POWERnews
-
POWERnews—Feb. 11, 2021
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store February 11, 2021 GE Gas Turbines Will Replace Coal at Colorado Plant The plan to retire the last coal-fired units at a power plant in Colorado has moved a step closer to completion, with the announcement that Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) has… […]
-
Connected Plant
Hitachi ABB Power Grids Reshapes COVID-Challenged Customer Engagement
In a pioneering effort to overcome pandemic challenges that have hampered its interaction with customers, partners, and other stakeholders, Hitachi ABB Power Grids on Feb. 9 inaugurated a “customer experience” center at the company’s North American headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. The North America Customer Experience Center, which is located in a state-of-the-art facility on […]
-
POWER Podcasts
Is Nuclear Power Poised for a Resurgence?
Since 1990, nuclear power has consistently supplied about 19% to 20% of the electricity used in the U.S. However, very few nuclear plants have been added to the U.S. fleet over that time. Currently, the only new nuclear project in the U.S. is Southern Company’s Plant Vogtle expansion, which is expected to add two new […]
-
News
GE Gas Turbines Will Replace Coal at Colorado Plant
The plan to retire the last coal-fired units at a power plant in Colorado has moved a step closer to completion, with the announcement that Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) has chosen General Electric (GE) technology to keep the plant operating at least temporarily as a gas-fired facility. GE on Feb. 10 announced that six of […]
-
Fuel
Honeywell to Reopen Sole U.S. Uranium Conversion Plant
Honeywell is gearing up to reopen the Metropolis Works plant in Metropolis, Illinois—the U.S.’s sole uranium conversion facility—and restart production of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) by early 2023. The Charlotte, North Carolina–based global technology giant told POWER in a statement on Feb. 9 it has communicated to employees and officials its intent to reopen the facility, which […]
-
Wind
GE, Labs Join Project for 3D-Printed Wind Turbine Blades
Three GE business units will partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) to develop and demonstrate an integrated additive manufacturing process for high-performance blade designs as part of a $6.7 million project funded by the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO). Under the AMO’s proposed “Additive […]
-
Hydrogen
Siemens, Air Liquide Join in Hydrogen Effort
Air Liquide SA, the French industrial-gas supplier, and Germany’s Siemens Energy AG announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop electrolysis and hydrogen technology. The companies on Feb. 8 said they will collaborate on industrial-scale hydrogen projects. They said the joint venture is designed to support the development and mass manufacturing of […]
-
Best of POWER—February 8, 2021
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store February 8, 2021 Siemens Will Cut 7,800 Jobs From Gas and Power Siemens Energy announced it will cut 7,800 jobs from its gas and power division by 2025 as the company attempts to be more competitive in a global energy market that… […]
-
Interview
The POWER Interview: AI, Big Data, and Efficiency
The increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in the power generation sector has a goal of making electricity production both more efficient, and secure. Developing ways to more quickly analyze ever-larger amounts of data is driving innovation among those people responsible for the operation of power plants and generation equipment. Many […]
-
Offshore Wind
South Korea Has Plan for $43 Billion Offshore Wind Farm
The South Korean government has announced a major part of the country’s effort to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. President Moon Jae-in on Feb. 5 attended a ceremony in which contracts were signed for a 48.5 trillion won ($43.2 billion) plan to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm by 2030, an installation that would […]
-
News
Retirement Set for Wisconsin’s Second-Largest Coal Plant
The Columbia Energy Center, a two-unit 1,100-MW coal-fired station located in Columbia County, Wisconsin, south of Portage, will be permanently retired by the end of 2024. Alliant Energy, which co-owns the facility with Wisconsin Public Service Corp. (a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group) and Madison Gas and Electric Co., made the announcement on Feb. […]
-
Legal & Regulatory
Montana District Court Vacates EPA’s ‘Secret Science’ Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) “Secret Science” rule establishing new standards for consideration of certain “pivotal” scientific studies, which was slated to go into effect on Jan. 6 of this year, has been vacated and remanded by the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. The decision reached Feb. 1 impacts the power generation […]
-
POWERnews—Feb. 4, 2021
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store February 4, 2021 Siemens Will Cut 7,800 Jobs From Gas and Power Siemens Energy announced it will cut 7,800 jobs from its gas and power division by 2025 as the company attempts to be more competitive in a global energy market that… […]
-
Nuclear
Big Boost for Framatome’s Accident-Tolerant Nuclear Fuel
In another significant boost to commercial deployment of accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) at existing nuclear reactors, the first 18-month fuel cycle test of Framatome’s GAIA Enhanced Accident Tolerant Fuel (EATF) at Southern Co.’s Vogtle 2 has “demonstrated expected results and excellent performance,” Framatome said on Feb. 2. Southern Nuclear installed four GAIA lead fuel assemblies (LFAs) […]
-
News
BOEM, Bolstered by Biden Offshore Wind Agenda, Resumes Vineyard Wind Review
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will resume an environmental review for the 800-MW Vineyard Wind project offshore Massachusetts as part of a larger push by the Department of Interior (DOI), its parent agency, to accelerate development of renewables on public lands and waters. BOEM, an agency that manages U.S. offshore energy and mineral […]
-
Coal
Morgan Stanley: Coal-Fired Power Off U.S. Grid by 2033
A report from Morgan Stanley, a global wealth management company, said coal-fired power generation is likely to disappear from the U.S. power grid by 2033, largely displaced by renewable energy resources. The report published Feb. 1 said renewable energy such as solar and wind power will provide nearly 40% of U.S. electricity in 2030, and […]
-
News
Siemens Will Cut 7,800 Jobs from Gas and Power
Siemens Energy announced it will cut 7,800 jobs from its gas and power division by 2025 as the company attempts to be more competitive in a global energy market that is moving away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy. The company on Feb. 2 in its latest earnings release said it plans to jettison […]
-
Nuclear
Hualong One Reactor Now Operating in China
The first of two new reactors at a nuclear power plant in China has entered commercial operation, becoming that country’s 50th operating reactor, according to the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA). Hualong One is a third-generation pressurized water reactor, developed by China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) and China General Nuclear Power. It is the fifth […]
-
-
Interview
The POWER Interview: The Importance of AI and Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are becoming synonymous with the operation of power generation facilities. The increased digitization of power plants, from equipment to software, involves both thermal generation and renewable energy installations. Both AI and ML will be key elements for the design of future energy systems, supporting the growth of smart […]
-
Interview
The POWER Interview: Climate Change and Renewable Energy in 2021
With the start of a new year comes new year resolutions, new campaigns, new administrations, new policy goals, and new initiatives. To kick off 2021, POWER talked with Jens Wolf, vice president and general manager of Europe at Enviva, a renewable energy company and the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets. Wolf has more […]
-
Connected Plant
Inline Oil Condition Analysis on Power Generation Engines
Oil and lubricants play a critical role in the operation of natural gas and biogas power generation engines, for example, in combined cycle (CC) and combined heat and power (CHP) plants. The oil condition gives valuable insight in the running status of the engine and many critical failures can be flagged. Benefits of Real-time Monitoring […]
-
IIOT
Blockchain and Energy Innovation Marches On
Even in a pandemic, energy innovators are developing blockchain technology to implement powerful changes. From automating crude oil trading to amplifying the impact of renewable energy sources, innovations harnessing blockchain technology are likely to change the energy industry in profound ways. Inventors, enterprises, and investors who act today to obtain patent protection for their early […]
-
Electric Vehicles
GM Has Plan to Make All Vehicles Electric
The electrification of the transportation sector has received a boost as General Motors (GM) said it “aspires” to exclusively offer electric vehicles (EVs) by 2035, ending production of its cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with diesel- and gasoline-powered engines. The company has said it wants to be carbon neutral by 2040 across its […]
-
POWERnews—Jan. 28, 2021
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store January 28, 2021 Biden's Orders Focus on Climate, Emissions President Biden has signed executive orders designed to move the U.S. to carbon neutrality by midcentury, part of a $2 trillion plan that would overhaul the nation’s electricity and transportation… John Kerry, […]
-
Coal
Duke Energy Reaches $1.1B Deal to Resolve North Carolina Coal Ash Cost Issues
In a milestone settlement that could resolve Duke Energy’s “last remaining major issues” on coal ash management in North Carolina, the utility has agreed to absorb $1.1 billion in cleanup costs anticipated between 2015 and 2030. The proposed settlement, which Duke Energy filed with the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) on Jan. 25, is a […]
-
Connected Plant
The Role of Digital Insight in a Safer Nuclear Industry
The impact of COVID-19 has placed a sharp focus on the importance of not only keeping key personnel safe but also how to better manage risk with fewer resources on site. One unexpected result is the acceleration of interest in digitisation initiatives. Ten years of digital innovation has brought new ways of modelling and managing […]
-
News
John Kerry, Gina McCarthy Offer Closer Look at Biden Climate Targets
National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry during a wide-ranging press briefing on Jan. 27 detailed the Biden administration’s next steps to embed climate policy into foreign policy and national security initiatives. Climate action, envisioned for a quick rollout, may entail new clean energy targets at home and abroad. […]
-
Electric Vehicles
Bigelow Tea Enhances Sustainability with a Vehicle-to-Grid System
Sustainability is a buzzword that’s being bantered about up and down Wall Street, and corporate leaders have taken notice. Many companies have adopted environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives, which are often tied to sustainability goals. In some cases, the pressure to do so has come from customers and/or investors, but in others, CEOs and […]
-
Nuclear
Costs Rise as Virus Delays Hinkley Nuclear Build
The developer of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project said impacts from the coronavirus pandemic may delay construction of the new reactors by six months, and raise the project’s costs by nearly £500 million ($700 million). EDF Energy in a Jan. 27 update on the plant’s progress said the total cost for the […]