POWERnews

  • Best of POWER—August 16, 2021

    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 […]

  • POWERnews—August 12, 2021

    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. […]

  • PSEG Agrees to Sell 6.8-GW Fossil Fleet to ArcLight Capital

    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 […]

  • 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. 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 […]

  • Decarbonizing the Power Grid with Hydrogen and Advanced Technology

    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 […]

  • A Guide to Valve Selection: The Pros and Cons of Different Types of Ball Valves

    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 […]

  • Korean Group Buying Renewable Energy Giant in $855M Deal

    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 […]

  • New GE Gas-Fired Plant Part of Taiwan’s Energy Transition

    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. […]

  • Nuclear First: 3D-Printed Safety-Related Components Installed at Browns Ferry

    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 […]

  • Icebreaker Reactor Approved for Ground-Based Nuclear Plant

    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 […]

  • Hydropower Levels Under Careful Watch as Drought Ravages the West

    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.

  • POWERnews—Aug. 5, 2021

    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 […]

  • Urgency Ramping Up to Commercialize Nuclear Accident Tolerant Fuels by 2025

    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 […]

  • Why UK Businesses Should Invest in New Machinery and Plant Equipment Now

    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 […]

  • 4 Commonly Found Problems in Power Distribution Systems

    Like any equipment, each piece of a power distribution system has a chance of failing at some point. Even if installed properly, there are several factors that can cause failures, such as extreme currents and voltages, animal interference, inclement weather, and so on. Here are four problems that you need to know about. Overhead Line […]

  • China Brings ACPR-1000 Reactor Online at Hongyanhe

    The first reactor in the second phase of an expansion at the Hongyanhe Nuclear Power Plant in China has entered commercial operation, with five reactors now online at the site in Liaoning Province in eastern China. China General Nuclear (CGN) on Aug. 1 announced the 1,080-MW Unit 5 at Hongyanhe is now in its steady-state […]

  • 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 July 29 announced it intends to file a Certificate for Convenience and Necessity with the Public Utility Commission of Texas “within the coming months” to build […]

  • 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 energy for its bitcoin mining operations. Stronghold Digital Mining, a bitcoin (BTC) miner headquartered in Kennerdell, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 3 said its purchase of the Panther […]

  • Fuel Loading Only Major Milestone Left for Vogtle Unit 3 Nuclear Project

    Tom Fanning, CEO of Southern Company, reported during the company’s earnings call on July 29 that hot functional testing (HFT) had been completed on Vogtle Unit 3, and that the “next and final major milestone” is fuel load. “We project fuel load to occur sometime near year-end 2021 or early in 2022,” he said. The […]

  • POWERnews—July 29, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   July 29, 2021 Exelon Set to Decommission Illinois Nuclear Plants Exelon Generation has filed plans to decommission its Dresden and Byron nuclear power plants in Illinois, citing a lack of action from state lawmakers on clean energy legislation that would… Biden Signs […]

  • Leveling the Market Playing Field for Hybrid Power Plants

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency that, among other things, regulates the interstate transmission of electricity. Its ultimate mission is to “Assist consumers in obtaining economically efficient, safe, reliable, and secure energy services at a reasonable cost through appropriate regulatory and market means, and collaborative efforts.” In the past, FERC has […]

  • Exelon Set to Decommission Illinois Nuclear Plants

    Exelon Generation has filed plans to decommission its Dresden and Byron nuclear power plants in Illinois, citing a lack of action from state lawmakers on clean energy legislation that would help save the facilities. The nation’s largest operator of nuclear power plants on July 28 said it has submitted its plans to the Nuclear Regulatory […]

  • Biden Signs National Security Memo Addressing Industrial Control System Cybersecurity 

    The Biden administration is moving to add more safeguards to the nation’s critical infrastructure by establishing a new voluntary public-private collaboration that will focus wholly on industrial control systems (ICS) cybersecurity. The administration formally launched the “Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Initiative” in the “National Security Memorandum on Improving Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure Control Systems” signed by […]

  • Data Breaches Cost More Than $4 Million Per Incident, Power Industry at High Risk

    IBM Security reported on July 28 that the average cost of recent data breaches was $4.24 million per incident, the highest cost ever recorded by the company in 17 years of tracking the metric. Notably, data breaches in the U.S. were by far the costliest, exceeding $9 million per incident on average. The findings were […]

  • EPA Will Strengthen Limits on Wastewater Pollution from Coal-Fired Plants

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to establish more stringent standards on water pollution from coal-fired power plants. The EPA on July 26 announced it would reinstate Obama-era regulations that were rolled back by the Trump administration. An EPA official on Monday said the new rule would impact about 100 coal-fired plants. The agency […]

  • Best of POWER—July 26, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   July 26, 2021 Bechtel, GE Will Lead 3.2-GW Gas Power Project Vietnam's first privately-owned power plant has moved a step closer to fruition, as Delta Offshore Energy chose Bechtel to provide front-end engineering design (FEED) services for a proposed 3,200-MW combined… Sponsored […]

  • G20 Environment Ministers: No Consensus on Phasing Out Coal

    The U.S., UK and other countries want world governments to commit to a phaseout of the use and financing of coal-fired power generation, but officials who met at the G20 Environment Ministers Meeting summit in Naples, Italy, this past week ended their talks without an agreement on the future of the fuel. The topic will […]

  • Five Steps to Streamlined Asset Management and a Sustainable Network

    How do utility asset managers deal with risks and failures of assets in the long-term? How much should they be budgeting for maintenance, asset renewal, and investments? The answers are not always obvious for asset managers that are faced with increasingly severe weather and the need for strengthened electrical grids. Another layer of unpredictability is […]

  • POWERnews—July 22, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   July 22, 2021 Years in the Making, GE’s Recent GT26 Gas Turbine Upgrade Exceeds Expectations GE recently announced the completion of the first implementation of its GT26 High-Efficiency (HE) upgrade for the GT26 gas turbine fleet. The work was done at Uniper’s […]

  • FirstEnergy Federally Charged in Ohio Nuclear Bailout Scheme

    Facing a federal charge for honest services wire fraud in a corruption case related to the billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout in Ohio, FirstEnergy Corp. has agreed to abide by the terms of a three-year deferred prosecution settlement to get the charge dismissed. In court filings on July 22, the Akron, Ohio-based public utility holding company […]