Gas

  • GE Provides Advanced Gas Turbine and Services for Iraq’s Al Qudus Power Plant

    Baghdad, Iraq (February 19, 2019) — Delivering on its commitment to support the development of Iraq’s energy infrastructure, GE Power (NYSE: GE) provided an advanced 9E gas turbine to the Ministry of Electricity’s (MoE) Al Qudus Power Plant. GE will also service up to seven GE 9E gas turbines at the facility throughout 2019, including […]

  • Cummins becomes the first manufacturer to receive the 2018 IBC Seismic Certification for its power generator sets

    COLUMBUS, Indiana – Cummins, Inc. (NYSE: CMI) became the first power generator manufacturer to obtain the 2018 International Building Code (IBC) seismic certification. The IBC code ‘provides minimum requirements to safeguard the public health, safety and general welfare of the occupants of new and existing buildings and structures’. The IBC certification assures Cummins generators will […]

  • Entergy Texas Breaks Ground on New 993-MW Combined Cycle Plant

    Entergy Texas on February 15 began construction of its first new power plant in 40 years. The Montgomery County Power Station (MCPS), located in Willis, will be a 993-MW combined cycle gas turbine plant, adjacent to the existing Lewis Creek Power Plant. Entergy Texas is part of Entergy Corporation, which provides power to about 3 […]

  • Solar, Wind, Storage Come Together in Oregon Project

    A renewable energy project in eastern Oregon is being touted as the first in the U.S. to combine wind and solar power with battery storage. Portland General Electric (PGE) plans to build the Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility just north of Lexington, Oregon, the company announced last week. The utility is developing the 380-MW project with […]

  • Siemens H-class gas turbines achieve one million operating hours

    The Siemens H-class turbine has been on the market for nearly a decade and has now achieved a significant milestone by exceeding one-million fired hours of commercial operation. With 70 turbines in operation on four continents and almost 100 machines sold, the SGT-8000H is the market leader in its class and delivers a top performance […]

  • Wärtsilä power plants will support Dominican Republic’s growing tourist industry

    Wärtsilä Corporation, Press release, 18 February 2019 at 2 pm EET The technology group Wärtsilä has successfully handed over projects for two Wärtsilä engine power plants installed in the Dominican Republic. The additional capacity is needed to meet the increasing electricity demand from the country’s growing tourist industry. Both hand-overs took place in December 2018. […]

  • Wärtsilä power plants will support Dominican Republic’s growing tourist industry

    Wärtsilä Corporation, Press release, 18 February 2019 at 2 pm EET The technology group Wärtsilä has successfully handed over projects for two Wärtsilä engine power plants installed in the Dominican Republic. The additional capacity is needed to meet the increasing electricity demand from the country’s growing tourist industry. Both hand-overs took place in December 2018. […]

  • Technology Boosts Reliability of Power Plants Despite Shifting Business Foundations

    There is no industry more concerned with continuity of service than the power industry. Maintaining power supply to constituents is the critical mandate of every plant, whether harnessing energy from the sun, wind, water, coal, or nuclear sources. While consistency is a top priority, the plants themselves are often in a state of flux due […]

  • GE, MHPS Vie for Top Spot in Fiercely Competitive Gas Turbine Market

    Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) appears to have snagged the lead in an intensifying competition in a mostly flat market for heavy-duty gas turbines of above 100 MW, but GE retained its lead both for overall installed gas turbine capacity and units in 2018, a much-watched industry ranking suggests. Data from McCoy Power Reports’ latest […]

  • TVA Mulls Coal Plant Closures, Trump Urges Board to Consider All Factors

    The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is holding a board meeting today, during which the fate of the corporate agency’s Bull Run and Paradise Unit 3 coal power plants could be decided. Permanent closure of the facilities is strongly being considered. The stakes are high, according to Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R). In a Jan. 4 […]

  • Severe Modulation in Feedwater-Control Valves Reveals Need for Periodic Calibration

    Some combined cycle plants have two feedwater-control valves: a small startup valve with the extra cavitation protection needed during startup and low-load operations, and a larger main valve with the high flow capacity needed during full-load ops. This design is intended to yield a longer service life of these valves. However, as the plant ages, […]

  • California Governor Wants ‘Strike Team’ to Develop Utility Plan

    California Governor Gavin Newsom on February 12 said the state has formed a “strike team” as it works to develop plans to help not only utility ratepayers but also utility employees. The move comes in the wake of the bankruptcy filing by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) as the state’s largest utility deals with its […]

  • Tri-State announces Duane Highley as next Chief Executive Officer

    (February 12, 2019 – Westminster, Colo.) — The Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Board of Directors has selected Duane Highley as the cooperative wholesale power supplier’s next chief executive officer. Highley, who currently serves as president and chief executive officer for Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp., and Arkansas Electric Cooperative Inc., will succeed Mike McInnes on […]

  • Siemens to maintain and digitalize Shuweihat S2 power plant in Abu Dhabi

    18-year service agreement for Shuweihat S2 IWPP in Abu Dhabi Digital services and extended intervals for optimized maintenance cost Comprehensive cybersecurity solutions to reduce cyber threats Siemens today announced it has signed an extension of a multi-year maintenance service agreement with Shuweihat S2 Operation and Maintenance Company (S2O&M). Under terms of the contract, Siemens will […]

  • The ‘Green New Deal’ Out West

    COMMENTARY Launched last week by New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the “Green New Deal” appears to pick up where President Franklin Roosevelt left off with his “Second Bill of Rights” announced in his 1944 State of the Union Address1. More manifesto than mandate, the Green New Deal seeks to be a lens through which legislators’ […]

  • Iraqi Official Casts Doubt on Deals With GE, Siemens

    Multibillion-dollar energy deals that both Siemens and General Electric (GE) signed with the Iraqi government last year may not come to fruition, according to the country’s electricity minister. The Financial Times on February 10 reported that Luay Al-Khatteeb, who took his post late last year after the deals were brokered, told the newspaper, “I don’t […]

  • Financial and Gas Turbine Blade Troubles Plague GE Power

    GE Power’s financials spun out further on a dismal trajectory during the fourth quarter of 2018, plagued by slack market demand for products and services, technical glitches of a flagship gas turbine model, and poor project execution. Despite a series of divestments and corporate reshuffles, including of leadership, for the 12 months that ended on […]

  • Decarbonization, Electrification Key Among 8 Priorities for U.S. Investor-Owned Power Companies 

    In line with customer preferences, U.S. investor-owned electric companies are heavily invested in decarbonization and electrification, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) told Wall Street analysts and bankers on Feb. 6. In its annual presentation to potential investors and industry observers, the trade association that represents U.S. investor-owned electric companies lamented a number of uncertainties affecting […]

  • Schneider Electric Selected to Perform Microgrid Expansion at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

    BOSTON, February 6, 2019 – Schneider Electric, the global specialist in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced the expansion of its microgrid project at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar to boost resilience. A California Energy Commission (CEC) Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) grant will enable the $3.9 million project that […]

  • Hexagon Helps Electric Utilities Cut Fault Location Time from Hours to Minutes

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Feb. 5, 2019) — Hexagon’s Safety & Infrastructure division has released a new software application that aids electric utilities in determining the location of faults more quickly and accurately. Launched at DistribuTECH 2019 in New Orleans, Hexagon’s Intergraph InService Fault Location helps utilities improve outage restoration by cutting fault location time from hours […]

  • Connected Plant 2019  ‘Game Changers’: The People Behind Digital Innovation

    Behind the digital tools that make the industrial internet of things (IIOT) in the power generation and chemical process industries are people. The upcoming Connected Plant Conference—Feb. 19–21, 2019, in Charlotte, North Carolina—will recognize the achievements of 11 individuals and companies who are fast risers in the field. Through insight and experience, these “Game Changer” champions […]

  • THE BIG PICTURE: World’s Biggest Power Companies

    In 2017, the 10 largest power companies, ranked by their installed generation capacity, owned 18% of total global installed capacity, while the next-largest 15 owned around 10%—meaning that the top 25 companies own nearly 30% of global installed power generation capacity, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Chinese companies account for more than one-eighth of global installed […]

  • Hydrogen Energy Gains Steam

    Interest in hydrogen-powered fuel cells for transportation and machinery applications appears to have kicked up of late, with several companies announcing major developments. Hydrogen Batteries for Spanish Port. The Port of Valencia in Spain in January said it is readying to implement a planned €4 million pilot project to power container-manipulating machinery with hydrogen batteries. The […]

  • POWER Digest – February 2019

    BHEL Completes India Coal Plant in 46 Months. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) in January said it successfully built and commissioned the single-unit, 800-MW Kothagudem Thermal Power Station (KTPS), in

  • Making the Connection: Digitization Ramps Up Optimization

    Power generators continue to expand their use of digital technologies. Data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are all part of a rapid transformation in how utilities are improving the

  • Planning for the Future of Intelligent Power Generation

    An Electric Power Research Institute-led collaborative utility project, called I4Gen (Insight through the Integration of Information for Intelligent Generation), is exploring new technologies for digitally

  • How to Alleviate Waterside Issues in Boilers and HRSGs

    It is fairly common for power plant engineers and maintenance managers to focus on fireside issues rather than waterside issues during routine maintenance outages. However, that could be a mistake. Waterside

  • Using Thermohydraulic Simulations to Assess HRSG Performance

    Thermohydraulic simulations can provide detailed heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) data to help determine the root cause of failures, predict the degree of wear from various mechanisms, and assess the

  • Show Preview: Connected Plant Conference

    The Connected Plant Conference is a forum designed for professionals in the power generation and chemical process industries who are leading digital adoption at all stages. Sessions are tailored to offer

  • Polar Vortex Tests Resiliency of U.S. Power System 

    Brutally cold temperatures in the midwestern and northeastern U.S. spurred grid operator alerts as natural gas demand has surged, power prices have soared, and there have been forced generator outages.  The polar vortex, an extreme cold event characterized by back-to-back cold fronts, has so far prompted states of emergency in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. On […]