Latest
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Coal
DOE Funds New Gasification Projects As Existing IGCC Projects Face Turmoil
Seven gasification projects will receive about $7.5 million in funding from the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Energy Technology Laboratory. The projects will reduce the cost of coal conversion and mitigate the environmental impacts of fossil-fueled power generation, the DOE said in a statement on July 14. The projects fall under two subtopic areas: development […]
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Cybersecurity
Cyber Attack on U.S. Grid Could Destroy Dozens of Plants, Cost Billions, Report Says
A cyber attack on the U.S. power grid could potentially destroy dozens of generating units, leave 93 million people without power for weeks, and result in nearly $250 billion dollars in economic damage, according to a new report from Lloyd’s of London. Prepared to enable insurers to gauge and prepare for potential risks, the report […]
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Coal
Gas Passes Coal as Top U.S. Power Source
King Coal has lost his crown—at least temporarily. Electricity generation data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) for April 2015 showed the U.S. generated 92.5 TWh from natural gas and 88.8 TWh from coal, the first time the nation has gotten the largest share of its power from anything other than coal. That represents a […]
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Coal
DOE Suspends Funding for California Clean Coal Project
The Department of Energy (DOE) has suspended funding for the Hydrogen Energy California (HECA) polygeneration clean coal plant, saying the company has failed to meet required milestones, according to a report in E&E Greenwire on July 10. The HECA project, in development since the late 2000s, is intended as a next-generation integrated gasification combined cycle […]
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O&M
New Renewable Projects Face Old Safety Hazards
Many of the dangers existing at conventional power plants also threaten personnel in the wind and solar energy sectors. All workers can benefit by reviewing lessons learned and implementing corrective actions to improve health and safety performance. The expanding wind and solar energy sectors are not immune to industrial hazards affecting all energy generation markets. […]
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Nuclear
Report: Losing Nuclear Would Blight Economy
The nation’s 99 nuclear plants produce about 19% of the country’s power, but they also contribute about $60 billion annually to gross domestic product (GDP), a new Brattle Group report finds. The report, “The Nuclear Industry’s Contribution to the U.S. Economy,” prepared for pro-nuclear group Nuclear Matters says, “Several factors are at play that may […]
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Legal & Regulatory
McCarthy: Supreme Court Decision on MATS Won’t Affect the Clean Power Plan Rule
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy remains firm in her resolve to create a landmark rule to reduce carbon emissions from power plants later this year. Speaking at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C., during an event sponsored by AREVA and hosted by The Christian Science Monitor, McCarthy said, “Last week’s ruling will […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Regulator Orders Mississippi Power to Issue Kemper IGCC Rebates
Mississippi Power must rebate $281 million in funds collected since 2013 for rate increases related to the lignite-fired power plant under construction in Kemper County, the Mississippi Public Service Commission (MPSC) ordered on Tuesday. The state regulatory body also ordered the company and its parent company Southern Co. to stop collecting Kemper’s rate on customer […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Germany Moves to Idle Coal Plants, Set up “Capacity Reserve”
Five of Germany’s largest lignite power plants will be mothballed to allow the country that is already phasing out nuclear power to meet ambitious climate goals by 2020. In what it called a “milestone decision,” the government on July 2 agreed to scrap plans to impose a controversial—and by some accounts, illegal—climate tax for conventional […]
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Power
Navigating Legal Implications of Power Industry Regulations
Learn about the advantages and pitfalls of being an early mover, recent legal challenges to regulations and what they mean to your operations, and the legal implications of compliance with the latest new regulations, including the Clean Power Plan. Hear from and network with the experts during POWER’s conference, December 7 in Las Vegas. Please […]