Here are the sessions you won't want to miss today (all are from 2 p.m. to 4: 30 p.m.):

• 1B: Fuel Handling Challenges and Improvements
• 2B: Trends in Gas Turbine Technology
• 5B: Operational Excellence
• 6B: Fire Hazard Modeling for Hazard Analysis
• 8B: MATS Dry Sorbent Injection
• 9B: Microgrids

A Preconference Recap

The Future of the Electric Utility

On Monday at the EPEC Executive Conference, C-level utility industry executives, government officials, regulators, and members of the financial community deliberated challenges to traditional utility business models, as well as new regulations, and changes in consumer behavior. The first-ever ELECTRIC POWER preconference executive summit offered by the TradeFair Group as part of its Executive Power Executive Conference (EPEC) series will continue on Thurs., April 3, to offer insights and share strategies on near-term challenges posed by the water/energy nexus to new and existing generating assets.

Inside Louisiana’s Cleanest Gas-Fired Project

On Monday morning, a busload of ELECTRIC POWER attendees took advantage of the opportunity to tour Unit 6 of Entergy’s Ninemile Point Plant,  a combined cycle project that is under construction in Westwego, La., just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans.

The Ninemile Point plant has been in operation since the 1950s and currently consists of five dual-fuel boiler units. Units 1 and 2 have been retired, and Unit 3 is nearing end-of-life. The new Unit 6 will employ two dual-fuel General Electric 7FA gas turbines, each feeding a Vogt Power International triple-pressure duct-fired heat recovery steam generator, which will supply steam to a tandem compound Toshiba steam turbine. Each gas turbine is rated at 150 MW, with total plant capacity approximately 550 MW.

Unit 6 will operate on natural gas, but has the ability to burn fuel oil if necessary. The $721 million project began construction last year and will be operational by mid-2015. Approximately 750 workers will be employed during construction, and 21 full-time positions will be created.

Same Venue, More Value

Two major industry groups will this year host their meetings at the same venue to allow members to capitalize their time at ELECTRIC POWER: The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Loss Control/Fire Protection Task Force and the PRB Coal Users' Group. On Monday, the EEI Loss Control/Fire Protection Task Force held a daylong meeting to discuss a number of topics, including an update to the standard on combustible dust (NFPA 652), construction and property losses, and the claims experience. The PRB Coal Users' Group annual meeting and conference, co-located with ELECTRIC POWER 2014, will begin today at 8 a.m. and continue through Thurs., April 3.

Sitting in conference sessions where you listen to and interact with presenters is one way to learn what's new in the industry. Strolling the Exhibit Floor is another. Even the most experienced plant operator will learn something new from the vendor representatives and displays during the next three days. In fact, the Exhibit Floor is a prime opportunity for some win-win interaction: plant managers and operators can learn about the latest tools for doing their jobs smarter and safer; vendors learn what their end users need and want.

ELECTRIC POWER Theater

Don't miss these valuable events throughout the day on the Exhibit Floor that will offer current, relevant information and compliment what you've learned during conference or on the Exhibit Floor. Today's events include:

• 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.: The U.S.-Mexico Border Energy Forum: New Opportunities
• 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Industrial Info Resources (IIR) presents a North American power industry outlook; a U.S. industrial market outlook; and a broader knowledge-building session for beginner and advanced users of IIR’s online database tools.
• 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Power talks spanning perimeter security for industrial control systems; success stories for combined heat and power, fuel cells, and energy storage batteries; and a how-to for extending the design life of compromised cooling water piping with robotically applied polyurea.

Veterans in Power

Also new and noteworthy this year: As part of its Veterans in Power (VIP) initiative, ELECTRIC POWER will recognize employers, programs, and partnerships that have successfully focused on elevating the careers of American veterans in the energy industry. Recipients of the first-ever Faraday Awards to be honored on the exhibit floor today from 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. are:

• American Electric Power and Incremental Systems Corp. for their Power4Vets program, representing an investor-owned utility partnership with a small business.
• Dominion Resources and the Center for Energy Workforce Development for their Troops to Energy program, representing an investor-owned utility partnership with a non-profit organization.
• Siemens Energy and Central Piedmont Community College for their Apprenticeship Charlotte program, representing an industry-sector partnership with education.

Here's what the show floor looked like during setup on Monday morning.

[TK: PHOTO OF EXHIBIT HALL UNDER CONSTRUCTION, CM]

Utilities Reach Agreement on SONGS Closure Costs
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Senate Leaders Call for Investigation into FERC Leaks
In a letter to Department of Energy Inspector General Gregory Friedman, U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) requested an investigation into sensitive information leaks suspected to have originated in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) offices. Read More »

Happy Anniversary, Three Mile Island!
On the 35th anniversary of the most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history, it seems fitting to take a look back at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) meltdown. Read More »

FERC Staff Highlight Changing Power Mix as Demand Falls for Third Straight Year
The changing generation mix and recent extreme weather throughout the U.S. have led the power sector to evaluate and begin making changes to address their increased dependence on natural gas and the integration of renewables, staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said in the 2013 State of the Markets report. Read More »

Proposal to Clarify Clean Water Act Puts McCarthy on Hot Seat
When Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy testified at the House Appropriations subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies today, Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) made it clear from the start that he would be at odds with her. Read More »

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