POWERnews

Standard Power, a provider of infrastructure as a service to advanced data processing companies, has chosen NuScale Power’s small modular reactor (SMR) technology to power two facilities it plans to develop—one in Ohio and the other in Pennsylvania. ENTRA1 Energy, an independent global energy development and production company, will support Standard Power’s two projects. “We […]

Government officials in Germany have approved a plan to bring some shuttered coal-fired power plants back online in an effort to avoid energy shortages this winter. Cabinet members on Oct. 4 said they would support putting on-reserve lignite-fired power plants back online from now until the end of March 2024. It’s another move related to […]

Salt River Project (SRP) has become one of the first U.S. utilities to shift from an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to an Integrated System Plan (ISP), a “holistic roadmap” that takes into account evolving power system needs, energy affordability, and carbon reduction goals. The pioneering move by the public power entity that provides power and […]

An Arizona utility plans to build a battery energy storage system (BESS) that will help it store more of the region’s abundant solar energy, enabling the power to be used after the sun goes down. Tucson Electric Power (TEP) in early October said it plans to start operating what would be the largest energy storage […]

Fossil-fueled power plants are billion-pound investments that businesses (as well as whole nations themselves) around the world can’t afford to simply discard. Yet, the combinations of old plant, new fuels, and new operating conditions lead to corrosion, faults, downtime, and inefficiencies for plant operators and manufacturers. But these kinds of bridging technologies—between the “black” and […]

Most propane used in the U.S. today is produced as a byproduct of natural gas processing and crude oil refining, which are not considered “green” technologies. However, renewable propane availability is growing. Renewable propane, like its conventional brother, is commonly made as a byproduct of other fuel production, in its case, often renewable diesel and […]

Throughout this past summer, we have seen some of the highest temperatures on Earth on record, and July was possibly the hottest month in more than a century. Wildfire smoke this year has blanketed the East Coast, marine heat waves have buffeted the Southeast, and Antarctic Sea ice has reached record lows. Washington lawmakers can […]

Two IT air quality data systems that inform the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) regulatory and compliance decisions are outdated, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has suggested. The federal agency must make progress to develop a business case to replace them, it said.  The congressional watchdog in a report made public on Sept. 29 […]

The power industry has always evolved to meet the rising energy demands of communities across the U.S. That demand is now shifting from energy powered by fossil fuels to greener alternatives that can help the world reach its goal of keeping global warming under 1.5C. The latest report from IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate […]

Six nuclear designs will advance to the next phase of the UK’s Small Modular Reactor (SMR) competition, a fast-track measure that could result in a government contract within the next 10 months as part of a strategy to deliver operational SMRs by the mid-2030s. EDF, GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), Holtec Britain, NuScale Power, Rolls Royce SMR, […]

Planning, building, operating, or overhauling power plants has long been an emphasis in the power sector—and an important one, given that the creation of new power capacity plays an outsized role in

In the U.S., there has always been a direct correlation between the disparity in income and the distribution of renewable resources. Equity in energy refers to fairness in the distribution of energy, benefits, and burdens among different people and communities. It was designed to rectify historical inequalities, recognizing the need to create a fair and […]

The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is poised to become the first regional transmission organization (RTO) to provide coordinated operation across the Eastern and Western Interconnections, bridging a historic gap to potentially boost regional reliability, savings, and efficiencies. SPP, which has operated as an RTO since 2004, currently has 110 member companies in its Eastern Interconnection […]

A California company that specializes in providing renewable energy to electricity customers has signed its largest procurement contract. Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) on September 28 said it will receive 220 MW of wind power from Pattern Energy’s SunZia Wind installation in New Mexico, a 3.5-GW project that at present would be the largest wind onshore […]

It’s no secret that the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is pivotal to creating a more sustainable future. Fortunately, consumers are embracing electrification, with reports indicating that EVs will make up nearly 67% of new light-duty vehicle sales and 46% of new medium-duty vehicle sales by 2032. While these reports are promising, the transition […]

Nucor Corp., a manufacturer of steel and steel products, and Helion, a fusion energy company, are collaborating to develop a 500-MW fusion power plant to supply baseload electricity to a steelmaking facility. The companies are working together to set a firm timeline, saying they are “committed to beginning operations as soon as possible with a […]

Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), Poland’s designated entity tasked with developing the country’s first nuclear plant in Pomerania, has signed an engineering services contract with a Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium, allowing site-specific work to begin on the AP1000 power plant. The companies announced the “historic” contract on Sept. 27, one week after nuclear technology giant Westinghouse and global […]

Officials in Angola announced that the Laúca hydroelectric power station is now fully operational, with Austrian company Andritz wrapping construction of the final 70-MW environmental flow power station at the site on the Kwanza River. Andritz built and installed all the units at the 2,070-MW plant, located on the border between the Angolan provinces of […]

It’s pretty easy to understand how the weather affects certain forms of power generation and infrastructure. Sunlight is obviously needed to generate solar power, wind is required to produce wind energy, and extreme storms of all kinds can wreak havoc on transmission and distribution lines, and other energy-related assets. Therefore, having accurate and constantly updated […]

Energy industry analysts have said energy storage will be needed to support the integration of renewable energy into the U.S. power grid, and to provide grid flexibility and reliability. Energy storage, including the use of battery energy storage systems (BESS), also will support moves toward electrification and continued decentralization of U.S. power generation. A new […]

Incremental unplanned generation outages triggered during Winter Storm Elliott spiked to 90.5 GW—significantly more than the 61.8 GW during Winter Storm Uri in 2021—representing 13% of the U.S. portion of anticipated resources in the Eastern Interconnection. That finding, one of many disturbing details unveiled by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and North American Electric […]

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is poised to study the feasibility of retrofitting two gas-fired power plants—a combined capacity of 1.8 GW—in Mississippi and Kentucky with post-combustion carbon capture technology to remove more than 90% of their carbon emissions.  The non-profit U.S. corporate agency and Canadian energy infrastructure firm TC Energy on Sept. 14 said they will […]

Are the benefits of digital integrated power transformers worth it? Smart transformers with exciting new technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) are among the next generation of energy equipment hitting the market today. Many organizations are considering switching to these cutting-edge transformers, but are unsure about the pros and cons. What […]

There are many reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for nuclear energy. As a carbon-free energy source, it is a great option for power generation in a world trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop climate change. The fact that nuclear reactors can operate at baseload with capacity factors regularly greater than 90% […]

Energy consumption is continually escalating at a remarkable rate, with current statistics showcasing the gravity of the situation. Global energy demand has risen by approximately 50% over the past two decades, and projections indicate that this upward trajectory will persist. Additionally, concerns about climate change have reached a peak, solidifying the need for immediate and […]

The energy sector recorded three times as many operational technology (OT) and/or industrial control system (ICS) cybersecurity incidents as the next closest vertical, according to a study conducted by the Cyentia Institute, a research and data science firm, and sponsored by Rockwell Automation, an industrial automation and information provider. “Energy, critical manufacturing, water treatment, and […]

The energy sector has been characterized in recent years by a crisis that affects the globe. As fossil fuel-based energy production decreases in popularity due to its negative effects on the environment and human health, other means of production are added to the grid. Nevertheless, the new methods, with emphasis on renewable energy forms, are […]

Japan’s Kansai Electric Power has restarted another reactor at its Takahama nuclear power plant, the 12threactor to be returned to service in that country since the Fukushima disaster in March 2011 led to the idling of Japan’s entire nuclear fleet. Kansai on September 15 said the 826-MW Takahama No. 2, which originally entered service in […]

In the common global quest for sustainable and renewable energy sources, traditional oil and gas producers are beginning to focus on alternative sources. Geothermal is emerging as one of the most promising renewable energy sources globally, and over the coming years will become an essential component of the overall power market. Power producers’ embrace of […]

Power generation represents a varied and evolving landscape, both globally and within the U.S., with numerous technology types contributing to the energy mix. From traditional simple cycle gas and turbine peaking plants to modern photovoltaic (PV) solar, battery energy storage systems (BESS), wind, hydro and distributed generation facilities, the energy sector continues to experience dynamic […]