Power
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Coal
India Adds 4 GW of New Coal-Fired Capacity for Second Straight Year
India added 4 GW of coal-fired power generation capacity this year, according to the country’s Central Electricity Authority, about the same amount of new coal-based generation it added in 2023. Last year’s total was the highest level of new coal-fired capacity added in the country since 2019. The Indian government has said the country plans […]
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International
Russia Hits Ukrainian Power Stations with Christmas Day Attacks
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, reported power outages across large areas of the country after Russia fired missiles against DTEK power stations in strikes on Christmas day. DTEK said it was the 13th massive attack on Ukrainian energy systems this year, and the 10th to target DTEK power stations. At least one long-time power […]
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Connected Plant
How Successful SCADA Implementation Improves Efficiency, Uptime, and Safety
Boiler systems play a crucial role across industrial, institutional, commercial, and other large-scale facilities. The systems are often complex and require meticulous oversight to ensure optimal performance and safety. This is where supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are vital in supporting the management of boiler rooms. SCADA platforms are advanced systems used to […]
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Coal
Coal-Fired Delaware Plant Will Close Two Years Early
Officials with PJM Interconnection said a coal-fired power unit in Delaware can be closed two years ahead of schedule. The grid operator this month announced the Indian River Unit 4, a 411-MW generator in southern Delaware owned by NRG, can be taken offline without negative impacts to power reliability. The Indian River plant, located in […]
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T&D
GE Vernova Wins Major HVDC Contract for South Korea’s Largest Power Grid Infrastructure Project
GE Vernova said it has been chosen through its joint venture, KAPES, by Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) to deliver its advanced high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) system, based on line commutated converter (LCC) technology, for the 500-kV Donghaean #2 to Dong-Seoul HVDC converter station project (EP2). This project, part of a larger 4-GW HVDC transmission link, […]
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Partner Content
Aligning Power Stakeholders Through a Single Source of Truth
Sponsored by:
Author: Adam Goldfarb [This is the second blog in our Power Industry Imperatives series. View more in our Resource Center and watch the replay of the recent webinar, “Transforming Projects & Operations for the Energy Transition.”] Aligning internal teams to drive more efficient, sustainable power facilities is vital for long-term profitability and success. But owner operators, EPCs and their employees often struggle to get on the same page as they actively pursue project […]
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Nuclear
Flamanville 3 Reactor Online in France After 12-Year Delay
The largest nuclear reactor in France is finally providing power to the country’s grid, more than a decade after it was expected to enter commercial operation. Flamanville 3, an EPR reactor located in Normandy, sustained a series of technical setbacks over the past several years. The 1,600-MW unit, now the most-powerful generating unit in France, […]
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Gas
South Carolina Plant Will Add 180 MW of Gas-Fired Capacity
Santee Cooper’s board of directors approved the planned expansion of the utility’s Rainey Generating Station as a shared resource with Central Electric Power Cooperative. The additional 180 MW of generation capacity will come from a combined cycle conversion project. Officials on Dec. 20 said the new installation will include two heat recovery steam generators, a […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Driving the Development of Distributed Generation
The use of distributed energy resources (DERs), which can include solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, fuel cells, and more, is increasing as the power generation sector becomes more decentralized. The future of the distributed energy generation market is promising, as more commercial and industrial customers, along with residential electricity users, look for cleaner sources of […]
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Nuclear
Nuclear Startup Seeks Contractors for 6 GW of New Generation
The Nuclear Company, which plans to deploy 6 GW of fleet-scale nuclear power across America, on Dec. 19 announced the issuance of a solicitation of interest to contractors in engineering, procurement and construction to support its first fleet. Contractors of all sizes and capabilities are encouraged to request invitations to the formal process. The Nuclear […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Five Critical Insights from NERC’s 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment
Well over half of North America faces a potential shortage of electricity supplies in the coming years, compounded by surging demand growth, accelerating generator retirements, and delays in resource development, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has warned in its latest 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment (LTRA). The designated electric reliability organization’s (ERO’s) annual 10-year […]
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Data Centers
Understanding Uptime Institute’s Tier III Standard: A Guide to Data Center Electrical System Design
The Uptime Institute’s Tier standard is a globally recognized framework that classifies data centers into four tiers based on their infrastructure’s reliability, redundancy, and fault tolerance. These tiers—Tier I through Tier IV—provide a benchmark for data center performance, ranging from basic infrastructure (Tier I) to fully fault-tolerant systems (Tier IV). Each tier reflects specific design […]
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Partner Content
Future Electric Power Communication Networks Must Be Robust and Flexible: fgOTN Is the Best Choice
Fine grain Optical Transport Network (fgOTN) technology is optimal for future electric power communication networks. Developed under highly regarded international standards, fgOTN addresses limitations in traditional communication network systems by efficiently handling small-bandwidth services while providing high reliability and low latency. The global electric power industry is undergoing a remarkable transformation through the deployment of […]
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Gas
Why LVOE May Be a Better Decision-Making Tool Than LCOE for Power Companies
Most POWER readers are probably familiar with levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and levelized value of energy (LVOE) as metrics used to help evaluate potential power plant investment options. LCOE measures the average net present cost of electricity generation over a facility’s lifetime. It includes capital costs, fuel costs, operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, financing […]
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Commentary
The Incoming Administration Must Focus on Cybersecurity Policies That Protect the Energy Sector
COMMENTARY As the incoming administration prepares its list of priorities once President-elect Trump is sworn in for a second term on Jan. 20, 2025, it is a national security imperative that cybersecurity policy be sufficiently prioritized in a manner that enhances the security of America’s electric grids and the energy sector, as a whole. Shortly […]
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Nuclear
Virginia Officials Say State Will Be Home to World’s First Fusion Power Plant
Virginia’s governor and other officials on Dec. 17 said the state has a plan for the world’s first nuclear fusion power plant. Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) on Tuesday announced it will build a 400-MW fusion facility on a 100-acre site at the James River Industrial Park in Chesterfield County. Massachusetts-based CFS, founded in 2018, and […]
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Coal
IEA Says Global Coal Use at All-Time High, Will Remain Strong
The International Energy Agency (IEA) in a new report said global use of coal, including for power generation, is expected to reach a record 8.77 billion tonnes this year. The group said China’s continued use of coal in its power plants, along with the impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on global gas markets, means […]
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Hydro
200-MW Hydropower Project in Congo Will Support Mining Companies
An African banking group announced it will finance development of a 200-MW hydropower installation along the Lufira River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The project is the African Export-Import Bank’s (Afreximbank) first private-sector renewable energy initiative in the DRC. Afreximbank is partnering with Kipay Investments SAS (Kipay). Officials on Dec. 18 said the […]
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Solar
Primergy Solar Brings 100-MW Arkansas Project for Amazon Online
Primergy Solar, a developer, owner, and operator of utility-scale solar and energy storage projects, on Dec. 18 said the company’s 100-MWac solar project in Ashley County, Arkansas is fully operational. The Amazon Solar Farm Arkansas—Prairie Mist has begun sending power to the grid. It is the second Primergy project to enter commercial operation this year. […]
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Nuclear
Another Big Data Center Win for Nuclear: Oklo and Switch Sign Historic 12 GW Deal
Advanced nuclear firm Oklo has partnered with Switch, a Las Vegas-based data center designer, builder, and operator, to deploy 12 GW of Aurora powerhouses through 2044 in a historic deal hailed as “one of the largest corporate clean power agreements ever signed.” The two companies announced a groundbreaking Master Power Agreement on Dec. 18 to […]
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News
DOE Announces $15 Billion Loan Guarantee for PG&E
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Loan Programs Office (LPO) has announced a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $15 billion to Pacific Gas & Electric, (PG&E), the natural gas and electric utility serving Northern and Central California. It’s the largest loan guarantee ever for the LPO, which under the Biden administration […]
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Offshore Wind
2-GW Offshore Grid Connection Takes Shape in the German Baltic Sea
50Hertz, the transmission system operator (TSO) for eastern Germany, has awarded its Ostwind 4 project to GE Vernova, in consortium with Drydocks World, a DP World company that provides marine and offshore services to the renewable energy sector, among others. The project involves the design, construction, and commissioning of a 2-GW high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) electric […]
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Renewables
Vestas Will Supply Turbines for 1.1-GW Scottish Offshore Wind Project
Wind turbine manufacturer Vestas said the company will supply, install, and commission dozens of the company’s 15-MW turbines for the 1.1-GW Inch Cape offshore wind project in Scotland. The company on Dec. 16 said the order is for 72 of Vestas’ V236-15.0-MW turbines. The Inch Cape site is in the North Sea, about 9 miles […]
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Coal
Report Says $6.5 Billion in Unburned Coal Sitting at U.S. Power Plants
A new report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) says U.S. coal-fired power plants have as much as $6.5 billion of unused coal inventory, based on the latest figures on fuel stockpiles from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The IEEFA on Dec. 16 said the nation’s coal-fired power stations today […]
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Solar
Regulators Approve Largest Solar Project in Wisconsin History
The Public Service Commission (PSCW) of Wisconsin has approved construction of a $2 billion solar power project that could have more than 1,300 MW of generation capacity. The Vista Sands Solar Project, sited on more than 6,000 acres in Portage County, was greenlighted by a unanimous vote of the PSCW on Dec. 12. Vista Sands […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Energy Storage Also Eyed for Data Centers
Recent news about continued growth in the U.S. energy storage market highlighted continued deployments of grid-scale systems, along with ongoing demand from commercial and industrial and residential sectors. Electric utilities and power grid operators, along with those using storage to support distributed energy installations, want to make their power supplies more flexible, reliable, and resilient. […]
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Hydrogen
Siemens Energy Joins Forces for Bold 100% Hydrogen HL Gas Turbine Leap
Siemens Energy is teaming with UK power giant SSE to develop a combustion system that will allow its flagship SGT5-9000HL gas turbine to run 100% on hydrogen while maintaining the flexibility to operate with natural gas and blends of the two. The two companies on Dec. 9 launched “Mission H2 Power,” a project that will […]
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Energy Storage
Report: More Records for U.S. Energy Storage Deployment
The U.S. energy storage market continued its strong growth in third quarter of this year, with the grid-scale segment setting new quarterly records for deployments. That’s according to the American Clean Power Association’s (ACP) and Wood Mackenzie’s latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor report released Dec. 12. The report said Q3 set the highest record for […]
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Nuclear
How Nuclear Power Could Help Decarbonize Industrial Steam Needs
Steam is used for a wide variety of critical processes across many industrial sectors. For example, the food and beverage industry uses steam for sterilization of food processing equipment; cooking, pasteurization, and sterilization of food products; cleaning and sanitizing production lines; and providing heat for various food preparation processes. Pulp and paper facilities use steam […]
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Trends
Digitizing Distribution Substations Is Key to America’s Smart Grid Journey
The future of clean electricity is dependent on modernizing America’s electric grid. At the heart of the U.S. grid are 75,000 substations that have not been updated to meet the standards of a truly smart grid. Electric utilities are grappling to control and monitor bilateral energy flows with their current substations. This is a result […]