News
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Legal & Regulatory
UK Leans Heavily on Nuclear in Bold New Energy Strategy
A long-awaited energy strategy published by the UK government on April 6 lays out bold commitments that tackle Great Britain’s multi-pronged challenges, including achieving net-zero carbon emissions while
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Nuclear
Small Modular Reactors Provide Opportunity to Rethink Automation for Nuclear Generation
An emerging generation of small modular reactors is encouraging suppliers and regulators alike to consider new digital instrumentation and control approaches. While instrumentation and control (I&C)
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Supply Chains
Supply Chain Issues Mean Planning Is More Important Than Ever
It’s hard to imagine a company that hasn’t been affected by supply chain issues over the past couple of years. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic began, a couple of utility executives had suggested POWER
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Legal & Regulatory
Administration, NRC, Nuclear Industry Look Ahead to Uncertain Territory
The Biden administration is fully behind development of new nuclear power technology. It is encouraging the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to look at “new approaches to regulation” as advanced
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O&M
Advanced Analytics Applications Power Predictive Maintenance Efforts
Moving from reactive to predictive maintenance requires the right tools for use by subject matter experts. As the power industry continues to advance from preventative to predictive maintenance, one thing is
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News
How State-of-the-Art Monitoring Technology Will Be Used at a Turkish Nuclear Power Plant
Turkey has considered adding nuclear power plants to its fleet of generators since at least 1970; yet, no commercial reactor units have ever been completed. That is likely to change soon. The country’s first nuclear power plant commenced construction in April 2018 at Akkuyu. When the planned four-unit facility is finished, about 10% of Turkey’s […]
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IIOT
Boosting Productivity in the Utility Industry with Mobile Solutions
In the utility industry, downtime and outages—from losing power to water shortages and burst pipes—can impact a customer’s day-to-day life, causing safety concerns and costly damages. This is especially true during sweltering summer months or freezing winter seasons caused by extreme weather and climate change. Today, digital transformation is shifting customer expectations as they demand […]
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IIOT
The Growth of Renewables Calls for Scalable Approaches to OT System and Device Integration
Reports from U.S. agencies indicate the use of renewable energy continues to grow. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. consumed a record amount of renewable energy in 2020. In addition, renewable energy in the U.S. grew for a fifth consecutive year, accounting for 12% of the total U.S. energy consumption. It was […]
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IIOT
Don’t Fix That … Yet: How IoT-Enabled Sensors Predict Maintenance and Streamline Operations
The traditional approach to maintenance has two motors that keep it running. The first motor is proactive service: regularly maintaining equipment, following a schedule to ensure each element is running smoothly before repairs are needed in order to prevent a breakdown. The second motor is to repair once a breakdown happens. While the first part […]
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Nuclear
INL Mulling Building New Nuclear Reactor to Energize Net-Zero Campus Microgrid
Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is exploring designing, building, and operating an onsite nuclear reactor resource as part of a broader effort to achieve net-zero emissions at its sprawling campus in Idaho Falls by 2031. Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), an entity that manages and operates the Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory, on April 29 launched […]
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Nuclear
Southern CEO: Vogtle Still on Track for 2022-2023 Start
Southern Co. CEO Tom Fanning said the group continues to stick to its most-recent timeline for startup of the two-unit expansion of the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia, telling participants in the company’s first-quarter 2022 earnings call that construction is pacing well, with fuel load for Unit 3 expected later this year. “Importantly, the […]
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Climate change
Understanding Climate Change Risks Associated with the Power Generation Industry
Increased temperatures, precipitation, sea level, as well as the frequency and severity of extreme events, will inevitably have an impact on the amount of energy generated, transported, and consumed in the U.S. Climate change is increasing dangers to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth, introducing new risks and […]
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Hydrogen
ACES Delta’s Giant Utah Salt Cavern Hydrogen Storage Project Gets $504M Conditional DOE Loan Guarantee
The Advanced Clean Energy Storage Project, a much-watched project under development in Delta, Utah, that is shaping up to be the largest renewable hydrogen energy hub in the U.S., has garnered a conditional commitment for a $504.4 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) federal loan guarantee program. The conditional loan guarantee commitment […]
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Nuclear
Duke Energy Could Power Purdue with Nuclear Project
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are widely considered the best technology to increase the use of nuclear power worldwide, with advocates touting their zero-emission production of electricity, smaller land footprint, and scalability. SMRs also offer a cost savings over construction of new utility-scale nuclear reactors. Powering a college campus with nuclear energy has increasingly been a […]
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Press Releases
ClearSpan Finishes Construction On Multiple Bulk Storage Buildings in California
ClearSpan just finished a state of the art fabric building to cover aggregate materials in California. SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn., April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — ClearSpan Structures just completed the construction and installation of two fabric bulk storage buildings. The expansive structures offer over 50,000 square feet of on-site storage area, ensuring the operation has abundant […]
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Nuclear
Doosan Kicks Off NuScale SMR Production for Idaho Nuclear Project
South Korean power industrial giant Doosan has agreed to forge materials for NuScale Power’s small modular reactors (SMR) starting as early as this year, in a project that would support the commercial deployment of VOYGRs—NuScale’s name for its SMRs—at the 462-MWe Carbon-Free Power Project (CFPP) in Idaho Falls. NuScale separately also teamed with American large […]
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Gas
First Hydrogen Burn at Long Ridge HA-Class Gas Turbine Marks Triumph for GE
Hydrogen combustion has begun at the 485-MW Long Ridge Energy Terminal combined cycle power plant—a flagship GE HA-class project that is purpose-built to transition from natural gas to hydrogen blends and ultimately be capable of burning 100% hydrogen. While the sprawling multimodal facility in Hannibal, Ohio—which sits on the Ohio and West Virginia border—achieved commercial […]
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Full Coverage
White House Advisor Says Progress Toward Biden’s GHG Emissions Reduction Targets Is ‘Going Really Well’
On April 22, 2021, President Biden announced greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution reduction targets for the country. His vision was revealed during a summit on climate that he was holding, which was said to be “part of the President’s focus on building back better in a way that will create millions of good-paying, union jobs, ensure […]
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Nuclear
Green Light for Project Pele, Defense Department’s Mobile Nuclear Microreactor Demonstration
The Department of Defense (DOD) will push forward on Project Pele, a much-watched mobile microreactor prototype, and demonstrate its full operation for a minimum of three years at an Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site. The DOD’s Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) on April 15 formally released a record of decision (ROD) to proceed with the program, […]
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Fuel Cells
Bloom Energy Converts U.S. Fuel Cell Fleet to ‘Certified’ Low-Leak Natural Gas
Bloom Energy’s U.S. fuel cell installations deployed at 700 sites will over the next two years use certified, “responsibly sourced” natural gas from EQT Corp. The development marks a pioneering effort by a power generator to bolster its commercial and industrial customers’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts. Bloom Energy, whose primary business stems from […]
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IIOT
Four Questions You Must Ace to Ensure Sound Cybersecurity in OT Systems
Some cybersecurity experts believe hackers today pose a greater threat than ever to power plants and electric grids. Much of the operational technology (OT) used in power stations and throughout the grid was installed at a time when cybersecurity was more of an afterthought than a focal point in the system design. Furthermore, the pool […]
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Cybersecurity
Goldman Sachs Stake in Fortress Underscores Supply Chain Cybersecurity Priority
A Goldman Sachs private equity business is taking a stake in critical industry cybersecurity firm Fortress Information Security. The $125 million investment underscores a heightened awareness of supply chain vulnerabilities within the investor community. Fortress, which announced the investment from Goldman Sachs Asset Management Private Equity on April 19, said it also highlights a wider […]
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Press Releases
SNC-Lavalin selected to design and build tooling systems for Bruce Nuclear Generating Station Life Extension Program
MONTREAL: April 19, 2022 – Candu Energy Inc., a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group (TSX: SNC), has been chosen by Bruce Power to provide design and engineering services for fuel channel installation tooling at Unit 3 of Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Ontario. The mandate also includes manufacturing and testing, and forms part of the broader […]
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Press Releases
Burns & McDonnell Completes Construction of 65-MWdc Solar Project for Vistra
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Burns & McDonnell recently completed construction of a 65-MWdc/50-MWac solar project at Vistra’s Brightside Solar Facility in Live Oak County, Texas. The project peaked with over 250 craft construction professionals on-site and was completed with zero safety recordables or lost time incidents. The site utilizes 440-watt First Solar thin-film modules in conjunction with […]
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Press Releases
America’s Power Statement on MISO Electric Capacity Shortfalls
Washington, D.C. – Following the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) release of the results of its 2022-2023 annual Planning Resource Auction (PRA) indicating electric capacity shortfalls in both the north and central regions of MISO, America’s Power issued the following statement by Michelle Bloodworth, President and CEO: “MISO’s recent capacity auction shows that it might […]
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Press Releases
Black & Veatch Selects Mario Azar as New Chairman and CEO
CEO Steve Edwards to retire after 44 years with global infrastructure leader OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (15 APRIL 2022) – The Black & Veatch Board of Directors today announces it has selected Mario Azar as the chairman and CEO for the company upon the decision of Steve Edwards to retire after 44 years of outstanding leadership, […]
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Nuclear
DOE Poised to Issue Guidance Document for Civil Nuclear Credit Program
The Department of Energy (DOE) will next week kick off its much-watched $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) program to bolster the existing U.S. nuclear fleet by issuing a guidance document that will set down criteria for a combined certification and a sealed bid auction process. The agency said in an April 6 update the […]
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Legal & Regulatory
EPA Proposes Tighter Controls on NOx Emissions from Power Plants, Industrial Sources
A sweeping new proposed rule published in the Federal Register by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 6 establishes new nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions budgets that will require fossil fuel–fired power plants in 25 states to participate in an allowance-based ozone season trading program starting in 2023. The proposal, which builds on the agency’s […]
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Hybrid Power
Grid Interconnection Queue Filled with Solar and Energy Storage Projects
A study conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) shows more than 1.1 TW of solar and energy storage capacity were in the U.S. power grid’s interconnection queue at the end of 2021. Notably, that total is more than the currently existing capacity in the U.S. power fleet. Additionally, Berkeley Lab researchers found […]
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Electric Vehicles
Making Vehicle-to-Grid Technology a Reality in 2022
After a decade of slow growth in the U.S., we’re now seeing an acceleration curve for electric vehicle (EV) adoption, with major auto manufacturers like Ford, Tesla, and Volkswagen coming to market en masse with fully electric vehicles. In short, the EV market is really having its moment in America following President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment […]