events and remember not to let history repeat. “One unit’s offline, and it’s about to become two, right as power prices and

  • How HIL Testing Supports Grid Reliability and Power Project Success

    Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing involves simulation of power plant behavior using the actual site-specific power plant controls before the commissioning stage. HIL testing can benefit all project

  • Research and Development Investments Vital for a Clean Energy Future

    Several solutions are needed to support deployment of renewable energy and enable continued growth in the use of distributed energy resources. The structure of energy systems everywhere is changing fast

  • New Colorado Gas-Fired Plant Will Feature GE Vernova Power Units

    A new natural gas-fired peaker plant being built on Colorado’s eastern plains will feature aeroderivative gas power packages from GE Vernova. The Mountain Peak Power Plant, which will be managed and operated by Princeton, New Jersey-based Kindle Energy, and will serve the United Power electric cooperative, is expected to come online in 2025. GE Vernova’s […]

  • Ansaldo Energia Reports Hydrogen Breakthrough for Gas Turbine Sequential Combustion Technology

    Ansaldo Energia has successfully demonstrated its constant pressure sequential combustion (CPSC) technology—designed for a novel, hydrogen-optimized combustor based on its flagship GT36 H-class gas turbine model—can flexibly operate with up to 100% hydrogen fuel. The breakthrough announced on Feb. 13 marks a major triumph for the FLEX4H2 (or Flexibility for Hydrogen) program, a four-year European […]

  • From a Distance, Power Sector Gets Up Close with Assets

    The use of remote monitoring is enabling operators in the electric power sector to gain better insight into the real-time performance of equipment and systems. Owners and operators of power generation equipment are working in a challenging environment, as more technologies are used to produce electricity, more generation facilities are sited in rural areas, and […]

  • Pioneering GE F-Class Hydrogen-Capable Gas Power Plant Begins Operations in Australia 

    EnergyAustralia has begun operations at the 320-MW Tallawarra B gas-fired power station in New South Wales (NSW)—Australia’s first peaking power plant capable of operating on a natural gas and hydrogen fuel blend. The project’s start on Feb. 19 also marks GE Vernova’s first deployment of a hydrogen-capable dual-fuel 9F gas turbine. The $300 million ($196 […]

  • Improving Nuclear Plant Construction Processes: How to Build Projects More Efficiently

    If you have paid any attention to nuclear power plant construction projects over the years, you know that there is a long history of cost overruns and schedule delays on many of them. In fact, many nuclear power plants that were planned in the 1960s and 1970s were never completed, even after millions (or billions) […]

  • Hydrogen Production Project Moves Forward at Wyoming Coal Plant

    Wyoming officials will help fund a hydrogen generation project that will have coal as its energy source, using carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) along with a chemical looping technology. Babcock & Wilcox (B&W), an Ohio-headquartered group working on technologies to produce cleaner energy, and electric utility Black Hills Energy recently announced the companies have received […]

  • GE Vernova, IHI Developing Novel Ammonia-Capable Gas Turbine Combustor

    GE Vernova will collaborate with Japanese integrated heavy industry group IHI Corp. to develop a retrofittable 100% ammonia-capable gas turbine combustion system that would be compatible with GE’s 6F.03, 7F, and 9F models, targeting a potential commercially available product by 2030. The companies on Jan. 24 signed a joint development agreement (JDA) that formally launched […]

  • Prodigy and Westinghouse Targeting Launch of eVinci Floating Nuclear Plant in Canada by 2030

    Westinghouse has revealed it is designing a transportable nuclear power plant (TNPP) featuring an eVinci microreactor with Canadian firm Prodigy Clean Energy, aiming to deliver a first project in Canada by 2030. The project will potentially integrate a single or multiple 5-MWe eVinci microreactors within a Prodigy Microreactor Power Station—a purpose-designed floating facility that will […]

  • Hydrogen Fuel Cell Provides Backup Power for Microsoft Data Center

    A demonstration project led by Caterpillar at a Wyoming site showed that large-format hydrogen fuel cells could be used to supply backup power to a data center. Caterpillar on Jan. 19 announced the project, done in collaboration with Microsoft and Ballard Power Systems, provided insights into the use of hydrogen fuel cells to support energy-intensive […]

  • Nuclear, Sustainable Tech Groups Join to Decarbonize Hydrogen, Chemical Production

    A UK-based nuclear energy group is working with an Italian technology company to support decarbonization of the chemical industry, including hydrogen production. The agreement announced Jan. 10 between newcleo, a developer of small modular reactors (SMRs) and producer of MOX (mixed oxide) fuel, and two subsidiaries of Italy’s MAIRE will enable development of a conceptual […]

  • GE Vernova, Iberdrola Mexico Bring New Gas-Fired Plant Online; Could Burn Hydrogen

    Mexico’s expansion of its power generation capacity, particularly from natural gas, continues as GE Vernova and Iberdrola Mexico on Jan. 3 announced the start of commercial operation of the 766-MW Topolobampo III power plant. Mexico is building more gas-fired generation units to enable use of the country’s domestic natural gas resources. The Topolobampo facility, located […]

  • China Increasing Coal Use to Produce Ethanol

    State-run media in China reported that a facility there has begun testing production of ethanol through the use of coal, rather than using crops such as corn or sugar cane to make the fuel. The plant in southeastern China, with an annual production capacity of 600,000 metric tons, is said to be the world’s largest […]

  • AI-Optimized Grid Balancing Pilot Launched in Finland

    A Finland-based energy group has installed a pilot project at an industrial park in the country, touting it as a first-of-its-kind system supported by the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Exaum, founded in

  • Dialing in Data Key to Developing Successful Predictive Maintenance

    Data analysis is helping operators in the solar power sector develop more efficient systems that optimize operations and deliver cost savings. Utilities and other developers of solar power installations know

  • Alabama Power Modernizes Grid Using Data Analytics and Advanced Lateral Protection

    Alabama Power is a subsidiary of Southern Company and the largest electric utility within Alabama, delivering power through 85,586 miles of lines in the southern two-thirds of the state. We operate in one of the most storm-prone areas of the country, facing tornadoes, thunderstorms, and tropical storms year-round. The continual rush of disruptive weather events […]