News

Congress snubbed the biomass power industry in 2004 when open-loop biomass power plants were given only half the production tax credits (PTCs) received by other renewable sources, such as wind, solar, and geothermal. It further dissed open-loop biomass plants by authorizing the credit for only five years (it expired December 31, 2009) rather than the 10 years given to other renewables. Why is the biomass power industry not getting the policy respect and equity with other renewable technologies that it deserves?

Acknowledging that ANSI centrifugal pumps often need to be installed in areas where space is at a premium, Griswold Pump Co. has developed the 811CC (Close Coupled) ANSI centrifugal pump. This pump offers the features and flexibility of standard Griswold 811 ANSI pumps but with a smaller electrical motor encased in a compact package. Despite […]

CHLOR*RID International launched the Chlor*Ion Meter, a handheld digital testing device that electronically measures chloride on surfaces with an internal ion-specific electrode. Most surface chloride testing devices offer an external electrode on a cord, but these could be damaged in the field, CHLOR*RID says. Because it digitally measures chloride on surfaces, the Chlor*Ion Meter’s ion […]

Bernard’s new customizable W-series water-cooled MIG guns and water-cooled Centerfire consumables are designed to meet the wide-ranging needs of high-amperage, water-cooled metal inert gas (MIG) applications. The W-Guns (shown here) are durable and may be customized. Users can choose neck styles, cable lengths, handle styles, consumables, and direct plugs. The W-Guns are rated to 600 […]

Building and engineering software designer Autodesk Inc. announced the availability of AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010, a product that it says brings the benefits of model-based design to mainstream plant design projects. The vast majority of plant design and engineering projects support the operation, maintenance, and expansion of existing facilities. These projects are typically executed by […]

LUDECA’s new CENTRALIGN ULTRA was specifically developed for the alignment of steam and gas turbines. The system precisely aligns internal elements with upper halves for distances up to 133 feet. Accurate bore measurements can be acquired and wirelessly transmitted without interrupting other processes, saving time over traditional methods like piano wires, micrometers, and optical instruments. […]

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products launched the TAF 801/1251 square wave AC power sources for submerged arc welding. The power sources, designed to be used with the fully digital PEK controller, convert the secondary voltage from a sinus wave — via a thyristor-controlled rectifier bridge — to a square wave arc voltage with excellent arc […]

The first six of a dozen high-capacity turbines were commissioned in mid-December at the 60-MW Alpha Ventus project in the North Sea, Germany’s first offshore wind park. All 12 turbines of the €250 million project are already standing, put up in just seven months by a consortium of EWE, E.ON, and Vattenfall — formally known as Deutsche Offshore Testfeld und Infrastruktur (DOTI).

More than 60 floating power stations are in operation around the world, deploying some 4 GW at continental shores where electricity is most needed. Though these feature a variety of power sources (including nuclear, gas, and heavy fuels), most are power barges — they do not have their own propulsion systems and would have to be towed to desired locations.

High-voltage direct current transmission (HVDC) has come a long way since 1882 when the first of its type carried power from Miesbach in Bavaria to an electricity exhibition in Munich, 57 kilometers (km) away, at a mere 1,400 V. Last December, just before the world ushered in the new decade, Siemens Energy and grid operator China Southern Power Grid put into operation the first pole of a transmission link between the southern Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Guangdong, a 1,418-km ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) system. That line has a transmission capacity of 5 GW, and it operates at a voltage of 800 kilovolts (kV) — a world record.

News items of interest to power generation professionals.

The Supreme Court last week refused to review a February 2009 ruling by a federal court that blocked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from asserting its power to override transmission decisions made by states.

A technical study released by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) last week shows that shifting 20% or more of the Eastern Interconnection’s electrical load to wind energy by 2024 is technically feasible, but it would require significant expansion of the transmission system and system operational changes.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last week said it would take a fresh look at regulatory policies to integrate variable renewable energy resources such as wind, solar, or non-storage hydro generating plants into the nation’s power grid while maintaining power system reliability.

Westar Energy has agreed to spend approximately $500 million to significantly reduce air pollution from a Kansas power plant and pay a $3 million civil penalty under a Clean Air Act settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Justice Department. The company has also agreed to spend $6 million on environmental mitigation projects.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday set the new one-hour standard for nitrogen dioxide (NO2)—formed from vehicle and power plant and other industrial emissions—at a level of 100 parts per billion (ppb). The agency said it would also retain the existing annual standard of 53 ppb.

CPS Energy has reportedly dropped Toshiba from a $32 billion lawsuit stemming from now-defunct plans for the expansion of the South Texas Project (STP) nuclear plant in Matagorda County, Texas. The move was allegedly made to keep the case from being shifted to federal court.

A Texas district judge has reversed an order from the state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to award billions of dollars in transmission projects relating to Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ), ruling that the regulatory agency should suspend the process until the PUC adequately weighs the costs and benefits to electric customers.

French oil company Total last week inaugurated what it is calling Europe’s first end-to-end carbon capture, transportation, and storage demonstration facility in Lacq, southwestern France. The €60 million project uses oxycombustion carbon capture technology developed by Air Liquide.

Europe added a total of eight new wind farms consisting of 199 offshore wind turbines—and a combined nameplate capacity of 577 MW—to the grid last year, according to a newly released report from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

A decision by the Florida Public Service Commission to reject a request by Florida Power & Light (FPL) to raise rates by $1.3 billion last week has prompted the company to suspend activities on several major projects in the state’s energy infrastructure—including a new nuclear plant. The company said the state’s denial of its request was “further evidence of a deteriorating regulatory and business environment.”

A letter posted on the California Energy Commission’s web site last week reveals that the state had urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to slow down implementation of rules governing greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources because it would create a “huge administrative burden.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday proposed to lower ground-level ozone standards from those set in March 2008. The tighter so-called “smog” regulations would require power plants to cut their emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other volatile organic compounds.

The UK government’s Crown Estate on Friday parceled out rights to develop 32-GW worth of offshore wind energy in nine coastal zones. The announcement was part of the government’s ambitious plans to develop a £75 billion offshore wind industry by 2020.

Georgia Power will delay the conversion of its coal-fired 155-MW Plant Mitchell in Albany, Ga., to run on wood waste until the Environmental Protection Agency better defines rules governing industrial boiler emissions in April 2010.

NV Energy has dropped plans to build a transmission line through Nevada, announcing on Monday that it had instead signed an agreement with an LS Power affiliate, Great Basin Transmission, to jointly own a 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line running 250 miles from north of Las Vegas to near Ely, Nev.

Three Chinese engineers hired by Shandong Electric Power Construction Corp. have been arrested in connection with the collapse last year of a 330-foot chimney under construction at a 1,200-MW coal-fired power plant in India’s eastern state of Chhattisgarh, killing 41.

Last week, Ameren Corp. and Dominion Virginia Power separately issued statements claiming the utilities had spent billions on improvements to existing power plants.

San Antonio’s CPS Energy said on Monday it had received the contractually mandated cost estimate for the proposed South Texas Project Units 3 and 4 from contractor Toshiba—but it stressed it would make no decisions on the project until “rigorous analysis” of price and methodology was completed.

The National Park Service ruled Monday that Nantucket Sound—the Massachusetts site proposed for Cape Wind, the nation’s first offshore wind farm—is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The decision deals a new hurdle for the long-disputed proposal because it requires consideration of archaeological, historic, and cultural values in the review of the project by the Minerals Management Service (MMS).