Hydro

  • POWER Digest [January 2023]

    Brazil Formally Restarts Construction of Angra 3 Nuclear Reactor. Eletronuclear, a mixed-ownership subsidiary of Brazilian state-run power group Eletrobras, has resumed construction of Angra 3, a 1.4-GW

  • Biden Administration Rolls Out ‘Durable’ WOTUS Definition in Final Rule

    The Biden administration has rolled out in a final what it says is a “durable” definition of “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS), potentially capping a legal and political battle that has raged for nearly two decades. The final rule issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of the Army on […]

  • Glenfarne Energy Transition and Partners Group Joint Venture EnfraGen Announces Acquisition of Four Run-of-River Hydro Assets in Southern Chile

    NEW YORK – December 30, 2022: EnfraGen, LLC (“EnfraGen”), a developer, owner, and operator of specialized sustainable, renewable power and grid stability assets in Latin America owned by Glenfarne Energy Transition, LLC, a global energy transition company providing critical solutions to lower the world’s carbon footprint addressing the “here and now” energy transition and leading […]

  • The 12 Most-Read POWER Global Monitor Articles of 2022

    Every month, POWER magazine publishes several articles in its Global Monitor section covering topics important to the electric power generation industry. The articles typically feature interesting updates on progress made at notable projects around the world, big policy changes, or promising research and development (R&D) news. Short notes about major contracts are also touched on […]

  • The POWER Interview: What Energy Consumers Want from Utilities

    EY earlier this month released the findings from its Energy Consumer Survey 2022. The report is “focused on how energy impacts the lifestyles and wallets of consumers,” according to the company. EY is the trade name for Ernst & Young, the multinational professional services group headquartered in London, UK. The report is based on a […]

  • Hybrids Combine Technologies to Enhance Electricity Production

    Solar + wind, solar + storage, wind + storage—even fossil fuels combined with renewable energy—are supporting the growth of hybrid power plants that are breaking the norms of traditional power generation

  • Large Hydro Station Wins POWER’s Highest Honor, 21 Additional Outstanding Projects Recognized in 2022

    It’s always difficult to select winners from the field of nominations submitted to POWER for its annual awards, and this year was no exception. The Wudongde Hydropower Station was the big winner, while

  • Reduce Plant Fuel Use, Emissions, and Operating Cost with Performance Models and Predictive Maintenance

    Thermal power generation has to adapt new methods to thrive as renewables transform dispatch. Now used more often as a bridge source of power rather than the main source of power, many fossil fuel plants

  • NERC Warns of Tight Generation Resources, Fuel Supply Issues This Winter

    Power shortfalls could be rife over the next three months across a large portion of the North American bulk power system (BPS), particularly during extreme and prolonged cold conditions, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) has warned. The nation’s designated Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) in its latest Winter Reliability Assessment, issued on Nov. 17, said […]

  • Fish Friendly Hydro: Natel Energy Is Proving It’s Possible

    Hydropower projects frequently face resistance from environmental groups for a variety of reasons. One of the more common objections to hydro is the high turbine-induced mortality of fish. The passage of fish through hydroelectric turbines can quickly prove fatal—a danger that increases with the size of the fish. Furthermore, if several hydropower plants are located […]

  • Sustainable hydropower collaborates with other renewables on climate change

    The sustainable hydropower sector is at the heart of two new initiatives that aim to accelerate the clean energy transition, both announced at COP27 today. Planning for Climate Commission aims to accelerate hydropower and other renewables The Planning for Climate Commission is a new global forum focused on speeding up planning and approvals for the massive […]

  • LS Power Will Acquire U.S. Portfolio of Hydro Facilities

    NEW YORK, NY – November 15, 2022 – LS Power, a leading development, investment and operating company focused on the North American power and energy infrastructure sector, today announced it has reached an agreement to acquire 42 run-of-river hydro facilities across 11 states, totaling 334 MW, from Hull Street Energy. The acquisition is expected to […]

  • Egypt, Hosting COP27, Renews Call for Resolution on GERD Hydro Project

    The world’s largest event centered around climate change is shining a spotlight on one of the most-pressing debates in the Arab world—what to do about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Egypt is the host for this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP27 (Conference of Parties), in Sharm El Sheikh, running Nov. 6-18. […]

  • Six Major Electric Utilities Join Forces to Pursue a Southeastern Hydrogen Hub

    Marking intent interest from the power sector in hydrogen’s decarbonization potential, six major utilities—Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Louisville Gas & Electric Co. (LG&E), Kentucky Utilities Co. (KU), Southern Co., and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)—have announced they will jointly pursue federal financial support for a Southeast Hydrogen Hub. The utilities, along with Battelle, an independent […]

  • Webinar Brief: Clearing the Air with GE Digital

      Daniel Hynum discussed operational challenges that utilities face as the power grid shifts to renewables, and how GE Fleet Orchestration can help address those challenges. KEY TAKEAWAYS Market shifts create challenges for vertical integration of utilities’ operations. There is a major energy transition taking place in power grids around the world. As the market moves toward […]

  • History of Power: Dominion Energy’s Fluid Transition

    A company that has corporate roots that go back to the Colonial era, Dominion Energy has been shaped by acquisitions and market forces. It is now in the midst of an extraordinary transformation to expand its

  • POWER Digest [November 2022]

    JX Nippon Acquires NRG’s Share of Petra Nova Carbon Capture Plant for $3.6 Million. ENEOS Group, a Japanese energy and non-ferrous metals business group that owns JX Nippon Oil and Gas Exploration, will

  • Massive Projects Move Forward as Groups Celebrate Global Hydropower Day

    A new 16-GW hydropower project in China and a 9-GW plant in Indonesia are among several projects being highlighted as part of Global Hydropower Day, being celebrated Oct. 11 as the hydro sector notes the importance of the technology to the world’s power generation. The Baihetan Hydropower Station in China is being developed by Jinsha […]

  • Switzerland Secures 250-MW GE Gas Power Temporary Power Plant For Crucial Winter Reserve

    The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) will install 250 MW of temporary reserve power—via eight trailer-mounted GE Gas Power TM2500 mobile aeroderivative gas turbine units—to secure critical power supplies this winter. GE Gas Power said the units, which will be located at GE’s Manufacturing Center in Birr, in the Swiss canton of Aargau, near […]

  • The Big Picture: Power Plant Additions Over the Decades [Infographic]

    The deployment of new power plants in the U.S. over the past 14 decades has hinged on policies, markets, technologies, and new industry players. Every decade has presented its own state of multidimensional, multivariate complexity. The ongoing “energy transition,” which has been characterized by the addition of smaller, carbon-free resources, marks another pivotal period in […]

  • POWER Digest (October 2022)

    Saft Installs Batteries on Italian Islands. Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, has installed seven maintenance-free Flex’ion lithium-ion battery systems supporting a microgrid with solar plants on the

  • Australia Taking ‘Renewable’ Approach to Decommissioning Coal Plants

    Australia stands at a crossroads when it comes to its energy strategy. On the one hand, the country has moved to embrace clean energy in the past few years, with renewables growing to 29% of total generation

  • History of Power: The Evolution of the Electric Generation Industry

    POWER magazine was launched in 1882, just as the world was beginning to grasp the implications of a new, versatile form of energy: electricity. During its 135-year history, the magazine’s pages have

  • Oxford Group: Decarbonizing Energy Would Save $12 Trillion

    A new study from business and environmental researchers at Oxford University disputes the notion that a strategy to transition global power generation toward renewable energy and away from fossil fuels is too expensive to pursue. The study, released Sept. 13 and published in the journal Joule, reports that decarbonizing the world’s energy systems would save […]

  • California Declares Stage 3 Emergency Alert, Warns Rotating Outages Possible

    California’s grid operator issued a Stage 3 energy emergency alert (EEA) at 5:17 p.m. PST on Sept. 6, warning it would order rotating power outages to lower soaring power demand and stabilize its grid, if necessary. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) cautiously raised the emergency alert from Stage 2, which it had declared earlier […]

  • TVA Successfully Completes a Dam Safety Modification Project for the Ages

    When a sinkhole was discovered near the base of the Boone Dam embankment, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s dam safety engineers went to work determining the best fix. The complexity of the work and quality

  • THE BIG PICTURE: Hydropower’s Climate Risks

    While hydropower provides about 16% of global electricity generation today, climate change is predicted to drive various changes in hydrology that could translate into a spectrum of risks for hydropower production. A recent study published in the journal Water estimates 61% of all global hydropower dams will be in basins with very high or extreme […]

  • 2022 Experience POWER, Distributed Energy Conference, and HydrogeNext Show Preview

    Again, this year, Experience POWER will be co-located with the Distributed Energy Conference (DEC) and HydrogeNext, giving attendees the opportunity to learn from and network with trailblazers from the power industry, who are leading the way in the world’s energy transition. These three events cover the full energy value chain for the power industry, delivering […]

  • POWER Digest [September 2022]

    New Transformer Improves Power System Reliability for Zimbabweans. An Emergency Power Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project funded by ZimFund reached the last leg of implementation on July 10 with the delivery

  • Biden Signs Bill to Transform U.S. Energy, Combat Climate Change

    President Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) should provide further impetus for growth of U.S. renewable energy, coming on the heels of a report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that installations of solar and wind power accounted for more than two-thirds of new domestic utility-scale generation in the first six months […]