POWER Magazine

Is waste-to-energy the best greenhouse gas fighter among electric generating technologies? Or do trash burners spew dangerous air emissions? The answer may be a surprise. What electricity-generating technology results in net greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, not just zero new emissions? According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it’s not nuclear, not wind, not solar. […]The post Energy from Waste: Greenhouse Gas Winner or Pollution Loser? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The niche alternative energy industry that generates power from hazardous piles of coal waste that litter the U.S. is facing an environmental Catch-22. The torrent of coal mined and processed in the U.S. sinceThe post The Coal Refuse Dilemma: Burning Coal for Environmental Benefits appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Courtesy: Ad Meskens/Wikimedia Commons Europe has been in the forefront of renewable energy development, and though the scientific research on wildlife impacts is limited, European environmentalists and developers are beginning to create baseline frameworks and guidelines. Developers around the world can learn from their experience. As more renewable energy systems come online, providers hope to […]The post Avoiding Wildlife Impacts from Renewable Energy in Europe appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Following the end of William C. Ostendorff’s term on June 30, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is now down to only three active commissioners on staff. Ostendorff became a commissioner on April 1, 2010, following a distinguished career as a U.S. naval officer, engineer, lawyer, and policy advisor. His departure adds another vacancy to the […]The post Nuclear Regulatory Commission Down to Three Active Commissioners appeared first on POWER Magazine.

California’s State Lands Commission has approved a lease extension that Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) needed to operate its two Diablo Canyon Power Plant nuclear reactors until 2025. The three-member commission unanimously approved extending the lease for the power plant’s cooling water infrastructure through the end of its current federal licensing period. Without those extensions, […]The post PG&E Secures Key Lease Extension for Diablo Canyon appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Projections that coal utilization will decline faster than previously forecast have spurred Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises (B&W) to shed 200 jobs and restructure its traditional power business that serves coal-fired power generation in a bid to reduce overhead and improve efficiency. The Charlotte, N.C.–based energy and environmental technology and service company said on June 28 […]The post B&W to Restructure Power Business, Cites Dismal Coal Projections appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The world’s power sector last year emitted a third of global sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, 14% of nitrogen oxides (NOx), and 5% of total particulate emissions (PM2.5), but those emission values have fallen drastically over the last decade even though coal power generation has seen a surge, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a […]The post IEA: World’s Power Sector Trails Others in Air Emissions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S., Mexico, and Canada today announced an unprecedented goal to procure 50% of North America’s total power generation from renewables, nuclear, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and energy efficiency technologies by 2025. President Obama, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, and the President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto, announced the continental goal, part of […]The post U.S., Canada, Mexico Commit to 50% Carbon-Free Power by 2025 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

When the UK, the European Union’s (EU’s) second-largest economy, voted to leave the union on June 23, reactions were swift and sometimes unexpected, but what does the Brexit vote mean for the nuclear power industry, which is an increasingly global one? Based on comments made at this week’s World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) outside Paris, the […]The post Brexit Implications for UK Nuclear Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

California Gov. Jerry Brown and members of the California legislature have agreed on a package of “sweeping” reforms designed to overhaul the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), increase transparency, and change how the CPUC conducts much of its business. The changes come in the wake of repeated disclosures of illegal ex parte meetings and communications […]The post California Governor, Legislature, Agree on Major Overhaul of CPUC appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The second World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) began on June 28 in Le Bourget, just outside Paris, with the usual mixed messages about the need for and challenges of nuclear power globally. During the opening ceremony, Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), noted that the event was being held in the same […]The post World Nuclear Exhibition Addresses Challenging Markets and New Solutions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, nuclear power has accounted for about 20% of electricity generated in the U.S. each year since 1990. In fact, the U.S. nuclear fleet out produced France—the country with the next highest nuclear generation—by more than two to one in 2012. Russia was a distant third, generating less than […]The post U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Closures [Slideshow] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Although it’s not widely publicized, a majority of the energy used to generate electricity is wasted in the form of heat discharged to the environment. For better or worse, that’s just the way a typical thermal power plant works. Fuel, such as coal, biomass, natural gas, or uranium (in the case of nuclear plants), is […]The post District Energy Systems Improve Efficiency and Reduce Carbon Emissions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Enrico Viale, head of global thermal generation for the Italian energy company Enel, kicked off an international power industry event yesterday with a keynote presentation describing the “needs” of utilities in the future.The post Utility Paradigm Changing Globally in Response to Distributed Energy and Digitization appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The first operational rules finalized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for routine commercial use of drones could have major implications for utilities and power companies, which are increasingly using them for operations and maintenance. The new rules (Part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations) that apply to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)—or drones—weighing less than […]The post How the FAA’s First-Ever Commercial Drone Rules Could Affect Power Companies appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Diablo Canyon, the two-reactor nuclear power plant on the central California coastline, will be permanently shuttered by 2025 under a renewables-boosting initiative announced today by its owner, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). The company on June 21 unveiled a “joint proposal” with labor and environmental groups that seeks to increase investment in energy efficiency, energy […]The post PG&E Moves to Retire 2.3-GW Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Florida Light and Power (FPL) wants to buy and phase out another coal-fired power plant in Florida, a move it says will save its customers an estimated $129 million when new gas-fired infrastructure is built in the state. The NextEra subsidiary on June 20 filed a petition for the Florida Public Service Commission’s (PSC’s) approval […]The post FPL to Buy and Phase Out Another Florida Coal Power Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Guinness World Records recognized GE’s HA gas turbine for powering the world’s most efficient—up to 62.22%—combined cycle power plant. The first unit equipped with an HA turbine officially began operation on June 17 at EDF’s plant located in Bouchain, France. “Today we are making history with this power plant for the future,” said Steve Bolze, […]The post GE-Powered Combined Cycle Plant Sets New Efficiency Record appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Spanish wind giant Gamesa will absorb Siemens’ wind power business, including wind services, creating a new combined company—one of the world’s biggest wind turbine manufacturers—that will have its global headquarters in Spain. The companies on June 17 signed binding agreements to merge and form the new company. Siemens will hold a 59% stake and consolidate […]The post Siemens, Gamesa to Combine Wind Business to Form New Major Market Player appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled details of the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP), a voluntary measure central to the judicially stalled Clean Power Plan that seeks to provide guidance to states and tribes that want to meet goals under the plan when it becomes effective. The final Clean Power Plan, finalized in […]The post Despite Stay, EPA Proposes Details of Clean Power Plan Voluntary Incentive Program appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) board of directors voted unanimously on June 16 to close Fort Calhoun Station, the smallest nuclear power plant in the U.S., due to economic reasons. In April, OPPD Board Chairman Mick Mines asked senior management to develop potential scenarios regarding future power resources. Tim Burke, president and CEO of […]The post Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant to Close by Year-end appeared first on POWER Magazine.

At least one person was injured when a boiler exploded at the Veolia Energy Schuylkill Station combined heat and power plant in Philadelphia on June 15. The 163-MW natural gas–fired plant provides steam for the city’s district heating system as well as power to the grid. According to media reports, the blast occurred around 3:15 […]The post Boiler Explosion Shuts Down Philadelphia CHP Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A Minnesota law that bans power imports from new out-of-state coal-fired power plants is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court has deemed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on June 15 upheld a decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota that found that the statute’s prohibitions had the effect […]The post Federal Court Strikes Down Minnesota Coal Power Import Ban appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Panels at the 2016 Edison Electric Institute convention focused on technologies and policies at what’s often called the “grid edge."The post Grid Edge and Digital Technologies Take Center Stage at EEI Convention appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Edison Electric Institute has forged a new partnership with startup incubator 1776 to accelerate the pace of innovation in energy.The post EEI Partners with Startup Incubator to Accelerate Innovation in Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) listed costs and time among several reasons for its preferred method to close its coal ash impoundments in place, rather than by removal, but the move has come under fire by environmental groups. The federally owned corporation earlier this month released a final environmental impact statement (EIS) to support its […]The post TVA Backs “In-Place” Coal Ash Impoundment Closure Method Over Removal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Georgia Power will shut down and stop receiving coal ash at all 29 of its coal ash ponds within the next three years. The announcement on June 13 is the latest in a string of similar moves from coal plant–owning utilities across the nation in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) coal ash disposal […]The post Georgia Power to Shut Down Coal Ash Ponds Within Three Years appeared first on POWER Magazine.

EEI Convention keynote speaker Keren Elazari urged electric utilities to partner with "friendly hackers."The post EEI Convention Opens with Call to Work with “Friendly Hackers” appeared first on POWER Magazine.

2016 EEI Edison Award winners are AEP and AESThe post 2016 Edison Award Winners Announced appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) controversial Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) survived another day as the U.S. Supreme Court on June 13 declined to review the D.C. Circuit’s decision to leave the rule in place while the EPA revises it to comply with a 2015 Supreme Court ruling. The 2015 decision sent MATS back […]The post Supreme Court Leaves Revised MATS in Place for Now appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) approved Minnesota Power Co.’s integrated resource plan (IRP) on June 9, which calls for the economic idling of the company’s Taconite Harbor Energy Center—a two-unit 150-MW facility (Unit 3 was retired in June 2015)—this fall and ceasing coal operations at the site in 2020. The MPUC also adjusted the […]The post Regulators Approve Plan to Close Four Minnesota Coal Units appeared first on POWER Magazine.

One of the witnesses testifying before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on June 9 believes states and regulated entities will be granted additional time to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Clean Power Plan (CPP), if the rule is ultimately found to be lawful. Currently, the U.S. Supreme Court has […]The post How Will the Supreme Court Stay Affect the Clean Power Plan? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Michigan utility DTE Energy announced on June 8 that it would retire a total of eight aging coal-fired units at three of its plants by 2023. The units slated for retirement are located at the 651-MW River Rouge plant, the 536-MW Trenton Channel plant (Figure), and the 1,547-MW St. Clair plant. All three are located in […]The post DTE to Retire Eight Coal-Fired Units at Three Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Even though it may dominate forecasts, natural gas–fired generation faces a troubled expansion in the U.S., according to experts from a variety of stake-holding entities—including an industry group, a utility, a generator, and a pipeline company. Challenges that have few solutions—from price volatility, to gas transport concerns, to rule uncertainty—may upend the nation’s dependence […]The post Experts: Gas Power’s Expansion Riddled with Roadblocks appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Fresh on the heels of its decision to finally move ahead with the long-anticipated retirements of the Quad Cities and Clinton nuclear plants in Illinois, Exelon officials told an Iowa newspaper that its Byron and Three Mile Island (TMI) plants face the same challenges and could be forced into retirement without changes to markets and […]The post Byron, Three Mile Island Nuclear Plants at Risk, Exelon Says appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The last of six gigantic modules in the nuclear island for Unit 3 at the Vogtle AP1000 reactors under construction near Augusta, Ga., have been placed. The CA02 and CA03 modules, weighing 52 tons and 237 tons respectively, are critical components and part of the In-Containment Refueling Water Storage Tank (IRWST), Georgia Power said on […]The post Vogtle Nuclear Construction Marks More Milestones appeared first on POWER Magazine.

North Carolina’s governor has vetoed a coal ash bill backed by Duke Energy that would have reinstated the recently dissolved Coal Ash Management Commission. Senate Bill 71 (SB71), introduced in February 2015, has passed both houses. Some media sources suggest that lawmakers have enough votes to override the veto. The bill seeks to re-establish the […]The post Governor’s Veto Intensifies Coal Ash Fight in North Carolina appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) reached another milestone on June 3 when operators at Watts Bar Unit 2—the nation’s newest nuclear power plant and the first added to the fleet in 20 years—synchronized its generator to the power grid, generating electricity from the plant for the first time (Figure 1). 1. Reactor Operator Bill Hahn […]The post Watts Bar Unit 2 Nuclear Plant Synchronized to Power Grid appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Given the lack of progress on Illinois energy legislation, Exelon Corp. announced on June 2 that it would begin taking steps to permanently shut down its Quad Cities and Clinton nuclear power plants. In a statement, the company said Clinton would close on June 1, 2017, and that Quad Cities would follow exactly one year […]The post Exelon Makes Good on Threat—Quad Cities and Clinton Nuclear Plants to Close appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Domestic uranium production is falling to levels not seen since the early 2000s, which are themselves equal to production during the dawn of the nuclear age in the 1950s. Prospects for any sort of rebound look bleak, as a joint venture between GE, Hitachi, and Toshiba is looking to import Russian-designed fuel assemblies for use in […]The post Uranium Production Near Historic Lows as U.S. Reactors Look to Russia appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post THE BIG PICTURE: A String of Retirements appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Coal-fired power plants around the U.S. are closing—rapidly. It’s a trend that will continue for the foreseeable future as dozens more units are slated for closure in the next few years. According to aThe post Supporting Coal Power Plant Workers Through Plant Closures appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The nuclear industry has been expecting big things from small modular reactors (SMRs) for a long time, but to date, no SMRs have reached commercial construction phase. That may change soon. Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems has a plan to deploy NuScale Power’s Integral Pressurized Water Reactor at a site in Idaho. Will others follow […]The post Is There a Market for Small Modular Reactors? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ensuring the reliability of the power system is the responsibility of many industry participants. In this POWER exclusive, one regional reliability entity, the Midwest Reliability Organization, explains its role. In response to the 2003 Blackout—which affected parts of the U.S. Northeast and Midwest, plus portions of the Canadian province of Ontario—the U.S. Congress mandated adoption […]The post Risk-Based NERC Compliance: Assessing Risk to Bulk Power System Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

“Why are you picking on the Clean Air Act?” That’s a question we’ve heard more than once while traveling the country to talk about our new book, Struggling for Air: Power Plants and the “War onThe post Learning from the Clean Air Act’s Tragic Flaw appeared first on POWER Magazine.

New worker training has traditionally meant classroom instruction and wading through a big pile of printed materials. But videos can offer deeper and more rapid understanding of critical issues, especially for younger generations. The Electric Power Research Institute has developed a series of videos to help power plants train new workers more effectively. Inexperienced new […]The post Training the Next Generation of Electric Utility Workers appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The annual panel discussion by high-level leaders from diverse power companies is a cornerstone of the ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition, and it has been consistently emblematic of the state of theThe post Executive Roundtable Addresses the New Face of the Power Industry appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has pulled back funding for two proposed offshore wind demonstration projects spearheaded separately by Dominion Virginia Power and Principle Power, bolstering its support instead for projects it says demonstrate more progress or potential. The funding decision stems from the agency’s 2012 selection of seven offshore demonstration projects, which initially received […]The post DOE Ditches Two Major Offshore Wind Demonstration Projects appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Kansas City–based Great Plains Energy has agreed to purchase Westar Energy—Kansas’ largest electric utility—in a combined cash and stock transaction with an enterprise value of about $12.2 billion. The deal was announced on May 31. When complete, Westar will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Plains Energy, which also owns Kansas City Power and […]The post Great Plains Energy to Acquire Westar Energy in Deal Worth $12.2 Billion appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The two probable major-party U.S. presidential candidates hold very different views on energy and climate. One intends to focus on expanding and developing America’s fossil-fuel industries, while the other plans to grow renewable energy and promote efficiency. Can you guess who’s who? Fossil vs. Renewable Donald Trump, the presumed Republican nominee, presented his “America-First Energy […]The post Energy Policy Differences Between Trump and Clinton Are Black and White appeared first on POWER Magazine.