POWERnews
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T&D
Maine Lawmakers Back Transmission Project for Renewable Energy
A project to build more than 100 miles of transmission lines, along with multiple substations, to enable the use of more renewable energy in Maine has received support from state lawmakers. LS Power Grid Maine, a subsidiary of New York-headquartered LS Power, on June 26 said the Aroostook Renewable Gateway effort has received the first […]
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Distributed Energy
New Technologies Driving Electric Grid Modernization
Over the past couple of decades, the expected growth in electricity usage unexpectedly flatlined, leaving utilities with stagnant revenue, but aging infrastructure in need of capital investment. Then came the technology revolution of the last five years, with electric vehicles (EVs) becoming more popular as governments worldwide mandate lower emissions, and microgeneration of electricity via […]
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Offshore Wind
Swedish Offshore Wind Farm Could Use 30-MW Turbines
A Sweden-based company that develops deepwater wind power projects has joined with a global renewable energy group in a partnership to develop an offshore wind farm that could feature turbines as large as 30 MW. Freja Offshore, a joint venture (JV) between Sweden’s Hexicon and Mainstream Renewable Power, part of Norway’s Akers Horizon group, on […]
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Business
Brownfield Sites Spur Opportunity in the Power Grid
Over the past few years, climate change coupled with the Biden administration’s push for clean energy alternatives has spurred innovation in the power grid. One growing trend among developers, planners and forward-looking utilities centers on repurposing former brownfields and superfund sites into facilities that produce renewable energy alternatives such as wind and solar energy. The […]
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Gas
SRP’s Urgent 575-MW Aeroderivative Natural Gas Expansion Gets Arizona Regulator’s Green Light
The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) on June 21 issued an amended certificate of environmental compatibility (CEC) for Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District’s (SRP’s) 575-MW natural gas–fired Coolidge Expansion Project. The measure marks a hard-fought triumph for SRP, which urgently sought the plant’s expansion, arguing it is crucial for near-term system reliability and […]
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Energy Storage
New York City’s Largest Battery Energy Storage System Nears Completion
Con Edison President Matthew Ketschke reported that his company will place the largest battery energy storage system (BESS) in New York City in service just in time to help meet summer electricity demand peaks. The installation is a 7.5-MW/30-MWh system located at a substation in the Fox Hills area of Staten Island, New York (Figure […]
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Nuclear
NRC Completes Safety Review for Kairos Nuclear Test Reactor Within 18 Months
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has wrapped up a final safety evaluation for Kairos Power’s 35-MWth Hermes “non-power” demonstration reactor, which the firm has proposed to build at the East Tennessee Technology Park Heritage Center site in Oak Ridge, and plans to begin operating by 2026. The NRC’s review, which concluded “no safety aspects that would […]
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Energy Security
ERCOT’s Energy Emergency Risk Has Shifted from Late Afternoon to Early Evening
Modeling from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) suggests an 11% probability of having a load shed issue on a peak day this summer, an official said during a reliability committee meeting on June 19. The Texas grid, which was tested this week by a record-breaking heat wave, issued a weather watch and a […]
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Commentary
What’s Really Driving the Lithium Crisis in North America
The conversation around lithium demand in the U.S. has been highly focused on surging sales of electric vehicles (EVs), but as we look ahead to the coming years, the real driver will be energy storage systems. COMMENTARY Last year was reported as a record year for battery storage and its rapid growth in the market […]
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Wind
China, Saudi Arabia Team on Wind Projects in Uzbekistan
China’s Envision Energy said it will supply 1 GW of generation capacity for wind projects designed by Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power in Uzbekistan. Envision, headquartered in Shanghai and China’s second-largest wind turbine manufacturer, made the June 20 announcement on the heels of several other large wind turbine deals in recent months, in Egypt, India, and […]
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Offshore Wind
NYISO Picks Transmission Project for Offshore Wind
A project that will developed by Propel NY—a partnership of the New York Power Authority and New York Transco—has been chosen to provide at least 3,000 MW of energy from offshore wind installations. The board of directors of the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), the grid manager for New York State, on June 20 […]
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Sustainability
Supercharging Decarbonization: How Engineered Solutions Can Accelerate the Transition
As pressure mounts, energy leaders must build a more-resilient, lower-carbon energy system. Technical, digital, and engineered solutions will play a critical role in this transition, but which options are most viable? Driving the Transition Through Diversification: The Role of Hydrogen According to SHOCKED, one of the largest global studies conducted among the energy sector C-suite, […]
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Nuclear
Pakistan Expanding Nuclear Plant With New Hualong One Reactor
China continues to be a world leader in exporting its nuclear power technology. Chinese officials in Pakistan on June 20 signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a $4.8 billion deal with Pakistan’s nuclear energy agency for construction of a new 1,200-MW reactor at the Chashma power complex. The new unit will be China’s Hualong […]
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Energy Storage
The Global Energy Challenge Makes a Strong Case for Battery Energy Storage
The value of electricity has increased dramatically as a product of the global energy challenge—and this trend is unlikely to diminish. Energy providers are actively seeking ways to reduce their reliance on natural gas while also avoiding curtailment of energy from renewables. Using batteries to store abundant energy at low prices, then selling it when […]
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Nuclear
Another Delay for New Unit at Vogtle Nuclear Plant
Georgia Power said commercial operation of the new Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle has been delayed for at least another month. The utility on June 16 said there’s a problem in the hydrogen system used to cool the main electrical generator. Unit 3, part of a two-reactor expansion at the plant near Waynesboro, Georgia, had […]
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Power
Centrus Gets NRC Green Light to Introduce Uranium Into HALEU Nuclear Enrichment Cascade
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has allowed Centrus Energy—a firm contracted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to demonstrate high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) production with domestic technology—to introduce uranium hexafluoride (UF6) into its uranium enrichment centrifuge cascade in Piketon, Ohio. The development marks yet another critical milestone for Bethesda, Maryland–headquartered company in its efforts […]
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Coal
German Group Plans ‘Green Baseload’ Installation at Major Coal Generation Complex
A leading German energy group has announced plans to create a clean energy hub at what today is an area of coal mines and coal-fired power stations in the eastern part of the country. The strategy from LEAG (Lausitz Energie Kraftwerke AG) envisions what the company calls a “pure green baseload” complex. LEAG on June […]
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Nuclear
Subsequent License Renewal: Extending Nuclear Power Reactors to 80 Years of Operation (and Maybe More)
The Atomic Energy Act authorizes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to issue licenses for commercial power reactors to operate for up to 40 years. These licenses can be renewed for an additional 20 years at a time. The period after the initial licensing term is known as the period of extended operation. The decision to […]
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Renewables
Duke Energy to Shed 3.4-GW Unregulated Renewable Business Segment in $2.8B Deal
In a bid to transition to a fully regulated business, Duke Energy will sell its unregulated utility-scale solar and wind group—a portfolio of 3.4 GW—for an enterprise value of $2.8 billion to pure-play renewable power platform Brookfield Renewable. The companies announced the transaction for a portion of Duke Energy’s Commercial Renewables business segment on June […]
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Offshore Wind
Recyclable Blades Featured at New RWE Offshore Wind Farm Near Denmark
Recycling of components used in the renewable energy sector is a growing industry. Several companies have entered the market to make wind and solar power more sustainable, including some of the largest players in renewables. RWE, the Germany-based global energy provider, on June 14 announced that 40 of the wind turbines at its Thor offshore […]
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Connected Plant
Four Ways to Protect the Energy Sector from Cybersecurity Threats
It’s been two years since the historic Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack shut down one of the largest and most vital oil pipelines in the U.S. While this hasn’t been the nation’s only attack on power infrastructure, it’s the largest publicly disclosed and, at $4.4 million, it was also the most-costly. Since then, we’ve learned that […]
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Safety
Strategies for Operating Safely within Power Construction Zones
Temporary work zones are often required when constructing or rehabilitating power generation facilities and infrastructure. Safety is the essential factor in any industrial setting, and this is especially true when it comes to activities that disrupt normal operations. The introduction of vehicles, equipment, materials, and personnel to any environment can necessitate new strategies for keeping […]
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Hydrogen
U.S. DOE Releases Report for Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap
The U.S. recently took another important step in implementing a comprehensive strategy to advance the production, processing, delivery, storage, and use of clean hydrogen. The Biden-Harris administration on June 5 released the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap (Hydrogen Roadmap), which serves as a summary of the current state of U.S. hydrogen production, transport, […]
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Coal
UK Restarts Coal-Fired Units as Temperatures, Power Demand Rise
Temperatures in the UK recently soared into the high 80s, increasing demand for cooling across Britain and prompting energy company National Grid to call for a restart of a coal-fired power station. Uniper, the German-based energy group, on June 12 said National Grid called for Uniper’s Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal-fired power plant in Nottinghamshire to begin supplying […]
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Gas
Iberdrola Finalizes $6 Billion Deal to Sell Mexico Gas-Fired Plants
Spanish energy giant Iberdrola announced it has finalized an agreement to sell much of its power generation portfolio in Mexico to that country’s government. The $6 billion deal, first announced in April and completed June 12, will see Mexico take state control and operation of several power plants, including a dozen natural gas-fired facilities that […]
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Gas
Judge Rules Montana Gas-Fired Plant Can Move Forward, While Landmark Climate Case Begins
A judge has ruled that construction of natural gas-fired power plant in Montana can resume, two months after the same judge ordered the project halted due to environmental concerns. The 175-MW Yellowstone County Generating Station, a $283 million facility sited near Laurel, has been dogged by legal actions after its air permit was challenged in […]
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Best of POWER—June 12, 2023
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store June 12, 2023 NRG Energy to Sell Texas Nuclear Plant Stake to Constellation in $1.75B Power Move Constellation Energy, the largest nuclear generator in the U.S., will take over NRG Energy’s 44% ownership stake in the 2.6-GW South Texas Project Electric Generating […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Miss America Talks Importance of Nuclear Power
The U.S. nuclear power industry has an ally with a unique platform to spread the sector’s message of providing reliable, clean electricity. Meet Grace Stanke. She’s not just a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison working on the final stages of a degree in nuclear engineering. She is also Miss America 2023. “A lot of […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Expect Legal Challenges to New EPA Rules on Emissions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in May 2023 published a proposed rule that would establish new source performance standards (NSPS) and existing source performance standards (ESPS) for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from new, modified, reconstructed, and existing fossil-fuel fired electric generating units (EGUs). COMMENTARY The proposed rule, which EPA plans to promulgate pursuant to […]
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Energy Security
Devastating Ukraine Dam Breach Raises Concerns for Nearby Nuclear Plant
A breach at the Nova Kakhovka Dam stemming from the destruction of the 351-MW hydroelectric power plant in southern Ukraine on June 6 has triggered massive flooding, prompted an environmental crisis, and raised new perils for a nearby nuclear plant on the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war. Completed in 1956, the Kakhovka hydropower power plant […]