Latest
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Gas
Moniz Reveals DOE Progress for Nuclear Waste
At a keynote address at CERAweek 2014 in Houston, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz reiterated the Obama administration’s support for all U.S. fuel sources while pursuing a low-carbon future but rarely mentioned nuclear power. Prompted by POWERnews, Moniz later outlined the administration’s actions to address spent nuclear waste. Following the D.C. Circuit’s ruling in November 2013 […]
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Gas
ERCOT Says New Gas Plants Will Ease Reserve Margin Concerns
In its preliminary Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy (SARA) for the summer of 2014, the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said that more than 2 GW of new combined cycle plants coming online this summer will “significantly reduce the likelihood of scarcity conditions.” The region has struggled with its reserve margins for years, and […]
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Nuclear
USEC Files for Bankruptcy Protection
Maryland-based United States Enrichment Corp. (USEC) formally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Mar. 5. The action has been expected since last December. USEC’s finances have been hammered by persistently low prices and weak demand for low-enriched uranium (LEU), as well by difficulties with a long-delayed project to develop a new centrifuge enrichment technology in […]
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Coal
TVA Finishes Retaining Wall Around Kingston Coal Ash Cell
Cleanup of the Kingston Fossil Plant coal ash spill is one step closer to completion. On Mar. 3, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced that a retaining wall surrounding a 240-acre ash containment cell was completed nearly a month ahead of schedule. Kingston was the site of the worst coal ash release in U.S. history […]
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Environmental
Obama’s Budget Proposal Eliminates Fossil Fuel Subsidies and Cuts EPA Funding
President Obama submitted his fiscal year 2015 budget proposal on Mar. 4. In it, tax subsidies for fossil fuel companies were under the knife, as was the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) piece of the pie. In the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) overview, it was noted that clean energy technologies are expected to spur future economic […]
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Renewables
Change and Opportunity in Brazil
Brazil’s electricity market is vast: the largest in Latin America and 10th largest in the world, with an installed capacity of 121,000 MW. Download the report.
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News
Facing Challenges from Natural Disasters to Customers as Generators
The 16th annual ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition takes place in New Orleans this year, and it’s a fitting place to be discussing the many persistent and new challenges facing the power generation
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O&M
Practical Considerations for Converting Industrial Coal Boilers to Natural Gas
Increasing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) restrictions pertaining to emissions from coal-fired power plants, the increasing cost of coal operations, and the decreasing cost of natural gas provide strong
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O&M
Customized Storage Solution Improves Efficiency
Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) operates four baseload plants in the state of Nebraska. In 1993, when the North Omaha Station added a new warehouse, OPPD sought help from Vidmar to create effective storage