Latest
-
Interview
The POWER Interview: Attracting the New Utility Workforce
The global energy sector, including utilities, is looking at a talent drain. As older workers retire, the competition to recruit younger workers to replace them has heated up. The power generation industry today is more digitized, reliant on expertise in analyzing data and developing software. That means many workers who could move into positions at […]
-
Connected Plant
Hitachi ABB Power Grids Reshapes COVID-Challenged Customer Engagement
In a pioneering effort to overcome pandemic challenges that have hampered its interaction with customers, partners, and other stakeholders, Hitachi ABB Power Grids on Feb. 9 inaugurated a “customer experience” center at the company’s North American headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. The North America Customer Experience Center, which is located in a state-of-the-art facility on […]
-
POWER Podcasts
Is Nuclear Power Poised for a Resurgence?
Since 1990, nuclear power has consistently supplied about 19% to 20% of the electricity used in the U.S. However, very few nuclear plants have been added to the U.S. fleet over that time. Currently, the only new nuclear project in the U.S. is Southern Company’s Plant Vogtle expansion, which is expected to add two new […]
-
News
GE Gas Turbines Will Replace Coal at Colorado Plant
The plan to retire the last coal-fired units at a power plant in Colorado has moved a step closer to completion, with the announcement that Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) has chosen General Electric (GE) technology to keep the plant operating at least temporarily as a gas-fired facility. GE on Feb. 10 announced that six of […]
-
Fuel
Honeywell to Reopen Sole U.S. Uranium Conversion Plant
Honeywell is gearing up to reopen the Metropolis Works plant in Metropolis, Illinois—the U.S.’s sole uranium conversion facility—and restart production of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) by early 2023. The Charlotte, North Carolina–based global technology giant told POWER in a statement on Feb. 9 it has communicated to employees and officials its intent to reopen the facility, which […]
-
Wind
GE, Labs Join Project for 3D-Printed Wind Turbine Blades
Three GE business units will partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) to develop and demonstrate an integrated additive manufacturing process for high-performance blade designs as part of a $6.7 million project funded by the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO). Under the AMO’s proposed “Additive […]
-
Hydrogen
Siemens, Air Liquide Join in Hydrogen Effort
Air Liquide SA, the French industrial-gas supplier, and Germany’s Siemens Energy AG announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop electrolysis and hydrogen technology. The companies on Feb. 8 said they will collaborate on industrial-scale hydrogen projects. They said the joint venture is designed to support the development and mass manufacturing of […]
-
Interview
The POWER Interview: AI, Big Data, and Efficiency
The increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in the power generation sector has a goal of making electricity production both more efficient, and secure. Developing ways to more quickly analyze ever-larger amounts of data is driving innovation among those people responsible for the operation of power plants and generation equipment. Many […]
-
Offshore Wind
South Korea Has Plan for $43 Billion Offshore Wind Farm
The South Korean government has announced a major part of the country’s effort to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. President Moon Jae-in on Feb. 5 attended a ceremony in which contracts were signed for a 48.5 trillion won ($43.2 billion) plan to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm by 2030, an installation that would […]
-
News
Retirement Set for Wisconsin’s Second-Largest Coal Plant
The Columbia Energy Center, a two-unit 1,100-MW coal-fired station located in Columbia County, Wisconsin, south of Portage, will be permanently retired by the end of 2024. Alliant Energy, which co-owns the facility with Wisconsin Public Service Corp. (a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group) and Madison Gas and Electric Co., made the announcement on Feb. […]