POWERnews

  • France Set to Take Over Major Power Producer Amid Energy Crisis

    The French government is prepared to take full control of EDF, one of the world’s largest producers of electricity, as the energy group struggles with increasing debt due to problems with its current and future nuclear power fleet. Élisabeth Borne, who took over as France’s prime minister in May, in her first state-of-the-nation speech to […]

  • GE Touts Ramp Rate for Gas Turbine at New Polish Power Plant

    A new 745-MW natural gas-fired power plant in Poland will feature General Electric’s (GE’s) 9HA.02 gas turbine, a model the company said “has the quickest ramp rate in the industry” at 88 MW per minute, and with a DLN 2.6e combustion system “capable of burning up to 50% by volume of hydrogen when blended with […]

  • Plant Bowen Will Showcase Largest Coal Ash Beneficial Use Project in the U.S.

    Georgia Power will harvest 9 million tons of coal ash landfilled at its 3.4-GW Plant Bowen station in Bartow County, Georgia, and beneficially use it in concrete for major regional construction projects. The project, announced on June 29, will be the “ single largest beneficial use project of its kind in the U.S., and the largest […]

  • DOE Grants California’s Request to Revise Civil Nuclear Credit Program Eligibility, Extends Deadline

    The Department of Energy (DOE) has revised eligibility criteria for the first-award cycle of its $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) program and extended its application period to Sept. 6, 2022. The action responds to a request for adjustments from the California governor’s office to better address Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E’s) 2,240-MW Diablo Canyon […]

  • RWE to Take Over Vattenfall’s 1.4-GW ‘Hydrogen-Ready’ Dutch Gas-Fired Plant

    German energy giant RWE will in September acquire Vattenfall’s 1.4-GW Magnum combined cycle gas-fired power station, a project in the Netherlands where work is underway to explore converting one of the three

  • POWERnews—June 30, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   June 30, 2022 Supreme Court Limits EPA Authority to Regulate Power Plant Emissions The U.S. Supreme Court has curbed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA's) options for limiting emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from power plants, an important environmental decision that could impact […]

  • Nuclear Power on the Upswing, Numerous Projects Take Shape Around the World

    The International Energy Agency (IEA) says momentum is building for nuclear power in many countries amid soaring fuel prices and growing energy security concerns. “In today’s context of the global energy crisis, skyrocketing fossil fuel prices, energy security challenges and ambitious climate commitments, I believe nuclear power has a unique opportunity to stage a comeback,” […]

  • Supreme Court Limits EPA Authority to Regulate Power Plant Emissions

    The U.S. Supreme Court has curbed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) options for limiting emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from power plants, an important environmental decision that could impact the federal government’s authority to enforce other regulations. The court in a 6-3 vote, with conservatives in the majority, on June 30 said the EPA does […]

  • California Legislature Passes Bill to Support Reliability Reserve, Lifeline for Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant

    California’s State Legislature has passed a bill that could extend the operating lives of existing generating facilities slated for retirement, potentially providing a new lifeline for the 2,240-MW Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP), which has a premature closure date in 2025. Both houses on June 29 passed AB-205 Energy, an energy trailer bill that Gov. […]

  • Iceland National Power Company Details New Carbon Capture Project

    Landsvirkjun, the national power company of Iceland, on June 28 announced it intends to capture and reinject carbon dioxide (CO2) from Þeistareykir (Theistareykir) Geothermal Station, and at the same time reduce CO2 emissions from Krafla Power Station through enhanced well management efforts at that site. Construction of the project, called Koldís, is expected to begin […]

  • SaskPower Picks SMR Technology for First Two Potential Nuclear Units

    SaskPower has chosen GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s (GEH’s) BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) technology for Saskatchewan’s first two nuclear units, which the provincial utility plans to deploy by the mid-2030s. The announcement on June 27 wraps up a four-year process to evaluate specific SMR designs and furthers planning for SaskPower, a Crown corporation, which has […]

  • Swedish Group Moves Ahead With World’s Largest Single Offshore Wind Project

    Swedish-based renewable energy developer OX2 has taken another step toward construction of its Aurora offshore wind farm, a 5.5-GW project sited between the islands of Gotland and Oland in the Baltic Sea. OX2 on June 27 announced it had submitted a permit application to build the wind farm under the auspices of Sweden’s Exclusive Economic […]

  • The POWER Interview: Schneider Electric’s New Microgrids Leader Plans for the Future

    The use of microgrids to produce a reliable and resilient supply of power continues to grow, with several companies delivering new and innovative technologies to provide electricity for a growing number of industries. Microgrids have always been front and center at POWER’s Distributed Energy Conference (DEC), with the event featuring case studies over the past […]

  • Best of POWER—June 27, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   June 27, 2022 China Group Announces Successful Test of Space-Based Solar Power A research team at Xidian University in China announced it has successfully tested technology that would enable a space-based solar power plant that could transmit energy to Earth, akin to… […]

  • GE Leading Hybrid Wind and Solar Project in Turkey

    Renewable energy in Turkey will get a boost from a hybrid wind and solar power installation led by GE Renewable Energy. The project will integrate a 30-MW solar array with a 32-MW wind farm that was commissioned in 2020 by Sertavul, a Turkish energy company. Sertavul chose GE and Inogen, GE’s regional partner, to build […]

  • POWERnews—June 23, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   June 23, 2022 Germany Set to Increase Coal-Fired Generation in Face of Gas Crunch A leading German economic official said the country must increase the burning of coal for power generation and reduce its use of natural gas to avoid an energy […]

  • AEMO Begins Cautious Lift of Australian Electricity Market Suspension

    The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) on June 22 initiated the first step to lift a suspension of its National Electricity Market (NEM), citing a “clear improvement in market conditions.” The measure comes more than a week since it indefinitely suspended spot markets in all regions of its NEM, given critical power generation supply shortfalls […]

  • NASA Picks Three Nuclear Power Concepts for Demonstration on the Moon

    Three teams comprising some of the most prominent engineering and technology firms in the U.S. will provide initial designs for a fission surface power (FSP) system as part of a federal project to demonstrate a 40-kW nuclear reactor for power applications on the moon. NASA and Battelle Energy Alliance—the contracted entity that manages and operates […]

  • Rhode Island Targets 100% Renewables Procurement by 2033

    Legislation passed in Rhode Island will commit the state to procure 100% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2033. If Gov. Daniel McKee, as expected, signs the bill into law, the Ocean State could have the nation’s fastest timeline for a 100% renewables procurement. The New England state’s legislature on June 17 approved […]

  • Addressing the Challenges Presented by a Retiring Utility Workforce

    POWER magazine has always held a special place in my heart. After my father left the Navy, he became a power engineer and a loyal subscriber to the magazine. As a kid, I remember stacks of the publication all over the house. At the high point my father had hundreds of issues amassed over decades. […]

  • Large-Scale Enhanced Geothermal System Trial Successfully Completed

    A federally backed effort to advance enhanced geothermal system (EGS) technologies in Utah marked a significant milestone with successful completion of its first large-scale 10-day stimulation in a deep-deviated well. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), which is sited near the town of Milford on the western […]

  • Germany Set to Increase Coal-Fired Generation in Face of Gas Crunch

    A leading German economic official said the country must increase the burning of coal for power generation and reduce its use of natural gas to avoid an energy crisis later this year. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck in a statement on June 19 said the country’s move away from receiving natural gas from Russia due […]

  • Unit 3 at Barakah Nuclear Plant Licensed, Set to Load Fuel

    The third unit of the Barakah nuclear power plant (NPP), the first such facility in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Arab world, is ready to begin fuel loading, according to a statement issued by the country’s nuclear regulatory agency on June 19. The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) on Sunday said it […]

  • China Group Announces Successful Test of Space-Based Solar Power

    A research team at Xidian University in China announced it has successfully tested technology that would enable a space-based solar power plant that could transmit energy to Earth, akin to similar technology earlier announced by NASA and studied by other groups over the past decade. The “Daily Project” team, led by Duan Baoyan of Xidian […]

  • POWERnews—June 16, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   June 16, 2022 Australian Energy Crisis Prompts Suspension of National Electricity Market The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) on June 15 indefinitely suspended spot markets in all regions of its National Electricity Market (NEM), citing critical power generation supply shortfalls that it… […]

  • Southern Co. Gas-Fired Demonstration Validates 20% Hydrogen Fuel Blend

    A demonstration project at Georgia Power’s 2.5-GW natural gas–fired Plant McDonough-Atkinson facility has validated a natural gas fuel blend with 20% hydrogen by volume on one of its six Mitsubishi Power advanced-class gas turbines. The test, one of the largest of its kind to date, provided an approximately 7% reduction in carbon emissions compared to […]

  • Australian Energy Crisis Prompts Suspension of National Electricity Market

    The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) on June 15 indefinitely suspended spot markets in all regions of its National Electricity Market (NEM), citing critical power generation supply shortfalls that it said made it “impossible to continue” operations under national electricity rules. AEMO—the independent system operator (ISO) that operates the competitive market serving New South Wales, […]

  • Finnish Nuclear Plant Under Construction Since 2005 Faces Yet Another Delay

    Commercial operation of Olkiluoto 3 (OL3), a nuclear power plant (NPP) unit that has been under construction in Finland for nearly 17 years, will be delayed for another three months due to foreign material issues observed in the turbine’s steam reheater, plant owner Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) reported on June 15. The setback is just […]

  • Hydrogen Poised to Play Prominent Role in the World’s Energy Transition

    People around the world are searching for ways to decarbonize, and green hydrogen is a fuel that can help in that effort. Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis using renewable energy, such as wind and solar power. Although most hydrogen produced today is made from natural gas, often referred to as gray hydrogen, new capacity […]

  • Best of POWER—June 13, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   June 13, 2022 GE Debuts First 7HA.03 Gas Turbines at 1.3-GW Plant in Florida The first two GE 7HA.03 machines—the largest 60-Hz heavy-duty gas turbines in the world and the most efficient in GE’s fleet—are now operational at Florida Power & Light’s […]