News
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Offshore Wind
Developer Plans Two Offshore Wind Projects Using 18-MW Turbines
A joint venture (JV) created to develop large-scale offshore wind projects said it plans to use what at present would be the world’s largest wind turbines at two projects located between Spain and Portugal. IberBlue Wind, a JV that includes Ireland’s Simply Blue Group along with Spanish companies Proes Consultores and FF New Energy Ventures, […]
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Gas
Montana Judge Cancels Air Permit for Gas-Fired Power Plant
A judge in Montana has canceled the air quality permit for a natural gas-fired power plant under construction in the state, citing concerns about emissions of greenhouse gases from the facility. State District Judge Michael Moses on April 6 said government officials needed to more adequately consider the plant’s emissions during its lifecycle. The judge […]
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Legal & Regulatory
EPA Moves to Significantly Tighten Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
A proposed rule unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 5 could considerably tighten the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants, with specific repercussions for coal- and oil-fired generation. The proposed rule seeks to significantly update the 2012–finalized National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Coal- and Oil-Fired […]
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Energy Security
Western Energy Imbalance Market Gains Three Participants, Including First Generation-Only Entity
The Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM), a real-time energy market operated by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), has gained three new participants, including its first generation-only entity. CAISO on April 5 announced the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) Desert Southwest region, El Paso Electric (EPE), and AVANGRID have formally begun participation in the WEIM. […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: How a Canadian Small Reactor Will Support Industrial Decarbonization
The nuclear power industry is banking on development of small modular reactor (SMR) technology to support global growth. Canada is at the forefront of the SMR market, with at least four Canadian provinces involved in a joint strategic plan to advance the deployment of SMRs. ARC Clean Technology Canada recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding […]
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Geothermal
EGS, AGS, and Supercritical Geothermal Systems: What’s the Difference?
The spectrum of geothermal technologies is quickly evolving. This supplement to POWER’s April 2023 feature, “Startups Are Shaking Up Geothermal Power’s Potential,” briefly explains the differences between some engineered geothermal systems. Conventional geothermal energy is largely produced by hydrothermal systems, which consist of hot water circulated in deep-seated permeable rocks. Resource temperature ranges from high (greater […]
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Nuclear
India Eyes Major Expansion of Nuclear Power
India’s government is pushing for construction of more nuclear power plants as the country looks to increase its supply of cleaner energy. Officials have made some ambitious pronouncements, calling for as
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Hydrogen
Successful Test of Hydrogen in Gas Turbine Driving a Natural Gas Compressor in Germany
A project led by two major European gas transmission system operators (TSOs) has successfully tested blending rates of up to 25% hydrogen on a Titan 130 SoLoNOx Solar Turbines gas turbine, which serves as a
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Nuclear
The Future Looks Bright for Nuclear Power—Dare We Use the ‘R’ Word Again?
The term “nuclear renaissance” was very popular in the early 2000s. Nuclear power plant operators had substantially improved existing plant performance, and many new plants were being considered around the
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Distributed Energy
Driving on Electric Avenue—Innovation Pushes Energy Transformation
A seismic shift is ongoing in the energy space, as transportation, industry, and other sectors turn toward electricity and away from fossil fuels to supply their power. The push for decarbonization of the
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Geothermal
Startups Are Shaking Up Geothermal Power’s Prospects
Driven by ripe market conditions, technology startups are injecting investment and innovation into geothermal power to unlock novel applications that could substantially scale up the niche renewable power
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Gas
Gas Power Outlook: Gas Turbines Will Play a Vital Role in Decarbonization
Natural gas–fired power generation has seen its ups and downs over the past couple of decades. In some cases, highly efficient combined cycle units were taken offline because they just weren’t needed. But
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Coal
India Commissions First Supercritical Coal Plant Equipped with Air-Cooled Condenser
NTPC, India’s largest energy conglomerate and its largest coal generator, in March commissioned the country’s first supercritical coal-fired plant equipped with an air-cooled condenser (ACC). The effort
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Gas
Optimizing Combined Cycle Power Plant Operations
Cogentrix Energy and Siemens Energy have partnered to optimize 8000H-class gas turbine reliability and outage planning. Under Cogentrix’s management, the Patriot site successfully upgraded one of its
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Renewables
Working with EPC Contractors: Guidance for Utilities Embarking on Solar Development
Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors deliver many benefits to power projects. Besides the experience they bring that can help keep schedules on track, they often have longstanding
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Commentary
Celebrating Diversity Drives Results
The energy sector is facing unprecedented times as we see oil and gas companies expanding into renewables, as well as enhanced carbon capture for traditional fossil fuels. If there was ever a time we needed
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Legal & Regulatory
CEQ’s New Guidance on NEPA Reviews for Clean Energy Projects
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) earlier this year published its updated “Guidance on Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change,” a document for the assessment and disclosure
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Safety
Cameras Are an Important Security Tool for Power Plants and Substations
Physical security of plants and substations has become a real concern for power companies. In an interview with NPR, Puesh Kumar, director of the U.S. Energy Department’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy
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O&M
Considerations for Automatic Filtration of Cooling Tower Water Systems
Waste reduction and process efficiencies are key for companies wanting smoother operations. As various industries, including power generation, seek ways to improve operational efficiency, cooling water
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Instrumentation & Controls
Instrumentation and Control for Reliability, Efficiency, and Pollution Control
High-tech instrumentation and state-of-the-art modeling tools are helping power plant operators achieve best-in-class performance, meet pollution targets, and better predict failures. Calibration management
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Offshore Wind
Hitachi Energy Part of $14 Billion European Infrastructure Deal
Hitachi Energy has been chosen by TenneT, a transmission system provider for Germany and the Netherlands, to supply several onshore and offshore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter stations and associated infrastructure for European power grids. Hitachi officials on March 30 said the agreement, which includes Petrofac—an international service provider to the energy industry—is worth about […]
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Offshore Wind
Entergy, RWE Partner to Assess Offshore Wind Prospects in Gulf of Mexico
U.S. utility Entergy and global power giant RWE are partnering to jointly assess the best means to develop an offshore wind market in the Gulf of Mexico. The two companies on March 30 unveiled a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which they will analyze the Gulf of Mexico offshore wind market and define an optimal […]
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Wind
Offshore Wind and Green Hydrogen Offer Great Opportunities for Gulf Coast States
The U.S. Gulf Coast offers some of the greatest potential for renewable energy development in the country. According to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) study, Florida, Texas, and Louisiana rank second, third, and fourth, respectively, in net technical energy resource potential for offshore wind. The large energy resource in these three southern states is […]
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Press Releases
Eaton and Sunverge expand strategic collaboration to help utilities manage residential EV charging infrastructure
Pittsburgh, PA (March 29, 2023) – Intelligent power management company Eaton and Sunverge, the provider of an industry-leading distributed energy resource (DER) control, orchestration and aggregation platform, announced expanded collaboration to enable dynamic utility management of home electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Bringing together Eaton’s innovative EV charging solutions with Sunverge’s advanced, intelligent, and holistic home […]
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T&D
PG&E Investing $18 Billion Toward Wildfire Mitigation
California utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) said it plans to invest $18 billion toward its wildfire prevention program through 2025 after sustaining major financial losses from fire-related claims over the past few years. PG&E filed for bankruptcy in 2019, and has paid billions of dollars in settlement awards tied to criminal and civil liabilities […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: FREYR Leads Wave of New Battery Manufacturing
Growth in the energy storage market, including the transportation sector, has spurred a ramp-up in global battery manufacturing and investment in new technologies. Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the U.S. has brought a flurry of announcements from foreign companies eager to build manufacturing plants in America. FREYR, a Norway-based company, late last […]
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Press Releases
Wärtsilä and Eolian complete 200 MW standalone energy storage facility in Texas, the largest merchant battery system in the world
The facility is also first-of-its-kind financed with the Investment Tax Credit to provide critically needed dispatchable resource to meet urgent and growing demand for flexibility in Texas power market The technology group Wärtsilä has reached commercial operation date (COD) for two major interconnected energy storage systems in South Texas totaling 200 MW and owned by […]
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Press Releases
Wood has worked on more than half of the world’s carbon capture & storage projects
HOUSTON, March 27, 2023 — Wood, the global consulting and engineering company, has completed carbon capture and transportation studies for more than half of the 300 carbon-capture facilities being planned worldwide1. From the U.S. Gulf Coast of Louisiana and the oil sands of Canada to the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia, Wood’s experts are […]
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Press Releases
GE Wins New Order for TM2500 Technology Aiming to Deliver Much Needed Power and Accelerate Diesel-to-Gas Transition in Yemen
GE’s TM2500* aeroderivative gas turbine will help PetroMasila transition from diesel to natural gas-based power generation TM2500 – GE’s “power plant on wheels” with an ISO rating of 34 MW will be used to provide fast, flexible power to support oil exploration and extraction operations Ending gas flaring is central to the broader effort of […]
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Press Releases
American Welding Society Celebrates National Welding Month
The Month of April Spotlights Welding Industry Careers and Businesses Doral, FL, March 24, 2023: Welding careers play an integral role in keeping people safe and advancing the quality of life across the globe, yet participation in welding and other skilled trades continues to decrease. Since 1996, the American Welding Society has designated the month […]