Full Coverage
-
Cybersecurity
Three Cybersecurity Steps Integral to Building a Better Grid
In January, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) launched its new Building a Better Grid initiative. The DoE’s stated intention for the program is to create a more robust transmission system that will restore the nation’s electrical grid through expanded access and greater resilience. The initiative emphasizes supporting generation and distribution of clean energy, and […]
-
Legal & Regulatory
SEC’s Landmark Climate Disclosure Rule Weighing on Power Sector
Investor-owned electric companies are thoroughly reviewing the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) broad new proposed rule that requires registrants to disclose climate-related risks and governance, and plan to remain engaged with the regulatory agency as the rulemaking continues. The proposed rule, which the SEC approved 3–1 on March 21, has drawn intense interest from the […]
-
Coal
New Jersey’s Last Two Coal Power Plants to Close within Months
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) approved a petition filed by Atlantic City Electric Co. (ACE) that modifies power purchase agreements (PPAs) and power sales agreements (PSAs) between ACE and Chambers Cogeneration Ltd. and Logan Generating Co., the last two coal-fired electricity generation units in New Jersey. Under the agreements, coal-fired generation will […]
-
News
Illuminating Your Path to Operational Excellence, Part 2
Following part one in this two-part series about operational excellence (OpEx) in the power industry, Hexagon discusses the value of setting milestones to help reach OpEx goals. In addition, the significance of embracing cultural change, leadership’s crucial role in change management, and how to develop change champions in power organizations is examined, along with technology […]
-
Fuel
Protecting Land-Based Diesel Assets from Risks Associated with Biofuels
Greenhouse gases (GHG) are a global issue. As the planet warms, we need to find any way we can to lower carbon footprints. For the future, there are many projects working to find zero-carbon solutions using new energies, but, while we wait for these developments and the necessary infrastructure to support this energy transition, we […]
-
Hydrogen
How Ammonia Could Help the World Transition to Clean Energy
Hydrogen is widely seen as a vital component in efforts to decarbonize the world’s power supply. One example of this is a strategy being piloted by at least a couple of major gas turbine manufacturers, which involves storing “green hydrogen” produced through electrolysis using excess wind or solar power when renewable energy supplies exceed grid […]
-
Nuclear
DOE Funds New Program to Recycle Used Nuclear Fuel, GE Conducting Innovative Related Research
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced this week that it would provide up to $48 million for a new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program that could substantially reduce the disposal impact of used nuclear fuel (UNF). The program, dubbed CURIE (Converting UNF Radioisotopes Into Energy), is intended to support “a comprehensive national strategy […]
-
Management
Illuminating Your Path to Operational Excellence, Part 1
Operational excellence (OpEx) is a holistic approach to business change that requires small, ongoing modifications capable of producing significant effects. Within power operations, this approach can be used to improve crucial day-to-day procedures, such as shift handover, and address deviations from the norm, for example, market conditions. It is important to acknowledge that OpEx is […]
-
Business
How Unitil Is Building a Customer Experience That Meets Evolving Energy Needs
We live in a constantly evolving energy landscape. With increased emphasis on future sustainability and environmental awareness, many consumers are becoming more cognizant of their energy usage, and many utilities are perusing renewable energy initiatives themselves. With change on both sides, the relationship between utility companies and their customers is becoming more and more of […]
-
Press Releases
Parker’s clearcurrent Filtration Solution Reaches 10-Year Milestone as Installed Base Continues to Expand
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., March 14, 2022 – The Gas Turbine Filtration Division of Parker Hannifin Corporation, the global leader in motion and control technologies, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its clearcurrent® filtration solution. Since it was first introduced one decade ago, clearcurrent continues to provide customers in the power generation industry with improved gas […]
-
Press Releases
ANDRITZ to supply hydro- and electro-mechanical equipment for Upper Trishuli 1, Nepal
International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Co. Ltd. to supply the hydro- and electromechanical equipment for the 216-MW Upper Trishuli 1 hydropower plant, a run-of-river plant in Nepal owned by Nepal Water & Energy Development Company Pvt. Ltd. Upon completion, which is scheduled for 2026, Upper Trishuli […]
-
Nuclear
Pressure on U.S. Nuclear Power Could Mount if Sanctions Imposed on Russian Uranium
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ensuing sanctions may have a limited immediate impact on the U.S. nuclear industry, despite its reliance on uranium imports. Potential implications over the longer term, however, require urgent action, officials from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) said. NEI CEO and President Maria Korsnick told reporters at the ongoing CERAWeek by […]
-
Nuclear
Women Are an Important Piece of UAE Nuclear Power Program
Tuesday, March 8, was International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The idea of an International Women’s Day (IWD) was first proposed in 1910 by Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, during a conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. The […]
-
Hydro
CPS Energy Exploring Novel Geomechanical Pumped Storage Technology
Texas-based CPS Energy, the largest municipally owned electric and natural gas company in the U.S., has entered into a 15-year commercial agreement to explore installing up to 15 MW of geomechanical pumped storage (GPS). The agreement will kick off with a pioneering 1-MW project that will pump water into drilled wells and store it under […]
-
Connected Plant
How Data—with Context—Will Drive a More Secure Energy Future
I’ve come to depend on the navigation system in my car. It predicts traffic jams, gives me the fastest route, informs me of store hours, and even tells me where to get a burger. To give me this experience, the navigation system draws on multiple data sources, puts it into context, and presents it through […]
-
Coal
Ban on Russian Energy Imports Gains Bipartisan, Bicameral Steam in Congress
Eighteen bipartisan U.S. Senators are backing a bill that would direct the president to declare a national emergency and prohibit imports of Russian energy commodities, including crude oil, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and coal. While the measure does not include Russian uranium, a senior Department of Energy official said addressing U.S. reliance on […]
-
Press Releases
The Connected Plant Conference Announces Southern Company as Host Utility Partner
HOUSTON, TX, March 4, 2022 – The 6th Annual Connected Plant Conference is proud to announce Southern Company as the Host Utility Partner. The 2022 event will convene in-person at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, from May 23 to 26. Hosted by POWER and Chemical Engineering, the Connected Plant Conference will provide attendees with the […]
-
Nuclear
Ukraine’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant Taken by Russian Forces
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on March 4 that Russian forces had taken control of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) site, but that the reactors continued to be operated by the plant’s regular staff and there had been no release of radioactive material. “What we are telling you is confirmed information that […]
-
Nuclear
Conflict in Ukraine Threatens Nuclear Power Plants and Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities; Operations Continue
In its most recent update on the status of Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs), issued to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on March 2, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) said it maintained communications with the country’s NPPs and that all units “continued to operate as before.” Of Ukraine’s 15 reactors, more […]
-
Legal & Regulatory
NRC Dramatically Reconsiders SLR Approvals, Sets New Conditions for Nuclear Life Extensions
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in a dramatic reversal on Feb. 24 threw out a key environmental review that staff applied to subsequent license renewal (SLR) approvals for units at Turkey Point and Peach Bottom nuclear plants in 2019 and 2020, deeming their applications “incomplete.” In a series of orders, the federal regulatory agency’s three […]
-
Hydrogen
The Hydrogen Rainbow Is So 2021—It’s Time to Get Over It
When it comes to hydrogen energy, the industry typically differentiates the final product in classes that correspond to the carbon intensity with a focus on “the colors of the rainbow,” such as gray, green, purple, and blue. According to The New York Times, the oil and gas industries are promoting blue hydrogen because (at the […]
-
Press Releases
Charah Solutions Places Final 20% of All Real Property Acreage at Former TMPA Gibbons Creek Steam Electric Station Under Contract
In Less than One Year Since Acquisition, Environmental Risk Transfer Services Leader Has Successfully Executed Contracts for the Sale of 100% of Real Property Acreage and Demolition of Power Plant; Remediation of Existing Ash Ponds and Landfills Underway Proven Environmental Risk Transfer Services Model Benefits Utility Partners, Shareholders, Local Communities and the Environment LOUISVILLE, KY […]
-
Gas
New Realms for Gas Power Technology
Gas power technology developers are exploring new roles and applications to ensure gas power will remain relevant as power markets embrace decarbonization. At the end of 2020, about 1,600 GW of gas turbines
-
Workforce
Power Industry People: Finding Top Talent in the Military
Last month, POWER published an article written by Senior Associate Editor Darrell Proctor that detailed the challenges power companies have been facing when trying to attract high-quality recruits in the increasingly competitive labor market for engineers and other workers with technical backgrounds (see “Groups Grapple with Labor Logistics as Energy Evolves” in the February 2022 […]
-
Nuclear
Sweden’s Government Approves Construction of Spent Nuclear Fuel Repository
Sweden’s government in late January gave radioactive waste management company Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (SKB) the green light to proceed with a deep geological repository (DGR) for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) at a site near Vattenfall’s 3.2-GW Forsmark nuclear power plant. The milestone, which wraps up a planning process that has taken more than 40 years, makes Sweden only the second country, after Finland, to take active steps on building a permanent SNF repository.
-
Nuclear
Accelerated Decommissioning of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station: A Progress Report
Holtec is decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. The company has a fairly aggressive schedule that could see site restoration work completed in 2027. This article provides a current-day status
-
Markets
Market Transitions: The MOPR Merry-Go-Round
The PJM Interconnection’s Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR) was introduced in 2006 as a floor to bar new generators from artificially depressing capacity auction clearing prices through below-cost bids.
-
Gas
Low-Cost Long-Duration Energy Storage at a Natural Gas Pipeline
An energy storage project based on Compressed Natural Gas Energy Storage (CNGES) technology is being studied at the Abbott Power Plant in Illinois. This article presents an overview of CNGES technology
-
O&M
Monitoring of Power Station Components: Predictive Maintenance in Flexible Plant Operation
An innovative software program, coupled with an experienced team of engineers, allows plant operators to evaluate creep and fatigue stress in components exposed to more frequent cycling, thereby identifying
-
Nuclear
District Heating Supply from Nuclear Power Plants: Technical and Economic Aspects
In the February 2022 issue of POWER, an overview of existing district heating systems that utilize nuclear power for their energy source was presented and best practices of successful installations were