News

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.

The Department of Energy on Earth Day last week announced it would invest more than $200 million over five years to accelerate the development and commercialization of solar and water power technologies. Investments include initiatives to spur photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing, to develop the PV supply chain, and to accelerate marine and hydrokinetic technologies.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) today gave its approval to the first U.S. offshore wind farm, a long-disputed and much-delayed project on federal submerged lands in Nantucket Sound. The approval comes with conditions, however, including requiring the developer of the $1 billion wind farm to agree to additional binding measures to minimize the potential adverse impact of construction and operation of the facility.

Demand for electricity in the U.S. dropped by 4.2% in 2009—the greatest decline in a single year in at least 60 years, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) found in its annual State of the Markets Report, released last week.

The scale and complexity of Duke Energy’s Edwardsport coal gasification plant under construction in southwest Indiana has added about $530 million to project costs—a 23% increase—company officials told state regulators last week. The integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant slated to begin operation in 2012 is now estimated to cost $2.88 billion. The total project, […]

Last week, as news emerged that the Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman draft bill is expected to be released on April 26—and it could hit Senate floor before July 4—the Institute for Policy Integrity hailed the Cantwell-Collins CLEAR Act. Meanwhile, the EPA received a two-week extension to a legally imposed deadline for proposing boiler standards.

Tenaska on Monday signed an agreement with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to limit water use and capture at least 85% of carbon dioxide produced by a proposed advanced coal plant under development near Sweetwater, Texas, if the environmental group drops legal opposition to the plant.

Despite the recession, reports from U.S. renewable industry groups show that the nation’s solar energy industry enjoyed a 36% increase in revenue and overall 5% increase in installations in 2009, while geothermal projects under development grew more than 26%.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the 15th annual U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory report, which shows a drop in overall emissions of 2.9% from 2007 to 2008. The downward trend is attributed to a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions associated with fuel and electricity consumption.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced on April 15 a series of partnerships and other initiatives to address clean energy and energy security in the Western Hemisphere as part of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA). Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced new projects focused on clean energy cooperation, technical assistance and financing, renewable energy, and electricity infrastructure and earthquake preparedness.

OSRAM SYLVANIA is marking the 25th birthday of the modern compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulb. Born on April 17, 1985 in Hannover, Germany, the CFL arrived a full eight inches tall, consuming 20 watts of energy. The stick-shaped CFL was the first screw-in, energy-saving replacement for a standard incandescent light bulb that featured an integrated electronic ballast.