POWERnews
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T&D
DOE Launches $2.5B Fund to Upgrade and Build New Transmission Lines
The Biden administration has launched efforts to shape the $2.5 billion Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP), a key Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) initiative dedicated to building out critical new transmission lines and related facilities across the country. The Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office on May 10 issued a joint notice of information (NOI) […]
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Business
Blue Star and Volvo Penta Build Successful Business Partnership Based on Shared Values
Close collaboration plays key role as companies achieve growth milestones and tackle new opportunities. When Volvo Penta first approached Blue Star back in 2011, the companies immediately found common ground in their commitment to business ethics. These were the seeds of a fruitful partnership that has only grown stronger over the past decade. “Right from […]
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IIOT
Quantum Technology: Applications in Cybersecurity for Power Utilities
With the advent and implementation of smart grid infrastructure across power utilities, there has been a paradigm shift in the efficiencies of the grid. The use of digital communication technology has led to high-speed communication enablement across various components as well as better data analysis and real-time control. This has proven to be advantageous not […]
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Commentary
Three Ways Utilities Can Accelerate EV Adoption
Electric vehicles are coming. Do you hear them? (Probably not.) The exact speed of our collective embrace of electric vehicles (EVs) will vary around the country—due to factors such as EV familiarity, vehicle availability, purchase prices and incentives—but the cars are coming down the road at a steady clip. In the immediate future, U.S. President […]
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Nuclear
Vogtle Nuclear Expansion Price Tag Tops $30 Billion
An updated financial report from one of the owners of the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion in Georgia shows the cost to build two new reactors has now topped $30 billion, more than double the original price tag expected for the project. The Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG), one of four groups with an ownership […]
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POWERnews—May 5, 2022
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store May 5, 2022 Siemens Energy Sells 100th H-Class Gas Turbine—Fleet Exceeds 2.5 Million Operating Hours In late March, Siemens Energy announced separate agreements with Guangdong Energy Group Co. Ltd. and Shenzhen Energy Group Co. Ltd., in which the gas turbine giant will […]
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Coal
Keeping Coal Relevant: University of Wyoming Leads the Way
To say the coal industry faces challenges is an understatement. Coal-fired power plants are being retired around the globe as efforts to decarbonize the world’s power supply have intensified due to climate change concerns. That’s a problem for people working in the coal industry, as well as for states and governments that rely on coal […]
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Trends
ERCOT, MISO Warn of Potential Power Supply Shortfalls
(Updated—May 6, 2022) The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) over the past week separately expressed concerns about power supply uncertainties in the face of upcoming warmer-than-normal temperatures. MISO raised an alarm on April 28 when it said that it projects “insufficient firm resources” to cover the summer […]
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Coal
Revolutionizing Refractory Maintenance: Increasing Efficiency with Specialized Equipment
Refractory maintenance, though vital, can often be a logistical and financial burden. This is especially true for power plants, cement plants, and other large facilities that rely on boilers, kilns, coolers, preheater towers, and risers for day-to-day operation. These facilities stand to lose many thousands of dollars a day in production if their refractory can’t […]
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Renewables
The POWER Interview: Importance of Pricing Data for Renewable Energy
The highs and lows of markets for renewable energy are driving more interest in granular pricing data. Any company embarking on a new project must do its research to ensure that it calculates the proceeds based on the right financial information. With so much data now readily available, it’s more important than ever to use […]
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Gas
Siemens Energy Sells 100th H-Class Gas Turbine—Fleet Exceeds 2.5 Million Operating Hours
In late March, Siemens Energy announced separate agreements with Guangdong Energy Group Co. Ltd. and Shenzhen Energy Group Co. Ltd., in which the gas turbine giant will deliver a total of four SGT-8000H units for installation in power plants located in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in southern China. The deals mean Siemens Energy […]
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Nuclear
INL Mulling Building New Nuclear Reactor to Energize Net-Zero Campus Microgrid
Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is exploring designing, building, and operating an onsite nuclear reactor resource as part of a broader effort to achieve net-zero emissions at its sprawling campus in Idaho Falls by 2031. Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), an entity that manages and operates the Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory, on April 29 launched […]
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Nuclear
Southern CEO: Vogtle Still on Track for 2022-2023 Start
Southern Co. CEO Tom Fanning said the group continues to stick to its most-recent timeline for startup of the two-unit expansion of the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia, telling participants in the company’s first-quarter 2022 earnings call that construction is pacing well, with fuel load for Unit 3 expected later this year. “Importantly, the […]
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POWERnews—April 28, 2022
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store April 28, 2022 ACES Delta's Giant Utah Salt Cavern Hydrogen Storage Project Gets $504M Conditional DOE Loan Guarantee The Advanced Clean Energy Storage Project, a much-watched project under development in Delta, Utah, that is shaping up to be the largest renewable hydrogen […]
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Hydrogen
ACES Delta’s Giant Utah Salt Cavern Hydrogen Storage Project Gets $504M Conditional DOE Loan Guarantee
The Advanced Clean Energy Storage Project, a much-watched project under development in Delta, Utah, that is shaping up to be the largest renewable hydrogen energy hub in the U.S., has garnered a conditional commitment for a $504.4 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) federal loan guarantee program. The conditional loan guarantee commitment […]
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Nuclear
Duke Energy Could Power Purdue with Nuclear Project
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are widely considered the best technology to increase the use of nuclear power worldwide, with advocates touting their zero-emission production of electricity, smaller land footprint, and scalability. SMRs also offer a cost savings over construction of new utility-scale nuclear reactors. Powering a college campus with nuclear energy has increasingly been a […]
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Nuclear
Doosan Kicks Off NuScale SMR Production for Idaho Nuclear Project
South Korean power industrial giant Doosan has agreed to forge materials for NuScale Power’s small modular reactors (SMR) starting as early as this year, in a project that would support the commercial deployment of VOYGRs—NuScale’s name for its SMRs—at the 462-MWe Carbon-Free Power Project (CFPP) in Idaho Falls. NuScale separately also teamed with American large […]
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Offshore Wind
Burns & McDonnell Awarded Contract for Ocean Wind 1 Offshore Project
The first three major construction contracts have been awarded for the 1,100-MW Ocean Wind 1 offshore project that will provide electricity to New Jersey. Ocean Wind 1 is a joint venture between Ørsted and Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), which provides electricity for much of New Jersey. Those groups on April 25 announced Burns & […]
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Best of POWER—April 25, 2022
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store April 25, 2022 First Hydrogen Burn at Long Ridge HA-Class Gas Turbine Marks Triumph for GE Hydrogen combustion has begun at the 485-MW Long Ridge Energy Terminal combined cycle power plant—a flagship GE HA-class project that is purpose-built to transition from natural […]
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Coal
At Least 15 China-Backed Coal Plants Canceled, Another 37 GW in Limbo
A research group focused on the energy industry and its impact on air pollution said the Chinese government’s decision to no longer provide financing for overseas coal projects has resulted in the cancellation of at least 15 coal-fired power plants in recent months. The group said China’s investments are so far-reaching that the change in […]
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Gas
First Hydrogen Burn at Long Ridge HA-Class Gas Turbine Marks Triumph for GE
Hydrogen combustion has begun at the 485-MW Long Ridge Energy Terminal combined cycle power plant—a flagship GE HA-class project that is purpose-built to transition from natural gas to hydrogen blends and ultimately be capable of burning 100% hydrogen. While the sprawling multimodal facility in Hannibal, Ohio—which sits on the Ohio and West Virginia border—achieved commercial […]
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Full Coverage
White House Advisor Says Progress Toward Biden’s GHG Emissions Reduction Targets Is ‘Going Really Well’
On April 22, 2021, President Biden announced greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution reduction targets for the country. His vision was revealed during a summit on climate that he was holding, which was said to be “part of the President’s focus on building back better in a way that will create millions of good-paying, union jobs, ensure […]
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Nuclear
Green Light for Project Pele, Defense Department’s Mobile Nuclear Microreactor Demonstration
The Department of Defense (DOD) will push forward on Project Pele, a much-watched mobile microreactor prototype, and demonstrate its full operation for a minimum of three years at an Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site. The DOD’s Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) on April 15 formally released a record of decision (ROD) to proceed with the program, […]
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Commentary
White House Calls on Defense Production Act to Bolster EV Battery Supply
When the White House signed an executive order to get to 50% electric vehicle (EV) sales share by 2030 while relying on American manufacturing, there were some serious concerns about whether the U.S. could make that many EVs, and then create the infrastructure in time to support that many new EVs on the road. COMMENTARY […]
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Fuel Cells
Bloom Energy Converts U.S. Fuel Cell Fleet to ‘Certified’ Low-Leak Natural Gas
Bloom Energy’s U.S. fuel cell installations deployed at 700 sites will over the next two years use certified, “responsibly sourced” natural gas from EQT Corp. The development marks a pioneering effort by a power generator to bolster its commercial and industrial customers’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts. Bloom Energy, whose primary business stems from […]
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POWERnews—April 21, 2022
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store April 21, 2022 White House Calls on Defense Production Act to Bolster EV Battery Supply When the White House signed an executive order to get to 50% electric vehicle (EV) sales share by 2030 while relying on American manufacturing, there were some […]
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IIOT
Four Questions You Must Ace to Ensure Sound Cybersecurity in OT Systems
Some cybersecurity experts believe hackers today pose a greater threat than ever to power plants and electric grids. Much of the operational technology (OT) used in power stations and throughout the grid was installed at a time when cybersecurity was more of an afterthought than a focal point in the system design. Furthermore, the pool […]
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Cybersecurity
Goldman Sachs Stake in Fortress Underscores Supply Chain Cybersecurity Priority
A Goldman Sachs private equity business is taking a stake in critical industry cybersecurity firm Fortress Information Security. The $125 million investment underscores a heightened awareness of supply chain vulnerabilities within the investor community. Fortress, which announced the investment from Goldman Sachs Asset Management Private Equity on April 19, said it also highlights a wider […]
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Nuclear
Marcos, Pacquiao Could Decide Nuclear’s Fate in Philippines
The candidate leading in the polls just weeks ahead of the May 9 presidential election in the Philippines has vowed to make nuclear power part of the country’s energy mix if he is elected, saying it is the best technology to tackle the country’s high electricity prices. Other candidates, while noting the importance of nuclear […]
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Renewables
BlackRock-led Group Invests $525M Toward India Renewable Energy
A group considered the world’s largest asset manager has joined with a United Arab Emirates (UAE) wealth management fund to support an investment in renewable energy development in India. A consortium led by New York-based BlackRock, along with UAE sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co., on April 14 said it would pay $525 million for […]