News

  • Framatome marks the start of operations of the first EPR nuclear reactor in Europe, Olkiluoto 3 operated by TVO

    December 21, 2021 – Framatome marks the first criticality and the start of power tests of the Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) EPR, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Following the authorization granted by the Finnish safety authority (STUK), the nuclear reaction in the OL3 EPR reactor has been initiated for the first time today, marking […]

  • Grand Coulee Dam overhaul project ensures another 30 years of clean, renewable hydropower in the Pacific Northwest

    GRAND COULEE, Wash. – Today, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bonneville Power Administration announced the completion of the major overhaul of hydroelectric power generating units 22, 23 and 24 inside the Nathaniel “Nat” Washington Power Plant at Grand Coulee Dam. Located on the Columbia River about 90 miles west of Spokane, Wash., the Grand […]

  • Mitsubishi Power Ships Natural Gas-fired GTCC Power Generation System to the UAE

    Fujairah F3 power project will be the largest natural gas fired GTCC facility in the UAE First project in the Middle East utilizing Advanced M701JAC model turbines The 2,400MW power plant, the largest in the UAE is scheduled to begin full commercial operation in 2023 TOKYO, Dec 16, 2021 – (JCN Newswire) – Mitsubishi Power, […]

  • Framatome, US Department of Energy secure $150 million cooperative agreement to advance accident tolerant fuel

    December 16, 2021 – Framatome and the U.S. Department of Energy secure a new 4-year cooperative agreement valued at more than $150 million to continue the development of its PROtect enhanced accident tolerant fuel (EATF) technology. These technologies increase the safety performance of commercial nuclear reactors while providing operators more flexibility during normal operating conditions. […]

  • Westinghouse Successfully Dismantles Reactor Vessels in Slovakia

    Cranberry Township, PA (Dec. 16, 2021) – Westinghouse Electric Company announced it has recently completed dismantling the first of two reactor vessels at Bohunice V1 Nuclear Power Plant in Slovakia. The annular water tanks that ensured bio-shield protection of the two reactor pressure vessels have also been dismantled. “As the leader in specialized nuclear decommissioning, […]

  • DOE Begins Fleshing Out Availability of Advanced Nuclear Reactor Fuel  

    The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a request for information (RFI) on a planned temporary federal program to ensure enough high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) will be available to jumpstart deployment of a new fleet of advanced nuclear reactors.  Comments received over the next month in response to the DOE’s Dec. 14–issued RFI will inform […]

  • How Machine Learning Improves Visibility into Nuclear Power Plant Waste and Contamination Levels

    Nuclear power remains one of the cleanest forms of energy available to us. Unfortunately, current challenges in measuring nuclear power plant waste and contamination levels make it difficult to manage. The inability to effectively measure these levels makes it difficult to validate nuclear power, and in some cases, is even causing some political tensions. Machine […]

  • Key Trends Point to Strong Growth for Brazil’s Renewable Energy Landscape in 2022 and Beyond

    2021 was a boom year for solar as a record number of new projects were registered with ANEEL, Brazil’s electricity industry regulator. Now, new distributed generation legislation is in the offing, and, when ratified, it will introduce gradual charges for use of transmission networks through distribution system use tariffs (TUSD). The legislation proposes a 10-year […]

  • Ameren to Close 1.2-GW Coal Power Plant by March 2024, 15 Years Early

    In a Dec. 14 filing with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Ameren Missouri announced its intent to retire two 600-MW units at the Rush Island Energy Center 15 years earlier than previously planned due to “changed circumstances since the Remedy Ruling.” The court’s remedy ruling, delivered on Sept. 30, 2019, […]

  • Honeywell, UT-Austin Join on New Carbon Capture Technology

    A leading company in the design of technology for a variety of industries is part of an effort to advance carbon capture from power plants, along with providing a solution to emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial facilities. Honeywell, the Charlotte, N.C.-based conglomerate known for products from residential thermostats to advanced aerospace applications, on […]

  • More than 32 GW of New Gas-Fired Power Plants in U.S. Pipeline

    Recent reports from groups analyzing U.S. power generation note how states near the nation’s largest shale plays are expected to bring significant new natural gas-fired generation online over the next few years, despite concerns about recent market volatility that sent gas prices to their highest levels in more than a decade. With a long-term outlook […]

  • ISO-NE Warns Fuel Supply Issues May Threaten Winter Power System Reliability

    New England faces a precarious fuel supply risk that could necessitate emergency actions if a severe prolonged cold snap hits the region this winter, ISO New England (ISO-NE) has warned.  The regional grid operator expects power demand will peak at 19,710 MW during average winter weather conditions of 10F, but if temperatures plunge below 5F, […]

  • Overcoming the Top Three Hurdles to Eliminate Flaring

    Despite exacting a heavy environmental and financial toll, routine flaring remains a persistent practice in the oil and gas sector. This gas could be captured and used for productive purposes, but a lot of it simply isn’t. While flaring levels are down 5% from 2019, this is still a huge amount—142 billion m3/yr in fact. […]

  • The Benefits of Explosion-Protected Cameras in High-Risk Environments

    Many critical infrastructure sites contain areas that are classified as hazardous due to a high risk of explosion. What makes most of these locations dangerous is the presence of flammable materials such as liquids, gases, vapors, and dust. In these areas, the use of network cameras can significantly improve the overall health and safety posture […]

  • The Benefits of Synthetic Greases: Improved Efficiency, Reduced Maintenance

    The optimal grease to use in power plant equipment is rarely contemplated by people other than truly dedicated operations and maintenance managers, and the workers on their teams who feel the pain when a piece of equipment breaks down due to inadequate lubrication. Yet, for those individuals, the choice of which grease to use in […]

  • GE Digital Announces UK ‘Smart Substation’ Project

    GE Digital has announced a partnership with UK Power Networks (UKPN) for the launch of a smart substation project designed to support renewable energy power generation across the United Kingdom. The agreement announced Dec. 9 involves the installation of powerful computers in a series of substations. The project, known as Constellation, will leverage advances in […]

  • GE-Powered Port of Sergipe I Complex Delivers Uninterrupted Electricity since July to Support Renewables in Brazil

    Flexible and efficient natural gas fired plant enables Brazil to increase its energy security while continuing to expand its development of renewable energy resources, including solar, wind in addition to compensating the seasonal reduction of hydro power The 1.5-Gigawatt CELSE – Centrais Elétricas de Sergipe S.A’s Port of Sergipe I Complex is currently the largest […]

  • Emerson to Modernize Georgia Power Plant for Reliable, Affordable Energy

    Digital transformation improves plant availability and enhances MEAG Power’s diverse generation fleet PITTSBURGH (Dec. 8, 2021) — The Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power) has selected Emerson (NYSE:EMR), a global software, technology and engineering leader, to modernize and optimize operations at its Wansley Unit 9 combined cycle power plant. MEAG Power’s investment is critical […]

  • EIA: U.S. Coal Stockpiles Lowest Since 1978

    The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently said it expected coal-fired power generation in 2021 to be 22% higher than in 2020, producing the first year-over-year increase in U.S. electricity generation from coal since 2014. That higher generation, though, has reduced inventories of coal at the nation’s power plants, with EIA on Dec. 7 reporting […]

  • The Infrastructure Law Can Help America Catch China in the Clean Energy Race

    President Biden’s signature infrastructure law aims to, among other objectives, propel America forward in transitioning to a clean energy economy. If its proposals are executed properly, I’m confident that it will succeed in that goal. The new law will help the U.S. catch up to countries like China, who have been beating America in the race […]

  • Tapping the Power of Wind: The Opportunity of Offshore Wind Farms in Ireland

    A modern-day gold rush has emerged off the Irish coast that is unlike other resource grabs in Earth’s history—for petroleum, minerals, coal, metals, etc.—because this particular resource is limitless. Harvesting wind energy is in its early days on this breeze-abundant island that boasts 900 miles of coastline and a sea area seven times larger than […]

  • The Finnish Climate Fund invests in hydrogen turbine manufacturer Aurelia Turbines

    The Finnish Climate Fund has granted a capital loan of €5 million to Aurelia Turbines. Aurelia Turbines produces the most efficient small gas turbines in the world. The turbines have been designed to use hydrogen, biogas and synthetic gas, as well as other renewable and non-standard fuels. According to Matti Malkamäki, CEO of Aurelia Turbines, […]

  • Mitsubishi Power Upgrades Gas Turbines at Senoko Energy to Reduce 15,000 Tons of Carbon Emissions Annually

    – Upgrade works for M701F gas turbine help enhance thermal efficiency with heat rate improvement – Close collaboration with Senoko Energy and other contractors enabled the project to be completed on schedule despite challenges due to COVID-19 TOKYO, Dec 2, 2021 – (JCN Newswire) – Mitsubishi Power, a power solutions brand of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has completed […]

  • Darlington Nuclear Plant Will Get a BWRX-300 SMR as GE Hitachi Bags Lucrative OPG Selection

    Ontario Power Generation (OPG) will build a GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) at its Darlington Nuclear Station in Clarington, Ontario, marking a major triumph for the nuclear vendor in a stiff competition for the much-watched utility-scale project. OPG announced the selection of the GE Hitachi BWRX-300 SMR over competitors X-energy […]

  • NRC Accepts Application for Kairos Pebble-Bed Reactor Construction Permit

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will review Kairos Power’s construction permit application (CPA) for its Hermes non-power demonstration reactor, which the firm has proposed to build at the East Tennessee Technology Park Heritage Center site, in Oak Ridge, and begin operating by 2026. The NRC formally accepted the CPA for review on Nov. 30, noting […]

  • Rooftop Solar and Energy Storage Are Not Republican or Democrat, They’re American

    There is a common misperception that “green energy” appeals mostly to liberals. However, at least some of the facts don’t support that view. A case in point can be found in the rooftop solar sector. “It’s not Republican or Democratic. It’s really American. It’s free enterprise,” Jayson Waller, founder and CEO of POWERHOME SOLAR, said […]

  • UAE Industrial Giant Will Explore Conversion of 5.2-GW GE Gas Turbine Fleet to Hydrogen, CCUS

    Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), an integrated aluminum producer that is also the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE’s) third-largest power generator, will develop a roadmap to decarbonize its 33 GE natural gas–fired turbines via hydrogen-switching and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) solutions. EGA and GE announced they signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to pursue the […]

  • Next AP1000 Nuclear Reactor Will Be Built in Ukraine

    Ukraine is set to host its first Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactor at state-owned Energoatom’s 2-GW Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant in the western part of the country. Under a contract signed on Nov. 22 by Patrick Fragman, president and CEO of Westinghouse, and Petro Kotin, Energoatom’s acting president, the two companies will begin engineering and procurement for […]

  • New Materials, Efficiency Upgrades Advancing Solar Technologies

    The growth curve for solar power continues its upward trajectory, thanks to technologies such as perovskites, heterojunction solar cells, and energy storage systems designed to complement rooftop solar. New

  • Why Thermal Energy Storage Offers Hot Prospects for Power

    Thermal energy storage (TES) is gaining interest and traction as a crucial enabler of reliable, secure, and flexible energy systems. The array of in-front-of-the-meter TES technologies under development