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News
25-Ton Hydraulic Internal/External Puller
Posi Lock’s hydraulic line featuring the patented "Safety Cage" has been expanded to include the PH-113IE, a three-jaw, 25-ton internal/external puller that is designed to solve problems associated with the removal of gears, bearings, and other press-fit items. The PH-113IE’s internal puller jaws have a reach from 2.5 inches to 7 inches and a spread […]
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News
Ark. Appeals Court Blocks Turk Plant; SWEPCO Files Appeal, Will Continue Construction
An Arkansas appeals court last week overturned on technical grounds a key decision by the state regulators that authorized construction of Southwestern Electric Power Co.’s (SWEPCO’s) 600-MW John W. Turk Jr. coal-fired power plant in Hempstead County—the nation’s first ultrasupercritical project. SWEPCO on Monday filed an appeal with the Arkansas Supreme Court and said it would continue the plant’s construction because delays could prove costly.
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News
House Passes Climate Change and Energy Bill by Slim Margin
The U.S. House of Representatives passed by a narrow vote of 219–212 a mammoth climate change and energy bill on Friday that, among other things, seeks to establish a carbon emissions reduction goal, a cap-and-trade program, and a federal renewable energy standard. The bill now heads to the Senate.
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News
Ontario Suspends Multibillion Dollar Nuclear Projects Amid AECL Uncertainties
The Ontario government has suspended a 10-year multibillion dollar nuclear upgrade project to replace two reactors at the Darlington site, citing pricing and uncertainty regarding the future of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL), Canada’s sole bidder.
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News
Exelon Suspends Victoria Nukes on Economic Uncertainties, Loan Guarantees
Exelon, the largest nuclear power generator in the U.S., has suspended plans to build a proposed two-unit nuclear plant in Victoria, Texas, because of uncertainties in the domestic economy and limited federal loan guarantees.
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News
Report: Combination of “Rarely Found” Factors Led to TVA Coal Ash Spill
The breach of a 50-year-old coal ash storage pond and subsequent ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County, Tenn., last December was caused by a rare and complex combination of conditions, a six-month independent engineering study has found. These included the existence of an unusual bottom layer of ash and silt, the high water content of the wet ash, the increasing height of ash, and the construction of sloping dikes over the wet ash.
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News
Interior Department to Fast-Track Solar Development on Public Lands
Federal agencies will work with western leaders to designate tracts of U.S. public lands in the West as prime zones for utility-scale solar energy development, fund environmental studies, open new solar energy permitting offices, and speed reviews of industry proposals, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said on Monday.
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News
GE Energy and MHI to Co-Develop “Next Generation” Steam Turbine
GE Energy and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) last week agreed to co-develop a “next generation” steam turbine for use in gas turbine combined-cycle power plants. If successful, the parties will separately manufacture and sell the co-developed steam turbine.
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HR
TREND — Power Companies Push Hiring Military Vets
Many U.S. power companies are focusing their hiring efforts on military veterans. According to human resources HR experts, it makes a lot sense—beyond pure patriotism. Vets are motivated, experienced, often well-trained, and instilled with team-work. Plus, there is a great need to replace the retiring “baby boomers” generation who have populated many key industry jobs. In some cases, there’s even a financial incentive for hiring vets.
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Legal & Regulatory
White House Announces Cyber Security Plan
The Obama administration has unveiled its long-awaited policy on cyber security of government and private-sector communication and distribution systems. Is it less than meets the eye, as some critics argue?