Full Coverage
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O&M
Gaskets and Fasteners: What Sets a Supplier Apart?
Gaskets and fasteners are vital to plant reliability and efficiency. While basic nuts, bolts, and gaskets haven’t changed much over the years, some of the materials used in them have evolved and designs have
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Coal
New Life for Dead and Dying Coal Plants?
As coal plants are retired, power companies must decide what to do with sites. Some old plants have been added to the National Register of Historic Places and repurposed as commercial or office space, while
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O&M
How to Prevent Condensation-Induced Water Hammer
Condensation-induced water hammer (CIWH) is the term commonly used when describing a variety of transients that occur when water vapor is rapidly condensed by cold water. This article describes the various
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O&M
Commissioning and Acceptance Testing Are the Foundation for Total Electrical System Lifecycle Management
To manage the challenges of today’s complex electrical power systems and tightening budgets, facility managers need to understand the critical connection between electrical commissioning and acceptance testing, and planning for lifecycle management. To assist in this responsibility, this article will review the scope of services required for each stage of electrical system lifecycle management, and […]
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O&M
Solar Power Plant Maintenance with Thermal UAV Inspection Technology
Thermal imaging is a vital tool for detecting defects and anomalies at solar power plants. However, capturing thermal images with handheld equipment is time-consuming and susceptible to human error. Unmanned
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Gas
Optimizing Power Plant Load Flexibility
The operating profiles of traditional generators has changed to manage the variability of renewable resources. Several critical processes were not engineered to manage these highly variable operating profiles
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Nuclear
Headway for Potential Deployment of BWRX-300 Nuclear Reactor in Saskatchewan
The potential deployment of a BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan gained a boost with a cooperation agreement between GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s (GEH’s) Canadian subsidiary GEH SMR Technologies Canada and the Saskatchewan Industrial and Mining Supplier’s Association (SIMSA). GEH SMR Canada on May 26 said a memorandum of understanding […]
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Nuclear
Palisades Nuclear Power Plant Closes After 50 Years of Operation, Employees Leave with Pride
After more than 50 years of operation, the Palisades nuclear power plant was taken offline for the final time on May 20. The station was scheduled to be permanently shut down on May 31, but plant operators “made the conservative decision to shut down the plant early due to the performance of a control rod […]
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Press Releases
Honeywell Introduces Emissions Control & Reduction Initiative to Support Customers’ Sustainability Goals
Initial offering to focus on the detection and reporting of fugitive methane emissions to help users reduce production losses, improve productivity and comply with ongoing legislation ORLANDO, Florida, May 24, 2022 – Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) today announced an Emissions Control & Reduction Initiative designed to help customers achieve carbon neutrality in a wide range of areas. […]
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Hydrogen
Hydrogen, Ammonia–Fired Gas Turbine Development Gets U.S. Government Fast-Track Boost
The U.S. government has set out to fast-track technology development enabling hydrogen and ammonia combustion in power-generating gas turbines, furnishing six novel industry-led projects with a combined $24.9 million on May 19. Projects include development of hydrogen-ready combustion technologies for F-class retrofits, more efficient hydrogen and ammonia burners, and a potential demonstration of a rotating […]
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Trends
NERC Warns of Mounting Reliability Risks, Urges Preparation for Challenging Summer
An unprecedented array of risks—ranging from capacity shortfalls, extreme weather, extended drought, supply chain issues, cybersecurity, solar PV tripping, fuel constraints, to wildfires—could imperil the reliability of nearly every North American bulk power system (BPS) region west of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) this summer, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) warned in […]
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Press Releases
SNC-Lavalin to carry out performance optimization work for CANDU nuclear reactor in Romania
MONTREAL: May 19, 2022 – Candu Energy Inc., a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group (TSX: SNC), has been chosen by Nuclearelectrica S.A. (SNN), operator of the Cernavoda Nuclear Generating Station in Romania, to conduct optimization work on the Unit 1 CANDU® reactor at the facility. SNC-Lavalin will perform axial channel shifting for several fuel channels in […]
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Nuclear
Russians Achieve Milestone with New Nuclear Fuel
Rosatom announced that it has started the fourth irradiation cycle of fuel assemblies with VVER-type fuel rods in the MIR research reactor (Figure 1) at the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors in Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk Region. The reactor tests have been ongoing since early 2019. The rods have four combinations of cladding and fuel matrix materials. […]
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Gas
SRP Warns Arizona Regulator Reliability at Risk by 2024 Without Gas Plant Expansion
Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (SRP) is seeking a rehearing and reconsideration of the Arizona Corporation Commission’s (ACC’s) denial of a major gas power plant expansion, which the public power utility has stressed will be crucial for near-term system reliability and long-term renewable integration. In a filing on May 16, SRP urged […]
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Distributed Energy
Enel Launches Gridspertise Business to U.S. Market, Expects to Accelerate Digital Transformation of Power Grids
Enel, a multinational power company with operations in 30 countries and more than 90 GW of power generation capacity in its portfolio, is leveraging its global expertise as the world’s largest privately owned operator of digitally managed power distribution grids, by expanding its Gridspertise business to the U.S. market. First launched in Europe and Latin […]
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Nuclear
DOE’s Decision to Build Versatile Test Reactor Coming Soon
(Updated—May 19, 2022): The Department of Energy (DOE) is poised to decide whether it will build the 300-MWth Versatile Test Reactor (VTR), a fast neutron national user facility that could provide the nuclear industry with a much-needed high-performance testing capability for advanced reactors and existing commercial reactors. The DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) on […]
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Wind
How Developments in Electrical System Design Are Helping to Tackle the Challenges of Wind
As a clean and renewable power source, wind offers massive potential for alleviating some of the growing challenges that countries worldwide are looking to address through the development of new forms of energy generation. At ABB, we look at how developments in electrical system design are helping to turn wind into a major source of […]
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Climate change
Climate Change Policy Belongs in Congress, Not State Courts
Crafting solutions to address the pressing challenges of our time is Congress’s foremost job. There is no doubt that policy-making can be messy, take time, and require compromise. But, overall members and their staff do incredible work for the American public. During my tenure serving Indiana’s 9th Congressional District, I prided myself on working with […]
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Offshore Wind
California, Again Facing Summer Supply Vulnerabilities, Eyes 20-GW Offshore Wind Goal
The California Energy Commission (CEC) is mulling a preliminary planning goal for 3 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and potentially expanding it to 10 GW to 15 GW by 2045. If finalized, California’s offshore wind goals would be the most ambitious in the U.S., surpassing even New York’s, which calls for 9 GW by […]
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T&D
DOE Launches $2.5B Fund to Upgrade and Build New Transmission Lines
The Biden administration has launched efforts to shape the $2.5 billion Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP), a key Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) initiative dedicated to building out critical new transmission lines and related facilities across the country. The Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office on May 10 issued a joint notice of information (NOI) […]
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Business
Blue Star and Volvo Penta Build Successful Business Partnership Based on Shared Values
Close collaboration plays key role as companies achieve growth milestones and tackle new opportunities. When Volvo Penta first approached Blue Star back in 2011, the companies immediately found common ground in their commitment to business ethics. These were the seeds of a fruitful partnership that has only grown stronger over the past decade. “Right from […]
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IIOT
Quantum Technology: Applications in Cybersecurity for Power Utilities
With the advent and implementation of smart grid infrastructure across power utilities, there has been a paradigm shift in the efficiencies of the grid. The use of digital communication technology has led to high-speed communication enablement across various components as well as better data analysis and real-time control. This has proven to be advantageous not […]
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Coal
Keeping Coal Relevant: University of Wyoming Leads the Way
To say the coal industry faces challenges is an understatement. Coal-fired power plants are being retired around the globe as efforts to decarbonize the world’s power supply have intensified due to climate change concerns. That’s a problem for people working in the coal industry, as well as for states and governments that rely on coal […]
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Trends
ERCOT, MISO Warn of Potential Power Supply Shortfalls
(Updated—May 6, 2022) The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) over the past week separately expressed concerns about power supply uncertainties in the face of upcoming warmer-than-normal temperatures. MISO raised an alarm on April 28 when it said that it projects “insufficient firm resources” to cover the summer […]
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Coal
Revolutionizing Refractory Maintenance: Increasing Efficiency with Specialized Equipment
Refractory maintenance, though vital, can often be a logistical and financial burden. This is especially true for power plants, cement plants, and other large facilities that rely on boilers, kilns, coolers, preheater towers, and risers for day-to-day operation. These facilities stand to lose many thousands of dollars a day in production if their refractory can’t […]
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Gas
Siemens Energy Sells 100th H-Class Gas Turbine—Fleet Exceeds 2.5 Million Operating Hours
In late March, Siemens Energy announced separate agreements with Guangdong Energy Group Co. Ltd. and Shenzhen Energy Group Co. Ltd., in which the gas turbine giant will deliver a total of four SGT-8000H units for installation in power plants located in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in southern China. The deals mean Siemens Energy […]
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History
History of Power: Duke Energy’s Century-Old Legacy
Duke Energy, one of the largest energy companies in the world, grew out of a system of lakes and dams along the Catawba River to generate power for the Piedmont Carolinas. While the company has sustained a
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Hydrogen
Large-Scale Hydrogen Projects Take Shape as Technology Continues to Evolve
If hydrogen-based power technology and decarbonization schemes seem like a novelty to you, you may not be paying close enough attention to developments happening around the world. While some hydrogen pilot
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Offshore Wind
Dramatic Innovation-Driven Ramp Up of Floating Offshore Wind Anticipated by 2030
A drumbeat of floating offshore wind–related developments this year suggests the pipeline for the long-nascent wind technology sub-sector may be finally beginning to grow. While floating wind’s current
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Legal & Regulatory
UK Leans Heavily on Nuclear in Bold New Energy Strategy
A long-awaited energy strategy published by the UK government on April 6 lays out bold commitments that tackle Great Britain’s multi-pronged challenges, including achieving net-zero carbon emissions while