POWERnews

The nation’s nuclear fleet has performed impressively through the first eight months of 2015. Plant outages averaged less than 3% of total U.S. nuclear capacity during the all-important peak summer season this year—from June through August. The result is far better than even the lowest range of data from any of the past five years. […]

In its latest effort to ram down carbon emissions and address air pollution, China will strictly limit public financing to coal and other high-carbon projects and begin a national program in 2017 to cap and trade greenhouse gas emissions.  The country’s emission trading system will cover power generation, steel, cement, and other key sectors. China […]

In presentations to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the nation’s regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and independent system operators (ISOs) on Sept. 17 outlined measures they are taking to prevent issues if faced with extreme weather this winter.  The measures are to prevent widespread generation outages as occurred during the Jan. 6–7, 2014, polar vortex. […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced on Sept. 21 that it has begun a special inspection at the Callaway nuclear plant in Fulton, Mo., to investigate the failure of three of four control valves that regulate water flow to the plant’s steam generators. The review follows a reactor trip that occurred on August 11. According […]

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 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 […]

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 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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Exelon Corp.’s embattled nuclear fleet got some good news on Sept. 10 when the company announced that it was deferring a decision on whether to retire its Quad Cities and Byron plants by at least a year. Both plants cleared PJM’s capacity auctions this summer despite concerns about their profitability. As a result, Exelon is […]

Duke Energy has settled a 15-year-old lawsuit for allegedly violating the Clean Air Act when it made modifications at 13 coal-fired power units in North Carolina.  The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) and the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) original case filed in 2000 focused on 25 Duke Energy coal units. As it has in more than […]

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday rejected a request by 15 U.S. states to stay the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Clean Power Plan. In a one-page order, the three-judge panel dismissed the request filed on Aug. 13 by a coal company and the coalition of states led by West Virginia’s […]

Don't miss these POWER magazine resources: Post Jobs | View Jobs | Buyers' Guide GE Clears Final Hurdles for Acquisition of Alstom European Union (EU) officials have approved General Electric's (GE's) $9.5 billion acquisition of Alstom's power business, but conditions to which the two companies agreed to cement the deal will drastically reshape the world’s […]

Some members of the U.S. House of Representatives feel the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) needs to appropriately align its budget and staffing levels with the organization’s workload. That message was delivered to the agency’s commissioners during the Subcommittee on Energy and Power and the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy joint oversight hearing held on […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has dropped a study begun in 2010 to determine cancer risks in populations near U.S. nuclear power facilities. Continuing the work was “impractical, given the significant amount of time and resources needed and the agency’s current budget constraints,” the regulatory body said. The study that was being conducted by the […]

A new policy approved by India’s cabinet will simplify its foray into offshore wind power, says a key stakeholder.  The National Offshore Wind Energy Policy approved by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Union Cabinet on Sept. 9 designates the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) as the nodal ministry for use of offshore areas […]

A study released today by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suggests that the world’s nuclear power generating capacity will continue growing through at least 2030. The projected growth varies widely due to uncertainty surrounding energy policy, license renewals, permanent retirements, and future construction, but even the “low case” sees nuclear capacity increasing 2.4% by […]

European Union (EU) officials have approved General Electric’s (GE’s) $9.5 billion acquisition of Alstom’s power business, but conditions to which the two companies agreed to cement the deal will drastically reshape the world’s heavy-duty gas turbine market.  The European Commission, the 28-country union’s executive body, granted its approval to the much-watched proposed merger, but only […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said on Sept. 2 that it was increasing its oversight of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant as a result of an inspection finding stemming from an unplanned shutdown in January. The action moves the plant into the Repetitive Degraded Cornerstone Column, indicating multiple problems in meeting one of the NRC’s […]

Nuclear costs aren’t on the rise globally as has been widely thought, says a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) surveying the levelized cost of generating electricity (LCOE).  The eighth edition of the report, “Projected Costs of Generating Electricity” compiles data for 181 plants in 19 OECD and […]

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued the final construction permit this week, allowing the expansion of the coal storage facility at We Energies’ Oak Creek site, but not without some additional requirements designed to reduce fugitive dust emissions from the stockpile. The Oak Creek site consists of two power-generating facilities, the Elm Road […]

A federal judge on Thursday halted implementation of the Clean Water Rule that is controversial for its broad definition of “Waters of the U.S.” one day before it was to go into effect, saying it was likely that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) overstepped its authority when it promulgated the “exceptionally expansive” rule.  Judge Ralph […]

Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) has received approval from the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) to acquire and phase out the Cedar Bay Generating Plant, a coal-fired facility located in Jacksonville, Fla. FPL has been buying power from the 250-MW plant under a long-term contract since 1988. The deal was not set to expire […]

An official four-year-long investigation into the Solyndra debacle confirms that the bankrupt maker of cylindrical solar photovoltaic panels misled the Department of Energy (DOE) to get a $535 million federal loan guarantee, but it also reveals that the DOE didn’t properly vet those facts, missing opportunities to catch inaccuracies, possibly due to political pressure. The […]

Entergy’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station outside Boston just can’t seem to shake its problems with unplanned shutdowns. The most recent one occurred on Aug. 22, when a broken air-nitrogen line caused a main steam isolation valve to close, trigging a reactor scram. This was the plant’s third unplanned shutdown in 2015. Pilgrim was forced offline […]

The Department of Interior (DOI) has approved the 485-MW Blythe Mesa Solar project, a photovoltaic (PV) project that will be built in Riverside County, Calif. RRG Renewables’ project will be built on 3,587 acres of private land—”primarily lands that have already been disturbed by agricultural use,” the agency pointed out—under the jurisdiction of Riverside County […]