POWERnews

The North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB), a wholesale and retail natural gas and power industry forum comprising 300 corporate members, will initially focus its standards development to support cybersecurity and blockchain out of 11 digital technologies it identified that are quickly transforming the energy space.  The board’s April 2019–formed Digital Committee, which comprises 16 […]

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) has approved the American Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2020 (ANIA), just two weeks after it was introduced. Among the bill’s major provisions are that it will seek to  strengthen the nuclear fuel supply chain, help incentivize commercial deployment of new reactor designs, and create a credit […]

The U.S. Senate on Nov. 30 confirmed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) nominees Allison Clements and Mark Christie, filling out all five seats at the helm of the federal energy regulator with a bipartisan panel for the first time in nearly two years.  Clements, a Democrat, replaces former Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur for a term that […]

Officials with Vineyard Wind said they are temporarily withdrawing the group’s application for federal approval to build the first large U.S. offshore wind farm, saying more time is needed to conduct a final technical review after announcing a change in the turbines expected to be used in the project. Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between […]

Another small modular reactor (SMR) design is moving closer to commercial operation after achieving a licensing milestone. GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), which is designing the BWRX-300 SMR, on Dec. 1 said the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a final safety evaluation report for the first of several licensing topical reports (LTRs) submitted […]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has recognized nine women for their achievements and leadership in clean energy, as part of the agency’s U.S Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) Initiative. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette recognized the winners of the 2020 U.S. C3E Awards on Dec. 1. The nine women will be honored at […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   November 30, 2020 Battle Brewing About California’s Role in Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Retirement An assortment of entities have sought to intervene in a complaint alleging that the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and California state agencies violated bulk power system reliability […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   November 25, 2020 UK Undergoing ‘Remarkable Shift’ in Power Generation Natural gas-fired generation continues to provide much of the electricity in the UK, but renewable power in total at times has taken the lead spot in the country's generation mix…   BWXT: […]

BWX Technologies (BWXT) on Nov. 23 said it has demonstrated the ability to additively manufacture nickel-based super alloys and refractory-metal-based alloys for use in nuclear components. The company also said it has “accomplished component-level qualification, leading to a more efficient certification of nuclear materials configured in complex geometries.”  The 3D printing breakthroughs achieved through a […]

Although there is only one nuclear power plant construction project in progress today in the U.S., that doesn’t mean the nuclear industry has gone dormant. A lot of research and development are ongoing, and the federal government is putting millions of dollars behind some of the efforts. The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program “The Department of […]

A handful of well-known companies, along with three cities in Texas, have contracted to receive electricity from what would be the largest solar farm built to date in the U.S. Invenergy, a Chicago, Illinois-based energy company, said the Samson Solar Energy Center is scheduled to come online in 2023. The facility is under construction in […]

Just as products are packaged so that they can be contained, handled, made mobile, and have their use sequenced, “packaging” work can bring the same benefits. To package work, planners create detailed workflows in advance rather than allowing construction to unfold in a self-assembling, freeform, decentralized way. Capital project construction can rely on a project […]

Turbine modifications will shorten the life of heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) tubing, but the most dramatic reductions may not be where you expect. Combined cycle power plant gas turbine and steam turbine modifications can provide sizable economic gains. But these improvements often come at the cost of the serviceable (useful) life of the high-temperature […]

Natural gas-fired generation continues to provide much of the electricity in the UK, but renewable power in total at times has taken the lead spot in the country’s generation mix over the past several months. The country has moved almost entirely away from coal, which a decade ago teamed with natural gas to provide three-quarters […]

“Digital Transformation” is a broad term that can mean vastly different things to different people. Within a given company, it’s easy to gain consensus that such a thing is necessary to stay competitive, but it’s tremendously difficult to define what it looks like in practical terms—much less where to start. Of course, it wouldn’t be […]

By Brad Handler and Morgan Bazilian Nearly 75%  of electricity generated from coal in the U.S. could be produced more cheaply with renewables, strengthening the environmental arguments to accelerate the retirement of coal plants. Yet such transitions to renewable sources have to factor in the costs—incremental, stranded and most pressingly, societal—of shutting down existing plants, […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   November 19, 2020 Could Geothermal Energy Become the ‘Sexy’ Renewable? Geothermal is an often-overlooked and even disregarded renewable energy resource. While new wind and solar energy projects garner headlines nearly every day, geothermal is rarely sighted in news feeds. That… Battle Brewing […]

An assortment of entities have sought to intervene in a complaint alleging that the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and California state agencies violated bulk power system reliability standards when they approved retirement of the 2,240-MW Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) by 2025.  Before the comment deadline on Nov. 16, at least 15 entities sought intervention […]

Legislation introduced on Nov. 17 by a bipartisan group of senators on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) will seek to strengthen the nuclear fuel supply chain, help incentivize commercial deployment of new reactor designs, and create a credit program to preserve existing nuclear reactors at risk of premature shutdown.  The American […]

Geothermal is an often-overlooked and even disregarded renewable energy resource. While new wind and solar energy projects garner headlines nearly every day, geothermal is rarely sighted in news feeds. That could change in the future. In a report issued last year, the U.S. Department of Energy said geothermal electricity generation could increase more than 26-fold […]

A Florida-based company that touts what it calls a scalable organic energy-based power technology has launched operations in North America, and said it is making its technology available across several markets including for transportation and commercial buildings. GO-OPV, LLC on Nov. 17 announced its ORENgE organic technology will be used in a 120,000-square-foot commercial property […]

A U.S. subsidiary of one of France’s largest providers of solar power has given New Mexico officials more detailed information about the company’s plans for developing a series of solar projects. The installations would help offset the loss of generation from retiring coal-fired power plants in the state, including the San Juan Generating Station (SJGS) […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   November 16, 2020 Black & Veatch: No More Coal Construction Black & Veatch is ending the company’s participation in coal-based power market design and construction, saying it will allow the company to focus on clean energy technologies. The engineering and…   Darlington's […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   November 12, 2020 Siemens, Toshiba Pulling Out of Coal-Fired Generation Toshiba Corp. and Siemens Energy are the latest major power industry companies to move away from coal. Toshiba on Nov. 11 announced it will stop taking new construction orders for… How Biden’s […]

These Ten Steps May Help Power Companies Avoid Headaches, Delays, Higher Costs, and Legal Complications Jacqueline Greenberg Vogt, Esq. and Robert C. Epstein, Esq. The International Energy Agency projects the rapid growth of renewables, with solar at the center of this new constellation of electricity generation technologies. Hydropower remains the largest renewable source of electricity, […]

In a breakthrough that could improve the economics of NuScale Power’s small modular reactor (SMR) technology—and reshape a project under development by its first potential customer, the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS)—the Portland, Oregon-based company on Nov. 10 said it has determined its NuScale Power Module (NPM) can generate 25% more power per module.  […]

Toshiba Corp. and Siemens Energy are the latest major power industry companies to move away from coal. Toshiba on Nov. 11 announced it will stop taking new construction orders for coal-fired power plants, and Siemens on Nov. 10 said it will stop selling turbines for new coal-fired facilities. The two energy giants join General Electric […]

The world’s power generation is about to become even more green, according to a new publication from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The group on Nov. 10 published its “Renewables 2020″ report, and highlighted how generation capacity from both wind and solar will double across the next five years and surpass global generation from both […]

Traditional in-person factory acceptance testing, also known as witness testing, is a challenge during a pandemic. To keep projects moving, power management company Eaton developed a virtual method to help utilities verify the capabilities of their complex equipment before it arrives onsite.  This virtual solution can provide important advantages compared to traditional witness testing, including […]

American Electric Power (AEP) will shut down or refuel 5.6 GW of its 2020 coal-fired power fleet by 2030 to comply with environmental rules—including recent revisions governing federal coal ash and effluent limitations—and rebalance its portfolio in a bid to meet ambitious climate goals.  The move is bold for the Columbus, Ohio-based generating giant, which […]