POWERnews

Reliability and cybersecurity ranked as the two most important issues currently confronting the electric industry, according to surveys completed by 672 qualified utility, municipal, commercial, and community stakeholders for Black & Veatch’s “2016 Strategic Directions: Electric Industry Report.” It’s not particularly surprising to see reliability rank at the top of the list. “Reliability has always […]

Tony Clark, the only Republican on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, announced Aug. 4 that the agency’s September meeting will be his last.

China’s once-booming coal power sector is facing an existential challenge as continued breakneck expansion of new capacity is colliding with flattened growth in power demand, despite increasingly strenuous government efforts to put the brakes on new construction. According to a pair of new studies, China’s overcapacity in coal-fired generation could reach a staggering 400 GW […]

Massachusetts’ lawmakers approved an omnibus energy bill that sets down an energy storage mandate and requires utilities to solicit contracts for 1.6 GW of offshore wind. The bill also outlines clean energy procurement targets, including for 1.2 GW from hydro, onshore wind, and other renewables from within the state, from neighboring states, or from Canada. […]

Italian firm Ansaldo Energia successfully defended an arbitration case brought by Siemens in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Arbitral Tribunal regarding its right to use Siemens gas turbine technology under a license agreement, the company said on Aug. 1. The dispute stemmed from an agreement that ran from 1991 through October 2004 under which […]

The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) approved New York’s Clean Energy Standard on August 1, likely saving three upstate nuclear power plants, while requiring 50% of the state’s electricity to come from renewable energy sources by 2030. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) praised the action in a statement following the announcement. “New York has […]

Now that the political conventions are over and Americans must choose between two presidential candidates, the rhetoric around coal’s future continues to heat up. What neither candidate is telling you, however, is that no matter who is elected in November, no matter what the makeup of the next Congress is, America’s coal age is over. […]

In an abrupt turn, the UK government has signaled that it will carefully consider its backing of a deal to build two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, England, throwing French firm EDF’s July 28 final investment decision to proceed with construction of the EPR units into flux. Following a lengthy review process […]

EDF’s board of directors made a final investment decision on July 28, giving the go-ahead to construct two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, England. The decision means the company can move forward with the long-anticipated project. Several contracts will need to be executed, including with the British government, China General Nuclear Power […]

A divided Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) Thursday approved Georgia Power Co.’s plans to investigate a new nuclear power project in Stewart County, with a time frame around 2030. Approval came in a 4–1 vote, with Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald in opposition. The vote represented a bit of a compromise. The Atlanta-based Southern Co. subsidiary, […]