Workforce

  • Addressing the Challenges Presented by a Retiring Utility Workforce

    POWER magazine has always held a special place in my heart. After my father left the Navy, he became a power engineer and a loyal subscriber to the magazine. As a kid, I remember stacks of the publication all over the house. At the high point my father had hundreds of issues amassed over decades. […]

  • Advanced Analytics Applications Power Predictive Maintenance Efforts

    Moving from reactive to predictive maintenance requires the right tools for use by subject matter experts. As the power industry continues to advance from preventative to predictive maintenance, one thing is

  • Boosting Productivity in the Utility Industry with Mobile Solutions

    In the utility industry, downtime and outages—from losing power to water shortages and burst pipes—can impact a customer’s day-to-day life, causing safety concerns and costly damages. This is especially true during sweltering summer months or freezing winter seasons caused by extreme weather and climate change. Today, digital transformation is shifting customer expectations as they demand […]

  • Goldman Sachs Stake in Fortress Underscores Supply Chain Cybersecurity Priority

    A Goldman Sachs private equity business is taking a stake in critical industry cybersecurity firm Fortress Information Security. The $125 million investment underscores a heightened awareness of supply chain vulnerabilities within the investor community. Fortress, which announced the investment from Goldman Sachs Asset Management Private Equity on April 19, said it also highlights a wider […]

  • Black & Veatch Selects Mario Azar as New Chairman and CEO

    CEO Steve Edwards to retire after 44 years with global infrastructure leader OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (15 APRIL 2022) – The Black & Veatch Board of Directors today announces it has selected Mario Azar as the chairman and CEO for the company upon the decision of Steve Edwards to retire after 44 years of outstanding leadership, […]

  • How to Complete Successful Power Projects Working with EPC Contractors

    Power companies rely heavily on engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors to build new power facilities and keep old ones in top condition. However, some projects go smoother than others

  • Making Power Plants Purr or Putting Them to Sleep: Hard Equipment and Soft Tools

    Maintenance equipment and tools have always been important for plant operators. In the early days, the tools were likely made entirely of iron and steel, copper and brass, lead, leather, rubber, or glass. Some

  • StaCool Vest™ Keeps Workers Cool and Productive

    (Lecanto, FL) – The StaCool Vest™ Core Body Cooling System is helping workers beat the summer heat, to stay cool and productive.  Micro-thin, highly breathable materials are easy to care for, providing wearers unsurpassed cooling comfort without compromising mobility.  With models that can be worn over or under normal clothing, there is a StaCool Vest™ […]

  • Illuminating Your Path to Operational Excellence, Part 2

    Following part one in this two-part series about operational excellence (OpEx) in the power industry, Hexagon discusses the value of setting milestones to help reach OpEx goals. In addition, the significance of embracing cultural change, leadership’s crucial role in change management, and how to develop change champions in power organizations is examined, along with technology […]

  • Illuminating Your Path to Operational Excellence, Part 1

    Operational excellence (OpEx) is a holistic approach to business change that requires small, ongoing modifications capable of producing significant effects. Within power operations, this approach can be used to improve crucial day-to-day procedures, such as shift handover, and address deviations from the norm, for example, market conditions. It is important to acknowledge that OpEx is […]

  • Women Are an Important Piece of UAE Nuclear Power Program

    Tuesday, March 8, was International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The idea of an International Women’s Day (IWD) was first proposed in 1910 by Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, during a conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. The […]

  • Power Industry People: Finding Top Talent in the Military

    Last month, POWER published an article written by Senior Associate Editor Darrell Proctor that detailed the challenges power companies have been facing when trying to attract high-quality recruits in the increasingly competitive labor market for engineers and other workers with technical backgrounds (see “Groups Grapple with Labor Logistics as Energy Evolves” in the February 2022 […]

  • GE Digital’s Colin Parris Elected as a Member of the National Academy of Engineers (NAE)

    One of three new GE members join an exclusive National Academy of Engineers (NAE) membership of 2,388 US members and 310 international members. Membership one of the most prestigious honors an engineer can receive 131 others, including Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, head of Microsoft Satya Nadella and Noubar B. Afeyan, co-founder and chairman, Moderna Inc. […]

  • Groups Grapple with Labor Logistics as Energy Evolves

    The continuing transition in the power generation sector means workers need new skills. The challenge for utilities and other power producers is finding the top talent at a time the labor pool is shallow

  • Four Key Allies for Keeping Powerhouses in Top Condition

    Today, power generators often don’t have the same in-house capabilities that they did in years past. Therefore, managing operations and maintenance at many facilities has become more difficult. Here are some

  • Why CFOs Must Demand Digital Transformation from Their Teams

    The last two years have had a profound effect on businesses in all industries, including power generation. Looking into the future, it’s evident that even more change is on the horizon. To accommodate these changes, one thing has become clear within the realm of finance: Digital transformation is no longer optional. Instead, it’s a necessary […]

  • Power Sector Risks Loom Large Over the Energy Transition

    The fog of uncertainty that hangs over the global power industry is getting larger and denser as generating companies and utilities navigate ever more complex challenges.

  • Top 10 Power Industry News Stories of 2021

    It’s been another news-filled year in the power industry. The following stories were the top 10 traffic-getters posted in 2021 on POWER’s website. Did you see them all as they were released? 10. Mitsubishi Power Developing 100% Ammonia-Capable Gas Turbine Mitsubishi Power is developing a 40-MW class gas turbine that can directly combust 100% ammonia […]

  • The Case for Lightweight Flame-Resistant Clothing

    About six years ago, I was excited and eager to have regular opportunities to get out from behind my computer-aided design (CAD) workstation and visit our utility’s substations, transmission line right of ways (ROWs), and telecom sites throughout our service area in Texas. Most of us engineers and technicians looked forward to these inspections as […]

  • Robots and Modular Designs Lead to Faster and Safer Solar Farm Construction and Maintenance

    Earlier this month, AES Corp. unveiled Atlas, a first-of-its-kind solar installation robot. The cutting-edge, artificial intelligence–enabled technology behind Atlas is a major advancement for the industry, making it faster, more efficient, and safer to construct new solar facilities, the company said. The innovative robot was designed by AES through a multi-year process and built in […]

  • Greenlee® Partners on Tool Ergonomics Study with Knoxville Utilities Board

    Emerson’s Greenlee team facilitated the field study designed to further enhance worker safety ROCKFORD, Ill. (November 30, 2021) – Greenlee, part of Emerson’s professional tools portfolio, is helping municipal utility workers in Knoxville, Tenn. learn how they can benefit from ergonomic health and safety on the job. Greenlee, an industry leader in tools with applied […]

  • Is it Possible to Turnaround a Turnaround?

    Sponsored by:
    Mobideo

    By Paul Muir, CRO, Mobideo Why are Turnarounds So Challenging “A large turnaround can include up to 150,000 individual activities. With this level of complexity, approximately half of all shutdown projects are delayed by more than 20% and 80% go over budget by more than 10%. Frequently, the work scope increases unexpectedly by up to […]

  • EthosEnergy CEO Ana Amicarella recognized as Top Executive for 2021

    October 19, 2021 San Antonio, Texas – EthosEnergy’s CEO, Ana Amicarella has been recognized as Top Executive of the Year during the Experience Power conference hosted by Power magazine. Power magazine honored innovative leaders from the power generation industry during an awards ceremony at the Experience Power conference last night. A worldwide call for nominations […]

  • Addressing a Skilled-Trades Gap in the Energy Sector—and How to Ease the Transition

    Increasing demands on the energy sector are driving a handful of serious workforce challenges. One of the most concerning is an aging workforce with high levels of retirement, colliding with a shortage of skilled workers to fill the gaps. Case in point—the average age of U.S. utility workers is more than 50 years old, several […]

  • Energy Transition Outlook

    As the energy sector transforms and innovates into a decarbonized, digitalized industry, it is crucial that talent pools are available with the right balance of skills and experience to deliver the projects and operations needed for a brighter tomorrow. NES Fircroft, a staffing company dedicated to providing the skilled engineers and technical workforce needed to […]