Nuclear

Waste Control Specialists (WCS) and Orano USA intend to revive licensing of a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) in Andrews County, Texas, where spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from reactors across the country can be stored until a permanent repository is developed. The companies said on March 13, 2018, they intend to form a joint venture […]

On March 27, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved Westinghouse Electric Co.’s plan of reorganization. Westinghouse said the approval is “a significant milestone in the company’s strategic restructuring,” which involves its sale to Brookfield Business Partners L.P. Brookfield announced on January 4, 2018, that it had entered into an […]

Joe Grimes, executive vice president of generation with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), gave the keynote presentation during the ELECTRIC POWER Conference and Exhibition, which was held March 19–22 in Nashville, Tennessee. His presentation focused on steps TVA is taking to diversify its generation portfolio in order to reduce risks and keep costs as low […]

The Watts Bar 2 nuclear unit has a lengthy and well-chronicled history. Construction began on the unit in 1973. It was suspended in 1985 due to slower electricity demand growth, rising construction costs due to inflation and new regulatory requirements stemming from the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979, and regulatory concerns throughout the […]

Engineers test autonomous UAS to fly inside damaged nuclear power station SAN ANTONIO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A team led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is developing unmanned aerial system (UAS) technology to fly into the containment vessels of the damaged units at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station and assess conditions. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated (TEPCO […]

Giant U.S. energy holding company Duke Energy in a new report outlined for shareholders how it will achieve a goal updated last year to reduce its 2030 carbon dioxide emissions 40% compared to 2005 and achieve a “science-based 2-degree target.” The company’s 2017 Climate Report to Shareholders made public on March 22 unveils a strategy […]

The rise of digital technologies for power plants has moved in fits and starts over the past several years, with some generators quickly embracing digitization of their assets while others are looking to justify potential investments. Suppliers of digital technologies have widely marketed the benefits, but many generators are looking to current end users for […]

Rosatom in a March 21 statement said changes to the ownership group involved with Turkey’s first nuclear power plant should not further delay construction of the facility, which has struggled with setbacks since the Russian nuclear corporation was awarded the construction contract in 2010. The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (Figure 1) is a planned 4,800-MW […]

Multi-Year Deal with Palo Verde Generating Station PHILADELPHIA, March 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Day & Zimmermann (D&Z), the century-old, family-owned provider of construction and engineering, staffing and defense solutions for leading corporations and governments around the world, announced today that its Engineering, Construction & Maintenance group has been awarded a five-year contract by Arizona […]

Framatome has performed a comprehensive modernization of the instrumentation & control (I&C) technology of the Borssele Dutch nuclear power plant, operated by EPZ (Elektriciteits-Productiemaatschappij Zuid-Nederland). The project started in 2014 and included the installation of a new reactor control and limitation system to monitor the operation of the plant and interfere in case of any […]

Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) members agreed to join their longtime rival and governing partner, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and reluctantly entered into a third grand coalition government on March 4. While this ended months of anxious handwringing following September’s national elections, the entire process was mired in frustration as the prospect of yet […]

The CEO of Texas-based CPS Energy said March 6 that the utility wants to generate at least 50% of its power from renewable sources by 2040, part of a plan that includes the addition of 550 MW of battery storage, as it looks to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. But the city-owned San Antonio […]

Marking a fresh development for the nation’s futile efforts to resolve a long-standing impasse on nuclear waste, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said it could issue a license for Holtec International’s proposed consolidated interim storage (CIS) facility for used nuclear fuel in New Mexico by July 2020 or earlier. Holtec, a Camden, New Jersey–based supplier […]

The Supreme Court for the state of New Mexico affirmed a final order by state regulators to allow Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) to replace lost generation from two shuttered units at its 1,800-MW coal-fired San Juan Regional Generation Station with coal and nuclear resources. The case stems from a petition filed by […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has formally docketed an application by Holtec Inc. to construct and operate a consolidated interim storage facility for spent fuel from commercial nuclear power reactors in Lea County, New Mexico. In docketing the application, the NRC has determined the application is sufficiently complete for the staff to begin its detailed safety, […]

According to Georgia Power’s Eighteenth Semi-annual Vogtle Construction Monitoring Report (VCM) released on February 28, more than 12 million man-hours have been worked without a lost-time injury at the Vogtle expansion project since Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy on March 29, 2017. Additionally, the company said productivity has improved since Southern Nuclear Operating Company assumed overall […]

If you’re a power plant supervisor, you’ve undoubtedly been forced to find a worker during off-hours on the spur of the moment. New tools are being used today that allow automating the callout process—and workforce schedule. Last summer City Utilities (CU) of Springfield, Missouri, joined a list of power companies automating workforce scheduling and callout […]

Spanish market and competition regulator CNMC (Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia) in a report published on January 24 said a draft government decree to block power plant closures if they

Every element in the construction and operation of power generation plants must be considered to keep such mission-critical facilities running around the clock. The proper flooring can contribute not only to

When many of us pick up our smartphones and take a panoramic photo, we probably think that’s a neat feature. But for inspection personnel at a nuclear energy facility, the technique behind those panoramic

Utilities and power plant equipment providers know that maximizing the value of their assets includes keeping them maintained and online. Minimizing downtime is critical, certainly when it comes to keeping the

Power plants are challenged to generate value from their data, but this can be a tedious and slow process, with uncertain outcomes. Now, as shown in these use cases, data analytic solutions can put innovation

Spent nuclear fuel has continued to accumulate at sites across the nation, paralyzed by a government deadlock on a nuclear waste management strategy formally established 35 years ago. Can recent developments

ABB Receives Contract to Upgrade, Expand Combined Cycle Plant. A consortium including Doosan Heavy Industries and state-owned construction company PT Hutama Karya has awarded a $40 million contract to ABB to

Reforging its core business to return to competitiveness after record losses of €4.83 billion in 2014, French nuclear firm AREVA has split its five operational business units and rebranded them—again. All

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Westinghouse Electric Company has signed a Cooperation Agreement for lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) technology development with the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) and Ansaldo Nucleare. The agreement demonstrates each party’s commitment to collaborating toward the development of a next-generation nuclear plant based on LFR technology, […]

FirstEnergy Corp. bled $2.64 billion from its competitive businesses over 2017, financial losses exacerbated by marked declines in contract sales, higher operating expenses, and costs associated with asset impairment and plant exit. The Akron, Ohio–based company, which in January received a $2.5 billion equity injection from four private investment groups to boost its transition to […]

With the Indian Government’s ambitious growth plans in the energy sector, and the aim to raise contribution in indigenous manufacturing under “Make in India” initiative, M/s Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) has awarded an order worth Euros 55 million (Rupees 4130 million) to KSB Pumps Limited for the supply of eight primary coolant pumps […]

Coal-fired power generation has taken another punch, as Consumers Energy—which along with DTE Energy supplies most of Michigan’s power—has announced it will phase out coal burning over the next two decades, with a plan to generate at least 40% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2040. Patti Poppe, Consumers’ president and CEO, made the […]

Cybersecurity threats have increased dramatically as sophisticated, nation-state developed hacking programs have been leaked to the general public. Now, common criminals have high-tech tools at their disposal with the capability to cause serious damage. As such, the power industry must take precautions and upgrade security to keep systems safe. While regulations provide a minimum security […]