POWERnews

  • How Lithium-Ion Battery Technology Accelerates Industrial Electrification

    Accelerating the transition toward low or net-zero carbon emissions is necessary to keep global warming at theoretically safe levels. In line with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, countries have been setting goals for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of the century, with intermediate objectives and milestones by the 2030s. Corporate sustainability […]

  • POWERnews—Sept. 22, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 22, 2022 DOE Unveils Next Steps for Nuclear Waste Consent-Based Siting Process The Department of Energy (DOE) has initiated community outreach to facilitate consent-based siting, management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), and interim storage facility siting. The effort, which is outlined […]

  • The Energy Conundrum: Decarbonizing the Power Supply While Maintaining Reliable and Affordable Electricity

    Countries throughout the world have set carbon emission reduction targets in an effort to limit the effects of climate change. Many are striving to achieve net zero in coming decades. Yet, governments also want to maintain, or even improve, living standards for their citizens, which means keeping power affordable and reliable. This poses some potentially […]

  • Oklo Relaunches NRC Licensing Process for Nuclear Microreactor

    Oklo, the developer of the much-watched 1.5-MW Aurora microreactor, has submitted a recharged licensing project plan (LPP) with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), launching a renewed effort that could help the advanced nuclear reactor developer set the stage for “effective and efficient” application reviews by the federal regulator. The move is a significant step for […]

  • CPV Announces New 1.8-GW Gas-Fired Plant for West Virginia

    A Maryland-based power generation group said it will build an 1,800-MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired power plant in West Virginia, a project that will utilize carbon capture and storage to take advantage of a government tax credit. Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) on Sept. 16 said it plans for the project to be operational later this decade. […]

  • POWERnews—Sept. 15, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 15, 2022 Oxford Group: Decarbonizing Energy Would Save $12 Trillion A new study from business and environmental researchers at Oxford University disputes the notion that a strategy to transition global power generation toward renewable energy and away from fossil fuels…   […]

  • Biden Administration Throws Support Behind Floating Offshore Wind

    The Biden administration announced a goal of installing as much as 15 GW of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035, and said it plans to auction off leases to support project development by the end of this year. The Sept. 15 announcement touted both the potential of offshore wind and its impact on reducing […]

  • Enverus Expands Renewables Arm, Acquires Spanish Solar Power Group

    A Texas-based company involved with data analytics for the energy industry is acquiring a Spanish group as part of a continuing effort to expand its offerings in the power generation sector. Enverus, formerly known as DrillingInfo and a longtime player in the oil and gas industry, on Sept. 14 said it is acquiring RatedPower, a […]

  • Oxford Group: Decarbonizing Energy Would Save $12 Trillion

    A new study from business and environmental researchers at Oxford University disputes the notion that a strategy to transition global power generation toward renewable energy and away from fossil fuels is too expensive to pursue. The study, released Sept. 13 and published in the journal Joule, reports that decarbonizing the world’s energy systems would save […]

  • NuScale, Last Energy Make Significant Insteps for SMRs in Poland

    NuScale has signed a first task order and a statement of commencement with Polish mining and processing firm KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., kicking off early work for a VOYGR nuclear power plant of up to 924 MWe that the partners could deploy as early as 2029 to support KGHM’s copper and silver production in Poland. […]

  • Researchers at Sandia Lab Successfully Test New Power Generation Technology

    Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico announced they completed a successful test of a new power-generating technology, delivering electricity to the local grid using an energy conversion system that they say could drive a major increase in efficiency for power plants across the U.S. and perhaps the world. The researchers, in a news […]

  • Best of POWER—September 12, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 12, 2022 DOE Backs Carbon Capture Development at Two Major Gas-Fired Power Plants    Two major U.S. gas power plants will be part of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) efforts to develop carbon capture technologies capable of capturing at least 95% […]

  • Michigan Governor Urges DOE to Support Palisades Nuclear Plant’s Reopening

    Michigan’s governor has asked the Department of Energy (DOE) to support Holtec International’s efforts to “save” the 800-MW Palisades nuclear power plant, marking a potential turnaround for the facility in Southwest Michigan, which was taken offline for the final time on May 20, 2022, after 50 years of operation. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s in a […]

  • DOE’s Latest Energy Earthshot Will Tackle Technical, Economic Challenges for Enhanced Geothermal Systems

    The Department of Energy’s (DOE)’s latest Energy Earthshot will seek to cut the cost of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) to $45/MWh by 2035, an ambitious goal that would shave current EGS costs by 90%. The DOE’s latest Energy Earthshot—part of a 2021-research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) initiative it launched to accelerate breakthroughs for emerging technologies—will […]

  • POWERnews—Sept. 8, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 8, 2022 Biden Administration Targets Industrial Decarbonization Through Electrification, Low-Carbon Fuels, CCUS The Biden administration has laid out a comprehensive roadmap to help five energy-intensive manufacturing sectors reduce their fuel- and power-related carbon emissions and achieve net-zero by 2050. The pathways […]

  • Germany Halts Closure of Two Nuclear Plants Until April 2023

    Germany plans to keep two of its three last nuclear power plants on standby until mid-2023—beyond their year-end closure deadline—to bolster its energy security through the winter. However, the declaration has prompted confusion within Germany’s nuclear industry, which says nuclear plants aren’t suited to perform as operating reserve. Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action […]

  • Energy Storage Projects in New York and Texas Get Boost

    New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Sept. 8 that $16.6 million had been awarded to five long-duration energy storage projects in her state. She also said an additional $17 million in competitive funding was available for projects that “advance development and demonstration of scalable innovative long-duration energy storage technologies, including hydrogen.” Meanwhile, Qcells USA […]

  • Why the Solar Market Is Down and Why It’s Poised for a Comeback

    The forecast for U.S. solar energy installations in 2022 have been revised downward in a report published by Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) on Sept. 8, due in large part to supply chain constraints and an industry-wide slowdown caused by the initiation of an anticircumvention investigation earlier this year. The U.S. […]

  • Two Illinois Gas Power Plants Acquired by Public Benefit Corporation Earthrise Energy

    Two Eastern Generation natural gas power plants in northeastern Illinois have been acquired by Earthrise Energy, an emerging independent power producer and “public benefit corporation” that has now amassed a 1.7-GW natural gas fleet in Illinois. Earthrise on Sept. 6 said it acquired the 328-MW Crete (Figure 1) and 656-MW Lincoln Generating Facility from Eastern […]

  • Biden Administration Targets Industrial Decarbonization Through Electrification, Low-Carbon Fuels, CCUS

    The Biden administration has laid out a comprehensive roadmap to help five energy-intensive manufacturing sectors reduce their fuel- and power-related carbon emissions and achieve net-zero by 2050. The pathways proposed for the iron and steel, cement and concrete, food and beverage, chemical manufacturing, and petroleum refining sectors may have substantial implications for future power demand. […]

  • California Declares Stage 3 Emergency Alert, Warns Rotating Outages Possible

    California’s grid operator issued a Stage 3 energy emergency alert (EEA) at 5:17 p.m. PST on Sept. 6, warning it would order rotating power outages to lower soaring power demand and stabilize its grid, if necessary. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) cautiously raised the emergency alert from Stage 2, which it had declared earlier […]

  • The POWER Interview: Developing Platforms for Renewable Energy

    Billions of dollars are supporting renewable energy development in the U.S. The International Energy Agency has said record amounts of spending on clean energy will increase global energy investment by 8% in 2022. Julie McLaughlin, a managing director with Alvarez & Marsal’s U.S. Energy practice in San Francisco, California, has extensive experience in the energy space, working with […]

  • Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Gets Legislative Approval for Operation to 2030

    California’s lawmakers have passed Senate Bill 846, effectively offering Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) a pathway to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open until at least 2030. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham, a Republican from San Luis Obispo, and Democratic state Sen. Bill Dodd of Napa, passed the California Assembly by 69–3 […]

  • POWERnews—Sept. 1, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 1, 2022 Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Gets Legislative Approval for Operation to 2030 California’s lawmakers have passed Senate Bill 846, effectively offering Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) a pathway to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open until at least […]

  • Another Major Leadership Shuffle: PSEG Gets New CEO

    In another high-profile leadership shuffle at a major U.S. power generating company, PSEG’s longtime president and CEO Ralph Izzo on Sept. 1 passed leadership of the regulated infrastructure company to Ralph LaRossa, who was previously PSEG’s chief operating officer (COO). Izzo, who will continue to serve as executive chair of the PSEG board until December […]

  • GE H-Class Turbine Will Power New Louisiana Gas-Fired Plant

    General Electric’s (GE’s) H-Class power generation equipment technology will be used at a new natural gas-fired power plant in Louisiana. GE on Sept. 1 said it received an order from Kindle Energy for a 7HA.03 gas turbine to serve the 725-MW Magnolia Power Project that will be built in Plaquemine. The new facility is expected […]

  • You’ve Heard of Offshore Wind; Now, Offshore Nuclear Is a Thing

    CORE POWER announced that it and its partners, the MIT Energy Initiative and the Idaho National Laboratory, were granted funding by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) for a three-year study into the development of offshore floating nuclear power generation in the U.S. “It is an important step forward for […]

  • Siemens Gamesa in Deal with SSE Renewables for European Assets

    Siemens Gamesa said it has sold its renewable energy assets in southern Europe to SSE Renewables, a division of Scottish multinational energy company SSE. The deal announced Sept. 1 is for a 3.8-GW portfolio of projects, including onshore wind facilities in Spain, Italy, Greece, and France. The agreement also includes potential opportunities for Siemens Gamesa […]

  • DOE Backs Carbon Capture Development at Two Major Gas-Fired Power Plants   

    Two major U.S. gas power plants will be part of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) efforts to develop carbon capture technologies capable of capturing at least 95% of carbon dioxide.  The agency’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) on Aug. 26 announced $31 million in funding for 10 projects. While many of the […]

  • Rapid Progress for Japan’s Offshore Wind Ambitions

    Japan’s ambitions to install up to 10 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 have made rapid progress over the past month, driven partly by accelerated action to address a supply and demand mismatch. Weeks after