News

Last week brought news about new nuclear power projects from Turkey, Jordan, and Mexico.

The UK’s Liberal Democrats—a party long-opposed to nuclear power—last week said it would abstain from voting against construction of new nuclear power plants in that country, as long as they are privately funded.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the State of California on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to coordinate procedures and schedules for review of hydrokinetic energy projects off the California coast.

UK-based National Grid on Friday agreed to buy power from the $1 billion Nantucket Sound Cape Wind project, a 468-MW offshore wind farm expected to be operational in 2012 that had garnered approval from the U.S. Interior Department just nine days earlier.

Dominion Virginia Power on Friday said it had selected Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ (MHI’s) U.S-specific version of the Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor (US-APWR) for its proposed unit at North Anna Power Station in central Virginia. The selection was the result of a competitive process launched by the utility last year.

Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission (PSC) on Tuesday said it had authorized Wisconsin Power and Light Co. (WPL) to spend $150 million to install additional emissions reduction technology at Edgewater Generating Station Unit 5.

The U.S. Energy Department on Friday announced it would grant $62 million to 13 concentrating solar power (CSP) projects. The funds are expected to support improvements in CSP systems, components, and thermal energy storage and accelerate the market-readiness of the renewable energy technology.

An evaluation of Powerspan Corp.’s ECO₂ post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture technology by global engineering firm WorleyParsons Group at FirstEnergy Generation Corp.’s R.E. Burger Plant near Shadyside, Ohio, concludes that the 1-MW pilot test facility is well-designed and instrumented. The results can be reliably used to design, build, and predict performance of a larger, commercial size plant, the group reportedly said.

Researchers at Spain’s Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, and Spanish firms Labein Tecnalia and Nexans, and Endesa, have constructed a 30-meter superconducting electric cable that they say could reduce energy loss by 50% and even 70% in some parts of the distribution network.

Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) today rolled out a draft of the American Power Act, long-awaited climate and energy legislation developed with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). The 1,000-page-plus bill covers a variety of issues, from a mandatory cap on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to expanded nuclear power and boosts for carbon capture and sequestration.

Barely three months after Nuclear Innovation North America (NINA) and CPS Energy negotiated a $1 billion settlement that reduced the San Antonio municipal utility’s share in the proposed nuclear expansion of the South Texas Project (STP), Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said on Monday it would take a 9.24% stake in the Bay City project.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed two landmarks rules this past week: On Friday, it released regulations that seek to govern mercury emissions from some 200,000 industrial boiler process heaters and solid waste incinerators, and on Tuesday, it issued a long-awaited proposal to regulate coal ash—though it deferred a decision on whether to treat it as hazardous waste.

Rules adopted by the California Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday will force 19 coastal power plants—including two nuclear plants—in that state to phase out “once-through cooling” practices to reduce their impact on marine life. The new rules—the first in the U.S. to restrict ocean water use for existing power plants—could have widespread implications, including massive costs and forced shutdowns.

Mississippi Power Co.’s plans to build a 582-MW integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant proposed in Kemper County could be scrapped after regulators last week ordered a cost recovery cap of $2.4 billion—some $800 million less than what the utility had originally sought.

A Superior Court judge in Georgia on Friday ruled that the state public service commission acted illegally when it certified Georgia Power’s two proposed Plant Vogtle reactors by failing to properly document justification for the reactors.

Progress Energy will postpone major construction activities at its proposed Levy County nuclear plant in Florida until after the project’s federal licensing is complete. The company last week said in a statement announcing its 2011 filing of nuclear cost-recovery estimates that the delay would allow for “greater clarity on federal and state energy policies.

San Diego–based Sempra Energy last week agreed to pay $410 million to settle a series of lawsuits and claims arising from the 2000–2001 California energy crises. The payments will go toward some $3.2 billion in settlements already negotiated by California’s attorney general and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) with various energy companies that allegedly profited from artificially inflated power prices during the crisis.

Lenox Instrument Co. announced its new FireSight Thermal Imaging Camera System designed specifically to provide clear, real-time monitoring and accurate, noncontact temperature measurement through combustion flames. Temperature data are transmitted from 110,000 individual temperature points via a high-speed digital connection. Designed to be installed through a small opening in the combustion chamber wall, the high-resolution […]

Henkel Corp. has introduced two new Loctite threadlockers formulated to withstand consistent operating temperatures up to 360F. Curing consistently and thoroughly without cleaning, these new products tolerate the oils and lubricants typically found on "as received" threaded fasteners. These products will also cure on plated, aluminum, stainless, and chromated fasteners without primers. Loctite 243 and […]

The Brattle Group released a provocative study paper in March in which the authors postulate that using more natural gas for generating electricity could reduce our dependence on coal-fired generation and reduce carbon emissions. Also discussed is an unexpected side effect: Renewables could push natural gas plants down in the dispatch mix in the future. […]

The Brattle Group released a provocative study paper in March in which the authors postulate that using more natural gas for generating electricity could reduce our dependence on coal-fired generation and reduce carbon emissions. Also discussed is an unexpected side effect: Renewables could push natural gas plants down in the dispatch mix in the future. Just because natural gas reserves are at a record high and the price is at historic lows doesn’t mean that gas demand will increase.

E Instruments has just released its TH300 humidity and temperature sensor, which is ideal for applications that require a single, high-accuracy instrument. The sensor measures relative and absolute humidity, dew point, wet and dry temperatures, and enthalpy. The range of measurement is from 0% to 100% relative humidity and – 40F to 356F. Accuracy is […]

Extech Instruments introduced the EX845, a 1,000A AC/DC CAT IV clamp meter with new METERLiNK technology and a built-in infrared thermometer. METERLiNK wirelessly connects FLIR infrared cameras to Extech meters via Bluetooth to simplify inspections. During infrared inspections of electrical components, users can transmit key electrical readings such as current or voltage from an Extech […]

Flowserve Corp. has added 24- to 48-volt DC-input power for all sizes of Flowserve Limitorque QX electronic valve actuators. The QX offers reliability for remote applications that require an uninterrupted power supply but cannot use single- or three-phase AC volts. The electronic controls in the Limitorque QX actuators with DC volt capability are 100% digital […]

The Fluid Components International ST51 flow meter is designed to measure the flow of biogases, methane, and other greenhouse gas mixtures. The flow meter comes in an explosion-proof instrument and features a no-moving-parts design that’s nonclogging and operates over a wide flow range with low-flow sensitivity. A big plus is that the meter calibration is […]

The long-awaited Kerry-Graham-Lieberman bill saw more delays this week as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) abandoned efforts to work with Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) on the legislation, citing frustration with reports that indicated congressional leadership and the administration were prioritizing immigration over climate and energy legislation.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week sent its final so-called “Tailoring Rule” to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The move signals that the rule, which could require power plants and other entities to obtain operating permits to emit greenhouse gases, is close to finalization.

Utah is the latest state to announce that it will not participate in the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) when the regional cap-and-trade program begins in January 2012. Republican governor Gary Herbert’s office told reporters that the state would not entirely quit the initiative, even though the governor disagreed with some principles favored by it.

The Australian government has reportedly shelved controversial plans for a national carbon trading program until at least 2013, citing political and public opposition to the proposal. The world’s biggest coal exporter was proposing to reduce greenhouse gases by 5% to 15% of 2000 levels via a carbon trading system similar to Europe’s within the next decade.

Last week brought news of several more proposed coal-fired plant closures from Canada, Georgia, Colorado, and Washington State.