Plant Design

  • Curtiss-Wright’s Brea CA Facility Receives ISO 9001:2015 Certification

    BREA, CA ­– July 14, 2023 – Curtiss-Wright’s Nuclear division announced today that its Brea, CA facility has received ISO 9001:2015 certification for its quality management system (QMS). This globally-recognized certification allows the company to provide valves, vessels, actuators, control systems, and engineering services for use in construction of next generation Advanced Reactor (AR) and […]

  • Watertight AUMA actuators for underwater hydro turbine control

    An AUMA electric actuation solution ensures high-precision guide vane adjustment for a fully-submersible hydro turbine from Natel Energy at the Sauerbrunn hydropower plant near Graz, Austria, thus helping to boost green energy. California-based turbine manufacturer Natel Energy required an actuator that could operate continuously underwater, provide accurate positioning to optimally control the water supply to […]

  • POWER’s 2023 Plant of the Year: Estrella del Mar III

    For more than four decades, POWER magazine has honored the top performers in the electricity-generating industry with annual power plant awards. Award winners are selected by the editors of POWER based on nominations submitted by industry insiders, including suppliers, designers, constructors, and operators of power plants. Winning POWER’s Plant of the Year in 2023 is […]

  • Dania Beach Clean Energy Center: A Vital Power Resource for Southeast Florida

    Florida Power & Light’s Dania Beach site has been producing power for Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and surrounding communities for more than 95 years. With the latest modernization project, it’s destined to

  • Dominion Energy’s Reverse Osmosis Concentrate Recovery System Wins POWER’s Water Award

    Sustainability and corporate responsibility are hugely important to power companies and their stakeholders today. When employees take these initiatives to heart and implement innovative ideas, goals can be met

  • Interconnection Constraints Threaten Success of Clean Energy Projects

    Power projects are filled with risk. One of the biggest risks today for clean energy developers involves interconnection constraints. And according to Sarp Ozkan, vice president of Commercial Product at

  • Developing Coatings for Use in Harsh Biomass Combustion Environments

    Corrosion is a constant battle for infrastructure of all kinds—the natural response of materials like metals to their environment, causing damage to everything from turbines to oil pipelines and vehicles. The costs are vast. A National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) IMPACT study published in 2013 claims that corrosion causes damage valued at $2.5 trillion […]

  • Fusion Energy Projects Get Boost from DOE Funding

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the first round of awardees of the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program. The program is the latest in a series of efforts designed to align public and private sectors toward fusion commercialization. “The Biden administration obviously sees enormous potential in fusion—harnessing the power of the sun and the stars […]

  • Rethinking Energy Reliability with Modern Power Systems

    As the energy transition to inverter-based resources continues, reliability risk increases and requires additional investment to mitigate threats. But what measures should be put in place, what are the

  • Solenoid Valves: Choosing the Right Option for Power Generation Applications

    Solenoid valves play a crucial role in power generation applications, providing reliable and efficient control over fluid and gas flow. Their ability to operate quickly and precisely makes them indispensable in power plants, ensuring seamless operations and enhanced safety. In this article, we will look into the fundamentals of solenoid valve operation, explore their significance […]

  • TVA Head Wants Nothing to Do with Building One Reactor Unless He Can Build 20

    Building a nuclear power plant is a difficult job. It takes years of planning and sometimes more than a decade to complete. The risk of schedule delays is great, especially on first-of-a-kind projects, and the financial implications of such setbacks can ruin a company. Yet, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) president and CEO, Jeff Lyash, […]

  • Siting a Nuclear Power Facility Is Both Art and Science

    With governments and industry engaging more frequently and decisively on how nuclear energy can help meet their climate, electrification, and economic goals, attention is now turning to how we get the needed capacity built. While extending the operating lives of existing nuclear plants, some countries will need to build new nuclear capacity to meet their […]

  • NuScale Power and Nucor Corporation Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Explore Deployment of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors to Power Nucor Electric Arc Furnace Steel Mills

    PORTLAND, Ore. – NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR) and Nucor Corporation (Nucor) today announced the two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore co-locating NuScale’s VOYGR™ small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) power plants to provide clean, reliable baseload electricity to Nucor’s scrap-based Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) steel mills. The companies will also […]

  • Westinghouse Unveils the AP300—A Miniaturized AP1000 Small Modular Nuclear Reactor

    Westinghouse has officially unveiled the AP300, a “downsized” version of the company’s flagship AP1000 Generation III+ pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology. While the small modular reactor (SMR) will enter a nuclear market already rife with development, the AP300’s “nth-of-a-kind” basis positions it as a strong competitor, the company told POWER. The 300-MWe/900-MWth AP300, launched on May 4, […]

  • Fusion Energy Reaches Prime Time

    Over the last three years, electricity generation from fusion has moved from the realm of science fiction to the brink of serious development. A lot has happened, but challenges remain before fusion arrives on

  • Searching for Advanced Nuclear Power Technology? Look to Idaho

    It might surprise many people to learn that nearly every operating reactor in the world has technological roots in Idaho. The fact is, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), which was known as the National

  • Turbine Bypass Valve Challenges

    Turbine bypass valves are one of the most difficult applications in a power plant. Keeping these valves operating efficiently and avoiding unexpected failures is critical for plant operation. When engineers

  • The Future Looks Bright for Nuclear Power—Dare We Use the ‘R’ Word Again?

    The term “nuclear renaissance” was very popular in the early 2000s. Nuclear power plant operators had substantially improved existing plant performance, and many new plants were being considered around the

  • Optimizing Combined Cycle Power Plant Operations

    Cogentrix Energy and Siemens Energy have partnered to optimize 8000H-class gas turbine reliability and outage planning. Under Cogentrix’s management, the Patriot site successfully upgraded one of its

  • Cameras Are an Important Security Tool for Power Plants and Substations

    Physical security of plants and substations has become a real concern for power companies. In an interview with NPR, Puesh Kumar, director of the U.S. Energy Department’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy

  • Considerations for Automatic Filtration of Cooling Tower Water Systems

    Waste reduction and process efficiencies are key for companies wanting smoother operations. As various industries, including power generation, seek ways to improve operational efficiency, cooling water

  • China Begins Operation of First CGN Hualong One Nuclear Reactor

    The first Hualong One unit, a 1,180-MWe nuclear reactor designed by China General Nuclear (CGN), is now operational at the company’s Guangxi Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Station in western China’s Guangxi Autonomous Region. Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Plant is 39% owned by Guangxi Investment Group and 61% by CGN. The plant plans to house six 1,000-MWe reactors, […]

  • El Salvador Sets Sights on Joining the ‘Nuclear Power Club’

    El Salvador is taking steps to add nuclear power to the country’s energy mix, as the nation of about 6.5 million people looks to diversify its electric power generation fleet. In support of that effort, the government of El Salvador and the Thorium Energy Alliance, a Harvard, Illinois–based non-profit advocacy group that endorses thorium-fueled reactors, […]

  • Sampling Procedures for Inspection and Sampling Plans for Lot Inspection Using ISO 2859

    Sampling is a technique in which samples are drawn at random (without any favor or bias). For this, suitable measures or procedures may be laid down and adopted according to the nature and configuration of parts under inspection for ensuring complete randomness in sample selection. The term sample implies a subset chosen from the population. […]

  • Enel and Newcleo Agree to Partner on New Gen-IV Small Modular Reactors

    The Enel Group and nuclear technology company newcleo signed an agreement under which they will work together on Generation-IV (Gen-IV) nuclear technology projects. Under the deal, Enel will collaborate with newcleo by providing “specialized expertise” through the sharing of “a number of the company’s qualified personnel.” newcleo, for its part, will secure an option for […]

  • Is a Nuclear Reactor Headed to the Heart of Your City?

    It’s not uncommon for nuclear power plants to be sited relatively close to large metropolitan areas (within 50 miles, for example), after all, that is where the biggest loads are, but reactors are rarely placed near the center of large cities. This is mainly due to the risks associated with a meltdown, or even a […]

  • Major Nuclear Players Team on Innovative Construction Delivery Approach for BWRX-300 SMR at Darlington

    Ontario Power Generation (OPG), GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), SNC-Lavalin, and Aecon have signed a trailblazing six-year alliance agreement designed to bolster the deployment of a BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) at the Darlington New Nuclear Project (DNNP) in Clarington, Ontario. The contract unveiled on Jan. 27—a year after OPG selected GEH’s BWRX-300 for the […]

  • Texas Utility Will Add More Peaking Power

    The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) said it will build a new 190-MW peaker power plant in central Texas to provide additional dispatchable power to the state’s electric grid. A peaker plant is one that is typically used only for brief periods during times when the demand for power approaches or surpasses the amount of […]

  • Distributed Generation in Cuba: Present and Future

    Distributed generation stands out in the Cuban power system, where there are hundreds of units dispersed throughout the country. In times of contingency, and as usually happens when a hurricane hits the country, distributed generation ensures the vitality of electrical service through interconnected systems in the form of “islands.” Of the slightly more than 6,000 […]

  • What Will a Fusion Power Plant Look Like?

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on Dec. 13 “the achievement of fusion ignition.” The milestone is a major scientific breakthrough, decades in the making. Fusion, of course, is the process by