Environmental

The last operating large coal-fired power plant in Finland has shut down, with the facility’s operator saying it now will use electricity, waste heat, and heat pumps—along with burning biomass—to provide power and heat to its customers. The Salmisaari plant, with a generation capacity of 175 MW of electricity along with its production of heat, […]

A changing policy landscape presents challenges for moving away from fossil fuels. Executives say that may slow, but won’t halt, the momentum to electrify. Remember the slogan “electrify everything”? It

In a 2023 report, McKinsey & Company projected 35 GW of new power will be needed for data centers in the U.S. by 2030. This forecast doubled the required power consumption from data servers, up from 17 GW in 2022. The explosive growth in data center infrastructure driven by investments in artificial intelligence (AI) is […]

The increasing reliance on battery-powered devices plays a substantial role in the unfolding environmental crisis. With industries and consumers dependent on single-use and rechargeable batteries, the global waste problem continues to escalate.

Lithium-ion batteries, while effective, contribute significantly to environmental degradation due to resource extraction, manufacturing emissions, and disposal challenges. Radio frequency (RF)-based wireless power technology is emerging as a viable alternative.

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 […]

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 […]

The power industry was once considered slow-moving and perhaps even boring. That is no longer the case as technology has expanded and power demand projections skyrocket. New reports released by analysts at

There has been significant outrage from the left around changes the Trump administration has made since taking office, including actions that specifically affect the power industry. Yet, it’s not uncommon

Policy upheavals have cast uncertainty over the future of carbon capture and storage in the power sector, though its momentum is widely expected to continue. In November 2024, the Global CCS Institute, an

Let Air Products be your decarbonization partner through the transition to sustainable energy. We can help you utilize oxygen to improve your natural gas efficiency, find a potential carbon capture and sequestration solution, or introduce hydrogen to your process to reduce emissions. Download to read our latest content to learn more and take the first […]

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 […]

District energy systems employ a centralized facility to supply heating, cooling, and sometimes electricity for multiple buildings in an area through a largely underground, mostly unseen network of pipes. When district energy systems are utilized, individual buildings do not need their own boilers, chillers, and cooling towers. This offers a number of benefits to building […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Through a cutting-edge heat exchange system, the Museum of Bavarian History in Regensburg, Germany, efficiently heats and cools its building, showcasing a promising solution for urban decarbonization and clean

The outlook for the power generation sector in 2025 promises a continuation of the energy transition, though there’s plenty of debate about the direction of the industry. Advocates for renewable energy, particularly in the U.S., are concerned about how the incoming Trump administration—with its support for fossil fuels—could impact the growth of clean technologies. Utilities […]

Hydrogen is becoming increasingly important to the electric power generation industry for several reasons. One is that hydrogen offers a promising pathway to decarbonize the power sector. When used in fuel cells or burned for electricity generation, hydrogen produces only water vapor as a byproduct, making it a zero-emission energy source. This is crucial for […]

Finland is making significant strides in a trial run that will demonstrate the entire process for the safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) at Onkalo on Olkiluoto Island—the world’s first permanent

India has long been dependent on coal-fired power for much of its electricity, and the country still gets about 70% of its energy from burning coal according to government data. The Institute for Energy

Many power companies face significant risks from coal ash ponds. New solutions based on water flow physics are showing promise in preventing the spread of hazardous particulate matter. Existing coal plants are

In three front-page rulings this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court made sweeping changes to the ways that federal judges will review future agency actions—including a rejection of its longstanding Chevron

Technology group Wärtsilä is part of a new research project exploring innovative technology for cleaner, more energy-efficient engines utilizing a closed-loop combustion cycle. The research, announced on Nov. 26, will focus on the use of argo, a non-toxic ideal gas present in the atmosphere, to increase efficiency of balancing engines. The co-innovation project is run […]

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has made the U.S. energy industry a focus of its plans for his first days in office, with analysts and energy experts expecting a rollback of environmental regulations for coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. That may have some utilities rethinking their strategies about the scheduled closure of some fossil […]

The need for emissions-free power generation, along with the ability to provide more power when and where it’s needed, is driving research and development of smaller nuclear reactors. Energy industry

In its quest to drive down costs while boosting safety, the nuclear industry has ramped up efforts to streamline operations and maintenance (O&M). New approaches target efficiency and resilience. If there

An analysis from global data and analytics group Wood Mackenzie says Republican control of the White House and Congress means U.S. energy policy will move away from net-zero emissions targets, but there remains bipartisan support for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The group also said competitive economics for renewable power resources mean the energy transition […]

Utilities recognizing the need to produce more electricity, in part to satisfy demand from data centers, may keep coal-fired units in operation longer than anticipated. A lessening of environmental regulations under the incoming Trump administration also means power generators are rethinking plans to retire their fossil fuel-burning facilities. Chris Womack, CEO of Southern Co., is […]

On Dec. 22, 2008, a major dike failure occurred on the north slopes of the ash pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) Kingston Fossil Plant. The failure resulted in the release of approximately 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash spilling onto adjacent land and into the Emory River. The Kingston spill is considered […]

A report from a group that looks at economic conditions in the Appalachia region of the U.S. says a hydrogen hub proposed for the area already faces significant challenges. The Ohio River Valley Institute in a research brief published this month said five of the 15 originally proposed projects in the hub have been canceled, […]