Nuclear

  • Framatome develops and implements high performance repair at Savannah River waste storage site

    Framatome and Savannah River Remediation (SRR) successfully completed repair work on a high-level waste evaporator (3H) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina. By designing and using customized components and a specialized inspection and repair technique, Framatome’s team safely cleaned, welded and sealed a contained leak from the […]

  • NuScale and Ontario Power Generation Sign MOU to Support SMR Expansion to Canadian Market

    PORTLAND, Ore. – NuScale Power is pleased to announce it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG), Ontario’s public electricity generator, who has agreed to support NuScale in its vendor design review (VDR) with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), bringing NuScale closer to introducing its ground-breaking small modular […]

  • THE BIG PICTURE: Small Modular Reactors

    Interest in small modular reactors (SMRs) has ramped up of late owing to applications in niche electricity or energy markets where large reactors would not be viable—such as for cogeneration in countries with small grids, remote and off-grid areas, and for nuclear/renewable hybrid projects. Modular attributes may also enable SMRs to target the economics of […]

  • Big Gains for Tiny Nuclear Reactors

    As the hubbub of interest and activity surrounds development of small modular reactors (SMRs) hovering between 60 MW and 300 MW, and medium-sized nuclear reactors of under 700 MW, several nuclear technology

  • Takahama a Model for Japanese Nuclear Restarts

    The challenges for Japan’s nuclear power industry have been many in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. Returning units to commercial operation requires meeting new government safety standards, along with

  • Latest Carbon Fee Initiative May Succeed Where Others Have Failed

    Washington state’s latest effort to fight climate change, Initiative 1631 (I-1631), is on the November ballot. With a broad coalition of support from business, environmental, and special interest groups

  • POWER Digest [November 2018]

    Ørsted Snaps Up Deepwater Wind in Major U.S. Offshore Wind Deal. Danish offshore wind farm developer Ørsted in October entered into an agreement with U.S.-based D.E. Shaw Group to buy a 100% equity interest

  • A Semi-Automated Metal Decontamination and Recycling Process

    A semi-automated and patented process for decontaminating and recycling radioactively contaminated heat exchanger tubes has been successfully demonstrated at the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania

  • Implementing an ASME Covered Piping Systems Program

    Power plant piping with a nominal pipe size of four inches or larger that carries steam or water operating at greater than 750F or 1,025 psi is considered a “covered piping system.” That means the

  • Network-Level Optimization: The Golden Ticket to the Future of Energy

    To remain efficient and profitable, utilities must anticipate the ebb and flow of the market. That means companies must gain visibility into the generation and consumption of energy. With network-level

  • Equipment Showcase: Valves, Piping, and Fittings

    Proper valves, pipes, and fittings are important for successful operation of power generation facilities. This equipment includes products with versatile designs to establish effective joining and sealing

  • Precision and Partnership Spur Innovations for Nuclear Project

    Replacing two 40-year-old feedwater heaters at a plant of Oconee Nuclear Station’s size and age was fated to be a complicated project, but through meticulous modeling and planning, and seamless

  • China Sets a New Renewable Portfolio Standard

    China in mid-September increased its renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 35% of electricity consumption by 2030. The country has already heavily invested in wind and solar, and it anticipates more gains will

  • A Legal Guide to Power Generation Mergers and Acquisitions

    A myriad of issues come into play when parties execute power industry mergers and acquisitions. Part 1 of this two-part series examines what dealmakers need to know before making any transactions

  • More Losses for FirstEnergy; FES Seeks Policy Support Amid Bankruptcy

    Despite significant milestones to become a fully regulated utility, FirstEnergy Corp. on October 25 reported third-quarter losses of $512 million on revenue of $3.1 billion. The results largely reflect charges related to the court-approved settlement in the bankruptcy cases of its competitive subsidiaries FirstEnergy Solutions (FES) and FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. (FENOC), the company said. […]

  • What Is Coal’s Future? [PODCAST]

    The Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs—a bipartisan think tank—will host the “Jackson Hole Global Forum: Climate Solutions, Coal Communities, and Economic Diversification,” in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, November 8–9, 2018. Among the sessions on day one is a panel titled “What Is Coal’s Future?” Charles K. Ebinger, nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, will […]

  • U.S. Department of Energy Awards GE $33.7 Million to Strengthen the Resilience of Nuclear Reactor Fuel

    GE’s Global Research Center and Nuclear fuel business partnering with three National Labs (Los Alamos, Oak Ridge and Idaho) and with the Exelon and Southern Company utilities to develop and test more advanced fuel rod technologies Project will tap Global Research’s deep technical strength in materials science, 3D printing and jet engine technologies to develop […]

  • Companies Will Collaborate on Blockchain Tool for U.S. Power Market

    A subsidiary of grid operator PJM Interconnection has joined with a Switzerland-based group to build and evaluate a blockchain-based tool to help the U.S. power generation industry. Energy Web Foundation (EWF) and PJM Environmental Information Services (PJM-EIS) on October 25 said they would collaborate on developing and testing a reference implementation of EWF’s open-source Energy […]

  • Now Two AP1000 Reactors in Commercial Operation, Vogtle Makes Progress Too

    Unit 1 at the Haiyang nuclear power plant in Shandong, China, successfully completed a 168-hour full-power continuous operation test, meeting the requirement for commercial operation, State Power Investment Corp. Ltd. announced on October 23. Its AP1000 reactor is the first nuclear unit to be placed in operation in Shandong, an eastern province on the Yellow […]

  • ServiceMax Launches New Predix ASM Software for Equipment Operators

    Proactive equipment maintenance continues to be a priority for power plant operators. ServiceMax, a GE Digital company that provides field service management software, on October 25 announced it has launched its Predix ServiceMax Asset Service Management (ASM), a new offering to help operators “transform their entire asset maintenance process from a break-fix model to a […]

  • Two critical floor modules placed at Vogtle nuclear expansion

    Modules precede concrete placements inside Unit 4 containment vessel New aerial video highlights significant progress at construction site ATLANTA, Oct. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Georgia Power announced today the placement of two key floor modules at the Vogtle nuclear expansion near Waynesboro, Georgia. These module placements, referred to as CA35 and CA33, will be followed […]

  • Reports: Trump Administration Supports GE Over Siemens in $15B Iraq Deal

    Iraq signed a memorandum of understanding on October 15 to develop power plants in the country with General Electric (GE). The Financial Times on October 18 said the $15 billion deal was brokered after senior officials in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iraq that relations with the U.S. would be threatened if Iraq […]

  • NRC Approves Changes to Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant Emergency Planning Requirements

    October 18, 2018 — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted Exelon Generation Company’s request to modify the emergency preparedness plan for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey Township, N.J., to reflect the plant’s decommissioning status. The changes include exemptions from specific NRC requirements that may not be applicable to a plant that has […]

  • As DOE’s Coal Rescue Reportedly Dead-Ends, Stakeholders Recommend New Pathways

    The White House may have shelved an effort to force grid operators to buy power from uneconomic coal and nuclear plants amid opposition inside the administration, Politico reported on October 15.  The publication reported “four people with knowledge of the discussions” have confirmed that opposition from the president’s own advisers on the National Security Council […]

  • Dominion Files to Extend Operations at Surry Nuclear Plant to 80 Years

    Dominion Energy has filed an application to extend the operating licenses for two 45-year-old nuclear reactors at the Surry Power Station through 2052 and 2053—when they will be 80 years old.  Surry’s Unit 1 and 2, located near Newport News, Virginia, are three-loop Westinghouse pressurized water reactors (PWRs) that began operation in December 1972 and […]

  • Test Your Knowledge Archive

    Test Your Knowledge The quizzes provided here offer an easy way to test your knowledge of various power-related subjects. If you want to learn more about the quiz topics, follow links to articles from the POWER archive, which are provided on each individual quiz webpage. Competitive Maintenance Strategies Quiz https://www.powermag.com/test-your-knowledge-competitive-maintenance-strategies/ Scaffold Safety Quiz https://www.powermag.com/test-your-knowledge-scaffold-safety/ Monitoring and Treatment of Closed-Loop […]

  • Competitive Generators Look to the Supreme Court After Seventh Circuit Declines Rehearing on Nuclear Subsidies

    The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has declined to rehear a case that challenges nuclear subsidies in Illinois, effectively dealing a blow to a group of competitive generators, which have fought the measure for several years. In an order issued on October 9, the appellate court said its full judicial panel had voted to deny […]

  • Florida Panhandle Utilities Brace for Hurricane Michael

    Packing 150 mph winds, Hurricane Michael has made landfall along the Florida Panhandle. The almost–Category 5 storm might well be the strongest to hit the Emerald Coast in more than 100 years. Not since Hurricane Opal, back in 1995, has there been a storm even remotely as strong as Michael to strike the coastal area. Causing major havoc […]

  • GE Power Will Supply Four Nuclear Turbine Islands for Egypt’s First Nuclear Plant

    BADEN, Switzerland (October 9, 2018) — GE Power announced it won the contract to deliver the turbine island equipment for El Dabaa nuclear power plant project in Egypt through AAEM its joint venture with Atomenergomash. GE Power will supply the basic design of four conventional island, supply four nuclear turbine generator sets, including the Arabelle half-speed steam […]

  • IPCC confirms need for low-carbon nuclear to tackle climate change

    Brussels, 8 October 2018: Nuclear power is essential if the world is to keep global warming to below 1.5 degrees, according to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC). Indeed, for electricity generation, the share of nuclear will need to increase significantly in order to meet global targets. According to Debra […]