Fuel

  • Exclusive: Why Oklo’s Demonstration of HALEU Could Be Groundbreaking for New Nuclear

    In an exclusive interview, executives from Silicon Valley–based Oklo, a company Idaho National Laboratory (INL) chose this week to demonstrate the first-of-its-kind use of recycled high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel in its full-size Aurora micro-reactor, told POWER that the project could have broad implications for the future of nuclear power. Marking a significant boost for […]

  • ITC Probing Economic Impact of Renewable Goals, Imports to New England

    Responding to a request from a Democrat-led U.S. House committee, the federal International Trade Commission (ITC) is investigating how New England’s increasing renewable targets are economically affecting the region, and what role renewable imports play in meeting those commitments. The ITC, an independent, nonpartisan and quasi-judicial federal agency that also provides fact-finding as it relates […]

  • Engineering Group: American Gas Turbines Will Remain Relevant But Need Advancement

    Given current trends, the U.S. gas turbine industry is set to play a critically important role in power generation, aircraft propulsion, and the oil and gas industry “for decades to come,” but it could benefit from prioritized research and development (R&D) and technological leadership, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and […]

  • Is Biomass Dead?

    With subsidies running short and emissions regulations still a challenge, the promise of biomass as a sustainable source for utility-scale power generation remains elusive. Yet, there are novel applications

  • Australia, Long a Uranium Champion, Mulls Nuclear Power

    An Australian federal inquiry last December recommended partially lifting a nationwide ban on nuclear energy, urging that the government pursue a “goal-oriented” and community-focused strategy as it

  • Cementing Coal Power Phaseout, Germany Sets Out to Shutter 40% of Current Generation Mix

    Germany’s federal cabinet on Jan. 29 approved a nationwide phaseout of coal power generation by 2038, paving the way for the country, which has already initiated a nuclear phaseout, to rely even more heavily on renewables. The federal cabinet’s approval of the “Reduction and Termination of Coal Power Generation” (Gesetz zur Reduzierung und zur Beendigung der […]

  • MOX Nuclear Fuel Loaded in Russian Reactor, More to Come

    Power plant engineers have loaded 18 mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies in Unit 4 at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. Distinct from traditional nuclear fuel with enriched uranium, MOX fuel pellets are based on the mix of nuclear fuel cycle derivatives, such as plutonium oxide bred in commercial reactors and uranium oxide […]

  • Bradley Pulverizer Acquired by Lancaster Products Owner

    Allentown, Pennsylvania – Bradley Pulverizer is pleased to announce new ownership.  Lancaster Products & Kercher Enterprises’ owner Curt Snyder acquired the assets of Bradley Pulverizer through an affiliate effective on January 14th, 2020. Bradley Pulverizer specializes in the design, manufacture, and supply of pulverizing systems for fine and semi-fine grinding of hard, friable, abrasive materials for […]

  • Exelon Installs New Accident Tolerant Fuel at Illinois Nuclear Plant

    Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF), a GE-led joint venture with Hitachi Ltd. that supplies boiling water reactor fuel and fuel-related services around the world, said lead test assemblies utilizing its ARMOR-coated zirconium cladding and IronClad Accident Tolerant Fuel solutions have been installed at Exelon’s Clinton nuclear plant in Illinois. “We continue to work with our customers […]

  • A Guide to Total Performance™ for Condensers & Heat Exchangers

    Sponsored by:
    Conco

    Conco enables power plants, refineries and industrial production facilities to improve profitability, productivity and reliability through a uniquely integrated platform of products and services for condensers and heat exchangers.

    With Total Performance™ you can anticipate problems and keep your condenser tubes at optimum efficiency. The three part process identifies the status of condenser tubes, detects equipment fatigue that can cause inefficiency, and cleans the tubes to improve flow and heat transfer. Together, Conco’s Total Performance™ platform can increase efficiency by as much as 4%.

  • Transformative Coal Power Technologies Take Shape

    The coal power industry acknowledges that to play a stable role in future power markets, it needs to modernize, and perhaps even overhaul its long-held status as a “conventional generator.” Could new

  • NERC: Long-Term Reliability Uncertain Amid Rapid Changes to Bulk Power System

    Significant and rapid changes that are reshaping North America’s power sector will likely leave Texas and Ontario, Canada, with supply shortfalls over the next decade, and energy deficiencies could also occur during off-peak conditions in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) area and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) region, the North American Electric Reliability […]

  • Joint U.S-Canadian Advanced Nuclear Review May Focus on Terrestrial’s Molten Salt Reactor, NuScale SMR

    Terrestrial Energy’s Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR), a 195-MWe Generation IV nuclear technology, and NuScale’s small modular reactor (SMR) may be the focus of the first joint technical review by U.S. and Canadian nuclear regulators in a bid to boost their regulatory effectiveness as more advanced reactors and SMRs trundle toward commercialization.  Rumina Velshi, president […]

  • FEED Study Commissioned on New Gas-to-Gasoline Plant

    December 11, 2019 01:10 PM Eastern Standard Time HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Primus Green Energy Inc. announces that along with a global petrochemical company as a joint venture partner, it has commissioned a Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) study with IHI E&C International Corporation (“IHI E&C”) for a first of its kind natural gas-to-gasoline plant in Texas. […]

  • China Starts Up First Nuclear Cogeneration Project—at AP1000 Plant

    China has started up its first commercial nuclear cogeneration system, using two newly operational AP1000 reactors at the Haiyang Nuclear Power Plant to heat 700,000 square meters of housing.  Shandong Nuclear Power Co. (SDNPC), a subsidiary of State Power Investment Corp. (SPIC), and owner of the Haiyang plant, on Nov. 15 said the first phase […]

  • A Review of Global Power-to-Gas Projects To Date [INTERACTIVE]

    According to experts from Technical University of Applied Sciences (OTH) in Regensburg, Germany, who recently reviewed the world’s existing power-to-gas (P2G) hydrogen and methane projects, about 143 P2G projects have operated since 1988 in 22 countries. Only 56 hydrogen and 38 methanation projects were active in 2019. While the existing fleet mostly comprises pilot or […]

  • Is Chasing Grid Demand Killing Your Large Coal Boiler? Here Are Four Concerns to Address

    Operating pulverized coal-fired boilers under low-load conditions presents several challenges. This article offers tips to keep units in the best possible operating condition. In today’s energy market with

  • Regulators: Central Station Generation Will Stay Dominant Despite Emerging Tech

    A nationwide survey of state utility commissions suggests regulators are increasingly grappling with issues that could “profoundly” alter energy delivery and utility business models. However, over the next decade, they expect central station generation will continue to dominate state portfolios, and utility-scale solar growth will surpass customer-owned photovoltaic (PV).  The survey to take the “regulatory […]

  • New Boosts for Commercial Production of HALEU Advanced Nuclear Reactor Fuel 

    Efforts to commercialize production of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel, which is needed for an array of advanced reactors, ramped up this week with two major announcements.  As the Department of Energy (DOE) contracted Centrus Energy to demonstrate production of HALEU fuel for advanced reactors at the DOE’s American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, private […]

  • 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

  • POWER Digest [November 2019]

    China Begins Operation of Two Innovative UHV Links. China’s state-owned transmission company State Grid on Sept. 26 said it put into operation two ultra-high-voltage (UHV) links: the Zhundong-Wannan 1,100-kV

  • Russia Completes First-Phase Testing of Nuclear Accident-Tolerant Fuel

    Russia has completed the first phase of nuclear accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) reactor testing at a government research facility. The achievement paves the way for ATF testing at a Russian commercial nuclear plant, which could begin in 2020. TVEL Fuel Co. of Rosatom, a company that provides nuclear fuel to 72 reactors in 14 countries, including […]

  • Distress and Deals Continue to Persist in Energy Sector

    At the end of last year, the power market began to lose steam. The credit market wasn’t as strong as it was at the start of the year and many people began speculating “doom and gloom” for the market. However, over the last few months, the power market has picked up and is beginning to […]

  • Protecting DEF from Extreme Cold Is Important

    According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the winter of 2019–2020 will be filled with bitterly cold weather in the eastern parts of the Rockies and east to the Appalachians. The Northeast should also experience very cold temperatures. For municipalities, public utilities, landscapers, and others that are involved in outdoor work and snow removal, there is always […]

  • India Starts Up Its First-Ever USC Coal Unit

    NTPC Ltd., one of India’s largest power generating companies, on Sept. 3 announced it had commissioned the country’s first ultrasupercritical (USC) coal-fired unit at the two-unit 1,320-MW Khargone plant that is under construction in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The development marks a major milestone for India, which depends on coal for 56% of its […]

  • THE BIG PICTURE: Hydrogen Power

    Hydrogen is emerging as a formidable player in the energy transition, owing to its potential to decarbonize a range of sectors and its versatility. According to a June 2019–released report prepared for the G20 by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the government of Japan, 76% of dedicated hydrogen produced today (around 70 metric tons) […]

  • As Renewables Surge Ahead of Coal, Lawmakers Introduce National Renewable Standard 

    A bill introduced by Senate Democrats on June 26 establishes a national electricity standard that would require large retail suppliers to source at least 1.5% of their power from renewables by 2020 and gradually grow that share through 2035.  The measure comes a day after the Energy Information Administration (EIA) revealed monthly generation from renewable […]

  • New Jersey’s 100% Clean Energy Goal Imperils Gas Generation

    Through a series of incentives and mandates, New Jersey is planning to produce 100% of its power from carbon-neutral sources, electrify its vehicle fleet and building sectors, and set mandatory efficiency standards for electric utilities by 2050, an energy blueprint released by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) suggests.  The June 10-released “Draft 2019 Energy […]

  • India’s Coal Future Hinges on Advanced Ultrasupercritical Breakthroughs

    India is striving to conserve coal and slash its carbon emissions. The country which depended on coal for 56% of its total capacity of 356 GW as of May 2019, wants to reduce coal’s share to 45% of a planned capacity expansion to 480 GW by the end of 2022. During that period, it will […]

  • How China Is Improving Coal Technology

    In China, though specific achievements are hard to pinpoint owing in part to a dearth of public or internationally available information, coal technology developments appear to be advancing more rapidly than anywhere in the world. China’s efforts to foster technology advancements are in the country’s national interest, said Mi Shuhua, executive vice president of China […]