News

  • Unlocking EVs: Solving the Congestion Charging Problem

    The Inflation Reduction Act, which U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) negotiated in July, was signed into law by President Biden on Aug. 16. As a result, electric vehicle (EV) buyers (for both new and used vehicles) will get generous subsidies from the federal government—totaling as much as $7,500 per EV. Nearly […]

  • Worley awarded contract by Vertex Hydrogen for UK low-carbon hydrogen plant

    Worley has been awarded a project management services contract by Vertex Hydrogen for its low-carbon hydrogen production plant at Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in Ellesmere Port. The 350MW plant is the first in the UK to have completed front-end engineering and is expected to be one of the first large-scale and low-carbon hydrogen plants in the […]

  • Siemens Energy and Duke Energy’s gas power plant achieves GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title

    Siemens Energy and Duke Energy have achieved the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the “most powerful simple cycle gas power plant” Siemens Energy’s SGT6-9000HL turbine at Duke Energy’s Lincoln Combustion Turbine Station in North Carolina achieved an output of 410.9 megawatts Highly efficient and flexible gas turbine technology supports the expanding use of renewables Duke […]

  • Operating Energy Systems in a War-Torn Country: DTEK Prepares for Winter

    While much of the world lives life as usual, DTEK—the largest private investor in Ukraine’s energy sector—is focused on providing reliable service amidst war and uncertainty. “Today, the major topic for us is to provide stability in durations of electricity sector in Ukraine and also do everything possible to prepare for winter season,” DTEK CEO […]

  • Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur Tours DIII-D National Fusion Facility

    Chair of House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Observes Fusion Experiment and Speaks with Early Career Scientists San Diego, August 18th – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, visited General Atomics (GA) and toured the DIII-D National Fusion Facility. While at DIII-D, Rep. Kaptur met […]

  • Zero Trust: Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Responding to CISA’s ‘Shields Up’

    There are no boundaries in cyberspace. That fact has accelerated sharing of threat intelligence across the defenders, but it exponentially raises the threat of cyberattacks. This reality is underscored by the war in Ukraine, “the first major conflict involving large-scale cyber operations,” according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA). A major concern is […]

  • Common Mobility Tax Mistakes in the Energy Sector and How to Avoid Them

    As international travel picks up, energy corporations are turning to mobile employees to fulfill their international staffing needs. However, as mobile work gains steam, tax and compliance risks continue to grow as well—unbeknownst to most corporate leaders. Many businesses, unfortunately, are failing to set up an adequate plan to protect against tax violations in the […]

  • Forging a Net Zero Future: Embracing Digital Technologies to Disrupt and Drive the Energy Transition in the Middle East

    When reflecting on recent years, the exacerbating climate crisis has resulted in a paradigm shift where attitudes and actions are concerned. Rather than being a subject of ongoing debate and divided opinions, global warming has instigated radical reform throughout Middle Eastern society, inspiring nations to introduce abatement imperatives, enact meaningful change, and embark on a […]

  • Germany Mulls Postponing Nuclear Exit

    Germany’s government is weighing how the closure of the country’s last three nuclear power plants in December 2022 will affect its grid this upcoming winter as the country scrambles to secure sufficient energy supplies amid a decline in Russian gas deliveries. A formal decision on whether or not to keep  Isar 2, Emsland, and Neckarwestheim […]

  • Another Power Giant’s CEO Is Retiring: Entergy’s Leo Denault

    Entergy Corp.’s chairman and CEO Leo P. Denault will retire in 2023, ending a decade-long role as the head of the New Orleans–headquartered power generating giant. Denault will be succeeded by Andrew “Drew” Marsh, Entergy’s current executive vice president and chief financial officer. Denault, 62, was appointed Entergy’s chairman and CEO in 2013, taking over […]

  • Renewable Energy, Electrification Big Winners in Inflation Reduction Act

    The U.S. House on Aug. 12 passed a bill with major implications for the power generation industry, joining the U.S. Senate in supporting the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The bill, which now heads to President Joe Biden for his signature, includes major provisions to combat climate change, including support for a variety of clean energy […]

  • California Governor Has Plan to Keep Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Open

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a plan that would keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open into 2035, a decade beyond the facility’s current closure date. The proposal, which in part includes giving plant owner Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) a forgivable $1.4-billion loan, was included in a draft legislative package sent to […]

  • AEP CEO Nick Akins to Step Down, Julie Sloat Tapped as Next Company Head

    American Electric Power’s (AEP’s) long-serving chairman, president, and CEO, Nick Akins, will step down as CEO on Jan. 1, 2023, and has already passed the company’s presidency to Julie A. Sloat, AEP executive vice president, and chief financial officer (CFO). Sloat, 53, will become the power generating company’s CEO in January, making her the first […]

  • Smart Path Connect Transmission Project Gets Green Light from New York State Public Service Commission

    WHITE PLAINS—The New York Power Authority and National Grid NY today announced the greenlighting of a critically important transmission line build in the North Country, known as Smart Path Connect. The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) approved the 100-mile transmission line project at its regularly scheduled monthly meeting yesterday. The transmission line build […]

  • U.S. Utility Survey Suggests Industry Mulling Additions of 90 GW of New Nuclear

    A Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) survey suggests U.S. utility members expect to add up to 90 GW of new nuclear generation by the 2050s, including more than 300 new small modular reactors (SMRs) in the U.S. over the next 25 years. The nuclear industry group’s survey, unveiled on July 29, sought to gather input from […]

  • Report Notes Continued Growth of Hybrid Power Plants

    Hybrid power plants continue to be deployed across the U.S., with almost 300 such facilities (all with 1 MW or more of generation capacity) operating at the end of last year. An August 2022 report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, based on research funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) and […]

  • How Hydrogen Can Enhance Renewable Energy Grids

    From powering the first combustion engines to becoming a vital part of the modern-day refining industry, the relationship between hydrogen (H2) and energy spans centuries. It is the most abundant element on our planet. The gas burns clean, it’s light, energy-dense, and we’re only just beginning to uncover its true potential. Hydrogen could well be […]

  • A New Approach for Gas-Insulated Substations

    For decades, gas-insulated substations (GIS) have been used primarily in densely populated metropolitan areas. They take up only 10% of the footprint of outdoor or air-insulated substations and provide reliable medium- and low-voltage service where space needed to service areas for industrial locations, hospitals, and housing may be limited. However, as rural environments become desirable […]

  • Burns & McDonnell Awarded EPC Contract for 30-MW Battery Energy Storage System for RWE Renewables

    HOUSTON, Texas — Burns & McDonnell has been selected to provide engineer-procure-construct (EPC) services for project Texas Waves II, a 30-MW/30-MWh lithium-ion stand-alone battery energy storage system (BESS) in Scurry County, Texas. This battery system will make a meaningful contribution to grid reliability by providing the system operator a backup for lost generation. Additionally, the system […]

  • California Sets Goals for Buildout of Offshore Wind

    California officials have taken a major step toward establishing the state’s offshore wind energy industry, setting a goal of installing as much as 5 GW of generation capacity this decade, and 25 GW by 2045. The California Energy Commission (CEC) on Aug. 10 put out a report detailing the state’s plan for offshore wind, which […]

  • Ignitis Gamyba Chooses GE Digital’s OPM Production Planning Software to Accurately Forecast Day-Ahead Electricity Trading

    OPM Production Planning can help to ensure secure, stable power while maximizing margins and managing risk with accurate capacity predictions and decision support Software also helps Ignitis Gamyba to automate data transmission for more optimal planning of natural gas procurement and process organization SAN RAMON, Calif. – AUGUST 9, 2022 —  GE Digital today announced that […]

  • Framatome to deliver neutron instrumentation system solution at South Carolina nuclear plant

    August 9, 2022 – Framatome announced it has been selected by a U.S. utility to provide a wide range neutron flux monitoring system at a South Carolina nuclear plant. The company will provide the system to all three units of the plant along with a spare system. The project will help enable owners of the […]

  • Chicago Announces Plan to Power City with 100% Renewable Energy

    Chicago’s public buildings could all be powered by renewable energy under a plan announced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Aug. 8. The mayor, along with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, on Monday said the city has an agreement with Chicago utility Constellation Energy, along with Massachusetts-based Swift Current Energy, a renewable energy developer. The two spoke […]

  • Illinois EPA Issues Permit for New 1.1-GW Gas-Fired Facility

    Environmental officials in Illinois have signed off on construction of a 1,100-MW natural gas-fired power plant sited near Springfield, the state capital. EmberClear, an energy company with offices in Houston, Texas, and Moosic, Pennsylvania, is behind the $1 billion project, which will be located near Pawnee in Sangamon County. The Lincoln Land Energy Center will […]

  • Equinor May Postpone Closure of Norwegian Gas-Fired Power Plant

    Norway-based energy major Equinor could continue to operate its natural gas-fired Mongstad power plant to support the country’s electricity supply. The company recently said it may reconsider its decision to close the plant by the end of August. Norway, which like many other countries has suffered drought conditions over the past several months, is experiencing […]

  • FM Global allocates US$300 million, first-of-its-kind ‘resilience credit’ to help policyholders proactively invest in climate resilience

    JOHNSTON, R.I., USA—Policyholders of FM Global, which include one of every three Fortune 500 companies and similar size organizations worldwide, will collectively receive approximately US$300 million in a first-of-its-kind ‘resilience credit,’ providing them with additional means to invest in climate resilience solutions. The credit has the potential to help those organizations reduce total loss expectancies […]

  • IAEA: Shelling at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant Raises ‘Real Risk’ of Nuclear Disaster

    (Updated): The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is growing increasingly alarmed by military action at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, warning that artillery shelling at the plant site on Aug. 5 underlines a “very real risk of a nuclear disaster.” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in a statement on Aug. 6 said new information about […]

  • Intelligent metering system in energy meters using the modem RB900SG

    Smart meters are one of the key solutions for the future of energy. By 2027, the global smart metering market will grow by 9%, and its value will reach almost 40 billion USD. Thanks to these new solutions, consumers will be billed for electricity according to actual consumption, and not according to forecasts as before. […]

  • GE Power Conversion Partners with Sulzer EMS to Deliver 20% Higher Power Capacity with Synchronous Motor

    GE Power Conversion, in partnership with Sulzer Electro Mechanical Services (EMS), announced the supply of a custom built synchronous motor for end-user Phoenix Cement Company, which operates under the Salt River Materials Group (SRMG). The motor, a 1,500 hp, 30-pole synchronous motor with collector rings, provides 20% greater power capacity than its predecessor – without causing unnecessary […]

  • Group: EPA’s Coordinated Regulatory Assault on Coal Power Could Push Retirements Beyond 86 GW by 2030

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is readying a regulatory sweep targeting more stringent limits on traditional pollutants that could accelerate coal power plant closures. A coal trade group estimates that even without new rules, 86 GW of coal generation is slated to retire by 2030. While the U.S. Supreme Court in June curtailed the EPA’s […]