News

South Africa’s government on Thursday announced it would no longer invest in the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) project, despite providing nearly 80% of the R9.2 billion ($1.3 billion) that has been poured into development of the Generation-IV helium-cooled high temperature reactor design. The decision was reached with the “fiscal constraints in these hard economic times” in mind, the government said.

The week brought important news from Washington on energy- and climate change–related legislation. Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) introduced a bill to create a federal renewable electricity standard, the White House said it had received permitting guidance on greenhouse gases from the Environmental Protection Agency, and Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) reportedly canceled a key vote on a bill that sought to curb power plant emissions.

A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Energy Initiative (MITEI) concludes that uranium supplies will not limit growth of the nuclear industry, contrary to a view that has prevailed for decades.

Costs passed onto consumers associated with the construction of Duke Energy Indiana’s Edwardsport coal gasification plant near Vincennes, Ind., will be capped at $2.975 billion, according to a settlement agreement reached last week between the utility, the Indiana Office of the Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC), and Nucor Steel Indiana.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) last week unanimously approved construction and operation of Solar Millennium’s 1,000-MW Blythe Solar Power Project. If built, the project, consisting of four parabolic trough units, could be the world’s largest concentrating solar power (CSP) facility and among the first commercial solar thermal plants permitted on federal land.

Xcel Energy shut down its 538-MW Black Dog Power Plant in Burnsville, Minn., on Tuesday after an explosion rocked the coal- and gas–fired plant, causing visible damage to the exterior of the building. No personnel were harmed, but three firefighters responding to a smoldering fire in a coal hopper received minor injuries, police said.

Disputes concerning dominance of the world’s renewable energy sector heated up in the past week: The U.S.-based United Steelworkers (USW) filed a trade case alleging that “illegal” Chinese policies and practices threatened America’s industries, while Japan complained to the World Trade Organization (WTO) that Ontario’s feed-in-tariff (FIT) program violated rules and is protectionist.

Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) last week said it would delay plans to obtain air permits necessary to begin construction of its proposed coal-fired Cypress Creek Power Station in southeastern Virginia, citing a slump in demand growth caused by the slackened economy.

As lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill this week, a bipartisan group of 26 governors on Monday urged Congress to pass a federal renewable energy standard (RES), saying that it could spur rapid growth of the nation’s renewable electricity sources.

Indiana and 11 other states filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court last week, asking it to overturn a September 2009 decision by 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that allows greenhouse gas emitters to be sued for contributing to a public nuisance—climate change and global warming.

The U.S. Department of Energy last week committed millions of dollars to accelerate the technical and commercial readiness of renewable and energy storage technologies. Commitments include the largest single federal award to date for emerging U.S. marine and hydrokinetic technologies.

The DOE on Tuesday announced it would grant $575 million in Recovery Act funds to 22 projects in 15 states to accelerate carbon capture and storage (CCS) research and development. The projects are expected to complement industrial demonstration projects already being funded by the Recovery Act, but most have power plant applications.

Nevada Geothermal’s 49.5-MW Blue Mountain “Faulkner 1” geothermal project in northwestern Nevada has been awarded a $98.5 million partial loan guarantee by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

A report issued by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) last week to the state’s General Assembly lambastes the proposed $3.5 billion Taylorville Energy Center (TEC) as too costly “with uncertain future benefits.” The commission also questioned the 716-MW integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) facility’s construction timeline, concluding that uncertainties could “potentially add to already-significant costs.”

Under a deal made this weekend between energy companies and the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, the life of Germany’s 17 nuclear power plants, located in five of the country’s 16 federal states, will be extended by up to 15 years. The decision has spurred opposition from the country’s local utilities and renewable industry.

The California Legislature failed last week to pass S.B. 722, a bill that would have required all utilities to obtain at least 33% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The bill passed the Assembly, but the State Senate ran out of time before the legislative session ended on Aug. 31.

Electricity generation around the world was 20,181 TWh in 2008 and has soared nearly 230% since 1973, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) newly released Key World Energy Statistics. The 2010 edition of the booklet that addresses global energy facts and figures also shows that although the world’s coal/peat shares for power generation increased just 3% during that timeframe, nuclear and gas generation jumped about 10%, while oil generation plunged almost 20%.

Germany’s largest electricity producer, RWE Power, last week said efforts to test a new technology for separating carbon dioxide from flue gas in a pilot plant at its Niederaussem power station had resulted in a “breakthrough.” The technology, which captures carbon dioxide by means of unnamed chemical solvents, could reduce energy input by 20%, RWE and project partners BASF and the Linde Group claim.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) last week released a report that deemed the mixed oxide (MOX) fuel facility at the Savannah River site near Aiken, S.C., safe. The 568-page document essentially allows licensing to proceed for the plant to make nuclear reactor fuel from plutonium waste.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday upheld the Energy Facilities Siting Board’s authority to overrule community opposition and allow permits for the controversial Cape Wind offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound. The case is being viewed as the last major legal hurdle facing the 130-turbine project.

Weeks after the city of Mattoon, Ill., withdrew from it, the FutureGen Alliance on Tuesday said it would support the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) plans for the revamped FutureGen project—but only if the alliance and the agency could reach agreement on terms and conditions by this fall.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) unanimously approved construction of the 250-MW Beacon Solar Energy Project last week. The project, proposed for construction in Kern County by a NextEra Energy subsidiary, is the first solar thermal plant permitted by the state in 20 years.

India’s parliament on Monday approved a long-delayed civil nuclear agreement, crucial legislation that could allow U.S. firms to proceed with deals to build nuclear power plants in that country. Firms had been reluctant to build nuclear facilities without a law that would limit their liability in the event of an accident.

Cap and trade officially died on July 22 when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced at a news conference that the Democratic Caucus was unable to reach a consensus on any form of energy bill, even a recent short-lived version that proposed reducing carbon emissions from only the utility sector. I predict that carbon cap and trade is now dead for at least a decade, maybe longer.

Hamworthy Peabody Combustion introduced the ECOjet ultra-low-NOx burner. Offering ultra-low burner nitrogen oxide capacities (<30 parts per million) with little or no flue gas recirculation, the burner can be used with a full range of gaseous fuels and with package, industrial, and utility boilers, including single and multi-burner wall-fired, turbo, and other boiler types. Ignition […]

Poly Performance’s newly launched Quick Release Fire Extinguisher Mount offers an innovative way to safely mount a fire extinguisher to any flat or round surface. The mount can be secured with either bolts or hose clamps. Configurable for any size fire extinguisher, the mount offers split-second removal to maximize emergency preparedness. Poly Performance manufactures the […]

Industrial health and safety equipment manufacturer Sensidyne released the SensAlarm Plus, an all-in-one gas detection system for monitoring oxygen, toxic, and combustible gases. The system functions as a single transmitter that offers “Test-on-Demand” and “Predictive Sensor Failure” features, in addition to accepting oxygen, electrochemical, catalytic bead, or infrared sensors. The system provides a large LED […]

Federal public utility Tennessee Valley Authority on Tuesday said it would idle nine coal-fired power units totaling nearly 1 GW at three power plants starting in 2011. Utility officials said the plans were part of a strategy to replace older and less-efficient coal-fired units with “low-carbon” and “carbon-free” generation.

A bill signed on Thursday by New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie seeks to meet targets established in the state’s Energy Master Plan for the development of 3,000 MW of offshore wind by 2020.

Florida Power & Light this weekend demolished the most visible structures at its 42-acre Cape Canaveral Power Plant. A video shows the implosion of the 45-year-old plant’s red-and-white stacks. The company said it is preparing to build the Cape Canaveral Next Generation Clean Energy Center—a natural gas plant—which will open in 2013.