POWERnews
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Infographics
THE BIG PICTURE: Hydropower’s Climate Risks
While hydropower provides about 16% of global electricity generation today, climate change is predicted to drive various changes in hydrology that could translate into a spectrum of risks for hydropower production. A recent study published in the journal Water estimates 61% of all global hydropower dams will be in basins with very high or extreme […]
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Nuclear
IAEA Embarks on Unprecedented Mission to Inspect Nuclear Power Plant in Ukrainian ‘War Zone’
An expert team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in Kyiv and is readying to inspect Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) for damage from weeks of shelling. The development marks a significant breakthrough for the agency, which has for the past month pleaded with Russia and Ukraine to allow it to […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Modeling Solutions for the Future of Energy
Utilities function in the present but must always plan for the future. That’s even more true today, as the rapid pace of change with power generation technologies, and the transition to cleaner forms of energy, means utilities—whether they deal with electricity, natural gas, water, transportation, or are a municipality that pays attention to all those […]
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News
Inflation Reduction Act Programs Could Establish the U.S. as a Market Leader in Hydrogen
For the growing U.S. hydrogen industry, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is transformative. Today, nearly all hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels to be used as a chemical feedstock and for refining—emitting carbon dioxide in the process. Recently, thanks to state incentive programs, federal funds, and voluntary corporate commitments, clean hydrogen has been gaining ground […]
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Best of POWER—Aug. 29, 2022
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store August 29, 2022 Biden Signs Bill to Transform U.S. Energy, Combat Climate Change President Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) should provide further impetus for growth of U.S. renewable energy, coming on the heels of a report from the Federal […]
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Nuclear
Hungary Adding New VVER-1200 Nuclear Reactors in First for EU
Hungary’s nuclear energy agency has issued a license for construction of two reactors for Paks II, a power generation project first launched in early 2014 as part of an inter-governmental agreement between Hungary and Russia. Officials said Paks II would be the first nuclear plant in the European Union to use Rosatom’s Generation III+ VVER-1200 […]
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POWERnews—Aug. 25, 2022
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store August 25, 2022 U.S.’s Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants Set Daily Production Records in July Despite High Fuel Prices The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that electricity generated by natural gas–fired power plants in the lower 48 states reached 6.37 TWh on […]
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Geothermal
CAISO’s First Geothermal Plant in 30 Years Comes Online
The first geothermal power plant built in more than three decades within the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) balancing authority has come online. Mammoth Pacific Geothermal, an Ormat Co. subsidiary, declared the 30-MW Casa Diablo IV (CD4) commercially operational on July 20. CD4 is located on public land two miles east of the Town of […]
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Nuclear
Pilot Advanced Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing Facility Opens
Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. has opened a pilot fuel manufacturing facility that will produce TRi-structural ISOtropic (TRISO) coated fuel particles and the company’s proprietary fuel for use in its high-temperature gas reactor (HTGR). The Pilot Fuel Manufacturing (PFM) facility, located at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is one of the […]
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Gas
U.S.’s Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants Set Daily Production Records in July Despite High Fuel Prices
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that electricity generated by natural gas–fired power plants in the lower 48 states reached 6.37 TWh on July 21, setting a new record high for a day. In fact, the previous high, set on July 27, 2020, was broken three times during that week in July, first on […]
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Nuclear
Japan Looks at Ramping Up Nuclear Power to Ensure Energy Supply
Japan’s prime minister said the country is prepared to restart more of its idled nuclear reactors, and look at building more power generation facilities with next-generation nuclear technology. The comments from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during an Aug. 24 news conference in Tokyo signal a shift in Japan’s thinking about nuclear power after the country […]
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Distributed Generation
How to Prevent Downtime as the Temperature Heats Up
Climate change is continuing to drive temperatures to unprecedented levels. In just a single day in late June, the United States set or broke at least 21 high-temperature records. So, what do we do to cool down? We crank up the air conditioner. But with each surge in energy demand, our aging grid is being […]
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T&D
Operating Energy Systems in a War-Torn Country: DTEK Prepares for Winter
While much of the world lives life as usual, DTEK—the largest private investor in Ukraine’s energy sector—is focused on providing reliable service amidst war and uncertainty. “Today, the major topic for us is to provide stability in durations of electricity sector in Ukraine and also do everything possible to prepare for winter season,” DTEK CEO […]
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T&D
Preparing the Grid for an Above-Average Hurricane Season
Hurricanes are one of the most destructive forces in nature. Hurricane season in North America runs from June 1 to November 30, peaking between August and September, and 2022 would be the seventh straight year of above-average hurricane activity, if predictions are correct. A typical Atlantic hurricane season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Fluence Exec Offers Insight on Energy Storage
There’s global growth in energy storage. The latest evidence is a report that BlackRock, the New York-based asset manager and a major player in energy sector, is ready to buy Akyasha Energy, an Australian company that specializes in battery storage and renewable energy projects. BlackRock in an Aug. 16 news release said it would commit […]
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POWERnews—Aug. 18, 2022
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store August 18, 2022 Biden Signs Bill to Transform U.S. Energy, Combat Climate Change President Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) should provide further impetus for growth of U.S. renewable energy, coming on the heels of a report from the Federal […]
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Connected Plant
Zero Trust: Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Responding to CISA’s ‘Shields Up’
There are no boundaries in cyberspace. That fact has accelerated sharing of threat intelligence across the defenders, but it exponentially raises the threat of cyberattacks. This reality is underscored by the war in Ukraine, “the first major conflict involving large-scale cyber operations,” according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA). A major concern is […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Common Mobility Tax Mistakes in the Energy Sector and How to Avoid Them
As international travel picks up, energy corporations are turning to mobile employees to fulfill their international staffing needs. However, as mobile work gains steam, tax and compliance risks continue to grow as well—unbeknownst to most corporate leaders. Many businesses, unfortunately, are failing to set up an adequate plan to protect against tax violations in the […]
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Nuclear
Germany Mulls Postponing Nuclear Exit
Germany’s government is weighing how the closure of the country’s last three nuclear power plants in December 2022 will affect its grid this upcoming winter as the country scrambles to secure sufficient energy supplies amid a decline in Russian gas deliveries. A formal decision on whether or not to keep Isar 2, Emsland, and Neckarwestheim […]
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Trends
Another Power Giant’s CEO Is Retiring: Entergy’s Leo Denault
Entergy Corp.’s chairman and CEO Leo P. Denault will retire in 2023, ending a decade-long role as the head of the New Orleans–headquartered power generating giant. Denault will be succeeded by Andrew “Drew” Marsh, Entergy’s current executive vice president and chief financial officer. Denault, 62, was appointed Entergy’s chairman and CEO in 2013, taking over […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Biden Signs Bill to Transform U.S. Energy, Combat Climate Change
President Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) should provide further impetus for growth of U.S. renewable energy, coming on the heels of a report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that installations of solar and wind power accounted for more than two-thirds of new domestic utility-scale generation in the first six months […]
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Best of POWER—August 15, 2022
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store August 15, 2022 U.S. Utility Survey Suggests Industry Mulling Additions of 90 GW of New Nuclear A Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) survey suggests U.S. utility members expect to add up to 90 GW of new nuclear generation by the 2050s, including more […]
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Renewables
Renewable Energy, Electrification Big Winners in Inflation Reduction Act
The U.S. House on Aug. 12 passed a bill with major implications for the power generation industry, joining the U.S. Senate in supporting the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The bill, which now heads to President Joe Biden for his signature, includes major provisions to combat climate change, including support for a variety of clean energy […]
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Nuclear
California Governor Has Plan to Keep Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Open
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a plan that would keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open into 2035, a decade beyond the facility’s current closure date. The proposal, which in part includes giving plant owner Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) a forgivable $1.4-billion loan, was included in a draft legislative package sent to […]
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Trends
AEP CEO Nick Akins to Step Down, Julie Sloat Tapped as Next Company Head
American Electric Power’s (AEP’s) long-serving chairman, president, and CEO, Nick Akins, will step down as CEO on Jan. 1, 2023, and has already passed the company’s presidency to Julie A. Sloat, AEP executive vice president, and chief financial officer (CFO). Sloat, 53, will become the power generating company’s CEO in January, making her the first […]
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POWERnews—Aug. 11, 2022
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store August 11, 2022 Illinois EPA Issues Permit for New 1.1-GW Gas-Fired Facility Environmental officials in Illinois have signed off on construction of a 1,100-MW natural gas-fired power plant sited near Springfield, the state capital. EmberClear, an energy company with offices in Houston,… […]
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Nuclear
U.S. Utility Survey Suggests Industry Mulling Additions of 90 GW of New Nuclear
A Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) survey suggests U.S. utility members expect to add up to 90 GW of new nuclear generation by the 2050s, including more than 300 new small modular reactors (SMRs) in the U.S. over the next 25 years. The nuclear industry group’s survey, unveiled on July 29, sought to gather input from […]
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Hybrid Power
Report Notes Continued Growth of Hybrid Power Plants
Hybrid power plants continue to be deployed across the U.S., with almost 300 such facilities (all with 1 MW or more of generation capacity) operating at the end of last year. An August 2022 report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, based on research funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) and […]
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Wind
How to Overcome Challenges to the U.S.’s Offshore Wind Energy Goals
Lofty goals have been established in the U.S. for the offshore wind industry. The U.S. Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, and Department of Commerce announced a national goal in March 2021 to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. That would mark a significant increase from the 42 MW of offshore […]
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Hydrogen
How Hydrogen Can Enhance Renewable Energy Grids
From powering the first combustion engines to becoming a vital part of the modern-day refining industry, the relationship between hydrogen (H2) and energy spans centuries. It is the most abundant element on our planet. The gas burns clean, it’s light, energy-dense, and we’re only just beginning to uncover its true potential. Hydrogen could well be […]