Gas

  • Deal Announced to Close Louisiana Coal Unit

    The Arkansas Public Service Commission has approved a plan to retire the Dolet Hills power plant, a coal-fired unit in Mansfield, Louisiana that serves part of the state. The decision, reached in December and announced Jan. 8 by the Sierra Club,  came as part of a settlement agreement in a recently concluded Arkansas rate review, […]

  • Life Time Extension of Gas Turbines Components

    Sponsored by:
    MD&A

    In this webinar we will cover the typical limiting factors of gas turbine components and how they can be repaired. We will cover the steps used in implementing a life time extension and will show some case studies. Some examples of how new parts are redesigned with features that make them more robust will also be covered.

    This webinar will be beneficial to the engineers and power plant personnel involved with the refurbishment and replacement of the gas turbine hot gas path components.

  • Pushing Plant Performance to the Next Level

    Sponsored by:
    Siemens

    Welcome to the next level of performance and efficiency: The Siemens combined cycle solution merges best-in-class gas turbine technology with industry leading steam turbines. With the development of the HL-class, Siemens continues its leadership in large air-cooled gas turbines by pushing plant efficiencies beyond 63%, with a clear roadmap to even higher values. The focus of the webinar will be the SCC-9000HL power plant for the 60Hz markets, which provide a 1×1 combined cycle power output of ~577 MW. The HL-class is designed for highest operational reliability and flexibility to fulfill the requirements of base load units while also being a perfect fit for flexible applications. This makes the HL-class turbines a versatile solution for operators who anticipate energy systems with a rapidly increasing share of fluctuating production by renewables.

  • Technology’s Role in Shaping 2020—and Beyond

    In the year 2020, the energy sector will continue to undergo major changes. From doubling-down on alternative energy sources—as the world places more importance on sustainability—to the large number of workers retiring in droves, there will be substantial shifts in the way energy companies, including power generators and oil and gas producers, prioritize in the […]

  • Water Chemistry: Power Plant Life and Death

    Power plants that use steam to generate electricity need water. Without it, they can’t do their job. But water and steam are complicated, much as is blood in our veins and arteries. So, water chemistry is a

  • Electric Power Generation: Coal Is Currently a Vital Component

    Over the past decade, there has been a significant change in the U.S. system of power generation in the lower 48 states. The major factors that resulted in these changes were the discovery of new natural gas

  • Why America Must Let Go of Coal and Avoid Renewable Subsidies

    The 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25), held in December in Madrid, Spain, showcased politicians and activists vying for the title of the world’s climate savior. In particular, youth

  • Equipment Showcase: Diesel and Gas Generators

    The need for reliable and resilient power generation, including backup power, means the market for mobile and smaller-scale power generation continues to grow. Commercial and industrial sites are using

  • 10 Power Sector Insights from the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2019

    The International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) November 2019–released World Energy Outlook 2019 (WEO2019) is studded with interesting findings about emerging trends in the power sector. Here are 10 from the

  • Obrador Administration Rolling Back Energy Reform in Mexico

    The future of energy in Mexico is being shaped by the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who wants state-owned energy companies to have more influence over the country’s power

  • POWER Digest [January 2020]

    Engie Will Close 1 GW of Coal Generation; Adding Solar, Wind. French energy group Engie in mid-December said it will close 1 GW of coal-fired power generation assets in Peru and Chile over the next five years

  • Power Industry Disrupters: Gas, Renewables, and Storage

    The power industry is experiencing significant changes. Natural gas, wind, solar, and battery storage seem to be the wave of the future. What’s compelling the transformation? Some people point to

  • Structural Effects of Climate Change on the Utility Business

    Developers and other sellers of electricity have traditionally viewed utilities as creditworthy counterparties. Utilities are longstanding institutions that provide a public service and receive a regulated

  • Evolution of the Smart Grid at Forefront of Transformative Change

    The power industry is in the midst of a shake-up, a revolution in how electricity is generated and distributed. Smart grid technology is changing the way utilities and customers interact, and providing support

  • Why the 2010s Were a Definitive Decade for Power

    Every one of the 13 decades that POWER magazine has been in print has been definitive for electric generation technology, policy, and business in some significant way, but few have been as transformative as the 2010s. The decade opened just as the global economy began to crawl toward recovery from a historically unprecedented downturn that […]

  • UAE Set to Start First Nuclear Plant; Sweden, Germany Shut Units

    The first nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reportedly will come online in early 2020. The report comes one day after Sweden on Dec. 30 shut down one of four reactors at the nation’s largest nuclear plant, closing Unit 2 at the Ringhals facility after more than 40 years of operation. Germany […]

  • Good Water Treatment Systems Need Both Equipment and Chemistry [PODCAST]

    Proper water treatment is vital to successful power plant operation. The water treatment system must be designed appropriately, implementing a suitable water chemistry program, and operated and monitored correctly. Having adequate training and utilizing the services of a knowledgeable partner can be invaluable. Three water industry experts from U.S. Water, a Kurita company, were recent […]

  • Mixed Reactions to FERC’s Recent MOPR Order from Power Generators

    On Dec. 19, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) directed PJM Interconnection to dramatically expand its Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR) to nearly all state-subsidized capacity resources, including renewables backed by state portfolio standards. It’s the latest of a series of dramatic revisions to the grid operator’s rule, which essentially functions to provide a minimum […]

  • The Significance of FERC’s Recent PJM MOPR Order Explained

    A divided Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a long-awaited order on Dec. 19 in which it directed PJM Interconnection to dramatically expand its Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR) to nearly all state-subsidized capacity resources. The order will have a significant impact on PJM’s capacity market. While it was no surprise that the decision immediately […]

  • Minnesota Court Blocks Construction of Gas-Fired Plant

    A Minnesota court on Dec. 23 said a proposed natural gas-fired power plant in neighboring Wisconsin needs more environmental review before construction can proceed, reversing an earlier decision by the state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that approved the facility. The state Court of Appeals on Monday said state regulators must look at whether the Nemadji […]

  • New Jersey Backs 45 Community Solar Projects

    The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) on Dec. 20 announced it has approved 45 applications in the first year of its Community Solar Energy Pilot Program. The NJBPU in a statement Friday said the projects, with total generation capacity of 77.61 MW, will be designed by local governments, community groups, and private developers. […]

  • The POWER Interview: NCC Group on Cybersecurity

    Reliability and resiliency are buzzwords in today’s world of power generation. The focus is often on valuing those attributes, be it through subsidizing baseload power to make it more economically viable, or through other means. Reliable delivery of electricity, of course, also depends on cyber-resilient systems, at power plants and across the grid. Cyberattacks against […]

  • NERC: Long-Term Reliability Uncertain Amid Rapid Changes to Bulk Power System

    Significant and rapid changes that are reshaping North America’s power sector will likely leave Texas and Ontario, Canada, with supply shortfalls over the next decade, and energy deficiencies could also occur during off-peak conditions in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) area and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) region, the North American Electric Reliability […]

  • Recruiting the New Power Workforce [PODCAST]

    It’s a time of great transition in the power industry. Not only are generation resources changing, but so are the work skills needed to operate and maintain those resources. Meanwhile, a large number of workers are reaching retirement age, leaving open positions that had long been filled by highly experienced staff. And the talent pool […]

  • EU Finalizes ‘Green Deal’ for Clean Energy Investment

    The European Union (EU) on Dec. 16 announced an agreement among its member states on rules involving the financing of green energy projects. Lawmakers approved a list of technologies and activities that can be classified as green, after disagreement about whether nuclear energy and natural gas should be included. The so-called “Green Deal” is a […]

  • Positive Technologies assists Siemens with eliminating dangerous vulnerabilities in utility control system

    Framingham, MA — Positive Technologies experts have discovered a total of 17 vulnerabilities in the SPPA-T3000. Vladimir Nazarov, Head of ICS Security at Positive Technologies, said: “By exploiting some of these vulnerabilities, an attacker could run arbitrary code on an application server, which is one of the key components of the SPPA-T3000 distributed control system. […]

  • The POWER Interview: New Directions for GE Digital

    In a recent conversation with POWER, GE Digital CEO Pat Byrne discussed why GE made key changes to the lucrative business, streamlining it to focus on four key markets, including electric utilities and power generation.  GE has been at the forefront of the innovation in the energy sector since Thomas Edison formulated the essential requirements […]

  • Indiana Utility Will Close Coal-Fired Units Early

    Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) on Dec. 9 announced it will close two of the four coal-fired units at its Petersburg Generating Station in southern Indiana, as the utility continues to move away from coal generation. IPL has been pressured by state political leaders and environmentalists to close the 1,700-MW Petersburg facility, the largest power […]

  • Siemens supplies gas turbines for peaking power plants in Belarus

    Siemens industrial gas turbines will provide peaking power to help improve the reliability and flexibility of the Belarusian power grid Siemens will deliver the power generation equipment for two new peaking power plants in the Republic of Belarus. The customer is the state-owned utility company RUE Vitebskenergo. The new plants will be operated in conjunction […]

  • PW Power Systems Delivers Brighter Holidays for Puerto Rico

    Mobile power generation assets will also secure the electric grid and complement renewables GLASTONBURY, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–PW Power Systems (PWPS), the leading provider of aero-derivative power generation energy solutions, announces that PREPA (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) has three, PWPS FT8® MOBILEPAC® gas turbines ready for operation. The 30-megawatt mobile gas turbine units are now available […]