News
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Top Plant
Technology Triumph: Track 4A Is POWER’s Plant of the Year
Winning POWER’s highest honor is Track 4A, Southern Power Generation’s 1.4-GW natural gas–fired power plant in southern Malaysia that is equipped with the first commercial GE 9HA.02 gas turbines—one of
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Microgrid
‘Smart Microgrid Community’ Takes Shape in Canada
Many areas across the globe are looking at providing non-traditional power to residential neighborhoods, part of a push to make a community’s electricity supply more reliable and resilient. A development in Canada is one model of what is known as a “smart microgrid community.” Elexicon Energy, the fourth largest municipally-owned electricity distributor in Ontario, along […]
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Connected Plant
Hitachi ABB Power Grids Will Change Name to ‘Hitachi Energy’ to Mark Business Evolution
Hitachi ABB Power Grids, the behemoth joint venture firm officially launched last year when Japanese technology conglomerate Hitachi acquired a majority share in Swiss conglomerate ABB’s Power Grids business, will be known as “Hitachi Energy” starting in October 2021. The name change reflects the firm’s business evolution amid a rapidly evolving energy landscape, the company […]
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Distributed Power
Road to Success Paved with Innovative Projects
Wärtsilä Energy, known for its experience in energy storage, and Pivot Power—working on ambitious decarbonization projects—have teamed on a multi-application way to serve the future of transportation in
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Distributed Power
Traveling the Electrification Highway
A company that has served U.S. motorists and the trucking industry for decades has updated its business model to support electric vehicle charging—and generate electricity for several of its locations. Power
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Connected Plant
A Virtual Solution to a Real Energy Problem
The need for demand response programs, particularly those that help stabilize the grid, is evident as electricity customers seek a more reliable power supply. Enter virtual power plants (VPPs), a way for
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News
India Pursues Ambitious Solar Goals Despite Pandemic’s Impact
India has one of the world’s most aggressive solar development targets. The country’s leaders have said they want to install 450 GW of renewable power generation capacity by 2030, a figure that would
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Microgrid
Why Microgrids Are the Key to Our Carbon-Neutral Future
As we continue to work toward a more sustainable future globally, demand for renewable energy integration is increasing. This requires more flexibility in grid infrastructure and the ability to add more types
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News
Protecting Battery Energy Storage Systems from Fire and Explosion Hazards
There are serious risks associated with lithium-ion battery energy storage systems. Thermal runaway can release toxic and explosive gases, and the problem can spread from one malfunctioning cell to neighboring cells, resulting in catastrophe.
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News
POWER Digest [July 2021]
GE Will Supply Finnish Wind Farm. General Electric (GE) in late May said it will deliver 16 Cypress onshore wind turbines for the 88-MW Puskakorpi wind farm in Finland. Each 5.6-MW-158 turbine will be
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News
Illinois University Seeking NRC License to Build Nuclear Microreactor
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) has formally kicked off a pioneering project to partly re-power its 85-MW Abbott cogeneration plant with an Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC) Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) Energy System. UIUC on June 28 said it submitted a letter of intent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to build […]
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News
New Jersey Awards 2.7 GW of Offshore Wind Projects
New Jersey utility regulators have issued what officials are calling the largest combined award of offshore U.S. wind generation capacity to date. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) on June 30 awarded a total of 2.658 GW of offshore wind capacity to two groups, bringing New Jersey’s total planned capacity to more than […]
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Climate change
Rolling Blackouts Triggered as Historic Heatwave Grips Pacific Northwest
Utilities across the Pacific Northwest are bracing for exceptional stress on the grid as record-breaking temperatures continue to fester across the region, and at least one utility—Avista Corp.—this week began rolling outages as a measure to alleviate strain on the electric system. Despite pleas to customers to reduce their power consumption, Avista, which supplies power […]
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Gas
New Gas-Fired Units Would Replace Coal at Indiana Plant
CenterPoint Energy could begin construction of two new natural gas-fired units to serve electricity customers in Indiana as soon as next year, if state regulators approve the utility’s plan that includes the closure of two units of a coal-fired power plant at a site along the Ohio River. CenterPoint’s $323-million proposal to the Indiana Utility […]
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News
Xcel Scrapping Plan to Build New 800-MW Gas-Fired Plant
Xcel Energy is pivoting from its plan to build a new 800-MW natural gas-fired power plant at the site of its Sherco coal-fired facility in Becker, Minnesota. Instead, Xcel plans to build two smaller gas-fired “peaker” plants, one in Minnesota and one in North Dakota, as part of a new initiative for the utility’s power […]
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Coal
Consumers Energy to Quit Coal by 2025, Speeding Closure of Five Units
Michigan’s largest energy provider Consumers Energy will stop using coal as a fuel source for power generation within the next four years—15 years earlier than previously planned. In an updated integrated resource plan (IRP) filed with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) on June 23, the CMS Energy subsidiary said the effort would lead Michigan’s […]
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News
GE Hitachi: Nuclear Costs, Innovation Must Be a Pivotal Focus for Carbon-Free Future
Nuclear energy’s future as a critical pillar in a decarbonized world will depend on its adaptability to rapid change, but the sector must focus on costs, certainty of outcome, reliability, and experience to cement its role beyond the transition, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) President and CEO Jay Wileman told POWER in an exclusive interview. […]
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Nuclear
Despite South Carolina IRP Rejection, Duke Energy Seeks 80-Year Operation for Oconee Nuclear Units
Duke Energy has kicked off an effort to renew the operating licenses of all its 11 nuclear reactors for 20 more years, starting with Oconee Nuclear Station, its largest nuclear plant. The utility on June 21 filed an application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a subsequent license renewal (SLR) for the three-unit 2.5-GW […]
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News
World-First Test Production of Fossil-Free Hydrogen-Reduced Sponge Iron Completed
A pioneering pilot project in Lulea, Sweden, designed to produce “fossil-free” steel has successfully completed test production of sponge iron, demonstrating it is possible to use hydrogen made with fossil-free power to reduce iron ore, instead of coal and coke. Swedish energy company Vattenfall, mining company LKAB, and steel manufacturer SSAB—companies that are collaborating under […]
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News
Connecticut Becomes Eighth State to Adopt Energy Storage Targets
Under a newly enacted law, Connecticut will deploy 1 GW of energy storage by December 2030 and pursue interim targets to deploy 300 MW by 2024 and 650 MW by 2027. With the measure, Connecticut joins California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, and Virginia, states that have so far set targets to procure […]
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News
NRG Will Close 3 Coal Plants After Poor Auction Results
NRG Energy Inc. said it will retire three coal-fired power plants—two in Illinois and one in Delaware—next year after disappointing results in the May 2021 capacity auction for the PJM Interconnection. NRG during its June 17 investor day presentation said about 1.6 GW of coal-fired generation would be closed, including the 682-MW Waukegan and 510-MW […]
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News
FERC-NARUC Task Force Will Tackle Transmission Issues
Two groups concerned with issues regarding the regulation and production of U.S. electricity have announced formation of a joint federal-state task force on power transmission, an effort to better identify the costs and benefits associated with electric power projects, and support the buildout of renewable energy resources. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), an independent […]
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Nuclear
UK Eyes 2025 Operation Date for Fusion Demo Plant as Powerful Magnet Heads to ITER
This week marked two major milestones for fusion energy. On June 15, San Diego-based General Atomics (GA) said it was ready to ship the first module of the Central Solenoid—the world’s most powerful magnet—which will become a central component of ITER, the world’s largest experimental fusion facility that is under construction in France. And a […]
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Hydrogen
Enapter Makes Headway on AEM Electrolyzer Mass Production
Enapter, a German manufacturer of Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) electrolyzers, is gearing up to deploy an automated production line to scale up electrolyzer manufacturing and ramp up green hydrogen production. The company on June 14 said that after “months of preparation,” it is readying to kick off construction of its “Enapter Campus” in Saerbeck, Germany, […]
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Nuclear
Centrus Gets NRC Approval to Demonstrate HALEU Production
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has given its green light to a license amendment filed by Centrus Energy Corp., approving the nuclear fuel and services firm’s efforts to demonstrate High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) production at its enrichment facility in Piketon, Ohio. The approval marks a “major milestone” in Centrus’s $115 million, cost-shared contract with the […]
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Gas
GE Will Pilot F-Class Dual-Fuel Gas and Hydrogen Plant in Australia
GE will supply a 50-Hz F-class gas turbine that is capable of combusting natural gas and hydrogen-blended fuels at EnergyAustralia’s 316-MW Tallawarra B Power Station in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, in a project that will demonstrate how the coal-rich nation could accelerate its energy transition using gas. GE on June 16 said CLP Group […]
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News
Exec Calls for Action on New Texas Gas-Fired Plants
The chief executive of a Connecticut-based energy investment firm has called for action on his group’s proposal to build as many as 11 new natural gas-fired power plants in Texas. Himanshu Saxena, CEO of Starwood Energy Group, in a June 14 interview said, “We would like to see significant steps in countering, negotiating and material […]
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News
In Major Reversal, EPA, Army Will Revise Definition of ‘WOTUS’
In yet another dramatic turn for federal policy governing the “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS), the Biden administration has announced its intent to revise the definition of WOTUS, citing “destructive impacts” to critical water bodies under a Trump-era rule. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army on June 9 issued a declaration […]
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Hydrogen
South Korea Eyes First Hydrogen Gas Turbine Demonstration in 2027
Stepping up efforts to develop a hydrogen gas turbine, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction (DHIC) and a consortium of partners will begin South Korea’s first large-scale hydrogen gas turbine demonstration at the 1.8-GW Ulsan Combined Cycle Power Plant by 2027. DHIC, a regional energy technology conglomerate, on June 3 said it signed a series of […]
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Legislative
Texas Governor Enacts Grid Reliability Measures, Including Power Plant Weatherization, ERCOT Reforms
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law sweeping bills approved by Texas legislators that will require power generators in the state to weatherize against extreme events and revamp organizational oversight of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Hours before the state’s regular 140-day legislative session dwindled to its end on May 30—and amid […]