Latest

  • Another Kentucky Coal Plant Shutting Down

    Another coal plant in the heart of coal country is shutting down after Owensboro Municipal Utilities, Kentucky’s largest municipal electric retailer, said it would retire Unit 1 of the Elmer Smith Power Plant in Owensboro some time between 2019 and 2020. The 163-MW Unit 1 opened in 1964. The larger 282-MW Unit 2, which came […]

  • Duke Energy Settles with Groups Over Edwardsport Operating Costs

    Duke Energy Indiana reached a settlement agreement with some of the state’s key consumer groups related to operating costs at its Edwardsport integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) coal power plant. The deal was submitted to state regulators on Sept. 18 and is subject to Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) approval. If approved, it would resolve […]

  • Cybersecurity Rating Firm Finds Energy and Utilities Industry Performance Concerning

    Researchers looking at “quantifiable differences in security performance” across industries from August 1, 2014, to August 1, 2015, found “challenging performance trends” in the critical energy and utilities sector. The third annual BitSight Insights Industry Benchmark report analyzed security ratings of nearly 10,000 organizations in six industries: finance, federal government, retail, energy and utilities, healthcare, […]

  • NRG Energy to Reorganize, Seeds New Renewables Company

    NRG Energy has embarked on a “reset” that will see a separation of its core distributed generation and fossil fuel businesses.  The company, headquartered in Princeton, N.J., wants to “simplify” NRG Group to cut down expenses and debt. In a transition that will begin now and be fully effective on Jan. 1, 2016, it will separate […]

  • Storage Is Key to CSP’s Future, CEOs Say

    The global concentrating solar power (CSP) sector, criticized by some observers for high costs and uncertain technology, is poised for significant growth and a key role in the power mix—provided markets are structured to properly value their ability to store and dispatch renewable energy, three senior CSP executives said on Sept. 16. Speaking at the […]

  • Threats to Electric Power Grid Could Result in “Black Sky Days”

    The societal impact of a “Black Sky Day”—a term used by electric infrastructure security experts when discussing a collapse of the North American power grid—would be devastating, according to Dr. Daniel Baker, distinguished professor of Planetary and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Baker testified before two subcommittees of the U.S. House of […]

  • “Keep It Going!” Biden Tells Solar Industry

    Speaking at the Solar Power International (SPI) conference in Anaheim, Calif., on Sept. 16, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden hailed the nation’s progress in expanding its solar generation capacity and announced several new investments in solar power technology as part of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Sunshot Initiative. In an enthusiastic and animated address to […]

  • Calpine’s Geothermal Facilities Devastated in California Blaze

    Parts of Calpine Corp.’s The Geysers geothermal power complex have been severely damaged by a wildfire that has incinerated swathes of California.  One of the world’s largest geothermal facilities, the 725-MW Geysers complex sits on 45 square miles of land along the border of Sonoma and Lake Counties in Northern California. Calpine said at least […]

  • Case Study: Exelon Ensures Nuclear Power Plant Safety Using Online Monitoring

    Exelon has optimized the efficiency of its operations, maintenance, and engineering staff. By automating data collection, plant engineers now focus on analyzing data rather than manually collecting data and risking radiation exposure. Download this case study to get more details then go here to learn more about Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) for Power Generation.

  • Entergy’s FitzPatrick Reactor May Be Next Nuclear Casualty

    Entergy’s 850-MW James A. FitzPatrick nuclear plant located near Oswego, N.Y., may be the next reactor doomed to close on profitability woes.  Entergy’s CEO Leo Denault told attendees at the Barclays CEO EnergyPower Conference on Sept. 10 that the company will need to decide by the end of this year whether to go forward with […]