News

  • Poland Pushing Back Against EU Goal to End Coal-Fired Generation

    Polish officials have said it is “not possible” for the country to meet the European Union’s (EU’s) goal of cutting net carbon emissions to zero by 2050, and as such the government will continue to

  • Public vs. Private: The Debate Continues

    In the September issue of POWER , I wrote about a public utility (JEA) that is exploring privatization, and in October, I looked at a city (Boulder, Colorado) that is exploring municipalization. While I think

  • Extended Power Uprate Is a Winning Strategy for Nuclear Plant

    The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant completed an extended power uprate (EPU) that increased the total capacity of the facility’s three units by about 465 MW. The addition is an important part of the Tennessee

  • Equipment Showcase: Boilers, Burners, Combustion

    Boiler and burner manufacturers, along with suppliers of combustion control systems, work with the power generation sector along with other industries. They provide equipment for low- and high-pressure steam

  • THE BIG PICTURE: The Diffusion of Nuclear Technology

    A historical analysis of nuclear power technology by researchers from the German Institute for Economic Research suggests that none of the 674 reactors developed globally since 1945 were developed based on “economic grounds”—as private investments in the context of a market-based competitive system.  Until the 1950s, only four major countries dominated nuclear technology by establishing independent […]

  • France Scraps Fast Nuclear Reactor Demonstration

    France’s nuclear research agency, Commissariat à l’énergie atomique (CEA), in September confirmed it abandoned plans to build a prototype Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial

  • Evolutionary Triumph: China’s First ACPR1000

    Completion of the first ACPR1000 reactor at Yangjiang 5 within a mere 58 months marks a major achievement for China’s lengthy efforts to commercialize the first-of-its-kind 1,000-MW evolutionary

  • Is Small Beautiful? Maybe Not When It Comes to Wind Power

    Wind power has become a major electric generating source in the U.S. and elsewhere, based on the reality that this renewable energy technology, beloved of the environmental community that has long embraced the

  • Dependable Renewable Energy for the Power Grid

    Although wind and solar facilities receive most of the renewable power publicity, biomass offers a reliable baseload solution for power generators. State-of-the-art circulating fluidized bed boilers are a

  • The Future of Energy

    The future of energy is electric. It is a future that is evolving rapidly, bringing significant changes. Traditional suppliers are scrambling to stake their claims and remain relevant. Market trends point

  • Operating HRSGs with Elevated Feedwater pH

    Cycle-chemistry guidelines for combined cycle power plants have changed over the years, with pH frequently maintained between 9.6 and 10.0 today. That can cause problems with condensate polisher operation

  • When the Storm Strikes, Will You Be Ready?

    Is your plant’s natural disaster preparedness plan leaving your site vulnerable? This article provides some best practices to help you prepare for the worst. At some point in a plant’s life, there will

  • Innovative Technology Captures Energy from Waste Heat

    Fuel- and emission-free generators convert low-grade waste heat from diesel generators into power. In 2014, three organic Rankine cycle (ORC) generators were installed to turn the waste heat from three diesel

  • Stranded Nuclear Asset Provides Opportunity for Seawater Pumped Storage

    The closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in 2013 left a stranded coastal asset. However, the existing transmission infrastructure, site control, and geographic topology make it an ideal site

  • History of Power Plant Renovation and Modernization in India

    Good infrastructure is an essential component for the economic growth of a country, and power plays a crucial role in infrastructure development. India is home to 18% of the world’s total population, and it uses about 6% of the world’s primary energy. The total power generating capacity from all sources of power in India has […]

  • POWER Digest [November 2019]

    China Begins Operation of Two Innovative UHV Links. China’s state-owned transmission company State Grid on Sept. 26 said it put into operation two ultra-high-voltage (UHV) links: the Zhundong-Wannan 1,100-kV

  • 2019 POWER Top Plant Award Winners

    Coal-fired See our August 2019 issue for stories covering these plants: University of Alaska-Fairbanks combined heat and power plant, Fairbanks, Alaska Tufanbeyli Thermal Power Plant, Tufanbeyli, Adana Province, Turkey Healy Unit 2, Healy, Alaska Four Corners Generating Station, Farmington, New Mexico Rheinhafen Dampfkraftwerk Block 8, Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany Renewables See our September 2019 issue for stories covering […]

  • States to FERC: Promote Market Designs That Recognize State Priorities 

    Attorneys general from 11 states ramped up pressure on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to recognize state policy goals as it makes decisions related to market design, siting of new gas pipelines and storage facilities, and grid reliability.  The measure is the latest in a string of recent pushes by states to ensure federally […]

  • First Floating Offshore Wind Farm to Power Oil and Gas Platforms Kicks Off

    Siemens Gamesa has bagged a lucrative contract to supply 11 8-MW offshore wind turbines to Equinor’s 88-MW Hywind Tampen floating wind farm, a first-of-its-kind project that will power oil and gas platforms 140 kilometers offshore Norway.  Equinor—as Statoil, Norway’s state-owned oil company, is now named—announced a final investment decision to build Hywind Tampen on Oct. […]

  • Russia Completes First-Phase Testing of Nuclear Accident-Tolerant Fuel

    Russia has completed the first phase of nuclear accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) reactor testing at a government research facility. The achievement paves the way for ATF testing at a Russian commercial nuclear plant, which could begin in 2020. TVEL Fuel Co. of Rosatom, a company that provides nuclear fuel to 72 reactors in 14 countries, including […]

  • Malware Discovered at Nuclear Plant in India

    Malware detected at the Kundankulam nuclear power plant in India’s state of Tamil Nadu has not affected plant systems, an investigation by Nuclear Power Corp. of India (NPCIL), the nation’s nuclear plant operator, confirms.  The entity said in a press release on Oct. 30 that it discovered the malware on Sept. 4 on the personal […]

  • Oil and Gas Heavyweights Seek Lifeline in Clean Energy and Tech Sectors

    Oilfield service providers are increasingly moving beyond oil and gas development work, and into renewable energy projects, according to a study conducted by Rystad Energy, an independent research and business intelligence company that provides data, tools, analytics, and consultancy services to the global energy industry. In findings released on Oct. 29, Rystad said that oil […]

  • Ansaldo Nucleare and Candu Energy awarded 9.727 M Euro Condition Assessment contract for Unit 1 of Cernavoda NPP (Romania)

    Ansaldo Energia Group, through Ansaldo Nucleare SpA, in association with Candu Energy Inc., a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group (TSX:SNC), were awarded a 9.727 million Euro contract by Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica S.A. (SNN). The contract is related to engineering services for performing condition assessments of systems, structures and components for the Cernavoda Unit 1 CANDU® […]

  • Amazon Announces Three New Renewable Energy Projects in the U.S. and UK

    SEATTLE– Amazon on Oct. 24 announced three new renewable energy projects in the US and UK that support Amazon’s commitment to The Climate Pledge and reaching 80% renewable energy by 2024 and 100% renewable energy target by 2030 on its path to net zero carbon by 2040. Major investments in renewable energy are a critical […]

  • Using Extreme Visibility to Protect Industrial Control Systems [PODCAST]

    What does it mean to have “extreme visibility” in an operational technology (OT) environment? According to Claroty, a New York-based company that offers cybersecurity products for industrial control systems, it’s having the ability to see all assets on a network, knowing what they are, and understanding what functions they perform. The company says the more […]

  • Framatome opens SPEC 200 manufacturing facility in Lynchburg, Virginia

    Oct. 28, 2019 – Framatome opened the new SPEC 200 manufacturing facility at its Operational Center of Excellence in Lynchburg, Virginia, completing the move of the factory from China to the U.S. The ribbon-cutting took place in September, marking the full integration of the SPEC 200 product line into Framatome’s solutions portfolio. Framatome acquired the […]

  • Top 5 Energy Storage Trends of 2019

    Energy storage has been the hot topic in solar and e-mobility over the last couple years, and it’s only getting hotter. Last year, energy storage installations in the U.S. totaled 311 MW and 777 MWh, up from next to nothing six years prior, and this is just the beginning. Wood Mackenzie and Energy Storage Association […]

  • B&W SPIG Completes Cooling Tower Restoration Project for Customer in Tasmania

    (PARUZZARO, Italy – October 24, 2019) –SPIG S.p.A. (SPIG), a subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc., has completed a cooling tower upgrade project at Bell Bay, Tasmania, a production facility owned by Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company (TEMCO). SPIG fully rehabilitated the plant’s existing cooling tower, providing a complete fiberglass-reinforced plastic cooling tower refurbishment, to […]

  • Restructuring Report: Eskom ‘Fundamentally Insolvent, Permanently Impaired’

    Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned utility that produces nearly 90% of the African powerhouse’s electricity, is saddled with liabilities, unavoidable expenses, and stranded costs that exceed $113 billion, and for various reasons, it is “fundamentally insolvent, permanently impaired, and will never be a true going concern enterprise under its current legal, operational, and governance structure,” concludes […]

  • Report: Nearly 80% of EU Coal Units Operate at a Loss

    A new report from a group that studies the impact of climate change on financial markets recommends that European Union (EU) governments move to phase out coal-fired power generation completely by 2030 in order to avoid even-greater economic damage. Carbon Tracker, a London, UK-based group supported by foundations in Europe and the U.S., on Oct. 24 […]