Gas

  • Clearing the Air: Is Direct Air Capture a Savior, Distraction, or a Trojan Horse?  

    Direct air capture (DAC) holds promise to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, potentially becoming a crucial tool in the battle against climate change. Amidst heated debates over its feasibility, cost, and effectiveness, this comprehensive analysis dissects DAC’s potential through energy modeling and policy discussion. Can DAC truly fulfill its promise and play a significant […]

  • EU Regulations Restricting Imports of Renewable Natural Gas and Green Hydrogen Derivative Products

    The European Commission (EC) is in the process of implementing its “Union database,” or UDB, to track all renewable gases and liquid fuels. Gases and fuels, whether produced in the European Union (EU) or imported, will need to be registered in the UDB if their use in the EU is to be counted toward satisfying […]

  • Ansaldo Energia Reports Hydrogen Breakthrough for Gas Turbine Sequential Combustion Technology

    Ansaldo Energia has successfully demonstrated its constant pressure sequential combustion (CPSC) technology—designed for a novel, hydrogen-optimized combustor based on its flagship GT36 H-class gas turbine model—can flexibly operate with up to 100% hydrogen fuel. The breakthrough announced on Feb. 13 marks a major triumph for the FLEX4H2 (or Flexibility for Hydrogen) program, a four-year European […]

  • Pioneering GE F-Class Hydrogen-Capable Gas Power Plant Begins Operations in Australia 

    EnergyAustralia has begun operations at the 320-MW Tallawarra B gas-fired power station in New South Wales (NSW)—Australia’s first peaking power plant capable of operating on a natural gas and hydrogen fuel blend. The project’s start on Feb. 19 also marks GE Vernova’s first deployment of a hydrogen-capable dual-fuel 9F gas turbine. The $300 million ($196 […]

  • New 1.2-GW Natural Gas-Fired Plant Announced for Texas

    A Texas-based energy company has announced plans to build a 1.2-GW natural gas-fired power plant in Lee County, Texas, with construction expected to begin in 2025. Sandow Lakes Energy Co. on Feb. 12 said it would build the plant on property owned by the company. The facility, which would be powered by two SGT6-9000HL turbines […]

  • Mitsubishi Turbine Will Power New Gas-Fired Plant in Uzbekistan

    A third gas-fired unit planned at a power plant in Uzbekistan will use equipment from Mitsubishi Power, the company announced on Feb. 13. Mitsubishi said the 600-MW Navoi 3 facility is expected to come online in 2026. The plant will supply both electricity and industrial steam and district heating for the Navoi Free Economic Zone […]

  • Germany Will Support 10 GW of New Gas Plants, With Eye Toward Hydrogen

    German officials announced a new plan for the country’s power generation, a strategy that includes putting at least 10 GW of new gas-fired capacity up for tenders. Officials on Feb. 5 said the plants would be designed to eventually burn hydrogen at some point between 2035 and 2040, according to Germany’s Economy Ministry. The agency […]

  • Distributed Antenna System Solves Power Plant Communications Problem

    Collaboration was the main success factor in the deployment of an all-carrier enterprise distributed antenna system (DAS) for a Midwest power plant. The Problem A power plant in the Midwestern U.S. (Figure 1) faced a formidable situation: The obsolescence of 3G cellular technology meant that the plant soon would lose its already unreliable cellular coverage, […]

  • GE Vernova, IHI Developing Novel Ammonia-Capable Gas Turbine Combustor

    GE Vernova will collaborate with Japanese integrated heavy industry group IHI Corp. to develop a retrofittable 100% ammonia-capable gas turbine combustion system that would be compatible with GE’s 6F.03, 7F, and 9F models, targeting a potential commercially available product by 2030. The companies on Jan. 24 signed a joint development agreement (JDA) that formally launched […]

  • TVA Urges Conservation as Cold Snap Sets All-Time Peak Demand Record

    The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has urged conservation as it grapples with record-high power demand amid extremely cold temperatures and near-zero wind chill over its seven-state region in the Southeast. The federal corporation, a major generator that serves as a regional reliability coordinator, on Jan. 16 said “heavy snow and bitterly cold temperatures” were expected […]

  • PJM Urges Delayed Retirement of 840-MW Fossil Fuel Power Plant, Citing Reliability Impacts

    PJM has urged Talen Energy to delay its deactivation of two of four units at the 840-MW coal, oil, and gas–fired Herbert A. Wagner Generating Station in Maryland until transmission upgrades are put into service around 2028. The nation’s largest regional transmission organization (RTO) on Jan. 10 said it informed Talen that the deactivation of […]

  • AES Closes California Natural Gas-Fired Plant

    AES Corp. has ended operations at one of the group’s four remaining natural gas-fired power plants in California. AES on Dec. 31 shut down its 1,300-MW Redondo Beach Generating Station, a facility that operated at less than full capacity in recent years, providing electricity to support the grid during periods of peak demand for power. […]

  • A Proactive Approach to Treating Varnish Can Prevent Significant Downtime at Plants

    Varnish is one of the most widespread issues in power plants. It’s the hard, oil-insoluble organic residue that cannot be easily removed from mechanical components. It typically occurs in turbines or compressors due to extreme temperatures, disrupting plant operations and causing downtime, which ultimately leads to revenue losses. When varnish forms on a critical piece […]

  • Three Combustion Turbines Added to TVA’s Paradise Site, More to Come at Other Locations

    The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) said three new natural gas–fired units entered commercial operation on Dec. 31 at the Paradise Combined Cycle Plant near Drakesboro, Kentucky (Figure 1). “Natural gas is an important part of our transition to a carbon-neutral future while maintaining reliability,” TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash, said in a statement on […]

  • GE Vernova, Iberdrola Mexico Bring New Gas-Fired Plant Online; Could Burn Hydrogen

    Mexico’s expansion of its power generation capacity, particularly from natural gas, continues as GE Vernova and Iberdrola Mexico on Jan. 3 announced the start of commercial operation of the 766-MW Topolobampo III power plant. Mexico is building more gas-fired generation units to enable use of the country’s domestic natural gas resources. The Topolobampo facility, located […]

  • A Multi-Dimensional Crisis: Six Global Power Sector Trends to Watch

    Fifty years after the first global oil shock in 1973, the world’s energy sector is again facing high geopolitical tensions and uncertainty—though this time around, “pressures are coming from multiple

  • Carbon-Free Energy Is the Name of the Game: Renewables, Nuclear Poised for Growth

    Solar, wind, and nuclear power, as well as battery storage systems, are the obvious winners as the world aims to decarbonize energy systems. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has been following trends

  • POWER Digest [January 2024]

    Azerbaijan’s First Utility-Scale Solar Project Online. Officials in Azerbaijan in November announced the country’s first and largest utility-scale solar photovoltaic power plant is now operating. The

  • Optimizing Turbine Repair Resources

    Steam turbines are used in many applications on various scales to drive equipment such as pumps, compressors, and generators. Routine maintenance, as laid out by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is

  • A Review of Air Quality Rules and a Look at 2024

    Federal regulators in 2023 proposed a variety of new air quality rules, and 2024 is likely to see these proposals become final and enforceable. Here’s a look at the past year, and a look ahead at the major

  • A Boiler for Any Occasion

    Boilers obviously play an important role in the power generation industry, providing the mechanism to convert heat produced by burning fuel into steam that can be used to drive a turbine to generate electricity. But many other industries also use boilers to produce steam for a variety of purposes. Boilers are commonly used for space […]

  • Shining Light on Life Cycle Analysis for Renewable Energy Systems

    Life cycle analysis or assessments (LCAs) are a quintessential tool for power and utility industry professionals and tradespeople. They determine the environmental and financial value of new technologies. Consumer products get the most attention, but LCAs for renewable energy systems (Figure 1) should be discussed more. It is time to synthesize known information to create […]

  • COP28 Concludes with Landmark Decision to Shift Away from Fossil Fuels

    Negotiators from nearly every country in the world closed COP28 with a decision that—for the first time—formally recognizes the necessity of moving away from fossil fuels to achieve Paris Agreement targets. The decision, adopted on the last day of the two-week 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate […]

  • POWER Digest [December 2023]

    Kenya Set to Expand Hydropower Project. Kenya Electricity Generating Co. (KenGen) said it received approval from government officials to move forward with the Gogo hydropower redevelopment project. The Gogo

  • MHI, Mitsubishi Power Report Breakthroughs for Hydrogen Combustion, Ammonia Burners

    Mitsubishi Power has successfully demonstrated partial load and full load combustion of a fuel blend with 30% hydrogen (by volume) in a grid-connected J-series Air-Cooled (JAC) gas turbine. The achievement closely follows the completion of a combustion test on an ammonia single-fuel burner for coal firing by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Mitsubishi Power’s parent company. […]

  • Cambodia Cancels Coal Plant in Favor of Gas-Fired Facility

    A Cambodian energy official said the country no longer plans to build a coal-fired power plant along the nation’s southwest coast, and will instead move forward with a natural gas-fired facility. Energy Minister Keo Rottanak told the Reuters news service an official announcement is expected Nov. 30. Rottanak said the proposed 700-ME coal-fired plant, which […]

  • New Aeroderivative Gas Turbine Offering Hits the Market

    PROENERGY, a global peaking-power solutions provider based in Sedalia, Missouri, released a new 48-MW aeroderivative gas turbine designed to quickly respond to gaps in power supply and demand. The PE6000 model was unveiled as a finale to PROENERGY’s annual user conference, held in Houston, Texas, earlier this month. The company explained that each PE6000 begins […]

  • Pioneering Hydrogen-Powered Gas Peaking: Inside Duke Energy’s DeBary Project

    In late 2024, a first-of-a-kind, fully functional project spearheaded by Duke Energy, GE Vernova, and Sargent and Lundy could begin demonstrating the commercial peaking capabilities of an integrated hydrogen power-to-power system at Duke Energy’s DeBary power plant in Florida. In an exclusive interview, project partners revealed details of the potentially trailblazing installation, which is slated […]

  • Three Texas Gas-Fired Plants Sold in $635 Million Deal

    A France-based energy group said it has an agreement to buy three natural gas-fired power plants in Texas. The facilities, one near Dallas and two south of Houston, represent about 1.5 GW of generation capacity. TotalEnergies, a multinational company operating in several energy sectors and headquartered in Paris, France, announced the $635 million deal on […]

  • Canadian Court Backs Bitcoin Miner’s Bid for Gas-Fired Power Plants

    A Canada-based digital asset mining and computing company is close to acquiring four small natural gas-fired power plants in Ontario. Hut 8 Mining Corp., headquartered in Toronto, on Nov. 3 announced the Ontario Superior Court of Justice approved the company’s bid for the facilities, and for a bitcoin mine in North Bay. The gas-fired plants […]