Gas

  • Changes in Boiler Operations Bring Innovations in Erosion and Corrosion Protection

    Metal loss of the pressurized tubes inside the boiler is a big concern for boiler designers and operators. Changing fuel composition and other service parameters can lead to accelerated erosion and corrosion

  • Trump’s Attempt to Bring Sanity to a Torturous Environmental Review and Permitting Process

    The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations to promote “efficient, effective, and timely” NEPA review by federal agencies (85

  • Moving Toward Mainstream—The Rise of Renewable Goals

    More states are setting targets for renewable energy. Cities and counties are joining in. Utilities are formalizing commitments. And economics, as always, play a major role. The transition to clean energy

  • Winning Operations, Maintenance, Environmental, Safety, and Technical Solutions

    The Combustion Turbine Operations Technical Forum (CTOTF) recently announced the winners of the 2nd annual CTOTF/POWER Innovation Excellence awards, which recognize outstanding performance in various

  • New Technology Improves Refractory Maintenance and Shutdown Planning

    Power plants require regular maintenance outages to stay in top condition, but shutdown periods can be stressful. New tools are available that can save time, reduce labor costs, and improve safety. The

  • How to Clean Natural Gas Piping with Gas Blows

    Prior to placing newly installed natural gas piping and valves in service, systems must be properly cleaned to remove potentially damaging foreign material that is inherently left behind during construction

  • General Assembly Clears the Way for Virginia’s Participation In the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

    RICHMOND, Virginia (Feb. 27, 2020) – After a late-night vote, Virginia will soon become the first southern state to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a carbon-cutting program for power plants that that will also direct more than $100 million annually to programs that will benefit all Virginians, particularly struggling families. The House of […]

  • How Much Will Hydrogen-Based Power Cost?

    Costs associated with 40 hydrogen technologies used in 35 applications, including for heat and power, could tumble dramatically over the next decade as the scale-up of hydrogen production, distribution, and equipment and component manufacturing continues. For some applications, hydrogen could become competitive with other low-carbon alternatives, and even conventional options. Those are key findings from […]

  • GTC Announces Major Worldwide Expansion in Power Generation Industry; Offering Control Solutions for Additional Manufacturers While Still Serving GE Legacy Clients

    New York-based GTC, an expert in GE controls, announces they will now offer parts and service for ABB, Alstom, Bently Nevada, Emerson, Honeywell, Rolls Royce, Siemens, Triconex, Westinghouse and Woodward HAWTHORNE, N.Y., Feb 27, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — “Our industrial-strength service and unrivaled value have given us the opportunity to expand our market presence,” says GTC President […]

  • The New Due Diligence: Understanding the Climate-Related Vulnerabilities of Our Infrastructure

    Rich Sorkin, CEO of Jupiter Intelligence As the reality of climate change begins to soak in, enterprises, organizations and governments around the globe are trying to get a handle on the economic and social implications of rising temperatures and sea levels. One area most immediately threatened by climate change—and one that hasn’t received nearly enough […]

  • California Terminates Plan for Southern California Gas-Fired Power Plant

    SACRAMENTO, California (Feb. 20, 2020) — The California Energy Commission terminated the license today for the Palmdale Energy Project, a proposed fracked-gas-fired power plant in the Southern California city of Palmdale. The termination came at the request of the plant’s developer, who cited a lack of interest in new fossil fuel power generation. “It’s extremely […]

  • TECO Announces $800-Million Investment in New Solar

    Tampa Electric Co. (TECO) on Feb. 19 said it plans to invest about $800 million to add another 600 MW of solar power generation capacity by year-end 2023. TECO on Wednesday said the expansion will increase its solar portfolio to more than 1.25 GW of solar generation, or about 14% of its total generation mix. […]

  • ITC Probing Economic Impact of Renewable Goals, Imports to New England

    Responding to a request from a Democrat-led U.S. House committee, the federal International Trade Commission (ITC) is investigating how New England’s increasing renewable targets are economically affecting the region, and what role renewable imports play in meeting those commitments. The ITC, an independent, nonpartisan and quasi-judicial federal agency that also provides fact-finding as it relates […]

  • Siemens Will Supply More Gas Turbines to Belarus

    Siemens has received another order from Belarus to supply equipment for a peak load power plant. The order was placed by the state-run energy provider RUE Minskenergo. The six SGT-800 industrial gas turbines, like the five machines of the same type that Siemens is supplying for the Vitebsk region, will increase the grid’s reliability and […]

  • Wärtsilä gas power plant will facilitate growth of Bangladeshi industrial complex

    Wärtsilä Corporation (February 13, 2020) — The technology group Wärtsilä has been awarded to supply a 78 MW engine power plant on a fast-track basis in order to support the growth of an industrial complex in Bangladesh. The order was placed in November by Jamuna Power, a part of the Jamuna Group, one of Bangladesh’s […]

  • Engineering Group: American Gas Turbines Will Remain Relevant But Need Advancement

    Given current trends, the U.S. gas turbine industry is set to play a critically important role in power generation, aircraft propulsion, and the oil and gas industry “for decades to come,” but it could benefit from prioritized research and development (R&D) and technological leadership, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and […]

  • Dominion Latest to Set Net-Zero Carbon Goal

    Richmond, Virginia-based Dominion Energy has joined a growing list of power companies establishing net-zero emissions targets. The company, which has more than 7 million electricity and natural gas customers in 18 states, said it intends to reach its carbon dioxide and methane reduction goals by 2050. Under the net-zero framework, the company is committing to […]

  • Nuclear a Major Focus in Trump’s Latest Budget Request—and 8 Other Takeaways

    Yucca Mountain, the 1987 Congressionally appointed deep geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel (SNF), may be officially dead; transmission assets held by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and three Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs) will be put up for sale; and hundreds of millions of dollars in unobligated balances for flagship programs like the Advanced Research […]

  • The POWER Interview: Exelon Discusses Digitalization

    Digitization in the power generation sector continues to expand. Its goal in simple terms—providing easy access to data for power plant operators and engineers, enabling the use of advanced analytics to improve equipment performance and efficiency—has resulted in reduced operating costs for utilities, and also has enhanced plant safety. POWER’s upcoming Connected Plant Conference, set […]

  • CIRCOR | RTK Introduces All-In-One REflex Quick Change Seat Control Valve

    RTK®, a CIRCOR International brand, and an international leader in the design and manufacture of control valves and actuators, introduces the REflex Quick Change Seat Control Valve with REact 30 DC-PoP smart actuator, a flexible all-in-one solution for noise reduction and high pressure drop applications. The REflex QCS Control Valve assembles and disassembles in four […]

  • Energy Northwest Study Makes a Case for SMRs in Future Power Mix

    Deep decarbonization of the U.S. Northwest can be achieved at “manageable” costs by 2045, but only if utility agency Energy Northwest secures zero-emitting firm capacity, such as by relicensing Columbia Generating Station—the sole nuclear plant in the region—and building small modular reactors (SMRs), a new study suggests. The study by San Francisco-based consulting group Energy […]

  • Public Safety Power Shutoffs: How Utilities Could Partner

    Catastrophic wildfires have devastated California in recent years. This article seeks to outline a plan wherein neighboring utilities can send energy to support a utility that has shut down critical paths during wildfire mitigation efforts. On the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, the Camp Fire erupted 90 miles north of Sacramento, California (Figure 1). This fire […]

  • Increasing Automation for Fossil Energy Plants

    An Electric Power Research Institute study has developed a systematic process for introducing sequence automation to fossil power plants. Researchers are now exploring its implementation in case studies. As

  • Predicting the Future? There’s an App for That

    Power plant operators are turning to predictive maintenance applications to monitor equipment and collect performance data. Asset management systems, using artificial intelligence and other methods, are part

  • Is Biomass Dead?

    With subsidies running short and emissions regulations still a challenge, the promise of biomass as a sustainable source for utility-scale power generation remains elusive. Yet, there are novel applications

  • Taking Efficiency and Flexibility to the Next Level

    In a rapidly changing energy market, the competitiveness of any power producer increasingly depends upon the reliability, efficiency, and flexibility of its power plants. As the share of renewable energy

  • Backup Power for Critical Loads Can Save Lives and Money

    In a modern economy increasingly dependent on electric power, blackouts can wreak havoc when the loads are critical to life, business, and even a comfortable lifestyle. The problem may be growing, but there

  • Hype and Hope: Artificial Intelligence’s Role in the Power Sector

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a term power professionals are seeing increasingly to describe sophisticated digital technologies. Could it be the breakthrough that is so highly hyped? There is no argument

  • POWER Digest [February 2020]

    Indonesia Readying to Build 145-MW Floating Solar Plant. Pembangkitan Jawa Bali (PJB), a subsidiary of Indonesian state electricity company PT PLN, is planning to begin construction of the $129 million Cirata

  • Endesa to Close Two Giant Spanish Coal Plants

    Endesa on Dec. 27 formally moved to shutter two massive coal-fired power plants—the 1.4-GW As Pontes plant in A Coruña, Galicia, which is the biggest coal-fired power plant in Spain, and the 1.16-GW