POWERnews

  • POWERnews—Feb. 15, 2024

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   February 15, 2024 New 1.2-GW Natural Gas-Fired Plant Announced for Texas A Texas-based energy company has announced plans to build a 1.2-GW natural gas-fired power plant in Lee County, Texas, with construction expected to begin in 2025. Sandow Lakes Energy Co.… In […]

  • In First, NRC Approves Nuclear Fuel Fabrication Enriched up to 8% for Commercial Power Generation

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted Global Nuclear Fuel—Americas (GNF) the regulatory body’s first-ever authorization to produce nuclear fuel with uranium-235 (U-235) enrichments up to 8% for commercial power generation. GNF, GE Vernova’s nuclear fuel arm, on Feb. 15 said the NRC approved a license amendment that will allow its nuclear fuel fabrication facility […]

  • Improving Nuclear Plant Construction Processes: How to Build Projects More Efficiently

    If you have paid any attention to nuclear power plant construction projects over the years, you know that there is a long history of cost overruns and schedule delays on many of them. In fact, many nuclear power plants that were planned in the 1960s and 1970s were never completed, even after millions (or billions) […]

  • Study Finds Grid Transparency Behind-the-Meter a Challenge for Utilities

    North American electric utilities continue to grapple with the challenge of managing behind-the-meter distributed energy resources (DERs), according to the results of a survey of utility decision-makers published Feb. 15. A study of 100 leaders from utilities in the U.S. and Canada, commissioned by Siemens and done in partnership with Oxford Economics, found that “limited […]

  • RWE Boosts Battery Storage with Three New Projects

    German energy giant RWE has added three large battery energy storage (BESS) projects to the company’s U.S. portfolio. The group on Feb. 14 announced the completion of two installations in Texas and one in Arizona, and said energy storage systems now comprise more than one-third of the company’s U.S. renewable energy and storage development pipeline. […]

  • New 1.2-GW Natural Gas-Fired Plant Announced for Texas

    A Texas-based energy company has announced plans to build a 1.2-GW natural gas-fired power plant in Lee County, Texas, with construction expected to begin in 2025. Sandow Lakes Energy Co. on Feb. 12 said it would build the plant on property owned by the company. The facility, which would be powered by two SGT6-9000HL turbines […]

  • Mitsubishi Turbine Will Power New Gas-Fired Plant in Uzbekistan

    A third gas-fired unit planned at a power plant in Uzbekistan will use equipment from Mitsubishi Power, the company announced on Feb. 13. Mitsubishi said the 600-MW Navoi 3 facility is expected to come online in 2026. The plant will supply both electricity and industrial steam and district heating for the Navoi Free Economic Zone […]

  • UK’s First SMR Nuclear Project to Showcase Four Westinghouse AP300 Reactors

    Community Nuclear Power (CNP), the UK’s only independent small modular reactor (SMR) development company, will spearhead a project to build four Westinghouse AP300 small modular reactors (SMRs) in North Teeside, Northeast England, anticipating commercial operation by the early 2030s. Nuclear technology powerhouse Westinghouse on Feb. 8 said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with […]

  • Holtec Bets on Nuclear Paired with Solar to Support Decarbonization

    The decarbonization of power generation is fostering research and development of new energy technologies, and some companies are reimagining what’s possible when it comes to power plant design. That includes pairing nuclear power with solar power, in a system that could repurpose a brownfield site—for example, a closed or soon-to-retire thermal power plant with transmission […]

  • 5 Ways to Ensure Grids Don’t Become Bottlenecks in the Energy Transition

    Meeting ambitious climate targets while transitioning from fossil fuels remains a key priority for businesses, policymakers, and society in general. The good news is that the grid can play a pivotal role in helping us achieve this. With less dependency on more harmful energy sources such as oil and coal, and increased electrification, we are […]

  • Global Domination—China Accounts for Nearly All New Coal-Fired Power Plant Construction

    Data from Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a group that tracks thermal and renewable power generation projects worldwide, shows that China was responsible for construction of 96% of all new coal-fired facilities globally last year, and for almost 70% of all new coal-fueled power plants that came online. GEM, a San Francisco, California-based non-governmental research organization, […]

  • Germany Will Support 10 GW of New Gas Plants, With Eye Toward Hydrogen

    German officials announced a new plan for the country’s power generation, a strategy that includes putting at least 10 GW of new gas-fired capacity up for tenders. Officials on Feb. 5 said the plants would be designed to eventually burn hydrogen at some point between 2035 and 2040, according to Germany’s Economy Ministry. The agency […]

  • Iran Starts Construction of Four New Nuclear Power Plants

    Iran’s state-run news service said the country has started construction on four new nuclear power units. The IRNA agency on Feb. 1 reported that the four reactors would have expected total generation capacity of about 5,000 MW. Iran, whose nuclear program continues to be closely watched by the United Nations and others, has one operating […]

  • FERC Approves MISO Interconnection Queue Reforms, Rejects Overall Queue Cap

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Jan. 19 approved most of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) proposed revisions to its Generator Interconnection Procedures (GIP) designed to reduce the submission and negative impacts of speculative interconnection requests. The changes apply prospectively, starting with the DPP-2023 queue cycle, which has not yet entered the Definitive Planning […]

  • Ontario Green Lights Nuclear Refurbishment of Pickering CANDU Units

    Ontario Power Generation (OPG) will refurbish four units at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, Canada’s first major commercial generation plant— marking a major turnaround for the 3.1-GW plant slated to close by 2025. Officials from Ontario’s government and OPG on Jan. 30 announced plans to refurbish Units 5–8 at the massive power plant east of […]

  • Interconnection Cost-Causer-Pays Model: Is It Fair or Antiquated in the Era of Grid Modernization

    The transition to green energy is often seen through two different lenses: a burden or an opportunity. Grid modernization refers to a comprehensive transformation of the traditional power grid to upgrade aging infrastructure to enhance reliability, resilience, efficiency, and sustainability of electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption. A key element of grid modernization is designing […]

  • Hydrogen: ‘The Swiss Army Knife of Decarbonization’

    It seems everywhere you go, both inside and outside of the power industry, people are talking about hydrogen. Last October, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an investment of $7 billion to launch seven Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) across the nation and accelerate the commercial-scale deployment of “low-cost, clean hydrogen.” Hydrogen is undoubtedly […]

  • Amazon Signs Deal With ENGIE for Power From Scottish Offshore Wind Farm

    A major offshore wind farm near Scotland set to come online later this year has a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Amazon, the technology company that continues as the largest purchaser of renewable energy worldwide. Amazon on Jan. 30 announced the corporate PPA with ENGIE, the French multinational utility, to take more power from Ocean […]

  • Report: Biden Administration Will Provide $1.5 Billion for Palisades Nuclear Restart

    The Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan could be another step closer to restarting, with reports saying the Biden administration in February will announce $1.5 billion in funding for the project. Holtec International Corp. purchased the 800-MW facility from Entergy in 2022, after Entergy closed the nuclear plant. Holtec was prepared to decommission the site […]

  • Onshore Wind Farm Part of Fukushima Rebuild in Japan

    GE Vernova announced it will supply the turbines for an onshore wind farm being developed in Japan, an energy project that is part of the effort to support industry in the area impacted by the Fukushima disaster in 2011. GE Vernova’s Onshore Wind business on Jan. 31 said that Abukuma South Wind Power LLC selected […]

  • Stop Using ‘Dirty’ Steel for Renewable Energy Projects

    As the solar and renewable energy movement continues to gain momentum in the U.S., it’s important to note how critical the steel industry is to the renewable energy industry. In fact, reports show that steel comprises more than 70% of the weight of a typical wind turbine and each new megawatt of solar power capacity […]

  • Hydrogen Production Project Moves Forward at Wyoming Coal Plant

    Wyoming officials will help fund a hydrogen generation project that will have coal as its energy source, using carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) along with a chemical looping technology. Babcock & Wilcox (B&W), an Ohio-headquartered group working on technologies to produce cleaner energy, and electric utility Black Hills Energy recently announced the companies have received […]

  • GE Vernova Will Supply Wind Turbines for Three Australia Projects

    GE Vernova has entered into a wind turbine supply deal with an Australian company, a move that includes construction of onshore projects in New South Wales. GE Vernova on Jan. 29 confirmed it has signed a strategic framework agreement with Squadron Energy for about 1.5 GW of new onshore wind generation, what the companies on […]

  • UK Nuclear Recap: Major Funding for GEH’s SMR and Sizewell C as Hinkley Point C Suffers New Hefty Delays

    Over the past week, the UK government stepped up its nuclear agenda, doling out a £33.6 million grant under its Future Nuclear Enabling Fund to support GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH)’s BWRX-300 while also announcing a substantial £1.3 billion investment in the proposed 3.2-GW Sizewell C nuclear project. The developments, aimed at potentially tripling the […]

  • Oil, Gas Groups Will Support New Jobs in Hydrogen Sector

    A study from a group that recruits workers for energy sector jobs has found that as many as 39% of workers in the nascent green hydrogen industry are coming from the fossil fuel sector. The report from WorldWide Recruitment Energy, released in January 2024 and the second edition of the study, compiled responses from more […]

  • GE Vernova, IHI Developing Novel Ammonia-Capable Gas Turbine Combustor

    GE Vernova will collaborate with Japanese integrated heavy industry group IHI Corp. to develop a retrofittable 100% ammonia-capable gas turbine combustion system that would be compatible with GE’s 6F.03, 7F, and 9F models, targeting a potential commercially available product by 2030. The companies on Jan. 24 signed a joint development agreement (JDA) that formally launched […]

  • Brazil Oil Major Buying Renewable Energy Assets

    Renewable energy in Brazil will get a boost after the chief executive of Petrobras, the country’s state-run oil giant, said the company will begin buying solar power and onshore wind projects in an effort to build a clean energy portfolio. Jean Paul Prates, in an interview with the Reuters news service published Jan. 22, said […]

  • Prodigy and Westinghouse Targeting Launch of eVinci Floating Nuclear Plant in Canada by 2030

    Westinghouse has revealed it is designing a transportable nuclear power plant (TNPP) featuring an eVinci microreactor with Canadian firm Prodigy Clean Energy, aiming to deliver a first project in Canada by 2030. The project will potentially integrate a single or multiple 5-MWe eVinci microreactors within a Prodigy Microreactor Power Station—a purpose-designed floating facility that will […]

  • PGE Leans into an All-of-the-Above Strategy to Decarbonize Its Power System

    Climate change has led many states and countries to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from power systems. Oregon, for example, has set targets for all power sold to retail customers in the state to have GHG emissions cut by 80% by 2030, 90% by 2035, and 100% by 2040. It’s a challenging […]

  • SolarEdge Slashing 900 Jobs in Cost-Cutting Move

    Israel-headquartered SolarEdge Technologies is expected to cut about 900 jobs from its global workforce as the company seeks to reduce operating costs. SolarEdge on Jan. 21 said it would lay off about 16% of its employees. CEO Zvi Lando in a statement said, “We have made a very difficult, but necessary decision to implement a […]