Power
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Power
Keeping Substations Shielded: Maintaining Proper Protection from Lightning
Electrical substations utilize direct lightning stroke shielding to help ensure proper operation, and to prevent costly damages and extended outages. While modern substation designs and equipment make them
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Legal & Regulatory
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative: An Unconstitutional Interstate Compact?
One of the primary objectives of the powerful anti-fossil fuel lobby over the past two decades has been a federally mandated limit on carbon emissions. But the Supreme Court’s recent decision in West
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Connected Plant
Inventory Management Systems: How Automation Can Save Time and Reduce Costs for Power Companies
Inventory management can provide significant operational benefits for power companies. From forecasting, fueled by real-time data, to automated replenishment and supply chain continuity, digital solutions are
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O&M
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
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Offshore Wind
Arctic Circle Offshore Wind Farm Will Power Oil Exploration Platform
Development of the first floating offshore wind farm in the Arctic Circle is moving forward, with three Norwegian companies releasing a project plan for the installation. The GoliatVIND project is envisioned as a 75-MW array installed in deep water northwest of Hammerfest, Norway, in the Barents Sea. The installation would be linked into the Goliat […]
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Trends
South Korean Companies Snap Up Opportunities to Advance Floating Nuclear, Nuclear Hydrogen, SMRs
Days after Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced it would participate in a consortium to develop floating nuclear power plants, the owner and operator of South Korea’s 25 nuclear power plants joined forces with TerraPower to bolster the demonstration and commercialization of Natrium, TerraPower’s sodium-cooled fast reactor integrated energy system. The deals were announced […]
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Commentary
U.S., European Legislation Puts Real Muscle into Clean Energy, Decarbonization, and Job Creation, but Must Evolve to Keep Up with Demand
COMMENTARY With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in December, the U.S. put some real financial muscle behind efforts to combat climate change and incentivize renewable energy with $370 billion in loans, grants, and tax credits to spur clean energy technology development, manufacturing, and job creation. Once the full potential of the bill […]
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Offshore Wind
Norwegian Group Promotes 20 Areas for Offshore Wind Development
A Norwegian energy regulator has told officials it has identified at least 20 areas suitable for offshore wind farm development, as the government seeks to meet a target of installing at least 30 GW of offshore wind power capacity by 2040. The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, known as NVE, an agency under the […]
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Distributed Power
DOE Offers $3B Conditional Loan Guarantee to Virtual Power Plant Initiative
Sunnova Energy Corp., an energy-as-a-service (EaaS) provider, has snagged a first-of-its-kind conditional federal loan guarantee commitment of up to $3 billion for a project that could further future virtual power plant (VPP) deployment. The Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) on April 20 said it would provide a partial loan guarantee for up […]
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Wind
DTE Energy Boosts Renewable Energy Portfolio with Major Michigan Wind Farm
Midwestern utility DTE Energy announced its 225-MW Meridian Wind Park project has entered commercial operation. The group on April 18 said the wind farm, located in Merrill and spanning parts of Midland and Saginaw counties in central Michigan, features 77 turbines and operates on land leased from farmers in the region. A DTE spokesperson said […]
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Commentary
Why the U.S. Needs New Battery Technologies and Supply Chains
The future of transportation and energy storage will be powered by a range of carbon-neutral technologies, and batteries will play a major role. As part of the effort to reduce manmade carbon emissions and mitigate climate change, governments worldwide have passed measures in recent years to spur the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) as well […]
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Power
Olkiluoto 3 Finally Online in Finland; Germany Closes Last Three Nuclear Plants
A long-delayed nuclear power plant in Finland has begun producing electricity, ready to provide energy to a region in need of the facility’s output in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The 1.6-GW Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor, which is now the largest reactor in Europe, began a regular production schedule on April 16, according […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: A More Sustainable Future Through Electrification
Several energy industry experts recently spoke with POWER for a feature article on electrification that appeared in the April 2023 issue. There are many aspects to electrification, and its adoption is having a variety of impacts on different sectors across power generation and the overall energy landscape. From energy efficiency to sustainability practices, electrification is a key […]
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Gas
GE H-Class Turbines Powering Two New Gas Plants in Brazil
General Electric (GE) said it will supply its H-Class turbine technology for the expansion of a natural gas-fired power plant in Brazil, part of that country’s strategy to add baseload generation to the nation’s power grid to support the integration of renewable energy. It is GE’s second order for turbine technology at the site in […]
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Commentary
More Than Statistics: Maximizing Value From FERC OE’s Annual Report on Enforcement
Each year, pursuant to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC or Commission) Revised Policy Statement on Enforcement, FERC’s Office of Enforcement (OE) publishes “annual statistical reports” summarizing its enforcement activities during the preceding fiscal year (FY). Consistent with that directive, OE’s Annual Report on Enforcement (Annual Report) contains a range of statistical information about the […]
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Offshore Wind
Developer Plans Two Offshore Wind Projects Using 18-MW Turbines
A joint venture (JV) created to develop large-scale offshore wind projects said it plans to use what at present would be the world’s largest wind turbines at two projects located between Spain and Portugal. IberBlue Wind, a JV that includes Ireland’s Simply Blue Group along with Spanish companies Proes Consultores and FF New Energy Ventures, […]
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Commentary
Financing the Energy Transition: Forging Ahead in the Wake of Silicon Valley Bank
Considering the unfathomable costs of unabated climate change, it stands to reason that even the most elementary investment thesis for the energy transition merits sincere consideration. And with the enormous sums of public and private capital committed these last few years toward the companies, technologies, and projects that promise to drive climate change mitigation and adaptation, it would appear […]
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Gas
Montana Judge Cancels Air Permit for Gas-Fired Power Plant
A judge in Montana has canceled the air quality permit for a natural gas-fired power plant under construction in the state, citing concerns about emissions of greenhouse gases from the facility. State District Judge Michael Moses on April 6 said government officials needed to more adequately consider the plant’s emissions during its lifecycle. The judge […]
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Nuclear
Vogtle Unit 3 Generates Electricity, Connects to Power Grid
Georgia Power has announced another milestone for the two-unit reactor expansion at the Plant Vogtle nuclear power site, as Unit 3 on April 1 successfully generated electricity for the first time. The utility said the unit has been synchronized and connected to the power grid. The announcement comes after Georgia Power two weeks ago said […]
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Nuclear
India Eyes Major Expansion of Nuclear Power
India’s government is pushing for construction of more nuclear power plants as the country looks to increase its supply of cleaner energy. Officials have made some ambitious pronouncements, calling for as
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Nuclear
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
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Distributed Energy
Driving on Electric Avenue—Innovation Pushes Energy Transformation
A seismic shift is ongoing in the energy space, as transportation, industry, and other sectors turn toward electricity and away from fossil fuels to supply their power. The push for decarbonization of the
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Geothermal
Startups Are Shaking Up Geothermal Power’s Prospects
Driven by ripe market conditions, technology startups are injecting investment and innovation into geothermal power to unlock novel applications that could substantially scale up the niche renewable power
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Gas
Gas Power Outlook: Gas Turbines Will Play a Vital Role in Decarbonization
Natural gas–fired power generation has seen its ups and downs over the past couple of decades. In some cases, highly efficient combined cycle units were taken offline because they just weren’t needed. But
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Gas
POWER Digest [April 2023]
New Natural Gas–Fired Plant Approved for Philippines. San Miguel Consolidated Power Corp. (SMCPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of SMC Global Power Holdings Corp., said it received environmental approval to
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Fiction
Marnie Surfaceblow: Even Minor Alarms Can Lead to Major Safety Improvements
When investigating any potential problem, keep your eyes and your mind open to other possible dangers. “I am starting to wonder if you accepted this assignment because of … that,” stated Maya Sharma
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Gas
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
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Commentary
Celebrating Diversity Drives Results
The energy sector is facing unprecedented times as we see oil and gas companies expanding into renewables, as well as enhanced carbon capture for traditional fossil fuels. If there was ever a time we needed
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Legal & Regulatory
CEQ’s New Guidance on NEPA Reviews for Clean Energy Projects
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) earlier this year published its updated “Guidance on Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change,” a document for the assessment and disclosure
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Safety
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