Full Coverage
-
Nuclear
Vogtle Unit 3 Enters Commercial Operation: First ‘Newly Constructed’ U.S. Nuclear Power Plant in Decades
Georgia Power declared Plant Vogtle Unit 3 commercially operational on July 31, 2023, making it the first “newly constructed” nuclear power unit to be added to the U.S. fleet in decades. “Today is a historic day for the State of Georgia, Southern Company, and the entire energy sector, as we continue transforming the way we […]
-
Energy Security
Estrella del Mar III, a Visionary Floating Power Plant, Is POWER’s Plant of the Year
Winning POWER’s highest honor is Estrella del Mar III, a first-of-its-kind floating combined cycle gas turbine power barge that fulfills a remarkable assortment of modern power system demands. Nearly fully
-
Gas
Dania Beach Clean Energy Center: A Vital Power Resource for Southeast Florida
Florida Power & Light’s Dania Beach site has been producing power for Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and surrounding communities for more than 95 years. With the latest modernization project, it’s destined to
-
Electrification
Space Solar Power Prototype Beams First Power to Earth
California Institute of Technology’s (Caltech’s) first space-borne prototype launched into orbit has demonstrated the ability to wirelessly transmit power in space and beam detectable power to Earth. The
-
Trends
Clean Energy Transition Continues Despite Reliability, Supply Chain, and Financial Uncertainty
Although there is a risk of energy shortfalls in parts of the U.S. if extreme summer temperatures materialize, there is no stopping the clean energy transition that is sweeping the nation. Energy storage
-
Trends
Integration of Hydropower and Hydrogen Gains Momentum
In May, U.S. national laboratories Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) partnered with regulated utility Idaho Power to determine the viability of integrating
-
Renewables
Interconnection Constraints Threaten Success of Clean Energy Projects
Power projects are filled with risk. One of the biggest risks today for clean energy developers involves interconnection constraints. And according to Sarp Ozkan, vice president of Commercial Product at
-
O&M
Developing Coatings for Use in Harsh Biomass Combustion Environments
Corrosion is a constant battle for infrastructure of all kinds—the natural response of materials like metals to their environment, causing damage to everything from turbines to oil pipelines and vehicles. The costs are vast. A National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) IMPACT study published in 2013 claims that corrosion causes damage valued at $2.5 trillion […]
-
Commentary
Three Solutions to Fire Safety Challenges: Lessons from the Energy Storage Industry
The world’s energy landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by the increasing demand for resilient, cost-effective, and net-zero sources of energy. Policymakers and regulators now can’t ignore the fundamental role that the energy storage industry is playing in the clean energy transition—stabilizing the grid as more renewable energy assets come online. This recognition is creating huge […]
-
Trends
Digitalization Is Now a Power Sector Imperative: Takeaways from Connected Plant Conference 2023
Digitalization is now so firmly embedded in the power sector that if participants haven’t yet begun their digital journey, they’ve inherently fallen behind. That was a message repeated at the three-day 7th annual Connected Plant Conference (CPC), which took place this week in New Orleans, Louisiana. POWER magazine and Chemical Engineering magazine’s conference this year […]
-
Nuclear
NRC Completes Safety Review for Kairos Nuclear Test Reactor Within 18 Months
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has wrapped up a final safety evaluation for Kairos Power’s 35-MWth Hermes “non-power” demonstration reactor, which the firm has proposed to build at the East Tennessee Technology Park Heritage Center site in Oak Ridge, and plans to begin operating by 2026. The NRC’s review, which concluded “no safety aspects that would […]
-
Energy Security
ERCOT’s Energy Emergency Risk Has Shifted from Late Afternoon to Early Evening
Modeling from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) suggests an 11% probability of having a load shed issue on a peak day this summer, an official said during a reliability committee meeting on June 19. The Texas grid, which was tested this week by a record-breaking heat wave, issued a weather watch and a […]
-
Renewables
Duke Energy to Shed 3.4-GW Unregulated Renewable Business Segment in $2.8B Deal
In a bid to transition to a fully regulated business, Duke Energy will sell its unregulated utility-scale solar and wind group—a portfolio of 3.4 GW—for an enterprise value of $2.8 billion to pure-play renewable power platform Brookfield Renewable. The companies announced the transaction for a portion of Duke Energy’s Commercial Renewables business segment on June […]
-
Energy Security
Devastating Ukraine Dam Breach Raises Concerns for Nearby Nuclear Plant
A breach at the Nova Kakhovka Dam stemming from the destruction of the 351-MW hydroelectric power plant in southern Ukraine on June 6 has triggered massive flooding, prompted an environmental crisis, and raised new perils for a nearby nuclear plant on the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war. Completed in 1956, the Kakhovka hydropower power plant […]
-
Research and Development
Fusion Energy Projects Get Boost from DOE Funding
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the first round of awardees of the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program. The program is the latest in a series of efforts designed to align public and private sectors toward fusion commercialization. “The Biden administration obviously sees enormous potential in fusion—harnessing the power of the sun and the stars […]
-
Trends
Dynamic Innovation in Power Sector Digitalization
The power industry’s rapid adoption of digitalization is a striking example of its dynamic innovation—the continuous development and introduction of new ideas, products, or processes to meet shifting
-
Coal
A Long Time Coming: Rawhide Unit 1 Is Coal Users’ Group Plant of the Year
After years of upgrade and retrofit projects, and a keen focus on safety and continuous improvement, the Coal Users’ Group board of directors selected Platte River Power Authority’s Rawhide Unit 1 as the
-
T&D
Improving the U.S. Electric Power Grid: Mitigating Vulnerabilities and Enhancing Operation
The U.S. power grid has many vulnerabilities, but power companies, with additional support from the government, are investing in the system and enhancing its operation through new innovative technology. The
-
Full Coverage
OTEC, a Long-Stalled Baseload Ocean Power Technology, Is Seeing a Swell
A project to deploy a 1.5-MW commercial-scale ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) platform in the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe by 2025 has gained a key design certification. The crucial
-
Nuclear
Japan Moving Forward on Nuclear Accident Tolerant Fuels
Efforts by Japanese nuclear fuel manufacturers to develop accident tolerant fuel (ATF) materials are making progress, and their commercialization is currently expected between 2030 and 2035 after key
-
Coal
Reducing Operational Constraints and Emissions by Increasing Flexible Energy Capacity
Today, modern network technology can transform commercial and industrial facilities into power sources that generate, store, and trade clean energy, allowing owners to increase cash flow, achieve
-
Sustainability
Five Reasons Why Power Plant Owners Should Consider Repurposing Their Assets
Aging power plants are not necessarily liabilities. Owners must consider all of their options for both sites and equipment before they inadvertently discard valuable assets. The shift toward renewable energies
-
Gas
Restoring Power Plants to Dependable Peak Efficiency
Two peaker plants in the southern U.S. found the experience and know-how of a seasoned rotating equipment services provider indispensable during a control system upgrade and a generator rewind project. Every
-
Energy Security
Rethinking Energy Reliability with Modern Power Systems
As the energy transition to inverter-based resources continues, reliability risk increases and requires additional investment to mitigate threats. But what measures should be put in place, what are the
-
Nuclear
Westinghouse, Bechtel Form Consortium to Design and Build Poland’s First Nuclear Plant
Westinghouse Electric Co., Bechtel, and state-owned Polish entity Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) will work together to kick off design activity for Poland’s inaugural AP1000 nuclear power plant later this year and potentially ink a construction contract in 2025 in a bid to meet Poland’s goal to begin nuclear power generation in 2033. The companies announced […]
-
T&D
UK Developing Digital Twin to Better Understand Future Energy Systems
The UK will back a “digital twin” of future multi-vector energy systems, including non-electric ones, that will support the country’s efforts to meet its 2050 net-zero objectives. The UK’s effort echoes several initiatives launched worldwide to deliver new visibility, knowledge, and understanding of future energy systems and integrate real-time modeling. UK transmission and distribution grid […]
-
Nuclear
Oklo’s Next Two Nuclear Power Plants Planned for Southern Ohio
Advanced nuclear reactor technology firm Oklo will build its second and third commercial 15-MWe Aurora Powerhouse reactors on land owned by the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI), a community reuse organization tasked by the Department of Energy (DOE) to re-industrialize land around the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS) just south of Piketon, Ohio. Oklo on […]
-
Legal & Regulatory
NRC Issues License for Holtec’s New Mexico Consolidated Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted Holtec International a license to build and operate a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) for spent nuclear fuel in southeastern New Mexico, despite the state’s opposition. Granted on May 9 after an eight-year process, the NRC’s license allows Holtec to “receive, possess, transfer, and store” 500 canisters holding […]
-
Nuclear
X-Energy, Dow Unveil Texas Site for ARDP Nuclear Demonstration
X-energy and Dow will site a proposed four-unit 320-MWe Xe-100 advanced nuclear reactor facility at Union Carbide Corp. Seadrift Operations, a sprawling Dow chemical materials manufacturing site in Seadrift, Calhoun County, Texas. The companies on May 11 said the small modular reactor (SMR) project, part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Demonstration […]
-
Nuclear
Westinghouse Unveils the AP300—A Miniaturized AP1000 Small Modular Nuclear Reactor
Westinghouse has officially unveiled the AP300, a “downsized” version of the company’s flagship AP1000 Generation III+ pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology. While the small modular reactor (SMR) will enter a nuclear market already rife with development, the AP300’s “nth-of-a-kind” basis positions it as a strong competitor, the company told POWER. The 300-MWe/900-MWth AP300, launched on May 4, […]