POWERnews
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Coal
EIA: 70% of U.S. Coal Fleet Is Ready for MATS
At least 70% of U.S. coal-fired generating capacity has already installed environmental control equipment to comply with the Mercury and Air Toxics (MATS) Standards, the Energy Information Agency (EIA) reports. The Environmental Protection Agency’s rule will require coal generators of more than 25 MW to incorporate the maximum achievable control technologies (MACT) to control the […]
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Power
Solar Farm Completed on EPA Superfund Site
A first-of-its-kind, utility scale solar project has been completed on an active Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund site. The 10.86-MW Maywood Solar Farm is located on 43 acres of the Reilly Tar and Chemical Superfund site in Indianapolis, Ind. Superfund is the name given to the environmental program established to address abandoned hazardous waste sites. […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Germany Moves to Tweak Renewables Law
The German Cabinet on April 8 approved a list of changes that are intended to put the brakes on spiraling retail energy prices that have Germans paying some of the highest electricity bills in the world. The core of the changes outlined in the draft bill that must still go through the parliamentary process involves […]
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Gas
New CCPP Erected in Record Time
The 417-MW Andong combined cycle power plant (CCPP) constructed in the province of Gyeongsangbuk-do, in South Korea, was completed in only 24 months. Owned and operated by Korea Southern Power Co. Ltd. (KOSPO), the plant is fired using liquefied natural gas and utilizes a Siemens SGT6-8000H gas turbine, an SST6-5000 steam turbine, an SGen6-2000H generator, […]
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O&M
OSHA Revises Standards for Line Work and Electrical Protective Equipment
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on Tuesday issued a final rule that revises a 42-year-old construction standard for electric power line work to make it more consistent with general industry standards. The final rule, which is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on April 11 and becomes effective 90 days after that, […]
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Renewables
APS: Arizona to See Dramatic Changes in Energy Mix Within 15 Years
By 2029, renewable sources in Arizona’s energy mix will double and natural gas’s share will surpass coal’s and nuclear’s, the state’s largest utility, Arizona Public Service (APS) projects in its newly released “Integrated Resource Plan.” The report, which foresees that the state’s energy needs will grow 52% while peak demand will surge 60% compared to […]
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Solar
FPL Proposes Voluntary Community-Based Solar Partnership
Florida Power and Light (FPL) on Wednesday asked the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) to approve a unique pilot program through which the company will build new solar facilities and participating customers will fund them via voluntary contributions. During the next three years, depending on customer participation, FPL projects that the program could support the […]
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Nuclear
Control Room Operational at First AP1000 Nuclear Plant
When Sanmen Nuclear Power Co. and State Nuclear Power Technology Corp. declared the main control room at the Sanmen Unit 1 nuclear power plant—currently under construction in China—operational on March 31, it marked the first AP1000 unit to reach that important milestone. Several instrumentation and control (I&C) systems were integrated and tested before the declaration […]
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Coal
Duke Energy Cited for Significant Crack in Cape Fear Coal Ash Dam
North Carolina state officials on Friday cited Duke Energy for a 40-foot-long crack in an earthen dam at the 2012-retired Cape Fear Plant’s ash impoundment, to which the company last week made emergency repairs. The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued Duke Energy with a notice of deficiency on Friday for the longitudinal […]
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Nuclear
Utilities Reach Agreement on San Onofre Closure Costs
Avoiding what could have been a nasty, expensive fight over costs stemming from the early retirement of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) last year, plant co-owners Southern California Edison (SCE) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) reached a settlement with the state Office of Ratepayer Advocates on March 27 that will potentially […]