POWERnews

  • NV Energy Adding Two Gas-Fired Units Near Las Vegas

    Nevada utility NV Energy is ready to add two natural gas-fired units to the existing Silverhawk Generating Station as part of the group’s plan to increase the state’s energy supply during the hottest months of the year. The $353 million project, the first phase of an $827 million plan the utility filed with state regulators […]

  • EPA Projects Final ‘Good Neighbor Plan’ Will Result in 14 GW of Coal Retirements

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 15 issued the final “Good Neighbor Plan,” its latest iteration of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) that could require coal, oil, or gas steam power plants in 22 states to reduce their nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions levels by 50% by 2027 compared to the 2021 ozone season. […]

  • Enel and Newcleo Agree to Partner on New Gen-IV Small Modular Reactors

    The Enel Group and nuclear technology company newcleo signed an agreement under which they will work together on Generation-IV (Gen-IV) nuclear technology projects. Under the deal, Enel will collaborate with newcleo by providing “specialized expertise” through the sharing of “a number of the company’s qualified personnel.” newcleo, for its part, will secure an option for […]

  • GE Developing 18-MW Offshore Wind Turbine

    The global competition to build ever-larger offshore wind turbines continues to ramp up, with General Electric (GE) announcing the company’s renewable energy arm is developing a 17- to 18-MW model that could rival those currently being launched by Chinese groups. “Now we are getting a very positive reception from the market with our 17-MW to […]

  • Solar Energy Caught in Crosshairs of New Legislation

    The solar power industry seems to be caught in the crosshairs of competing legislative agendas. The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) created incentives to increase solar capacity via tax credits, but the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) limits the effectiveness of those credits by restricting the importation of any goods that were mined, produced, […]

  • Best of POWER—March 13, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   March 13, 2023 Vogtle 3 Reaches Initial Criticality, Marking Pivotal Nuclear Startup Milestone Vogtle 3, one of two 1,117-MW Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactors Southern Nuclear Operating Co. is building in Georgia, has reached initial criticality. The event marks a pivotal milestone for […]

  • Ukraine Group Completes First Phase of Wind Farm Despite Ongoing War

    Ukrainian energy company DTEK Group said it has finished construction of the first 114 MW of a planned 500-MW wind farm in the country, as DTEK continues to work on energy projects despite the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The company on March 10 said it is seeking international help to complete the Tyligulska wind […]

  • POWERnews—March 9, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   March 9, 2023 Vistra Expands Nuclear Portfolio in $3.4 Billion Deal for Energy Harbor Texas-based energy company Vistra Corp. is adding to its nuclear power generation capacity. The group on March 6 announced it would buy Ohio-based Energy Harbor Corp. in a […]

  • The POWER Interview: IRA, Economics Support Solar-Plus-Storage Market

    Several executives in the energy industry have spoken with POWER in recent months about how utility-scale solar power projects benefit from the addition of energy storage. Many have noted how installing storage systems alongside solar arrays supports the integration of renewable energy to the power grid, and also enhances the economic potential of any such […]

  • Energy Sustainability: The Emerging and Effective Use of Hydrogen

    Climate change and the dangers posed to the environment by increasing levels of CO2 have led to a greater focus on a non-polluting energy source: renewable hydrogen. Described as the “most abundant clean fuel in the universe,” the application of hydrogen as a fuel for transportation, including plans for a hydrogen-powered aircraft in the next […]

  • Help Wanted: Retirements and the Energy Transition Lead to Job Openings in the Power Industry

    It seems like industry insiders have been lamenting the aging power workforce for decades. Yet, there is still a large percentage of workers in the current workforce that are retirement eligible—some studies suggest the percentage is as high as 40%. Meanwhile, the energy transition has created a large number of new jobs building and operating […]

  • EPA Rolls Out More Stringent Effluent Limitations Guidelines for Coal Power Plants

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing more stringent discharge standards for three types of coal power plant wastewater as part of an update to its Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELGs). However, the agency also proposed compliance flexibilities, and in a separate direct final rule, moved to extend a deadline to allow more coal plants to […]

  • Major Pumped-Hydro Storage Project Moves Forward in Nevada

    A Utah-based energy developer has filed a final license application for construction of a major pumped-hydro storage project in Nevada. rPlus Hydro on March 8 said it made the filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the company’s 1,000-MW White Pine Pumped Storage installation in White Pine County. White Pine, the first pumped-hydro […]

  • Vogtle 3 Reaches Initial Criticality, Marking Pivotal Nuclear Startup Milestone

    Vogtle 3, one of two 1,117-MW Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactors Southern Nuclear Operating Co. is building in Georgia, has reached initial criticality. The event marks a pivotal milestone for the Generation III+ pressurized water reactor (PWR)—the first of its kind built in the U.S. “Initial criticality is a key step during the startup testing sequence […]

  • Vistra Expands Nuclear Portfolio in $3.4 Billion Deal for Energy Harbor

    Texas-based energy company Vistra Corp. is adding to its nuclear power generation capacity. The group on March 6 announced it would buy Ohio-based Energy Harbor Corp. in a $3.4 billion deal that includes ownership of three nuclear power stations. The transaction includes $3 billion in cash, with Energy Harbor shareholders receiving a 15% stake in […]

  • Biden Administration Pledges $1.2 Billion to Keep U.S. Nuclear Reactors Online

    The Biden administration has pledged another $1.2 billion to help extend the operating life of older or distressed nuclear power plants, with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm saying nuclear power is needed to support the nation’s clean energy goals. The funding, announced by the Dept. of Energy (DOE) on March 2, is the second tranche of […]

  • Entergy Picks EPC Team for Massive Hydrogen-Capable CCGT Project in Texas

    A 1.2-GW hydrogen-capable combined cycle power project that Entergy Texas has proposed to build in Orange County, Texas, will be spearheaded by an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) consortium led by Mitsubishi Power, Sargent & Lundy, and TIC. Construction of the $1.19 billion Orange County Advanced Power Station (OCAPS), which received the Public Utility Commission […]

  • NRC Approves Move to Keep Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Open

    The Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California can continue operating while Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) seeks a license renewal for the 2,250-MW facility that would extend its lifecycle. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on March 2 approved PG&E’s request for an exemption to keep Diablo Canyon open past 2025. Thursday’s move is a […]

  • POWERnews—March 2, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   March 2, 2023 Novel UAMPS-NuScale SMR Nuclear Project Gains Participant Approval to Proceed to Next Phase Despite a recent steep hike in the project cost estimate for the proposed 462-MWe Carbon-Free Power Project (CFPP), 26 of 27 public power entities have voted […]

  • Novel UAMPS-NuScale SMR Nuclear Project Gains Participant Approval to Proceed to Next Phase

    Despite a steep hike in the project cost estimate for the proposed 462-MWe Carbon-Free Power Project (CFPP), 26 of 27 public power entities have voted to continue development of the first-of-its-kind six-module NuScale Power VOYGR-6 small modular nuclear (SMR) plant. The 26 project participants—subscribers who could eventually offtake portions of the project’s power—lodged financial commitments […]

  • Russia Ready to Bring Nuclear Power to Sri Lanka

    Government officials in Sri Lanka said they will work with Russia to bring nuclear power to the country as part of its effort to increase the supply of electricity for the island nation. Professor S.R.D. Rosa, chairman of the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board, told local media the country is looking at offshore and onshore […]

  • Is a Nuclear Reactor Headed to the Heart of Your City?

    It’s not uncommon for nuclear power plants to be sited relatively close to large metropolitan areas (within 50 miles, for example), after all, that is where the biggest loads are, but reactors are rarely placed near the center of large cities. This is mainly due to the risks associated with a meltdown, or even a […]

  • The POWER Interview: DC-Coupled Storage Optimizing Solar PV Systems

    Asset owners want to get the most out of their solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, which is why many today are adding energy storage to an installation or upgrading a project through repowering. Companies working in the space recognize that both new and older solar power systems can be optimized, thanks to innovative technologies and new […]

  • X-energy and Dow Will Deploy a 320-MWe Xe-100 Nuclear Facility at Gulf Coast Site

    X-energy will demonstrate its four-unit 320-MWe Xe-100 advanced nuclear reactor facility under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) at a Dow site in the U.S. Gulf Coast region by the end of the decade—not in Washington State as originally planned. The shakeup stems from a joint development agreement (JDA) the nuclear […]

  • Group Touts Milestone for Hydrogen-Boron Fusion Power

    A California-based group said it has completed the first-ever hydrogen-boron fusion experiments to produce a sustainable fuel for utility-scale fusion power. TAE Technologies on Feb. 28, in a peer-reviewed paper published by the scientific journal Nature Communications, said its research supports the path to providing electricity from nuclear reactors fueled with hydrogen-boron, also known as […]

  • Madagascar Ready to Ramp Up Hydropower Projects

    Madagascar has significant hydropower potential, but to date less than 20% of the country’s energy comes from hydroelectric facilities. The Economic Development Agency of Madagascar (EDBM) estimates the island nation, located in the Indian Ocean off the cost of Southeast Africa, could produce as much as 7.8 GW of power from hydro resources, but at […]

  • Best of POWER—February 27, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   February 27, 2023 European Project Launches to Demonstrate High-Volume Hydrogen Gas Turbine Combustion Ansaldo Energia and partners have kicked off the FLEX4H2, a four-year project to design, develop, and validate a highly fuel-flexible gas turbine combustion system based on Ansaldo’s sequential combustion […]

  • China Approves 106 GW of New Coal-Fired Capacity

    A new report from a two global energy research groups found that China last year approved its most new coal-fired power generation projects since 2015. The report from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) shows the Chinese government approved permits for 106 GW of new coal-fired […]

  • POWERnews—Feb. 23, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   February 23, 2023 Biden Administration Announces First Offshore Wind Lease Sales for Gulf of Mexico The Biden administration on Feb. 22 announced the first-ever lease sale for offshore wind power development in the Gulf of Mexico. The Dept. of the Interior, through […]

  • The POWER Interview: Chemistry Crucial for Global Growth in Energy Storage

    The global market for energy storage is driven by several factors, with power producers continually looking for ways to improve their storage systems and enhance performance. Battery technologies for energy storage are becoming more important as project developers look for ways to control costs and optimize battery energy storage systems (BESS). Advancing technology supports lowering […]