News

Power companies must respond to outages caused by extreme weather events. Having accurate predictions concerning the severity of impending storms can ensure companies are prepared with the right resources on

California’s summertime energy challenges are well-documented. While energy shortfalls appear less likely in 2023, thanks to the series of atmospheric rivers that drenched the Golden State this winter, we

Earlier this year the Biden administration hosted its inaugural Floating Offshore Wind Shot Summit, showcasing the efforts of federal departments to work with state, tribal, industry, and other interests to

Power grids around the world require upgrades to accommodate growth and incorporate new clean energy resources. Transformers are a necessary component in the modernization. Estimates suggest hundreds of

Many utilities are recognizing that battery energy storage is a critical part of the transition to cleaner forms of power generation. This is especially true in Europe, where many countries have adopted

While using low-carbon hydrogen is not a viable economic option in most markets today, the wheels are set in motion for hydrogen to support the decarbonization of the world’s energy supply. It is a journey

The U.S. Air Force’s first nuclear microreactor planned for Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska under a federal nuclear microreactor pilot program will be an Oklo liquid metal-cooled fast reactor. The Defense of Logistics Agency (DLA), acting on behalf of the Department of Air Force (DAF), on Aug. 31 issued a Notice of Intent to Award […]

Kenya’s government is pinning a nationwide blackout on Aug. 25 to the loss of 270 MW from the 310-MW Lake Turkana Wind Power Plant (LTWP), though the wind generator has denied it was the cause. The blackout, which lasted more than 20 hours, began at about 9:45 p.m. on Friday, plunging the East African country’s […]

A number of companies with ties to the power industry revealed new projects and other interesting developments this week. The following are some the more noteworthy announcements that POWER has been monitoring. BWXT to Manufacture HALEU Feedstock for Advanced Reactors BWX Technologies Inc. announced on Aug. 30 that it had entered into a contract to […]

While power outages are not uncommon in the U.S., widespread blackouts that last more than a couple of hours are pretty rare. However, this summer marks the 20th anniversary of one of the most significant blackouts in North American history. The incident didn’t just affect the U.S., but also major parts of Canada. The blackout […]

Energy transition is progressively being adopted globally, pushing combined cycle gas turbines (CCGTs) to embrace flexible operation also on islands. CCGTs are, or will be, ramping loads up and down to accommodate intermittent renewable power inputs into the grid. These maneuvers compromise operational stability and jeopardize plant availability. Plant trips on small to mid-size islands […]

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law just more than a one year ago, improves the economics for battery energy storage projects in the U.S. Standalone storage projects are now eligible for a 30% investment tax credit (ITC), a figure that could reach 70% with additional incentives around the use of domestic equipment, and […]

Centrus, a firm poised to demonstrate high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) production, will partner with microreactor technology developer Oklo on several pioneering steps to build out the HALEU front-end supply chain, including pivotal commercial deconversion capabilities. The landmark collaboration could also make Centrus one of Oklo’s first commercial power off-takers for two reactors planned in Southern […]

A California judge rejected a lawsuit from an environmental group seeking to keep Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) from extending the operating life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. The judge on August 24 said a move by California lawmakers last year to extend the plant’s lifespan as part of the state’s regulatory oversight […]

Westinghouse Electric Company signed a long-term agreement with Slovenské elektrárne to license and supply VVER-440 fuel assemblies to its nuclear power plants in Slovakia. Westinghouse said the agreement “supports Slovakia’s energy security and diversification of nuclear fuel.” Slovakia has five operating nuclear reactors (Bohunice 3 and 4, and Mochovce 1, 2, and 3) and one […]

The North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) will for the first time consider “energy policy” among five significant evolving and interdependent risks to grid reliability. In its latest biennial ERO Reliability Risk Priorities Report, the designated North American Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) identifies energy policy as a new risk priority alongside grid transformation, resilience to extreme […]

Canada’s federal government has committed C$74 million ($55 million) to support SaskPower’s potential deployment of a 300-MW small modular reactor (SMR) in the mid-2030s. Federal agency Natural Resources Canada on Aug. 19 confirmed that up to C$50 million is designated for SaskPower from the agency’s C$250 million Electricity Predevelopment Program. Another C$24 million will be […]

In 2021, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Director John Wagner set a lofty goal for the lab to achieve net-zero carbon emissions within 10 years. An uninformed observer might think that would be an easy task for an organization as focused on energy as INL, but it’s important to recognize that the lab is spread over […]

The writer Lewis Carroll famously said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” Well, the road the utility industry is currently on is perhaps the bumpiest and most circuitous one it has ever seen, and knowing where it is going, or needs to go, is paramount. Utilities find […]

In February 2021, more than 4 million people lost power for days on end throughout Texas. The now-infamous outage resulted from extreme winter weather the state’s power grid wasn’t prepared to handle. This incident is spurring power companies nationwide to get proactive about preparing for increasingly severe winters. What steps are they taking to safeguard […]

Coal, oil, and natural gas have a long history as the world’s primary energy sources. Many communities have sprung up around mines and drilling sites, and generations of people have relied on hardworking laborers to brave the cold, darkness, or rough seas to keep the lights on at home. As the world transitions to renewable […]

Two companies supporting different technologies in the energy sector have formed a joint venture to develop an industrial park in Virginia that could feature data centers powered by hydrogen gas generators and small modular reactors (SMRs). Green Energy Partners (GEP), a Pennsylvania-based group better known for its development of solar power, and IP3 International—a nuclear […]

Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) said the company’s new 1.2-GW Three Rivers Energy Center in Illinois has entered commercial operation. The natural gas-fired facility, built in collaboration with GE Vernova’s Gas Power business, features two generating blocks, each with a GE 7HA.02 gas turbine, an STF-A650 steam turbine, a W84 generator, and GE’s integrated Mark* Vle […]

As the global push toward sustainable energy gains momentum, solar power stands at the forefront of this transformative movement. There are many sustainable solutions presented by solar energy, the comparative economics against traditional grid power, and the bright future that lies ahead. In just 10 years, renewable energy’s share of U.S. electricity generation has doubled—from […]

American Electric Power (AEP), one of the nation’s largest power producers, has completed the sale of its 1,365-MW unregulated contracted renewables portfolio to an Invenergy-led consortium. IRG Acquisition Holdings (IRGAH)—a partnership between Invenergy, CDPQ, and funds managed by Blackstone Infrastructure Partners—confirmed the close of the transaction on Aug. 16 for a $1.5 billion enterprise value. […]

California has long been a leader in the U.S. solar industry, largely due to lucrative financial incentives encouraging adoption. Recently, the California Public Utilities Commission announced it will not be holding another hearing on net energy metering (NEM), confirming that recent changes made to the rules are permanent. In this question and answer article, Amir […]

INNIO impresses the jury of the world-renowned design competition Red Dot Award with its new branding and earns Red Dot Award in three categories: Corporate Design & Identity, Website and Film & Animation Prestigious title is awarded for the company’s innovative visualization of its forward-thinking and energy-centered approach to providing solutions that enable the green […]

New global renewable energy deployments are set to increase by more than 440 GW by the end of 2023, the largest increase to date. To put that into perspective, a power plant with a capacity of 1 GW could power approximately 876,000 households. So, this increase is expected to provide the renewable energy equivalent of a plant […]

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies have long been seen as a tool to tackle climate chaos, but the potential was largely theoretical. Two projects at Sleipner and Snohvit off the coast of Norway have been capturing and safely storing millions of tons of CO2 for 27 years and 15 years, respectively, but overall deployment has […]

In a recent guest essay entitled “A Star Is Born, as Plant Vogtle Nuclear Expansion Enters Service,” Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols wrote glowingly about Plant Vogtle, the first new reactor to come online in the U.S. in 30 years. He even praised Southern Company for keeping the project going during COVID. But what […]