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Decommissioning the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant will cost up to $1.24 billion, owner Entergy Corp. said in a study submitted to Vermont regulators on Friday.  Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee (ENVY) plans to shutter the reactor in late 2014. The decision to close the plant stems from a settlement agreement negotiated by several Vermont state agencies […]

The stalled Yucca Mountain permanent nuclear waste repository will meet regulatory requirements when permanently closed, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has found in a long-awaited safety evaluation report (SER).  The federal regulatory body on Oct. 16 issued Volume 3 of the five-part SER on the underground geologic nuclear waste repository proposed to be built in […]

A fire broke out in one of Didcot B power station’s cooling tower modules on the evening of Oct. 19, resulting in the shutdown of one of the plant’s two units. RWE Generation said that no RWE personnel or emergency services responders were injured during the incident, and that all employees have been accounted for. […]

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The energy storage sector is taking off its training wheels. And while that may be a good thing, it comes with some risks. Two senior executives in the energy storage industry who spoke to POWER at the Energy Storage North America (ESNA) conference in San Jose, Calif., Sept 30–Oct. 2, described a promising—but challenging—future. John […]

Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee released emails between top officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which they say demonstrate a “very close working relationship” between the two organizations. The emails are associated with the development of the EPA’s proposed carbon rule, […]

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) reports that energy efficiency is the second-largest power resource in the Pacific Northwest region, ranking only behind hydroelectricity. The NPCC—authorized through the Northwest Power Act to develop and maintain a regional power plan, and fish and wildlife program, to balance the Northwest’s environment and energy needs—bases the claim […]

With a warmer winter projected this year, according to recent forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), last year’s record upheavals in the natural gas market appear unlikely to recur. Especially in the eastern and northeastern U.S., this winter should be substantially warmer than 2013–2014, when the Polar Vortex hammered much of the […]

A mix of lucky timing and post-Fukushima recalibration appears to be responsible for a general mood of optimism at the first biennial World Nuclear Exhibition being held just outside of Paris this week. The event, organized by the Association of French Nuclear Industry Exporters (AIFEN) has attracted 495 exhibitors and an estimated 7,000 visitors from […]

San Antonio’s CPS Energy on Monday announced a new agreement to buy power from Summit Power’s  proposed integrated combined cycle coal gasification (IGCC) plant that will include carbon capture, utilization, and storage. The municipally owned utility will buy 200 MW of power from the the Texas Clean Energy Project (TCEP), which is about half the […]

On Oct. 8, the European Commission (EC) decided that the state aid included in the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant construction proposal is compatible with European Union state aid rules. The approval allows key elements of the agreement between EDF Group and the UK government, including a guaranteed “strike price” of £92.50/MWh ($148.76/MWh) for power […]

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up industry’s challenge to a federal court ruling that upheld the Bush administration’s air quality standard for ozone.  The high court’s denial leaves intact the D.C. Circuit’s July 2013 decision upholding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) last revision of its National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) […]

American Electric Power’s (AEP’s) Ohio unit has asked the state’s Public Utilities Commission for permission to essentially charge customers for costs to operate nine unregulated coal-fired units, a move the company says will address market volatility and ensure the economic viability of Ohio’s generation.  AEP Ohio on Oct. 3 proposed an “expanded” power purchase agreement […]

Booming natural gas production, mostly in the Northeast, will continue to confound traditional North American gas market dynamics in the near future, said speakers at the LDC Gas Forum—Rockies and West in Los Angeles Oct. 7-8. “Northeast production is flipping the market on its head,” said Luke Jackson, an energy analyst with Bentek. Gas production […]

The first full-scale commercial post-combustion carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project at an operating coal-fired power plant is now online in Estevan, Saskatchewan, roughly 10 miles north of the U.S. border. The heart of the $1.4 billion project at Boundary Dam Power Station is the rebuilt 110-MW Unit 3, originally commissioned in 1970. The project, […]

The Department of Energy (DOE) on Tuesday issued a draft solicitation that would provide up to $12.6 billion in loan guarantees for new nuclear projects. The agency identified four technology areas of interest in the draft solicitation: advanced nuclear reactors, small modular reactors, upgrades and uprates at existing facilities, and front-end nuclear projects. The draft solicitation […]

Despite record low temperatures and widespread generation outages during the polar vortex, bulk power system reliability was maintained, says the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) in a newly released analysis of the extreme cold weather event that engulfed most of the nation this January.  The Jan. 6–7, 2014, weather condition that resulted in temperatures […]

If you’re a power sector professional and you haven’t thought much about energy storage, rest assured—you will soon. At least, that’s if the numerous companies working in this field and presenting at the Energy Storage North America (ESNA) conference in San Jose, Calif., this week get their way. But, as Craig Horne, chief strategy officer […]

After more than a year of deliberation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Dominion’s proposal to construct and operate liquefaction and export facilities at its existing Cove Point liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal located in Lusby, Md. The proposed export facility will be contained within the existing footprint of the 131-acre import terminal […]

The U.S. power sector has seen a number of developments on the regulatory front in recent months. Here’s where major federal rules stand today. (For a more dynamic and graphic version of this article, see http://powermag.com/long-form-stories/bw-power/ .) GHG Rules New Power Plants. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in September 2013 revised a 2012 proposal to […]

Dominion Virginia Power found two damaged nuclear fuel rods in Unit 2 of its North Anna Power Station located in Louisa County northwest of Richmond. The discovery was made during a regularly scheduled refueling outage that began on Sept. 7. The company believes the fuel rods were damaged as the result of “baffle jetting.” The […]

Several countries and companies at the United Nations (UN) Climate Summit 2014 in New York City pledged action to address climate change by slashing carbon emissions, mobilizing funding, or putting a price on carbon.  The one-day event on Tuesday was designed to raise political momentum and spur transformative action ahead of COP 21, the December […]

The U.S. should ensure that Canada does not build a permanent nuclear waste repository in the Great Lakes Basin as proposed, a U.S. Senate resolution introduced last week proclaims.  The resolution introduced by Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and co-sponsored by Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) on Sept. 18 calls […]

On Sept. 23, Duke Energy told the Public Service Commission of South Carolina that it intends to excavate a portion of coal ash at the W.S. Lee Steam Station located in Anderson County. The company has been dealing with a coal ash release from its Dan River Steam Station that occurred on Feb. 2, and […]

Though unsigned by its governor, North Carolina has enacted the nation’s first comprehensive coal ash management law.  The statute, which took effect on Sept. 20, applies to all unlined dry and wet coal ash ponds owned by public utilities, including ponds that are covered or no longer in use. Beginning Oct. 1, 2014, no new […]

In the latest move shaking up the gas turbine business, Siemens agreed to acquire oil and gas services company Dresser-Rand for $7.6 billion in cash. Dresser-Rand manufactures turbines and compressors for the oil and gas sector, and is a major supplier for upstream natural gas firms and pipeline companies. The deal comes after Siemens acquired […]

While meeting in Vienna on Sept. 22 for the 58th International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference, representatives from the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and the Russian Federation signed an Intergovernmental Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Cooperation in Nuclear Energy and Industry. “South Africa today, as never before, is interested in [the] massive development of […]

Three top vice presidents with Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and the chief of staff of California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) President Michael Peevey were all fired Sept. 15 over improper communications between the company and the CPUC. Though the emails concerned a pending Gas Transmission and Storage rate case, the dispute has become tied […]

Affirmative defense provisions can no longer insulate generators from monetary penalties for Clean Air Act violations that result from facility startup, shutdown, and equipment malfunction, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed.  In a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPR) published on Sept. 17 in the Federal Register, the agency proposes to revise its February […]

With Units 6 and 7 back in operation, Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) has restored 80% of the generation capacity at its Martin Drake Power Plant located in downtown Colorado Springs. The plant was taken offline after sustaining significant damage during a May 5 fire. Most of the damage occurred in the area surrounding Unit 5, […]