POWERnews

  COMMENTARY Supply chain security is top of mind these days for policymakers and regulators focused on protecting the utility industry and other critical infrastructure. A cyber vulnerability with a single supplier can take down an entire supply chain network and the entities that use its products. The organizations that support and supply products and […]

If you’ve flown on a commercial airplane, you’ve likely sat within a hundred feet of an operating gas turbine engine. Gas turbines have been used to power aircraft since the 1940s. But gas turbines like those on airplanes are also used for generating electricity. These designs are known as aero-derivative gas turbines and occupy a […]

The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) on Aug. 23 rattled American Electric Power’s (AEP’s) plans to operate the 2.9-GW John Amos and 1.3-GW Mountaineer coal power plants through 2040 when it partly denied cost recovery for expenses that the West Virginia plants need to comply with the federal Steam Electric Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) rule. The […]

Residential applications for smart grid technologies continue to grow as electricity customers take more control of their energy usage and costs. Homeowners with rooftop solar have been selling power back to the grid for years, and more opportunities for power customers are coming as electric vehicle owners tap into the market via energy storage. Homeowners […]

The pace of installations of renewable energy projects across the first six months of 2021 hit a new high for the sector, according to a report released Aug. 24 by the American Clean Power Association (ACP). ACP, which works with solar, wind, energy storage and power transmission companies to promote renewable energy, said the U.S. […]

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved licenses for gas-fired power units to help the state cope with continued electricity shortages. The move comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier declared a state of emergency for California’s power grid. The state’s Dept. of Water Resources is procuring what it called five temporary gas-fueled generators, each with […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 19, 2021 EIA: Large-Scale U.S. Battery Power Capacity Slated for Fourfold Expansion in Two Years Large-scale battery power capacity in the U.S. surged 35% over 2020 to reach 1,650 MW, and according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), utilities are planning […]

An experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) National Ignition Facility (NIF) appears to have approached fusion ignition as it recreated the extreme temperatures and pressures at the heart of the sun for a tiny fraction of a second. The momentous step has fueled new optimism for fusion energy. The experiment on Aug. 8 “was […]

Former Westinghouse Electric Co. Senior Vice President Jeffrey A. Benjamin was charged with 16 felony counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud, securities fraud, and causing a publicly traded company to keep a false record, for his part in failing to truthfully report information regarding construction of new nuclear units at the V.C. Summer nuclear plant in […]

Vistra, the Texas-based integrated retail electricity and power generation company, said it has completed the second phase of its Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility expansion project in California. The group on Aug. 19 announced it has added 100 MW/400 MWh to what at present is the world’s largest battery energy storage facility. “This facility provides […]

Large-scale battery power capacity in the U.S. surged 35% over 2020 to reach 1,650 MW, and according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), utilities are planning to ramp up that capacity by 10 GW over the next two years. In a newly released report, Battery Storage in the United States: An Update on Market Trends, […]

It’s not unusual for species to go extinct; it happens all the time. In fact, scientists estimate that at least 99.9% of all species of plants and animals that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct. That’s pretty amazing, considering how many species still exist—up to 8.7 million, according to some experts. Mass extinction […]

The proliferation of renewable energy is necessary for communities and countries to meet their goals of reducing carbon emissions, but it also presents new challenges for those managing power distribution. Much of the world’s renewable energy is now generated and stored by distributed energy resources (DERs), such as residential solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles […]

Clean firm power, which refers to carbon capture and storage (CCS)-enabled, baseload, dispatchable electricity, is critical to achieving emission reduction goals and meeting energy demands affordably and reliably. New plant designs and retrofitting of existing power plants should be advanced rapidly, while at the same time building jobs and wealth creation across many parts of […]

Relationships between asset data utilization and maintenance strategies often get complicated, especially in cases where data collection practices are designed to merely follow and not build strategies. In the maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) sector, the best approach is to optimize the strategy from time to time, which requires comprehensive analysis of asset data collection […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 16, 2021 Sponsored Content On-line Silica and Phosphate Measurement to Protect Power Plant Assets In power plants, water is the lifeblood of the electrical generating process. The characteristics of water/steam impact overall performance. Preventing silica deposition on assets and ensuring proper […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 16, 2021 1.2-GW Dedicated Hydrogen-Fired Power Plant Starts Taking Shape in Texas Entergy Texas will seek approval for a 1.2-GW hydrogen and natural gas–fired combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power facility in Orange County, Texas. The Beaumont-based Entergy Corp. subsidiary on […]

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 12, 2021 Gas Exploration and Production Company to Buy Gas-Fired Power Plant in Texas BKV Corp., a privately held natural gas exploration and production company headquartered in Denver, Colorado, said it will purchase the Temple 1 power plant in Temple, Texas. […]

Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) has agreed to sell its 6.8-GW portfolio of non-nuclear generating assets—a fleet of 13 gas plants—to a fund controlled by ArcLight Capital Partners LLC for about $1.92 billion. The sale, which effectively sets up its exit from the competitive generation business, is expected to be completed late in the fourth […]

BKV Corp., a privately held natural gas exploration and production company headquartered in Denver, Colorado, said it will purchase the Temple 1 power plant in Temple, Texas. The deal, valued at $430 million and subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021. “We’re excited about this acquisition, and […]

Many leaders around the world are focused on decarbonizing their countries’ energy supplies. For most, that means adding renewable energy resources to their electricity mix, and developing a path aimed at retiring coal and other fossil-fueled power plants. Yet, these are not the only decarbonization options. Research and development (R&D) efforts are also ongoing to […]

Before selecting an engineered solution for any fluid control application, it is crucial to understand the unique application and overall value that each ball valve provides. Ball valves come in a wide variety of styles, materials and actuation types, with each form offering different results. Here’s a guide to help you learn what you need […]

South Korea-based Hanwha Solutions announced it plans to acquire renewable energy developer RES France in an $855.2 million deal expected to be finalized in the next two months. RES France is a subsidiary of UK-based RES Group, which calls itself the world’s largest independent renewable energy company. The agreement announced Aug. 9 is led by […]

A new combined heat and power gas-fired plant, designed to support increased power generation as part of Taiwan’s developing energy policy, has entered commercial operation. General Electric (GE) on Aug. 10 said the 535-MW Chia Hui facility, using GE’s advanced HA technology, is located in Minxiong Township in Chiayi County, the sixth-largest county in Taiwan. […]

Marking a notable milestone for nuclear component additive manufacturing, four 3D-printed fuel assembly channel fasteners have been installed and are now operational at Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 2 in Athens, Alabama. Channel fasteners are a type of bracket that attaches to the top of the nuclear fuel assembly to hold […]

The international business arm of Russia’s state-owned nuclear power company has received a license that will allow construction of small modular reactors (SMRs), based on the design used in the country’s icebreaker shipping fleet, at ground-based nuclear power plants. Rusatom Overseas JSC (RAOS JSC), the company representing parent company Rosatom’s international interests, on Aug. 9 […]

Intensifying drought conditions in California and historically low water levels at the Oroville Dam on Aug. 5 forced the state’s Department of Water Resources (CDWR) to shut down the 644-MW Edward Hyatt Power Plant—the fourth largest energy producer of all California’s hydroelectric facilities. Similar conditions across the West are prompting a careful watch over hydropower facilities.

POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 5, 2021 Group Buys Pennsylvania Coal Refuse Plants to Power Bitcoin Mining A digital mining company has an agreement to purchase a second power plant in Pennsylvania, as the group increases its coal refuse reclamation operations in the state to provide […]

Marking another milestone in an industry-led accelerated quest to commercialize accident tolerant fuels (ATF), nuclear fuel test rods containing Westinghouse’s EnCore technologies that completed their inaugural cycle at Exelon’s Byron nuclear plant have shipped to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). While initial visual inspections show “no signs of degradation,” the irradiated fuel will now be […]

After more than 12 months of unprecedented working conditions and extremely tough challenges for power companies, the most sensible route for businesses in the coming year seems, on the face of it, to be to consolidate and let things settle whilst the economy stabilises. However, economic predictions for the next year tell us that savvy […]