Full Coverage
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Energy Security
NuScale, Last Energy Make Significant Insteps for SMRs in Poland
NuScale has signed a first task order and a statement of commencement with Polish mining and processing firm KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., kicking off early work for a VOYGR nuclear power plant of up to 924 MWe that the partners could deploy as early as 2029 to support KGHM’s copper and silver production in Poland. […]
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Nuclear
Michigan Governor Urges DOE to Support Palisades Nuclear Plant’s Reopening
Michigan’s governor has asked the Department of Energy (DOE) to support Holtec International’s efforts to “save” the 800-MW Palisades nuclear power plant, marking a potential turnaround for the facility in Southwest Michigan, which was taken offline for the final time on May 20, 2022, after 50 years of operation. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s in a […]
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Geothermal
DOE’s Latest Energy Earthshot Will Tackle Technical, Economic Challenges for Enhanced Geothermal Systems
The Department of Energy’s (DOE)’s latest Energy Earthshot will seek to cut the cost of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) to $45/MWh by 2035, an ambitious goal that would shave current EGS costs by 90%. The DOE’s latest Energy Earthshot—part of a 2021-research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) initiative it launched to accelerate breakthroughs for emerging technologies—will […]
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Energy Security
Germany Halts Closure of Two Nuclear Plants Until April 2023
Germany plans to keep two of its three last nuclear power plants on standby until mid-2023—beyond their year-end closure deadline—to bolster its energy security through the winter. However, the declaration has prompted confusion within Germany’s nuclear industry, which says nuclear plants aren’t suited to perform as operating reserve. Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action […]
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Energy Storage
Energy Storage Projects in New York and Texas Get Boost
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Sept. 8 that $16.6 million had been awarded to five long-duration energy storage projects in her state. She also said an additional $17 million in competitive funding was available for projects that “advance development and demonstration of scalable innovative long-duration energy storage technologies, including hydrogen.” Meanwhile, Qcells USA […]
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Solar
Why the Solar Market Is Down and Why It’s Poised for a Comeback
The forecast for U.S. solar energy installations in 2022 have been revised downward in a report published by Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) on Sept. 8, due in large part to supply chain constraints and an industry-wide slowdown caused by the initiation of an anticircumvention investigation earlier this year. The U.S. […]
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Power
Biden Administration Targets Industrial Decarbonization Through Electrification, Low-Carbon Fuels, CCUS
The Biden administration has laid out a comprehensive roadmap to help five energy-intensive manufacturing sectors reduce their fuel- and power-related carbon emissions and achieve net-zero by 2050. The pathways proposed for the iron and steel, cement and concrete, food and beverage, chemical manufacturing, and petroleum refining sectors may have substantial implications for future power demand. […]
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Nuclear
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Gets Legislative Approval for Operation to 2030
California’s lawmakers have passed Senate Bill 846, effectively offering Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) a pathway to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open until at least 2030. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham, a Republican from San Luis Obispo, and Democratic state Sen. Bill Dodd of Napa, passed the California Assembly by 69–3 […]
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Management
Another Major Leadership Shuffle: PSEG Gets New CEO
In another high-profile leadership shuffle at a major U.S. power generating company, PSEG’s longtime president and CEO Ralph Izzo on Sept. 1 passed leadership of the regulated infrastructure company to Ralph LaRossa, who was previously PSEG’s chief operating officer (COO). Izzo, who will continue to serve as executive chair of the PSEG board until December […]
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Nuclear
You’ve Heard of Offshore Wind; Now, Offshore Nuclear Is a Thing
CORE POWER announced that it and its partners, the MIT Energy Initiative and the Idaho National Laboratory, were granted funding by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) for a three-year study into the development of offshore floating nuclear power generation in the U.S. “It is an important step forward for […]
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Gas
DOE Backs Carbon Capture Development at Two Major Gas-Fired Power Plants
Two major U.S. gas power plants will be part of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) efforts to develop carbon capture technologies capable of capturing at least 95% of carbon dioxide. The agency’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) on Aug. 26 announced $31 million in funding for 10 projects. While many of the […]
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Hydro
TVA Successfully Completes a Dam Safety Modification Project for the Ages
When a sinkhole was discovered near the base of the Boone Dam embankment, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s dam safety engineers went to work determining the best fix. The complexity of the work and quality
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Solar
A Fine Balance: Building One of Europe’s Largest Hybrid Facilities
When Swedish company Vattenfall in 2018 set out to combine wind, solar, and battery storage resources at this pioneering energy park in the Netherlands, its foremost focus was to demonstrate a clean energy
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Wind
Western Spirit Sets the Standard for Large-Scale Wind Power Projects
With a capacity of more than 1,050 MW, Western Spirit Wind farm is the largest wind power project ever constructed as a single phase in the Americas. The project, which was completed in roughly a year in spite
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Offshore Wind
Rapid Progress for Japan’s Offshore Wind Ambitions
Japan’s ambitions to install up to 10 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 have made rapid progress over the past month, driven partly by accelerated action to address a supply and demand mismatch. Weeks after
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Gas
How One Fossil Fuel Is Poised for Growth as the World Transitions to Net Zero
Most power companies have carbon reduction goals. Often, reaching those goals involves transitioning from coal-fired generation to renewable energy such as solar and wind. However, it’s not always practical
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Climate change
Shoring Up the Grid for Extreme Weather and Climate Change
The threat of climate change is no longer a threat—it’s here and it’s impacting everyone. However, in New Jersey, 10 years after Superstorm Sandy, communities are better prepared than ever to handle
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Nuclear
Excellent Planning and Focus on Safety Lead to Successful Feedwater Heater Replacement Project
Nuclear power plant outages are filled with intense work and tight schedules. A feedwater heater replacement project at Duke Energy’s Oconee station in South Carolina shows how teamwork coupled with
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Microgrid
Propane a Clean, Reliable Option for Microgrid Applications
Power outages have increased as the U.S. places growing demands on a century-old electric grid. In fact, the U.S. endures more blackouts than any other developed nation. And according to federal databases at the Department of Energy (DOE) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the number of U.S. outages lasting more than an […]
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O&M
2022 Experience POWER, Distributed Energy Conference, and HydrogeNext Show Preview
Again, this year, Experience POWER will be co-located with the Distributed Energy Conference (DEC) and HydrogeNext, giving attendees the opportunity to learn from and network with trailblazers from the power industry, who are leading the way in the world’s energy transition. These three events cover the full energy value chain for the power industry, delivering […]
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Microgrid
Benefits of a Synchronous Generator in a Microgrid
As more renewable energy sources and battery storage units are specified and incorporated into power systems, consultant specifying engineers are faced with many challenges that could impact the overall design and performance of these solutions. Today, power consumers can become power producers as roof-top solar, behind-the-meter generators, and battery energy storage systems become more economical […]
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O&M
How to Defeat Dew Point Corrosion in Heat Recovery Steam Generators
The experience of South Humber Bank Power Station in the UK is just one example of overcoming corrosion challenges at power generation facilities. Facing issues during routine maintenance shutdown of heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), South Humber began using VCI (Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor) technology to solve their dew point corrosion problem in 2009. Although it […]
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Nuclear
IAEA Embarks on Unprecedented Mission to Inspect Nuclear Power Plant in Ukrainian ‘War Zone’
An expert team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in Kyiv and is readying to inspect Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) for damage from weeks of shelling. The development marks a significant breakthrough for the agency, which has for the past month pleaded with Russia and Ukraine to allow it to […]
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Press Releases
Renewal of Wärtsilä Operation and Maintenance contract vital to security of Timor-Leste’s power supply
The technology group Wärtsilä has been awarded a three-year renewal to its Operation and Maintenance (O&M) agreement covering two power plants in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. The importance of ensuring operational reliability and efficient maintenance is emphasised by the fact that these two baseload plants supply electricity for the entire country. The contract was signed with the […]
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Geothermal
CAISO’s First Geothermal Plant in 30 Years Comes Online
The first geothermal power plant built in more than three decades within the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority has come online. Mammoth Pacific Geothermal, an Ormat Co. subsidiary, declared the 30-MW Casa Diablo IV (CD4) commercially operational on July 20. CD4 is located on public land two miles east of the Town of […]
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Nuclear
Pilot Advanced Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing Facility Opens
Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. has opened a pilot fuel manufacturing facility that will produce TRi-structural ISOtropic (TRISO) coated fuel particles and the company’s proprietary fuel for use in its high-temperature gas reactor (HTGR). The Pilot Fuel Manufacturing (PFM) facility, located at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is one of the […]
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Gas
U.S.’s Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants Set Daily Production Records in July Despite High Fuel Prices
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that electricity generated by natural gas–fired power plants in the lower 48 states reached 6.37 TWh on July 21, setting a new record high for a day. In fact, the previous high, set on July 27, 2020, was broken three times during that week in July, first on […]
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Electric Vehicles
Unlocking EVs: Solving the Congestion Charging Problem
The Inflation Reduction Act, which U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) negotiated in July, was signed into law by President Biden on Aug. 16. As a result, electric vehicle (EV) buyers (for both new and used vehicles) will get generous subsidies from the federal government—totaling as much as $7,500 per EV. Nearly […]
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T&D
Operating Energy Systems in a War-Torn Country: DTEK Prepares for Winter
While much of the world lives life as usual, DTEK—the largest private investor in Ukraine’s energy sector—is focused on providing reliable service amidst war and uncertainty. “Today, the major topic for us is to provide stability in durations of electricity sector in Ukraine and also do everything possible to prepare for winter season,” DTEK CEO […]
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Press Releases
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur Tours DIII-D National Fusion Facility
Chair of House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Observes Fusion Experiment and Speaks with Early Career Scientists San Diego, August 18th – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, visited General Atomics (GA) and toured the DIII-D National Fusion Facility. While at DIII-D, Rep. Kaptur met […]