POWERnews

  • U.S. Faces Wave of Premature Nuclear Retirements

    The nuclear renaissance has turned into a nuclear retirement party. As recently as 2012, the U.S. had 104 operating nuclear reactors. With the retirement of Entergy’s Vermont Yankee plant at the end of December, that number has now fallen under 100 for the first time since the 1970s.  Yet as rapid as that pullback has […]

  • E.ON Agrees to Sell Italian Coal and Gas Power Generation Assets

    Düsseldorf, Germany–based energy supplier E.ON announced on Jan. 12 that it would sell its Italian coal and gas generation assets to Energetický a Průmyslový Holding (EPH), a Czech energy company. E.ON has been looking for a suitor for the Italian operations since at least Nov. 30 when it announced it was embarking on a new […]

  • U.S. Can Reach 50% Renewable Generation by 2030, Says IRENA

    The U.S. could get nearly 50% of its generation from renewable sources by 2030 with existing technologies and the right policies and investments, according to a report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on Jan. 12. The report is one of the first in IRENA’s Remap 2030 series, which explores how to double […]

  • Westinghouse and Bechtel Team to Pursue Nuclear Decommissioning Work

    Two giants in the power industry—Westinghouse Electric Co. and Bechtel Corp.—have formed an alliance to provide decontamination, decommissioning, and remediation services to U.S. commercial nuclear power plants. The alliance is expected to provide a full range of services, including pre-shutdown planning, characterization, decontamination, licensing, project development and management, dismantling, demolition, waste handling, and site closeout. […]

  • POWERnews–Jan. 8, 2015

    Power News Don’t miss these POWER magazine resources: Post Jobs | View Jobs | Buyers’ Guide
  • AEP Looks to Sell Merchant Coal Fleet

    According to a story first reported by Amanda Levin of TheStreet.com, American Electric Power Co. (AEP) has retained the services of Goldman, Sachs & Co. in an effort to unload its 7,923-MW merchant generation fleet. AEP—headquartered in Columbus, Ohio—is one of the largest electric utilities in the U.S., serving over five million customers in 11 […]

  • Ginna May Be Next Nuke Plant on Chopping Block

    Exelon’s R.E. Ginna Power Station in western New York may be the next U.S. nuclear plant to shut down in the face of competitive pressures if the company cannot get approval to substantially increase the rates it charges for the plant’s electricity. Ginna had a power purchase agreement with Rochester Gas & Electric that expired […]

  • U.S. Gas Production Still at Record Highs Despite Collapse in Oil Market

    The breathtaking collapse in crude oil prices this past fall, which has seen benchmark prices drop from over $110 a barrel last year to under $50 this past week, has had little effect on U.S. natural gas production, which continues to set records. According to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. dry natural […]

  • California Governor Wants to Raise State’s RPS Target to 50%

    With California already on track to meet its goal of getting 33% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, Gov. Jerry Brown announced on Jan. 5 that he would seek to raise the renewables portfolio standard (RPS) target to 50% by 2030. In his inaugural speech opening his fourth term (he previously served from […]

  • EPA Delays Final Carbon Rules for New Power Plants

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said today that a delay in issuing final rules affecting carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants, which were due this week, will help the agency release a set of more coordinated rules covering new, existing, and modified plants. The carbon dioxide rule for new plants—issued under Section 111(b) […]