Gas

  • Duke Energy using North Carolina-based renewable natural gas in first-of-its-kind project

    Innovative effort producing pipeline-quality biogas from North Carolina hog farms OptimaBio’s project in Duplin County to spur more renewable energy CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Duke Energy power plant is using renewable natural gas from North Carolina-based hog farms to produce electricity – the first application of the technology from in-state farms. “This is a major […]

  • NEW E9000 Portable Emissions Analyzer With Heated Sample Line

    The NEW E9000 emissions analyzer with Heated Sample Line is a complete portable system for EPA compliance level emissions monitoring and testing. The E9000 is ideal for regulatory & maintenance use in boiler, burner, engine, turbine, furnace, and other combustion applications. Features: Up to (9) Total Gas Sensors Electrochemical Sensors – O2, CO, NO, NO2, […]

  • NRG Sheds Generation Emphasis, Puts More Focus on Retail

    To remain competitive in power markets increasingly characterized by disruptions, NRG Energy plans to accelerate its transition from a pure independent power producer (IPP) model to a more simplified customer-driven integrated power model that favors its retail businesses. In a number of presentations showcased on March 27 as part of NRG’s 2018 Analyst Day, company […]

  • Gemma Power Systems finalizes EPC Contract for a 475 MW Power Project in North Carolina

    Third Project Constructed for NTE Energy GLASTONBURY, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Gemma Power Systems, LLC (GPS) has entered into an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services contract with NTE Carolinas II, LLC, an affiliate of NTE Energy, to construct a 475 MW state-of-the-art natural gas-fired power plant in Rockingham County, North Carolina. The NTE Reidsville Energy Center is […]

  • GE HA Turbine Snags Another World Record for CCGT Efficiency

    Chubu Electric’s Nishi-Nagoya power plant Block-1 in Japan, a plant powered by three GE 7HA turbines and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions steam turbine and generator technology, is officially the world’s most efficient combined-cycle power plant, according to Guinness World Records.  The entity that collects and showcases ultimate record-breaking facts highlighted the plant’s achievement of […]

  • GenOn Selling More Assets in Restructuring

    GenOn Energy, a unit of NRG Energy that filed for bankruptcy in June 2017, said it has agreed to sell two units of the Canal Generating Plant to Stonepeak Kestrel, a subsidiary of Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, a private equity firm with offices in New York City and Houston, Texas. The Canal plant in Sandwich, Massachusetts, […]

  • Resource Diversification a Key for TVA [PODCAST]

    Joe Grimes, executive vice president of generation with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), gave the keynote presentation during the ELECTRIC POWER Conference and Exhibition, which was held March 19–22 in Nashville, Tennessee. His presentation focused on steps TVA is taking to diversify its generation portfolio in order to reduce risks and keep costs as low […]

  • Duke Energy Eyes More Coal Closures as Part of Decarbonization Drive

    Giant U.S. energy holding company Duke Energy in a new report outlined for shareholders how it will achieve a goal updated last year to reduce its 2030 carbon dioxide emissions 40% compared to 2005 and achieve a “science-based 2-degree target.” The company’s 2017 Climate Report to Shareholders made public on March 22 unveils a strategy […]

  • Siemens Will Deliver SGT-700 Compression Train for Wellhead Project in Peru

    Siemens was recently selected to supply another SGT-700 mechanical drive compression train for the Camisea gas-condensate asset located in Peru. The equipment, identical to that Siemens supplied in 2011, is essential to the continuing exploration and production of hydrocarbons in Block 88, operated by Pluspetrol Peru Corporation S.A. Due to the natural gas pressure decline […]

  • Utility Managers Build Business Case for Digital Technologies

    The rise of digital technologies for power plants has moved in fits and starts over the past several years, with some generators quickly embracing digitization of their assets while others are looking to justify potential investments. Suppliers of digital technologies have widely marketed the benefits, but many generators are looking to current end users for […]

  • Turbine Manufacturers Tout Improvements During ELECTRIC POWER Conference

    Turbine manufacturers continue to upgrade their products with technology enhancements to meet market demands for more flexibility and higher efficiency. Suppliers for combined cycle power plants outlined several of those advancements during POWER magazine’s ELECTRIC POWER Conference + Exhibition in Nashville, Tennessee this week. Executives from Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems America (MHPS), Siemens, and GE […]

  • New Orleans chooses Wärtsilä Smart Power Generation solution for new power plant

    HELSINKI, Finland (March 21, 2018) — Wärtsilä’s Smart Power Generation solution has been selected to power the New Orleans Power Station, a 128-MW plant to be constructed at the retired Michoud power plant site in New Orleans, Louisiana. The retired plant, which was the only power generating facility within the city’s borders, was shut down […]

  • MTU Power: New brand for gas turbine business

    Munich, 19 March, 2018 – MTU Aero Engines AG launches a new brand to improve transparency in services for gas turbine customers. The new brand is called MTU Power and consolidates the existing gas turbine engineering, manufacturing and aftermarket expertise and services from the business units Aero Solutions, Brush Seals and MTU Maintenance at MTU. […]

  • Siemens secures major service contract for Pakistan power plant

    Highlighting its commitment to supporting Pakistan in meeting its growing power needs, Siemens has announced the signing of a long-term service agreement with Punjab Thermal Power (Private) Limited to provide comprehensive maintenance, parts and repair services for Punjab Power Plant Jhang for the next 12 years. The agreement includes Siemens’ Power Diagnostics, part of the […]

  • Coal Being Retired at Iconic Kodak Plant in New York

    The last coal-fired power plant in the Rochester, New York, area—and one of just three remaining coal-fired plants in the entire state—received its last load of coal this week. The plant, which serves the Eastman Business Park anchored by Eastman Kodak, is being converted to burn natural gas. The former Kodak Park plant operated at […]

  • Regulators, Lawmakers Spar Over Arizona Renewable Mandates

    State regulators in Arizona want the state’s investor-owned utilities to source more of their electricity from renewable sources, and develop more energy storage options, rather than rely on new natural gas-fired generation in the future. State senators, however, voted March 14 to give utilities a way to get around any voter-supported mandates for renewables. The […]

  • GenOn Energy to Retire Three California Gas Plants

    In a move that demonstrates how difficult current market conditions are, even for some natural gas-fired facilities, GenOn Energy—a subsidiary of NRG Energy—said it will shutter three California gas-fired power plants for economic reasons. The company notified the California Public Utilities Commission and California Independent System Operator (CAISO) in letters dated February 28 that it […]

  • Ansaldo Energia Awarded Contracts for Turbines, Generators for Serbia Plant

    Ansaldo Energia has been awarded a contract by Shanghai Electric Group, worth approximately €40 million, to supply Gas Turbines and Generators for Pancevo Combined Cycle Power Plant in Serbia.  The 200 MW Pancevo combined cycle power plant is owned by TE-TO Pancevo, and Shanghai Electric Group will be responsible for Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) […]

  • ACWA Power Inaugurates SAR 1.7 Billion Salalah 2 IPP Plant in Oman with a Generating Capacity of 445 MW

    Salalah, Oman (March 8, 2018) — The Greenfield Salalah 2 IPP project, with an aggregate capacity of 445 MW, and an investment of $465 million, was inaugurated by ACWA Power today in an official ceremony under the patronage of H.H. Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq al-Said, advisor to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, […]

  • Germany’s New Coalition Government Agrees to Phase Out Coal, but Will Miss 2020 Emissions Targets

    Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) members agreed to join their longtime rival and governing partner, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and reluctantly entered into a third grand coalition government on March 4. While this ended months of anxious handwringing following September’s national elections, the entire process was mired in frustration as the prospect of yet […]

  • Experts: Warfare Between Coal and Gas Is Nonexistent

    Markets may currently favor natural gas, but coal, which has been diminished for “good reason,” will likely have a significant place as a reliable fuel for power generation, a diverse panel of U.S. coal experts—including a generator, a supplier, and a market analyst—suggested at CERAWeek by IHS Markit in Houston on March 7. Coal lost […]

  • Test Your Knowledge: Boiler Chemical Cleaning

    Most engineers and operators know (or should know) that boiler tubes containing deposits create long-term reliability problems for the boiler. Long-term overheating of the metal will result from prolonged operation with heavy tube deposits. The tubes will first bulge and then fail. Because the deposits tend to be widespread, this generally means that large sections of […]

  • Texas Utility Ready to Ramp Up Renewables

    The CEO of Texas-based CPS Energy said March 6 that the utility wants to generate at least 50% of its power from renewable sources by 2040, part of a plan that includes the addition of 550 MW of battery storage, as it looks to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. But the city-owned San Antonio […]

  • More Coal and Nuclear Can Replace Retired Generation, State Supreme Court Rules

    The Supreme Court for the state of New Mexico affirmed a final order by state regulators to allow Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) to replace lost generation from two shuttered units at its 1,800-MW coal-fired San Juan Regional Generation Station with coal and nuclear resources. The case stems from a petition filed by […]

  • Wärtsilä Signs EPC Contract in Australia with AGL Energy Limited for Smart Power Generation Plant

    HELSINKI, FINLAND (March 6, 2018) — The technology group Wärtsilä and AGL Energy Limited, one of Australia’s leading integrated energy companies, have signed a contract for a new 211-MW power plant. The deal for the new facility, known as the Barker Inlet Power Station located on Torrens Island near Adelaide, was earlier announced by Wärtsilä […]

  • FPL Will Build New Gas Plant, Adds More Solar

    Florida regulators on March 1 approved Florida Power & Light’s (FPL’s) plan to build a new $888 million natural gas-fired power plant, replacing an existing gas- and oil-fueled plant on the same site in Dania Beach that is being retired this year. The utility on Thursday also announced the opening of four new solar power […]

  • FERC Finds No Evidence of Gas Withholding in New England

    No evidence exists that New England local gas distribution companies engaged in practices to withhold natural gas pipeline capacity on the Algonquin system to drive up gas or power prices in the region, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) staff revealed. FERC on February 27 closed an inquiry after conducting an “extensive review” of the allegations—which […]

  • ERCOT Anticipates Summer Supply Crunch Amid Unit Retirements

    The recent retirement of older generating units and high peak usage owing to economic growth could tighten operating reserves in the region served by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) this summer. The grid operator said on March 1 that total resource capacity for the upcoming summer (spanning June through September 2018) is expected […]

  • How to Automate Workforce Scheduling

    If you’re a power plant supervisor, you’ve undoubtedly been forced to find a worker during off-hours on the spur of the moment. New tools are being used today that allow automating the callout process—and workforce schedule. Last summer City Utilities (CU) of Springfield, Missouri, joined a list of power companies automating workforce scheduling and callout […]

  • POWER Digest [March 2018]

    ABB Receives Contract to Upgrade, Expand Combined Cycle Plant. A consortium including Doosan Heavy Industries and state-owned construction company PT Hutama Karya has awarded a $40 million contract to ABB to