POWERnews

A project to deploy a 1.5-MW commercial-scale ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) platform in the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe by 2025 has gained a key design certification. The crucial

Efforts by Japanese nuclear fuel manufacturers to develop accident tolerant fuel (ATF) materials are making progress, and their commercialization is currently expected between 2030 and 2035 after key

It’s been nearly seven decades since the first nuclear power station began operating. Thanks to digital transformation, this form of energy generation has never been safer—or more efficient. While the

Georgia Power officials said Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle has reached 100% power output, as the first reactor in a two-unit expansion at the site in Waynesboro, Georgia, nears commercial operation. The utility on May 29 said Unit 3 reached its expected output of about 1,100 MW for the first time, as the reactor continues […]

There is a continued push in the power generation sector to make the industry more efficient through the use of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and data science. Several companies are working to provide products and services for utilities and other power producers, focused on generation, transmission and distribution, and the way utilities interact with […]

The world is moving toward renewable sources for electricity generation in an attempt to reduce fossil-fuel reliance. But wind and solar can’t provide a consistent flow of power 24/7, and grid operators have realized that new electricity generation needs to be paired with storage to manage periods with no sun or wind. The decreasing cost […]

The market for U.S. manufacturing of batteries for the electric vehicle (EV) sector continues to grow. The latest announcement comes from South Korea-based LG Energy Solution (LGES), which together with Hyundai Motor Group has formed a joint venture (JV) for a battery cell factory in Georgia. The announcement on May 26, during a signing ceremony […]

A new hydroelectric dam in Cameroon is expected to begin producing power by the end of this year, with commercial operation beginning in 2024, according to an official with the African Development Bank (AfDB). Rokhaya Diop Diallo, who leads the project for AfDB, recently said work on the Nachtigal hydropower station is more than 80% […]

Westinghouse Electric Co., Bechtel, and state-owned Polish entity Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) will work together to kick off design activity for Poland’s inaugural AP1000 nuclear power plant later this year and potentially ink a construction contract in 2025 in a bid to meet Poland’s goal to begin nuclear power generation in 2033. The companies announced […]

The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects investment in clean energy technologies, including “renewable power, nuclear, grids, storage, low-emission fuels, efficiency improvements and end-use renewables and electrification,” to exceed $1.7 trillion in 2023, the most ever. Yet, even as clean energy investments grow, more than $1 trillion is expected to be invested in unabated fossil fuel […]

A full-scale electrically heated prototype of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) 100-kWth MARVEL nuclear microreactor has been successfully installed at a facility in New Freedom, Pennsylvania, and is readying for testing. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) fabricated the full-scale non-nuclear prototype—known as the primary coolant apparatus test (PCAT)—in January 2022 within nine months. PCAT was then […]

Nine trade groups—including four representing the power sector—have urged the Biden administration to prioritize actions that support the domestic production of electrical steel, warning that shortages are contributing to “significant and persistent” supply chain challenges. The groups, which include the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the American Public Power Association (APPA), the National Rural Electric Cooperative […]

The UK will back a “digital twin” of future multi-vector energy systems, including non-electric ones, that will support the country’s efforts to meet its 2050 net-zero objectives. The UK’s effort echoes several initiatives launched worldwide to deliver new visibility, knowledge, and understanding of future energy systems and integrate real-time modeling. UK transmission and distribution grid […]

A project to deploy the first NuScale 462-MWe VOYGR-6 nuclear power plant in Romania by 2029 has garnered a $275 million public-private funding commitment from the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of a global infrastructure partnership. The Romanian project may be bolstered by an additional $4 billion outlined […]

The American Clean Power Association (ACP) in a new report said installations of energy storage, along with wind and solar power capacity, were at the third-highest level on record in 2022, with more than 25 GW of new clean power installed cross the U.S. But challenges to clean energy deployment remain. The group’s “Clean Power […]

A Saudi Arabian energy group has signed agreements with officials from Uzbekistan to help the latter country increase its use of renewable energy resources and develop production of green hydrogen. ACWA Power, which develops power generation and other industrial projects, and Uzkimyosanoat (UKS), the national holding company for chemicals in Uzbekistan, announced the deals during […]

Dominion Energy will replace the steam generators at its Surry Nuclear Power Station in Virginia. The project further supports the company’s Subsequent License Renewal (SLR) program to extend the long-term operation of Surry Units 1 and 2 through 2052 and 2053, respectively, when the units’ current licenses expire. Westinghouse Electric Co. will design and manufacture […]

A microgrid project in Maryland could become a model for how integrated off-grid systems generate power for commercial and industrial installations, along with producing hydrogen to fuel transportation vehicles. AlphaStruxure, a joint venture of Schneider Electric and Carlyle, on May 18 announced development of project that will feature bus charging and on-site green hydrogen production. […]

Building a nuclear power plant is a difficult job. It takes years of planning and sometimes more than a decade to complete. The risk of schedule delays is great, especially on first-of-a-kind projects, and the financial implications of such setbacks can ruin a company. Yet, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) president and CEO, Jeff Lyash, […]

With governments and industry engaging more frequently and decisively on how nuclear energy can help meet their climate, electrification, and economic goals, attention is now turning to how we get the needed capacity built. While extending the operating lives of existing nuclear plants, some countries will need to build new nuclear capacity to meet their […]

As the U.S. pushes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, reaching that goal will require effort from all industry sectors. While transportation, electricity production, industrial manufacturing, and heating and cooling generate the majority of U.S. emissions, addressing the 11% contributed by agriculture is also critical to mitigating climate change impacts. COMMENTARY One […]

Despite recent economic slowdowns, the global voluntary carbon credit market has nearly quadrupled since 2020, reaching a value of about $2 billion. COMMENTARY California, leading the way in the U.S. market, is again pushing for more action to combat climate change by implementing a grant program of $200 million for remote and disadvantaged communities to […]

“Everywhere we look, we’re seeing demand surging,” Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), said. “When we talk about demand for nuclear, we’re talking about the future of our planet, the future that our children will inherit.” Korsnick spoke those lines on May 15 as part of her “State of the […]

An Arkansas city known for its use of renewable energy announced plans to break ground this year on a power plant that would be part of the state’s first so-called “hydrogen hub.” Officials in Clarksville on May 12 signed an agreement with Syntex Industries, part of SyntexNRG, to design and build the Syntex Hydrogen Power […]

Nuclear has re-invented itself as a compelling pathway to achieving net-zero. It is said that everything is cyclical—where there are periods of expansions and contractions. Could this be true of nuclear energy? Can the benefits outweigh the fears and flip the switch from decommissioning to accelerated growth? In the late 1960s, federal nuclear energy programs […]

Solar power is having a moment. While rooftop solar technologies have been around for decades, consumer demand, urgent climate change concerns, and competitive price points have coalesced, creating historical interest in solar power, including 700,000 homeowners installing solar panels in 2022 alone. COMMENTARY The industry is expected to grow by up to 30% this year, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted Holtec International a license to build and operate a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) for spent nuclear fuel in southeastern New Mexico, despite the state’s opposition. Granted on May 9 after an eight-year process, the NRC’s license allows Holtec to “receive, possess, transfer, and store” 500 canisters holding […]

X-energy and Dow will site a proposed four-unit 320-MWe Xe-100 advanced nuclear reactor facility at Union Carbide Corp. Seadrift Operations, a sprawling Dow chemical materials manufacturing site in Seadrift, Calhoun County, Texas. The companies on May 11 said the small modular reactor (SMR) project, part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Demonstration […]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled new greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for the nation’s power plants, moving to require both existing and new facilities to capture emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) for the first time. The rule announced May 11, if implemented, would mean coal- and natural gas-fired power plants would have to […]

Software giant Microsoft on May 10 announced it has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with nuclear fusion startup Helion Energy to buy electricity from Helion as soon as 2028. Andrew Holland, CEO of the Fusion Industry Association, said Microsoft’s deal is the first time a fusion company has signed a deal to sell electricity. […]