Gas

  • Site work commences for Wärtsilä 378-MW power plant in El Salvador

    January 8, 2019 — The technology group Wärtsilä commenced site work for a new 378 MW power plant being supplied on an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract in El Salvador. This facility, ordered by Energía del Pacífico, will be the largest and most efficient power plant in El Salvador, and one of the first […]

  • Former FERC Commissioner McIntyre Dead at 58

    Kevin McIntyre, who briefly served as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), died Jan. 2 at age 58. He had been diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017 and had surgery to remove a tumor. President Trump nominated McIntyre, a Republican, in August 2017 to serve as FERC chairman. He was confirmed by the […]

  • Growth in Renewables Continues Despite Drop in UK Power Generation

    Renewable energy sources increased their share of the UK’s electricity supply in 2018, with new wind farms and biomass plants helping renewables contribute a record 33% of the country’s power in the past year. Coal-fired units, meanwhile, saw a 25% drop in their output, with coal providing about 5% of the country’s total generation. The […]

  • NTE Energy begins serving 4 new communities in North and South Carolina

    ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., Jan. 2, 2019—The new year brought a new source of cleaner, more efficient power to the Carolinas, when four new communities began receiving power from NTE Energy. January 1 marked the beginning of 20-year power purchase agreements between NTE and the North Carolina communities of Concord and Kings Mountain, and the South […]

  • THE BIG PICTURE: Power Around the World

    The International Energy Agency forecasts that based on current and proposed policies, global power generation will grow about 15,000 TWh (about 60%) from 2017 to 2040. About 70% of additions will be supplied by natural gas, wind, and solar photovoltaics in nearly equal shares. But despite a drop from its current share from 38% to […]

  • Why a Single Source Is Best for Chemical-Feed Systems

    What is the best way to construct a complete chemical-feed system for use in a power plant—piecing together equipment acquired from a hodgepodge of suppliers or creating a system with components sourced from

  • How Digital Technology Is Changing Power Plants

    Digital technology is everywhere today including in most power plants. Computer hardware and software are changing the way plants are operated and maintained. Many technology experts will tell you that

  • POWER Digest [January 2019]

    EDF Inks Agreement for O&M Services at UAE Nuclear Plant. French nuclear power plant operator EDF will operate and maintain the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under a

  • 10 Takeaways from the IEA’s Newest World Energy Outlook

    The International Energy Agency (IEA) deemed growth and disruptions of the world’s power sector so significant to the future of energy, it dedicated—for the first time—a four-chapter “special focus”

  • Control Room Considerations: What You Need to Know

    Control rooms are vital for organizations to efficiently and effectively monitor multiple information streams and make accurate mission-critical decisions. With an ever-increasing number of content sources and

  • Natural Gas and Renewable Energy to Continue Leading the Market

    Cheap natural gas and social pressure to reduce carbon emissions give gas-fired power plants and renewable energy resources a competitive advantage over traditional coal and nuclear generation. Energy storage

  • Blockchain Technology Will Transform the Power Industry

    What began in the world of finance has moved into the power sector. Blockchain, a nascent technology most often associated with cryptocurrency, is a new frontier in the energy space, changing the way power is

  • Understanding Amine Chemistry in Combined Cycle Power Plants

    Many combined cycle power plants have established a pH guideline between 9.6 and 10.0 to minimize corrosion in heat recovery steam generators and condensers. Neutralizing amines are used to achieve these pH

  • How Air Bearings Moved Tons of Nuclear Waste

    Heavy loads must often be moved at power plants of all types. Air bearing-based vehicles can make the process safer, faster, and cheaper. Cask relocation at a nuclear waste facility offers one successful

  • Establishing a Culture of Continuous Learning and Improvement

    With many challenges facing both fossil fuel and nuclear power generation facilities, training and workforce development has never been more important. Establishing a culture of continuous improvement is

  • Tenaska Gas-Fired Plant Comes Online in Pennsylvania

    The Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station began commercial operation on Dec. 21, the latest natural gas-fired facility to enter the PJM market. The 940-MW Tenaska plant, located near Smithton in South Huntingdon Township in Westmoreland County in southwest Pennsylvania, was built in just more than two years, though its planning and permitting process took several years […]

  • Bailing Out Coal and Nuclear Plants Is Misguided

    For decades the U.S. has relied on coal for much of its energy supply. States with abundant coal—Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, and others—have towns and cities whose economies are driven by the coal industry. Now, as the coal industry declines and those areas struggle, the Trump administration wants to use taxpayer money to save coal […]

  • NERC: Accelerated Coal and Nuclear Retirements Pose Limited Reliability Risks

    The accelerated retirement of coal-fired and nuclear generation by 2022 could adversely affect reliability in four regions, including in the East and over parts of the central U.S., the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) warned as it released findings from a “stress-test” scenario.  But the entity tasked with ensuring reliability and security of the […]

  • POWER’s Top 10 Most-Read Stories from 2018

    There’s never a dull moment in the power industry, and like most years, 2018 was filled with many interesting developments. As it has been for more than 135 years, POWER was there to break the news. The following 10 articles were the most-read online stories of the year. #10: New York Denies Air Permit for […]

  • Regulators Back Dominion Takeover of SCANA

    Dominion Energy’s bid to purchase SCANA Corp. and its South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) utility, approved by South Carolina regulators on Dec. 14, could bring some stability to SCANA. Shareholders hope that’s the case; they’re excited about swapping their devalued SCANA shares for more valuable Dominion stock. Workers, though, remain uncertain about their futures, […]

  • Hitachi Acquires ABB Power Grids Business in $11 Billion Deal

    Hitachi Ltd. and ABB on December 17 announced that Hitachi will acquire 80.1% of ABB’s Power Grids unit in an $11 billion deal. Reports of the possible acquisition surfaced December 16, with several media outlets including POWER  discussing the agreement, citing sources familiar with the deal who asked not to be identified. Hitachi plans to […]

  • Competitive Power Ventures Sells Partial Stake in Towantic Energy Center

    CPV and Osaka Gas USA solidify shared commitment to helping meet energy demands in the U.S. Silver Spring, MD, Dec. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) has finalized the sale of 25 percent of its ownership interests in the CPV Towantic Energy Center (CPV Towantic) to Osaka Gas USA (OGUSA). CPV and […]

  • ABB Nears Sale of Power Grids Division to Hitachi in $11 Billion Deal

    Hitachi Ltd. and ABB could announce an $11 billion deal as soon as December 17 in which Hitachi will acquire 80% of ABB’s power grids unit. Reports of the possible deal surfaced December 16, with Bloomberg and others citing sources familiar with the agreement who asked not to be identified. Neither ABB nor Hitachi commented […]

  • Amid Broad Legal Challenges, EPA Proposes Narrower Definition of WOTUS

    In a move widely applauded by the power industry, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of the Army proposed a new definition of “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) that could exempt groundwater and ditches from regulation under the Clean Water Act (CWA).  The measures follow other recent significant regulatory actions by the agency. On […]

  • Siemens Cutting 200 Jobs at Texas Service Center

    Siemens on December 11 said it would lay off about 200 workers at a gas turbines parts and components service center in Houston, Texas, sometime in late 2019 or early 2020. A company spokesperson made the announcement Tuesday, saying the cuts are due to weak global demand for the company’s turbines. Siemens in a statement […]

  • FERC Follows Up on Tax Reform Response

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC, the Commission) took several actions in November to address impacts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Tax Act). FERC had previously issued a Notice of Inquiry seeking comments on how to address the impact of the Tax Act’s reduction in the corporate federal income tax (FIT) rate […]

  • Dominican Republican to Get Floating Combined Cycle Gas Plant Outfitted with Battery Storage

    A novel floating power plant that combines a 145-MW gas-fired combined cycle power plant and a battery energy storage system could begin operating in the Dominican Republic by early 2021.  Siemens and the marine arm of Singapore-based ST Engineering on December 3 said they jointly received an order for a SeaFloat barge-mounted power plant from […]

  • Gas Turbine Applications Inc

    Turbine Efficiency Group is delighted to announce the acquisition of Gas Turbine Applications Inc (“GTA”). GTA is a highly-respected after-market services provider specialising in the Saturn and Centaur industrial gas turbines. The business serves a longstanding customer base operating from facilities strategically located in Calera, OK. The acquisition creates a leading independent service provider delivering […]

  • Siemens and ST Engineering secure major order for floating power plant in Dominican Republic

    Hybrid power plant solution with integrated battery energy storage Power supply with a capacity of 145 megawatts Scheduled to start operation in Santo Domingo in spring 2021 Siemens and the marine arm of ST Engineering in Singapore have jointly received an order for a SCC-800 2x1C SeaFloat barge-mounted power plant from Seaboard Corporation subsidiary Transcontinental […]

  • Midwest Utility Orders Game-Changing SmartER GAC Gas Turbine

    Advanced-class Peaking Power Seamlessly Integrates with Renewables using Artificial Intelligence Lake Mary, Florida – Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) announced on December 4, 2018, that a leading Midwest US utility has ordered the new super-intelligent M501GAC Enhanced Response gas turbine. The SmartER GAC is an integration of MHPS’s proven and reliable G-Series turbine technology and MHPS-TOMONI […]