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  • Zero Leak Seals for Primary Fuel Nozzles

    Performance-critical equipment needs reliable and innovative repair and maintenance solutions. Sulzer is the leading service provider for rotating equipment including turbines, compressors, pumps, generators and motors.

  • Market Conditions Doom Another Nuclear Plant, Palisades, to Closure in 2018

    Entergy Corp. has decided to permanently close the Palisades nuclear power plant on October 1, 2018. The news comes as a bit of a surprise, because Entergy had a power purchase agreement with Consumers Energy—Michigan’s largest utility and the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy—which committed the company to buying nearly all of the power generated […]

  • Demand for Rare Earths Sparks Research for Recovery from Coal

    Global demand for the 17 periodic table elements—15 within the chemical group called lanthanides, plus yttrium and scandium—has soared in recent years as they become increasingly integrated in new technologies. Some major end uses include generators for wind turbines, permanent magnets and rechargeable batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles, automotive catalytic converters, fluid cracking catalysts […]

  • California Merchant Gas Generator, Lamenting Market Forces, Files for Bankruptcy

    The owner of a merchant 1,022-MW combined cycle natural gas–fired power plant in California has filed for bankruptcy protection, citing regulatory policies and market forces that have depressed revenues. La Paloma Generating Co. on December 6 filed for U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming a debt of $524 million that it racked up even though its four-unit […]

  • Leaked NRC Email Suggests Pilgrim Nuclear Plant Staff “Overwhelmed”

    An email written by the team leader of an ongoing Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection being conducted at the Pilgrim nuclear power plant suggested that the facility’s staff were “overwhelmed by just trying to run the station.” The wide-ranging NRC inspection began on Nov. 28. It is the third and largest inspection conducted as part […]

  • Trump Reportedly Picks Oklahoma Attorney General Pruitt for EPA

    President-elect Donald Trump has picked Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general, Scott Pruitt, to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the New York Times reported Wednesday afternoon, citing a transition official. The report had not been officially confirmed or denied as this article was written.     Pruitt, 48, is a long-time supporter of the fossil fuel […]

  • Germany Must Pay Nuclear Firms Compensation for 2011 Shutdown

    Germany’s highest court ruled on November 6 that energy firms E.ON, RWE, and Vattenfall have a right to seek compensation as a result of the 2011 decision to prematurely shut down the country’s nuclear fleet. The Merkel government’s order in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, in which three Japanese reactors melted down as a […]

  • Remanufacturing as Part of Power Generation Pump Maintenance

    There is constant pressure on the power generation sector to minimize downtime for maintenance but also to improve productivity. In order to meet this particular challenge, modern pump maintenance programs require a properly structured and proactive approach in order to maintain long-term reliability.

  • Exelon Gets Its Christmas Wish—Illinois Legislation Will Save Nuclear Plants

    After a lengthy process of give and take, the Illinois Legislature approved the Future Energy Jobs Bill (SB 2814) on December 1, the last day of the state’s veto session. The bill will now go to Gov. Rauner (R) for his signature, which is expected. Once signed, it will take effect on June 1, 2017, […]

  • TVA Will Pay $140,000 NRC Fine for Browns Ferry Nuke

    The Tennessee Valley Authority this week said it will pay a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposed $140,000 fine for security violations at its Browns Ferry nuclear station near Athens, Ala. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Steve Bono, Browns Ferry site director, said that the giant regional power agency “accepts full responsibility” for the […]