News
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Geothermal
Is Geothermal Power on the Brink of a Boom?
After several years of stagnancy, prospects for the geothermal power industry are heating up. Over the past year, it has seen a flurry of legislative boosts, an uptick of power purchase agreements, and
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Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity Is More Important Than Ever Due to COVID-19
The COVID-19 outbreak has forced many companies to change the way they conduct operations. Leaders have had to divide employees into essential and non-essential categories. Essential employees must report to
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Finance
THE BIG PICTURE (Infographic): Capital Costs
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) in February 2020 published capital costs and performance characteristic estimates for 25 new electric power generating technologies. These estimates come from global engineering and design firm Sargent & Lundy (S&L), which the EIA commissioned to help accurately reflect the changing cost of new power generation technologies for the Annual Energy […]
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News
POWER Digest [May 2020]
OPG Reaches First Criticality at Darlington 2, Delays Work at Unit 3. Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG’s) Darlington Unit 2 reactor, the first of four reactors the company is overhauling at the Darlington
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Water
How to Effectively Minimize Power Plant Water Usage
Power plants across the U.S. are working to minimize water use in order to comply with regulatory requirements and offset the growing cost of water. This article offers some important recommendations to manage
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Workforce
Technology in Construction: Predicting and Adapting to Change
This is Part I in a series that identifies technology trends in the construction industry, and offers expert advice on how companies can prepare for changes that lie ahead. Predicting how technology will
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Instrumentation & Controls
What You Need to Know About Magnetic Flow Meters
Magnetic flow meter technology is an optimal tool for wastewater processing, which can apply across power generating facilities that require water for cooling, steam, or other applications. In recent years the
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Water
How Low-Temperature Evaporation Treats FGD Wastewater
Veolia Water Technologies’ low-temperature CoLD crystallizer technology can help coal power plants clean and recover water for reuse from the wastewater produced in wet scrubber systems. The innovative
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Coal
Understanding Fan Problems and Optimizing Rotor Dynamics
Industrial fans are required for many power plants to operate, such as primary and secondary air fans, and induced draft fans. Understanding rotor dynamics is essential for reliable long-term fan operation. If
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Nuclear
Unique Fire Protection System Safeguards Nuclear Plant
When maintenance is required on permanently installed fire protection equipment, it can jeopardize safety. One nuclear power station added additional fire pumps to ensure plant needs could be met under any
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News
A Protocol for Making Renewable Energy Sizing and Selection Decisions
Much has been written about renewable energy, but few stories have focused on the complexity of determining the optimal mix of solar and wind generation, and the kind and amount of energy storage, that
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Electric Vehicles
Electric Vehicle Fleets and Load Demand: Are You Ready for the Surge?
Electric vehicle adoption is expected to continue growing, especially in delivery and service company fleets. That means load demand could surge, particularly around charging depots, and utilities must plan
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Gas
Benefits of Battery Storage-Based Black-Start Capability
Maintaining grid reliability and stability is increasingly challenging as renewable energy resources are added to the power mix. Combining battery storage systems with gas turbine units can improve overall
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News
Equipment Showcase: Environmental Health and Safety
The safety of workers and equipment is an important consideration for power generation facilities, just as it is for other worksites. Power plants feature multiple pieces of complex machinery that can present
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Plant Design
Rethinking Redundancy Design Guidelines in the Power Industry
The power industry is undergoing massive transformational change with the emergence of renewables, battery storage, smart grids, Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, and more. Perhaps the timing is right to
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News
Factory Increases Reliability, Cuts Costs with Distributed Generation and Microgrid Control System
Six times during the previous year the local utility supplying power to a large soap manufacturing plant in the Midwest suffered power outages, shutting down the plant’s production lines. Each time the lines
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News
HVTS Stops Alloy 625 Weld Overlay Corrosion in Waste-to-Energy Boiler
A boiler at the Renergia waste incineration plant in Perlen, Switzerland, was experiencing fireside corrosion. The shop-applied Alloy 625 weld overlay was showing signs of premature accelerated degradation
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O&M
Winsted Announces New Protective Operator Partition
New partition brings added safety to control rooms during COVID-19 Pandemic Minneapolis, Minn., April 30, 2020 – Winsted Control Room Solutions has unveiled new protective operator partitions. The new partitions were developed to bring a higher degree of safety to control room operators who are working through the COVID-19 pandemic. “Social distancing of six feet […]
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News
Ørsted Offshore Wind Farms Delayed by Pandemic
Ørsted, the Denmark-based energy company and the world’s top offshore wind developer, said at least five of its projects off the U.S. East Coast could be delayed due to impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. The company in an announcement April 29 said the projects, with total generation capacity of about 3 GW, could fall victim […]
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Plant Design
Regulator Conducts Skype Inspection for Nuclear Power Project
Finland’s Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), which regulates the nation’s nuclear power industry, completed a scheduled inspection of RAOS Project via Skype due to quarantine and travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. RAOS Project is a subsidiary of Rusatom Energo International, a division of Russia’s state atomic energy corporation Rosatom. RAOS Project is […]
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Nuclear
Industry Seeks Clarity on White House Nuclear Strategy
Propelled in part by the White House Nuclear Fuel Working Group’s (NFWG’s) recent roadmap to strengthen the U.S. nuclear fuel cycle, the nation’s nuclear industry this week blazed ahead on efforts to energize a U.S. commercial fuel supply that it says will be crucial for the widespread development and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors. At […]
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Supply Chains
What’s the Cheapest New-Build Power Technology?
Onshore wind and photovoltaic (PV) solar power are the cheapest forms of new-build power generation for at least two-thirds of the world’s population, according to analysis published by research company BloombergNEF (BNEF). Meanwhile, battery storage has become the lowest-cost new-build technology for peaking purposes in gas-importing regions, such as Europe, China, and Japan. BNEF reported […]
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News
GE Reports $1 Billion Hit to Cash Flow
General Electric (GE) on April 29 reported a steep drop in first-quarter revenue, with the industrial giant—like many companies—taking a major hit from the coronavirus pandemic. The company reported a year-over-year revenue decline of 8%, with posted revenue of $20.524 billion, and noted a $1 billion negative impact to cash flow during the quarter. The […]
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Biomass
Valmet to convert a lignite-fired boiler plant into biomass combustion at Zespół Elektrowni Pątnów-Adamów-Konin SA in Poland
Valmet has received an order from Zespół Elektrowni Pątnów-Adamów-Konin SA (ZE PAK) to convert a lignite-fired boiler into a biomass-fired boiler at its power plant in Konin, Poland. The order is included in Valmet’s orders received of the second quarter 2020. The value of the order is approximately EUR 20 million. The converted boiler plant […]
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News
Construction of Power Facilities Is ‘Essential’ in California
Ahead of most of the U.S., California state and local officials in the first weeks of March adopted some of the earliest and strongest steps to restrict movement and close non-essential businesses in order to fight the spread of the COVID-19 disease. One of the key challenges in implementing these “shelter-in-place” orders was how to […]
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News
Renewable Energy Workers Deemed ‘Essential’ in California
Workers who install solar power and energy storage systems, along with those working in other sectors of renewable energy, are considered “essential” to maintain “critical infrastructure” in California, according to a clarification from the California Energy Commission (CEC). The state’s Public Health Officer had earlier designated a variety of personnel, mainly health care staff, as […]
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Coal
Charah Solutions Awarded Large-Scale Pond Closure Contract by Southeastern Utility for Beneficial Use
Over 2 Million Tons of Ash from Retired Coal-Fired Power Plant Will Be Beneficially Used in Concrete Industry LOUISVILLE, KY (April 28, 2020) – Charah® Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: CHRA) (the “Company”), a leading provider of environmental and maintenance services to the power generation industry, today announced that it recently was awarded a Closure by Removal […]
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News
GE, Siemens, Utilities Take Hits From Coronavirus
U.S. power plant operators continue to change procedures at their facilities, including pushing back scheduled maintenance, due to lockdowns and quarantines associated with the coronavirus pandemic. The changes are impacting companies such as General Electric (GE) and Siemens, which are major service providers to power plants, at a time when these global companies already are […]
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News
Indian Point Unit 2 Will Shut Down April 30
One of the two remaining operating reactors at the Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, New York, will close for good on April 30, shutting down early as part of an agreement between Entergy, the plant’s operator, the state of New York, and environmental groups who had pressured officials to close the plant. The 1,020-MW […]
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Business
MHPS Will Rebrand as ‘Mitsubishi Power’
Flagship power plant and equipment firm Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) plans to change its name to “Mitsubishi Power” once it receives approval from antitrust authorities in several countries. The rebrand announced by the Yokohama, Japan–headquartered MHPS on April 24 will reflect a change in ownership announced in December, when Japanese technology conglomerate Hitachi said […]