fire
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News
Explosion, Fire Reported at Hoover Dam
A transformer exploded and caught fire at Hoover Dam in Nevada on July 19, according to local officials. Bureau of Reclamation official Jacklynn L. Gould said that at about 10 a.m. local (Pacific) time, the A5 transformer at the site caught fire. The blaze was extinguished at about 10:30 a.m., according to Gould. Gould said […]
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News
Protecting Battery Energy Storage Systems from Fire and Explosion Hazards
There are serious risks associated with lithium-ion battery energy storage systems. Thermal runaway can release toxic and explosive gases, and the problem can spread from one malfunctioning cell to neighboring cells, resulting in catastrophe.
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O&M
Minimizing Fire and Explosion Hazards in Dusty Systems
Understanding the properties of bulk materials and how they interact with environmental factors is vital to safe operations, but having an honest conversation about the hazards, so risks can be properly
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Coal
Fire at Coal Power Plant Blamed on Equipment Failure
A fire at Muscatine (Iowa) Power and Water’s (MP&W’s) coal-fired power plant forced Unit 9 offline on August 30. The plant—located along the Mississippi River just south of town—includes three units with a combined capacity of about 276 MW. Units 7 and 8 were reportedly unaffected and continue to be available for power production. Customers […]
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Coal
Massive Fire Forces DTE Energy’s St. Clair Power Plant Offline
A massive fire broke out at DTE Energy’s St. Clair Power Plant in the early evening on August 11. Firefighters reportedly received the call for assistance at around 6:30 p.m. and fought the blaze well into the following morning. Video taken during the incident shows flames in several spots on the north end of the […]
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Coal
Lightning a Suspected Contributor to Power Plant Fire
A large fire at the Grand River Dam Authority’s (GRDA’s) Chouteau, Okla., coal-fired power plant was triggered by a string of unfortunate events shortly after a storm passed through the region on July 1. Justin Alberty, GRDA corporate communications director, told POWER that the fire started at around 7 p.m. that night. He said GRDA […]
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Renewables
Fire Is Latest Hurdle for Ivanpah Concentrating Solar Power Plant
Misaligned mirrors at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in California caused electrical cables to catch fire about two-thirds of the way up the Unit 3 tower on May 19, according to several media reports of statements attributed to fire department personnel. The San Bernardino County (Calif.) Fire Department (SBCFD) reported on its Facebook page […]
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Renewables
Calpine’s Geothermal Facilities Devastated in California Blaze
Parts of Calpine Corp.’s The Geysers geothermal power complex have been severely damaged by a wildfire that has incinerated swathes of California. One of the world’s largest geothermal facilities, the 725-MW Geysers complex sits on 45 square miles of land along the border of Sonoma and Lake Counties in Northern California. Calpine said at least […]
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Nuclear
Fire in Main Transformer Forces Shutdown of Indian Point 3 Nuclear Plant
A fire in one of the Indian Point nuclear plant main electrical transformers resulted in the forced shutdown of Unit 3 at the facility on May 9. The fire started at 5:50 p.m. local time on Saturday and it was quickly extinguished by an automated sprinkler system, along with the action of trained onsite personnel. […]
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O&M
Two Units at Coal Power Plant Back Online Following Spring Fire
With Units 6 and 7 back in operation, Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) has restored 80% of the generation capacity at its Martin Drake Power Plant located in downtown Colorado Springs. The plant was taken offline after sustaining significant damage during a May 5 fire. Most of the damage occurred in the area surrounding Unit 5, […]
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