POWERnews
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POWERnews—May 6, 2021
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store May 6, 2021 TVA, Kairos Partner to Deploy Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor Demonstration In a notable, dedicated effort by a major U.S. utility to boost the development of an advanced reactor technology, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Kairos Power, developer of […]
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Nuclear
TVA, Kairos Partner to Deploy Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor Demonstration
In a notable, dedicated effort by a major U.S. utility to boost the development of an advanced reactor technology, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Kairos Power, developer of a novel fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature nuclear reactor, on May 6 said they will team to demonstrate Kairos’ Hermes test reactor at the East Tennessee Technology Park […]
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Nuclear
Surry Nuclear Plant Gets 20-Year Extension as Indian Point Goes Dark
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved 20-year subsequent renewed licenses (SRLs) for Dominion Energy Virginia’s Surry Power Station Units 1 and 2 near Newport News, Virginia, making them only the fifth and sixth reactors in the U.S. cleared to operate for 60 to 80 years. But the number of operating U.S. nuclear reactors fell […]
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Coal
TVA, Eyeing Coal Phaseout by 2035, Will Rely on Nuclear
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) expects to phase out its coal generation by 2035, but achieving net-zero carbon emissions without raising power prices or adversely affecting reliability will require substantial investments in energy storage and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). TVA also will need to extend the lifetime of its nuclear power, and adopt the […]
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Nuclear
The POWER Interview: Argonne Lab Advancing Nuclear Energy
Argonne National Laboratory is at the forefront of research into the design of portable nuclear reactors, working to make the technology viable for use at places such as military bases and remote communities. Micro-reactor concepts are being developed that could fit power generation into a small area, such as in the back of a truck, […]
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News
ERCOT Unveils Plan for Invoicing Default Uplift Charges
ERCOT market participants are grappling with the resulting financial fallout from winter storm Uri, which devastated Texas in February. Many are now familiar with actions the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUCT) took during the weather event, moves made with the intent to bring and maintain as much generation online as possible. Most notable, the commission […]
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Fuel
Renewable Natural Gas Emerging as Serious Decarbonized Gas Contender
Last December, two giant Virginia-headquartered firms—energy company Dominion Energy and food manufacturer Smithfield Foods—announced completion of a novel renewable natural gas (RNG) facility in Milford
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News
Alabama Coal Plant Tops List of Emitters
A report from a Colorado-based group that provides analysis and market reports to the energy industry says an Alabama power plant has the highest emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) of any coal-fired facility in the Lower 48 states. BTU Analytics in a report released April 29 ranked the James H. Miller plant in West Jefferson, […]
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Microgrid
Greenhouses and Microgrids Should Grow Together
As consumer preferences continue to shift toward purchasing locally sourced and organic produce, demand is growing for commercial greenhouses, or controlled environment agriculture (CEA), as the industry is labeled. This shift in preference to locally grown food is changing the way supermarkets and restaurants source their fruits and vegetables. COMMENTARY Many restaurants throughout the country […]
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POWERnews—April 29, 2021
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store April 29, 2021 Vogtle Unit 3 Starts Hot Functional Testing Georgia Power announced two more milestones for its Vogtle nuclear power plant expansion project, including the start of hot functional testing for Unit 3 at the facility in Waynesboro, Georgia.… Heavy Push […]
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Energy Storage
Large-Volume, Long-Duration Power and Water Storage Project Taking Shape in Idaho
Cat Creek Energy, developer of a 1.1-GW “tribrid” renewable power and water storage project planned near Mountain Home, Idaho, has picked Voith Hydro to design and manufacture equipment for the project’s 720-MW ternary pumped storage component. The development announced on April 29 marks a major milestone for the Cat Creek Energy and Water (CCEW) project. […]
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POWER Podcasts
Serious Power Transmission Without Wires Is Closer Than You Think
Most people are aware that wireless charging technology is available today for small electronic devices, such as cell phones and watches, but when it comes to larger-scale power systems, the concept of wireless transmission of electricity probably seems like science fiction. The truth, however, is that systems have been developed and are being tested that […]
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T&D
Heavy Push by Industry, Biden Administration to Jumpstart Transmission Expansion, Grid Modernization
Bolstering the Biden administration’s recently announced initiatives to modernize the nation’s grid and improve its resilience, the Department of Energy (DOE) on April 27 made up to $8.25 billion in loans available to expand transmission capacity nationwide, while the Department of Transportation (DOT) offered new guidance to help speed the siting and permitting of transmission […]
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News
$8 Billion Proposals Could Bring New Gas-Fired Plants to Texas
An energy investment group told Texas regulators the company has a plan to help solve some of that state’s electricity reliability issues, proposing a plan similar to one put forth by billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy in March. Starwood Energy Group on April 23 sent the state’s Public Utility Commission a proposal to build […]
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News
Engineering on Flexible Green Hydrogen Generation Facility Design Complete
Engineering and construction firm McDermott International and pipeline technology developer New Energy Development Co. have wrapped up engineering for two modular 50-MW hydrogen energy projects that they said could enable “grid-scale” hydrogen blending with natural gas pipelines as well as potentially integrate existing or new power plants with energy storage. The “Green Hydrogen” facilities, which […]
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Connected Plant
Automated Powerline Inspection: How Preparation Is the Key to Combating Wildfires During the Off Season
2020 was a catastrophic year for wildfires across the U.S. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported that almost 60,000 fires ran rampant across more than 9 million acres in the U.S. last year, nearly 1.5 times the 10-year average of 6.6 million acres. Not only this, California saw its first-ever “gigafire,” a devastating single […]
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Connected Plant
3 Ways Remote Assistance Can Limit Power Downtime
Innovation and power generation have always gone hand in hand. For almost 140 years, the industry has evolved through a steady stream of emerging technologies, shifting policies, infrastructure investments, and an assortment of crises. The power industry has weathered a lot over this time and been forced to adapt. The latest example: COVID-19. Over the […]
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News
Vogtle Unit 3 Starts Hot Functional Testing; Eyes December In-Service
Georgia Power has announced more milestones for its Vogtle nuclear power plant expansion project, including the start of hot functional testing for Unit 3 at the facility in Waynesboro, Georgia. The utility also said it could bring the reactor online as soon as December of this year, despite continued construction delays due in part to […]
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Best of POWER—April 26, 2021
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store April 26, 2021 8 Rivers Unveils 560 MW of Allam Cycle Gas-Fired Projects for Colorado, Illinois 8 Rivers Capital, inventor of a novel supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) cycle, plans to begin operating a 280-MW NET Power natural gas–fired plant within the Southern […]
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News
More Coal Cuts—AEP, Mississippi Power Detail Closures
American Electric Power (AEP), which in 2019 reached an agreement to close Unit 1 of the two-unit, 2.6-GW coal-fired Rockport power plant in Indiana, has now announced a plan to close Unit 2 of the facility. Both units at Rockport are now expected to be shuttered by year-end 2028. AEP, the parent of Indiana Michigan […]
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News
DOE Earmarks $109.5 Million to Support Coal Workers
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said it will provide $109.5 million in funding for projects that directly support job creation in communities impacted by the energy transition, particularly for workers and areas struggling due to closures of coal-fired power plants and coal mines. The DOE in the April 23 announcement, made in connection with […]
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Legal & Regulatory
The Hydrogen Rainbow: Elected Officials Focus on Green
Blue, green, turquoise, yellow, pink, blue, grey and brown/black. Hydrogen is currently beset by a host of colorful adjectives, but what part of the hydrogen rainbow is most likely to lead to a pot of gold (and environmental benefits)? Elected officials across the country are more and more focused on promoting green hydrogen, which is […]
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POWERnews—April 8, 2021
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store April 8, 2021 UAE's First Nuclear Unit Enters Commercial Operation Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. (ENEC) said Unit 1 of the Barakah nuclear facility has entered commercial operation, nine years after construction of the Arab world's first nuclear power plant began.… Vistra Backs […]
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POWERnews—April 22, 2021
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store April 22, 2021 Biden Sets New Paris Agreement GHG Target: 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030 President Biden has set a new nationally determined contribution (NDC) for the U.S. to achieve a 50% to 52% reduction in economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions […]
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Renewables
Chevron Joins Growing List of Oil and Gas Companies Investing in Offshore Wind
Ocergy Inc., a company developing a couple of new offshore wind energy solutions, announced last week that Chevron Technology Ventures and Moreld Ocean Wind (MOW) were investing in its Series A round of funding. The money is expected to help the company commercialize its OCG-Wind Floating Offshore Wind Turbine technology and OCG-Data environmental monitoring buoy. […]
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Nuclear
Innovative ‘Steel Bricks’ Design Expected to Reduce Time, Cost of SMR Construction
An innovative second-generation steel-composite modular construction system that is planned for use in GE Hitachi’s (GEH’s) BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) plant could dramatically reduce the amount of labor required during nuclear island construction. Brian Johnson, vice president and BWRX-300 product director with GEH, explained various details about the company’s SMR design as part of […]
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News
Reprieve for Nuclear, Gas in EU’s Sustainable Finance Taxonomy Rules
The European Union’s (EU’s) much-watched Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act—the world’s first “green list”—unveiled by the European Commission (EC) on April 21 qualifies several power-producing sectors in its technical screening criteria for sustainable investment decisions. However, it delays controversial decisions on gas and nuclear. The EC adopted the Delegated Act as part of an ambitious package […]
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News
Biden Sets New Paris Agreement GHG Target: 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030
President Biden has set a new nationally determined contribution (NDC) for the U.S. to achieve a 50% to 52% reduction in economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2030 compared to 2005 levels. The White House said on Thursday the NDC, which was determined after a “a whole-of-government process” organized through the Biden administration’s National Climate […]
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News
Sweet Deal—Hershey, Others Have Solar Pacts
A well-known chocolate maker has announced two new clean energy partnerships as the company continues to increase its sustainability efforts. The Hershey Co. on April 20 said it has power purchase agreements (PPAs) to take electricity from two solar projects, one in North Carolina and another in Texas. Hershey, like many corporate power customers, has […]
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News
India Cites ‘Cheaper’ Coal in Planning New Units
A draft copy of a document outlining India’s latest National Electricity Policy (NEP) reportedly shows the country is considering building new coal-fired generation capacity, even as it sets new carbon reduction targets. The document also said government officials would push for better technology to help reduce emissions from those plants. Reuters on April 19 reported […]