News

  • Storage-as-Transmission Project Announced for Germany

    A project known as Netzbooster, or Grid Booster, is being deployed in Germany, designed to improve the efficiency of the country’s existing power grid infrastructure. Fluence Energy GmbH, a subsidiary of

  • European Energy Crisis Prompts Utility Takeovers in Germany, France

    With winter fast approaching, and the dreaded effects of extreme natural gas price levels and volatility looming, together with unprecedented uncertainty of fuel supply, governments in Germany and France have

  • POWER Digest [November 2022]

    JX Nippon Acquires NRG’s Share of Petra Nova Carbon Capture Plant for $3.6 Million. ENEOS Group, a Japanese energy and non-ferrous metals business group that owns JX Nippon Oil and Gas Exploration, will

  • Gas Engine Reliability: Understanding Engine Oil Consumption

    This paper explains the mechanisms that affect lubricating oil consumption in stationary gas engines. It explains the positive and negative consequences of oil consumption. It discusses the importance of

  • The Future of Sustainable Energy Production Hinges on Hydrogen

    A major lesson from the global energy price crisis has been the value of having a diversity of supplies—not relying on a small number of (sometimes unreliable or politically controlled) sources. With

  • In-Service Testing of Pressure Relief Valves

    Pressure relief valves (PRVs) are a critical line of defense for pressure vessel protection in the power industry. Generating facilities worldwide depend upon these devices to sense and quickly relieve

  • Effectively Manage Assets to Increase Uptime and Cut Maintenance Costs

    Advanced analytics solutions empower utilities to predict asset failures before they happen so they can progress from reactive to proactive maintenance. As the digital transformation of the power industry

  • Powering Resilience: How to Design Microgrids that Prepare for the Unexpected

    Microgrids offer an ideal solution to counter the risk of weather-related power disruption by bolstering operational resilience, reducing dependence on local utilities, and lowering energy costs. However, the

  • 2022 POWER Top Plant Award Winners

    Coal-fired See our August 2022 issue for stories covering these plants: Osaki Cool Gen, Japan Shanghaimiao Power Plant, China Renewables See our September 2022 issue for stories covering these plants: Bighorn Solar Project, Colorado Boone Dam Hydro Project, Tennessee Energypark Haringvliet, Netherlands Harvey Milk SFO Terminal, California Svartsengi Geothermal Power Plant, Iceland Western Spirit Wind, […]

  • Geothermal could become workhorse of the energy transition

    –Climate tech panelists discuss field’s huge potential and challenges CAMBRIDGE, MA–Geothermal energy—the heat deep below our feet—has the potential to become the workhorse of the energy transition as it grows from supplying just 0.4 percent of the world’s energy today to upward of 20, 30, and even 50 percent by 2050. That’s according to the […]

  • Poland Picks Westinghouse to Build Country’s First Nuclear Reactors

    Poland continues to move forward with its plan to deploy nuclear power, choosing U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric Co. to build the country’s first large-scale nuclear power plant. The decision, announced late Oct. 28 by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, is seen as a move by Poland to strengthen its relationship with the U.S. and continue moving […]

  • PacifiCorp, TerraPower Evaluating Deployment of Up to Five Additional Natrium Advanced Reactors

    Regulated utility PacifiCorp has launched a joint study with nuclear technology firm TerraPower to evaluate the feasibility of deploying up to five additional Natrium pool-type sodium fast reactors (SFRs) and integrated energy storage systems at retired coal plant sites in the utility’s service territory by 2035. The joint study “will evaluate, among other things, the […]

  • Southern Company Cuts Its Cost Forecast for Vogtle Expansion, Provides Update on Project

    In its third quarter 2022 earnings call presentation, Southern Company reduced its “Total project capital cost forecast” for Vogtle Units 3 and 4 to $10.383 billion from $10.453 billion, which is what it had reported in the company’s second quarter 2022 earnings call presentation. The company’s cost estimate reduction doesn’t mean that total project costs […]

  • Nuclear Fuel Facility Unveiled for Natrium Fast Reactor Demonstration

    A fuel fabrication facility that will create reliable fuel for TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s (GEH’s) 345-MWe Natrium pool-type sodium fast reactor (SFR) demonstration in Wyoming and future Natrium nuclear plants is taking shape at Global Nuclear Fuel–Americas’ (GNF-A’s) nuclear fuel fabrication plant in Wilmington, North Carolina. GNF-A, a 2007-established GE-led joint venture with […]

  • U.S. Spent Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing May Be Making a Comeback—Here’s Why

    The Department of Energy (DOE) has ramped up efforts to explore recycling spent nuclear fuel (SNF), or used nuclear fuel (UNF), from the nation’s fleet of light water reactors (LWRs), doling out $38 million in federal awards to a dozen projects on Oct. 21. Teams will receive funding under the DOE’s March 2022–launched “Converting UNF […]

  • Investment Bank ‘Mobilizing’ up to $115 Billion for Renewables, Energy Storage and More in EU

    The European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group) said it will support an initial investment of €30 billion ($30.2 billion) in loans and equity financing to move the European Union (EU) away from fossil fuels and toward cleaner forms of energy over the next five years. The EIB board of directors on Oct. 26 said a […]

  • Flowserve Valtek® TX3 Molten Salt Triple-offset Butterfly Valve

    For use in concentrated solar power plants DALLAS, Oct. 26, 2022 – Flowserve Corporation (NYSE: FLS), a leading provider of flow control products and services for the global infrastructure markets, announced the Valtek® TX3 Molten Salt triple-offset butterfly valve. Flowserve designed the Valtek TX3 Molten Salt triple-offset butterfly valve to provide concentrated solar power (CSP) […]

  • Canada Bank Group Pledges Millions Toward Nuclear Power Project

    The Canadian government has pledged more financing toward development of a grid-scale small modular reactor (SMR), as the country continues to support nuclear power as a way to cut emissions of greenhouse gases from its power generation sector. Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on Oct. 25 said C$970 million ($708 million) is targeted for a […]

  • A Pillar in the Community and Collaborator Around the World: DLC Powers Pittsburgh

    The Duquesne Light Co. (DLC) may not be among the best-known electric power companies in the U.S., but for its customers in Allegheny and Beaver counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, the company has been a steady presence in the community for more than a century. “We are a Pittsburgh-based utility company. We’ve been in operation for […]

  • Edward Norton — Award-Winning Actor, Filmmaker, and Conservationist — Joins Aurora Solar’s Speaker Lineup for Empower 2022, a Premier Virtual Event for the Solar Community

    Norton’s November 1, 2022 keynote will highlight the role of solar in creating resiliency and social equality; will touch upon the importance of distributed energy through his conservation work in Kenya.  Free, virtual event on November 1-2, 2022 will feature sessions discussing innovations, ideas, and technologies influencing the digital future of the solar industry.  October […]

  • New SIMOTICS SD200 Frame Size 440 low-voltage, severe-duty AC motors now with 75-800 hp output

    Cast-iron motors meet or exceed NEMA Premium® efficiency standards for oil-and-gas/petrochemical, pulp-and-paper, grain and rock processing, other harsh environments Siemens announced the immediate availability of the SIMOTICS SD200 severe-duty motor in frame size 440 as its latest offering in the low-voltage SIMOTICS motor family. Providing high productivity and energy-efficient operation in all torque ranges, these […]

  • General Atomics Announces Plans for Fusion Pilot Plant

    Innovative concept leverages decades of expertise in fusion research and development San Diego, Oct. 20, 2022 – Today, General Atomics (GA) announced a new concept for a fusion pilot plant (FPP) to deliver clean, safe, and economically viable fusion energy. GA’s FPP concept utilizes a steady-state, compact advanced tokamak design approach, where the fusion plasma […]

  • National Grid and LineVision Deploy Largest Dynamic Line Rating Project in the United States

    Latest project will Save Consumers Transmission Line Rebuild Costs and Reduce Curtailment of Renewable Energy Projects by 350MW, while expanding overall grid capacity SOMERVILLE, Mass., Oct. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — National Grid, one of the largest investor-owned utilities in the world, and LineVision, the world’s only provider of non-contact overhead power line monitoring systems, announced today that LineVision’s sensors […]

  • Blue Ammonia Production Efforts for Fuel Supply, Exports in High Gear Along U.S. Gulf Coast

    Energy giants Chevron and Uniper are pairing with chemical technology companies Air Liquide and LyondellBasell to explore a hydrogen and ammonia production facility along the U.S. Gulf Coast that could support industrial decarbonization and mobility applications in the region and expand clean ammonia exports. The companies, in a joint statement on Oct. 19, said they […]

  • Inflation Reduction Act: Increased Electrification and Resulting Utility Implications

    While the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides steps in the right direction by expanding renewable energy development and electrification incentives, it may also lead to a worsening duck curve and a larger proportion of variable power sources in the generation mix—putting significant pressure on utilities’ ability to maintain reliability. U.S. utilities need to be proactive […]

  • Shift to Specialty Fuels—A Driving Force to Build Supply Chain Resilience

    Geopolitical tension, ongoing energy crisis, supply chain disruption, and destructive climate change effects have been altering energy needs and sourcing requirements. Global companies have been transitioning from traditional fossil fuels to specialty fossil fuels, such as industrial heating oil (IHO) and CO2-as-Energy. In addition to cost savings (25% to 30%), they offer relatively high heat […]

  • How Hydrogen Blends Will Impact HRSG Operation, Maintenance, and Performance

    Environmental pressure is ramping up. Countries have issued targets to reduce or even eliminate the use of traditional fossil fuels in order to reduce emission of greenhouse gases such as CO2. Gas turbine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are responding by investing in hydrogen (H2) combustion. They are spending heavily on the development of combustors and […]

  • How Satellite Connectivity Can Improve Visibility and Communication Throughout the Energy Sector

    Amid an industry-wide labor shortage and global supply chain disruptions, the energy sector is under immense pressure to increase production. These issues, in addition to geopolitical tensions, are deeply complex and cannot be addressed on an individual scale. In addition, the energy industry faces major challenges pertaining to communication given that the workforce and equipment […]

  • Ukraine Grid Operator Issues Call for Help, Needs Equipment to Keep Lights On

    DTEK, a diversified energy company that generates and distributes electricity in Ukraine, issued a call to “Western partners” for the immediate supply of various pieces of electrical equipment to restore power in its service territory. Russian missile attacks on DTEK energy facilities on Oct. 18 killed at least one employee and injured at least seven […]

  • U.S. Announces First Sale of Rights for California Offshore Wind Development

    The U.S. government has announced the first-ever sale of offshore wind development rights off the California coast. The Dept. of Interior (DOI) on Oct. 18 said it would hold the event on Dec. 6, in an effort to spur industry growth in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The agency said the sale will include […]