POWERnews

An explosion Monday at a coal mine owned by Massey Energy has left 25 confirmed dead and four missing as of Wednesday morning.

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) filed an appeal on Friday against the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) over its decision last year to continue charging fees associated with moving and disposing of spent nuclear fuel. To date, ratepayers have paid approximately $17 billion into the fund over the last 27 years, according to NARUC. Further, the fund has earned an additional $13.5 billion in interest, bringing it to about $30 billion.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Thursday a set of actions to further clarify and strengthen environmental permitting requirements for Appalachian mountaintop removal and other surface coal mining projects, in coordination with federal and state regulatory agencies.

Entergy Corp. announced on Monday that it plans to continue operating its 2,000-MW Indian Point nuclear power plant in spite of the N.Y. Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) rejection of the plant’s application for a water quality certification on Friday.

The Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) announced on Thursday its plan to carry out a multi-pronged evaluation process for the independent testing of smart meters installed in the Texas competitive retail electric market. This action follows Oncor Electric Delivery’s announcement last week that it had incorrectly installed more than a thousand smart meters in central Texas.

Xcel Energy and Calpine Corp. announced on Monday that Public Service Company of Colorado, an Xcel Energy company, will purchase two of Calpine’s power plants near Denver that currently provide power to the utility under power purchase agreements.

Entergy Corp., the second-largest operator of nuclear power plants in the U.S., announced on Monday it will cancel its proposed spin-off transaction that would have relocated six of its nuclear units into newly formed companies, Enexus Energy Corp. and EquaGen LLC. This decision occurred in the wake of the New York Public Service Commission’s (NYPSC) decision on Thursday to reject the company’s planned spin-off.

Suniva, a U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells and modules, announced on Thursday that it has been selected for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program under the DOE’s Innovative Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Advanced Transmission and Distribution Technologies Solicitation.

Portland General Electric (PGE) said on Friday it had submitted a proposal to Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to close its coal-fired Boardman Power Plant by 2020.

Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) said on March 31 that meeting state-mandated energy conservation goals could cost the typical 1,000-kilowatt-hour customer an additional $2 to $3 a month.

Roughly two weeks after announcing that it would provide approximately $5 million in scholarships and fellowships for students enrolled in nuclear energy–related engineering and science programs at accredited U.S. universities and colleges, the U.S. Department of Energy announced two new funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) to support university and college efforts to build or expand their school’s nuclear science and engineering basic research or education capabilities.

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced last Wednesday that the two agencies, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, will cooperate more closely and align priorities to support the development of environmentally sustainable hydropower. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) represents a new approach to hydropower development—a […]

Just as momentum is building to encourage and finance the building of new U.S. nuclear power plants, a rash of mostly bad news for existing nuclear plants and plant operators—including recent small fires—has tempered industry excitement. The incidents are minor in magnitude, yet the timing is bad for those hoping for a revival of nuclear power.

Vietnam and the United States have signed an agreement that will allow U.S. companies to work in Vietnam to develop atomic power for energy.

Under a final decision issued Monday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), no stationary sources, including power plants, will be required to get Clean Air Act permits that cover greenhouse gases (GHGs) before January 2011.

For the first time, China led the U.S. and other G-20 members in 2009 clean energy investments and finance, according to data released Thursday by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Last year, China invested $34.6 billion in the clean energy economy—nearly double the U.S. total of $18.6 billion. Over the past five years, the U.S. also […]

The California Energy Commission has approved converting a San Joaquin County peaker plant to a combined-cycle plant. The 169-MW Tracy Peaker Plant would become the 314-MW Tracy Combined Cycle Power Plant. The decision last Wednesday was seen as opening the possibility of integrating solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation—to be built on city land—with the plant, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection team that was sent last week to investigate crack indications at Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station completed ultrasonic tests on Sunday night that show 12 of the 69 nozzles on top of the plant’s reactor head developed some sort of cracks.

New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie decided last week to move $65 million in Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) money to the state’s general fund to help cover budget deficits.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued on Thursday a proposal to standardize the definition of transmission facilities subject to mandatory reliability standards. The commission’s intent is to protect the reliability of the nation’s bulk power system.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a report on Friday that highlights examples of small businesses throughout the clean, renewable energy and environmental management sectors that have received funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which was enacted in February 2009.

Oracle announced on Tuesday the results of a research report that surveyed 150 North American C-level utility executives to understand their vision for the next 10 years concerning how the smart grid will evolve in our communities and homes and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Thursday that it will conduct a comprehensive research study to investigate the potential adverse impact that hydraulic fracturing may have on water quality and public health.

The U.S. Departments of Energy (DOE) and Agriculture (USDA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced on Monday the launch of a joint research program to produce high-resolution models for predicting climate change and its resulting impacts.

The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) released on March 15 a new study, titled China’s Promotion of the Renewable Electric Power Equipment Industry: Hydro, Wind, Solar and Biomass, which examines policies put in place by the Chinese government to promote the development of its renewable energy sector.

Last week, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) representatives announced that they intend to approve a draft environmental document related to the expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear power plant. Concern about the environmental impact of the proposed expansion has been a key regulatory obstacle for the project.

Only 8% of utilities around the world have completed their smart grid technology implementations while 37% have projects under way and more than half haven’t yet started, according to a new Microsoft Corp. survey released at CERAWeek 2010.

SunEdison received final approval from the Italian government last week to develop and construct a 72-MW photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant in northeastern Italy, near the town of Rovigo. When completed, this is expected to be the largest PV solar power plant in Europe.

On Monday, the Illinois Senate overturned a 23-year-old ban on building new nuclear plants in the state.

NB Power announced last Wednesday that it will close its Grand Lake Generating Station earlier than anticipated due to a fire that occurred in the burner of the front boiler. The New Brunswick, Canada, plant was expected to close when its operating license expires in June this year.