POWERnews

A leaked draft of the European Commission’s proposal to label some natural gas and nuclear power plants as “transitional” or “green” investments has prompted pushback from some European Union (EU) members. Criticism is also mounting in South Korea, where liquefied natural gas (LNG) was included in its new green taxonomy guidelines—but nuclear was left out. […]

Behind the digital tools that make the industrial internet of things (IIOT) in the power generation and chemical process industries are people. The 2021 Connected Plant Conference in Austin, Texas recognized the achievements of several individuals and companies who are fast risers in the field. Through insight and experience, these “Game Changer” champions have contributed […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   December 30, 2021 First 1-GW Unit of Major China Coal-Fired Plant Comes Online A Chinese power company said the first of four 1,000-MW units at a new coal-fired power plant in a northwestern region of Inner Mongolia has entered operation. The Guodian […]

The end of the year will bring the end of power production for three of Germany’s final six operating nuclear power plants. The 1,410-MW Brokdorf unit in Schleswig-Holstein, the 1,360-MW Grohnde unit in Lower Saxony, and the 1,288-MW Gundremmingen C unit in Bavaria will all be permanently taken off the gird on Dec. 31. That […]

While 2021 kicked off short on optimism given chaos from the COVID-19 pandemic, the year was characterized by an extraordinary series of critical energy crises. Power blackouts, brownouts, interconnection mismatches, severe fuel shortages, and near-misses affected nearly every region in the world. Here’s a brief look back at some of the events that characterized 2021. […]

The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) first conditional loan guarantee offered to a non-nuclear project since 2016 will finance the expansion of a pioneering commercial-scale “turquoise hydrogen” and carbon black production facility in Nebraska. The agency’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) on Dec. 23 offered a commitment to guarantee a loan of up to $1.04 billion under […]

It’s been another news-filled year in the power industry. The following stories were the top 10 traffic-getters posted in 2021 on POWER’s website. Did you see them all as they were released? 10. Mitsubishi Power Developing 100% Ammonia-Capable Gas Turbine Mitsubishi Power is developing a 40-MW class gas turbine that can directly combust 100% ammonia […]

A Chinese power company said the first of four 1,000-MW units at a new coal-fired power plant in a northwestern region of Inner Mongolia has entered operation. The Guodian Power Shanghaimiao Corp., part of the state-owned China Energy Investment Corp., on Dec. 28 said Unit 1 of the Shanghaimiao plant is online after a 168-hour […]

Solar power paired with energy storage is expected to lead capacity additions in the U.S. power generation sector over the next two years, according to the latest Electric Monthly Update from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA in its December report, which includes data through October 2021, said it projects the U.S. will […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   December 27, 2021 More than 32 GW of New Gas-Fired Power Plants in U.S. Pipeline Recent reports from groups analyzing U.S. power generation note how states near the nation’s largest shale plays are expected to bring significant new natural gas-fired generation online […]

The power and energy sector is one of the most critical areas of our country’s infrastructure, making it a prime target for cybercriminals increasingly looking for ways to infiltrate and disrupt the sector and ultimately the national grid. In fact, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in early 2021 that found the […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   December 23, 2021 How Microreactors Could Change the Nuclear Power Industry (and the World) What is a microreactor and why would you want one? The definition could be debated, but nuclear reactors in the 1 MW to 20 MW range generally fit […]

As required by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Dec. 21 launched a new office—the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations—to “supercharge” its work to demonstrate hydrogen, carbon capture, energy storage, and advanced nuclear technologies. The new office will leverage $21.5 billion of the combined $62 billion allocated to the DOE […]

About six years ago, I was excited and eager to have regular opportunities to get out from behind my computer-aided design (CAD) workstation and visit our utility’s substations, transmission line right of ways (ROWs), and telecom sites throughout our service area in Texas. Most of us engineers and technicians looked forward to these inspections as […]

Earlier this month, AES Corp. unveiled Atlas, a first-of-its-kind solar installation robot. The cutting-edge, artificial intelligence–enabled technology behind Atlas is a major advancement for the industry, making it faster, more efficient, and safer to construct new solar facilities, the company said. The innovative robot was designed by AES through a multi-year process and built in […]

What is a microreactor and why would you want one? The definition could be debated, but nuclear reactors in the 1 MW to 20 MW range generally fit the bill, and there are countless possible applications for the technology. “This could be used for disaster relief. This could be used for mines, remote communities—on a […]

The Netherlands is set to install that country’s largest energy storage system in an effort to support power grid stability. Technology group Wärtsilä on Dec. 20 said it will supply a 25-MW/48-MWh storage system to GIGA Storage BV, a Netherlands-based energy storage company with multiple projects under development, including several hybrid renewable energy-plus-storage systems. The […]

If you’ve paid attention to the cleantech news cycle this year, you know it’s been a roller-coaster ride. I’ve been in the cleantech/energy transition sector for 20 years and wrote the first history on the term cleantech 15 years ago. I’ve seen the many ups and downs surrounding the industry. Today’s current playing field is […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   December 16, 2021 More than 32 GW of New Gas-Fired Power Plants in U.S. Pipeline Recent reports from groups analyzing U.S. power generation note how states near the nation’s largest shale plays are expected to bring significant new natural gas-fired generation online […]

The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a request for information (RFI) on a planned temporary federal program to ensure enough high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) will be available to jumpstart deployment of a new fleet of advanced nuclear reactors.  Comments received over the next month in response to the DOE’s Dec. 14–issued RFI will inform […]

Nuclear power remains one of the cleanest forms of energy available to us. Unfortunately, current challenges in measuring nuclear power plant waste and contamination levels make it difficult to manage. The inability to effectively measure these levels makes it difficult to validate nuclear power, and in some cases, is even causing some political tensions. Machine […]

2021 was a boom year for solar as a record number of new projects were registered with ANEEL, Brazil’s electricity industry regulator. Now, new distributed generation legislation is in the offing, and, when ratified, it will introduce gradual charges for use of transmission networks through distribution system use tariffs (TUSD). The legislation proposes a 10-year […]

In a Dec. 14 filing with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Ameren Missouri announced its intent to retire two 600-MW units at the Rush Island Energy Center 15 years earlier than previously planned due to “changed circumstances since the Remedy Ruling.” The court’s remedy ruling, delivered on Sept. 30, 2019, […]

A leading company in the design of technology for a variety of industries is part of an effort to advance carbon capture from power plants, along with providing a solution to emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial facilities. Honeywell, the Charlotte, N.C.-based conglomerate known for products from residential thermostats to advanced aerospace applications, on […]

Recent reports from groups analyzing U.S. power generation note how states near the nation’s largest shale plays are expected to bring significant new natural gas-fired generation online over the next few years, despite concerns about recent market volatility that sent gas prices to their highest levels in more than a decade. With a long-term outlook […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   December 13, 2021 Why Thermal Energy Storage Offers Hot Prospects for Power Thermal energy storage (TES) is gaining interest and traction as a crucial enabler of reliable, secure, and flexible energy systems. The array of in-front-of-the-meter TES technologies under development Darlington Nuclear […]

President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on Nov. 15, which allocates $550 billion in new spending over the next five years to improve U.S. infrastructure, including critical investments in the energy sector. These investments will cover power grid infrastructure, electric vehicles (EVs) and charging stations, renewable energy, nuclear power, hydropower, and […]

The events of the past year and a half have irrevocably changed the way we live, especially at home. Pandemic-related restrictions and lifestyle changes have greatly increased the amount of time Americans spend at home—at one point, more than 50% of the population spent more than 18 hours in their homes. Rising energy costs and […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   December 9, 2021 EIA: U.S. Coal Stockpiles Lowest Since 1978 The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently said it expected coal-fired power generation in 2021 to be 22% higher than in 2020, producing the first year-over-year increase in U.S. electricity… ISO-NE Warns […]

New England faces a precarious fuel supply risk that could necessitate emergency actions if a severe prolonged cold snap hits the region this winter, ISO New England (ISO-NE) has warned.  The regional grid operator expects power demand will peak at 19,710 MW during average winter weather conditions of 10F, but if temperatures plunge below 5F, […]