Show Preview - Electric Power
POWER magazine was scheduled to host the 22nd annual ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition April 14–17, 2020, at the Colorado Convention Center (Figure 1) in Denver, Colorado. However, out of concern for the health and safety of attendees amid the global health crisis related to the new coronavirus, COVID-19, and following recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the event has been postponed. The event’s organizers have every intention of holding this important power-industry event later this year, and POWER will provide updates on the show’s status in future issues of the magazine. For up-to-the-minute information about the event, visit: electricpowerexpo.com.
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1. The Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver, Colorado, will host the 2020 ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition. Source: Creative Commons / Onetwo1 |
Melanie Green, senior director of Power Generation at CPS Energy and a regular attendee of ELECTRIC POWER, said the event “is the conference I make it a point to attend every year. All of the programs really provide an opportunity for the attendees to go back to their plant the very next week and look at something a different way or try out a new process or procedure. It’s been a great opportunity to make contacts and meet new vendors and suppliers of goods and services and has opened up the opportunity for everyone to exchange information and facts.”
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2. Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest power provider, is the host utility for the 2020 ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition in Denver, Colorado. Xcel, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, provides electricity and natural gas to customers in eight states. Source: Creative Commons / Tony Webster |
Xcel Energy (Figure 2) is this year’s host utility for ELECTRIC POWER. In addition to ELECTRIC POWER’s dynamic sessions, attendees also will be able to visit with companies showcasing equipment vital to power generation, including breakthrough technologies and necessary services that provide solutions for today’s electricity providers and associated businesses. Some of the event’s sponsors are featured here.
Xcel Energy Among World’s Most Ethical Companies
Xcel Energy, the host utility for the 2020 ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition, was recently named one of the 2020 World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices. The company was chosen for its culture of ethics, its corporate compliance program, leadership, governance, and reputation, among other attributes. “We’re honored to be named one of the 2020 World’s Most Ethical Companies,” said Ben Fowke, president, chairman, and CEO of Xcel Energy. “Xcel Energy takes great pride in not only leading the clean energy transition, but in maintaining high ethical standards in our business practices and how we engage with employees, customers and other stakeholders.” Xcel Energy was the first major U.S. electricity provider to commit to reducing carbon emissions 80% from 2005 levels by 2030, with a vision of providing 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050. Xcel Energy, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Black & Veatch, Rezatec Join to Boost Utility Infrastructure
Black & Veatch has announced a strategic partnership with Rezatec to collaboratively develop decision support tools that enable owners and operators of infrastructure assets to make intelligent, business critical decisions using geospatial analytics. “Rezatec’s ability to analyze earth observation data brings a new perspective to the management of large infrastructure assets. We are excited to collaborate and use our expertise in the engineering, delivery and management of critical human infrastructure to develop decision support tools that provide highly valuable and actionable insights for our clients,” said Mark Malcolm, Director of Delivery, Black & Veatch Europe. Rezatec applies data science, through sophisticated artificial intelligence-driven analytics, to satellite-derived geospatial data to enable clients owning and operating distributed land-based assets make more accurate decisions. The Rezatec partnership is the latest in a number of strategic collaborations between Black & Veatch and digital technology and artificial intelligence companies. Black & Veatch, Overland Park, Kansas
Southern Co. Moving Forward on Vogtle Nuclear Project
Southern Co. in February said that workers at Georgia Power’s Vogtle 3 and 4 expansion have completed the final concrete placement inside the Unit 3 containment vessel, which houses the unit’s reactor. Completing this milestone is an important step that allows for the installation of machinery that will be used to load fuel into the unit. Last year, the company announced it had ordered the first nuclear fuel load for Unit 3, the first nuclear fuel order to be placed in more than 30 years for a newly designed reactor in the U.S. Consisting of 157 fuel assemblies with each measuring 14 feet tall, the fuel will eventually be loaded into the Unit 3 reactor vessel to support startup once the reactor begins operating. The project workforce has reached an all-time high with approximately 9,000 workers now on site. With more than 800 permanent jobs available once the units begin operating, Vogtle 3 and 4 is currently the largest jobs-producing construction project in the state of Georgia. Southern Company, Atlanta, Georgia
Badger Industries Provides Industry Services
Badger Industries offers several services for the power generation industry, including engineering, design and fabrication, field services (including repairs and installation), inspection, testing, and shipment of equipment. The company produces expansion joints, combining a time-proven design of round and rectangular metal bellow-type expansion joints in stainless and high nickel alloys, working with turbine manufacturers and petrochemical companies, among others. Badger Industries—United States, Zelienople, Pennsylvania■