POWER Magazine

Several Arizona and New Mexico–based utilities will be required to install pollution controls at the coal-fired Four Corners Power Plant to curb sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) under a settlement reached with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department. The settlement involves the Arizona Public Service Co. (APS), the operator and primary [...]The post NSR Settlement Requires New Pollution Controls for Four Corners Coal Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The last of three conditional commitments offered by the Department of Energy (DOE) to the coalition building two nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia was finalized on June 24, allowing the project to be fully financed. Since it conditionally offered $8.33 billion in loan guarantees in 2010, the DOE has issued $6.5 billion in guarantees [...]The post DOE Issues Remaining $1.8B in Loan Guarantees for Vogtle Nuclear Reactors appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A new analysis from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the nation’s second-largest ISO, predicted that compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Clean Power Plan (CPP) could slash coal’s share of its generation from 59% in 2014 to potentially as low as 26% by 2030. The report came ahead of MISO’s planning advisory committee [...]The post MISO Says Clean Power Plan Could Cut Its Coal Generation by Half appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Several major nuclear announcements surfaced from around the world this week. South Korea plans to retire its oldest nuclear reactor early, Nigeria selected two sites for the construction of four nuclear reactors, while Pakistan approved the construction of two China-assisted reactors. KHNP Moves to Retire Kori 1 Early Amid growing concerns about the safety of [...]The post Nuclear Developments From S. Korea, Nigeria, Pakistan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

With plans already approved for the closure of 12 of its coal ash basins, Duke Energy on June 23 recommended the full excavation of 12 additional basins located in North Carolina. The company proposed excavating five basins each at its Cape Fear Plant in Moncure and its H.F. Lee Plant in Goldsboro. Additionally, it recommended [...]The post Duke Proposes Full Excavation of 12 More Coal Ash Basins appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As Congress works through its array of annual appropriations bills, Republicans opposed to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP) are moving forward with a variety of riders, amendments, and other bills that would stop the plan in its tracks, at least until the federal court system passes final judgment on its [...]The post GOP Bills Target Clean Power Plan, EPA appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Taking action on climate change could reduce electricity demand between 1.1% and 4% and save the U.S. $10 billion to $34 billion in power system costs by 2050, says a new report released by the White House and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) touting the U.S. economic, health, and environmental benefits of global climate action. [...]The post White House Warns Climate Change Inaction Could Result in Higher Power Demand and System Costs appeared first on POWER Magazine.

SaskPower, the Saskatchewan provincial utility that made history last year by developing the first full-scale post-combustion carbon capture retrofit for an operating coal-fired power plant, has taken the next step in fostering development of the technology. Its Carbon Capture Test Facility (CCTF) has officially been launched in Estevan, Saskatchewan. The June 18 launch was attended [...]The post Canada’s SaskPower Opens Carbon Capture Test Facility appeared first on POWER Magazine.

At least 25 of the European Union’s (EU’s) 28 member nations are on track to meet renewable energy targets, putting the bloc well on its way to meet its legally binding target of producing 20% of its energy with renewables by 2020, a new report shows. The European Commission’s (EC’s) 2015 report released on June [...]The post Report: Most of the EU Is on Track to Meet 2020 Renewable Energy Target appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Southern Co. announced on June 16 that construction has been completed on a new FLEX dome—a structure built to house emergency equipment needed to respond to an extreme external event—at its Vogtle nuclear plant. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is requiring U.S. nuclear plants to build protected structures like the FLEX dome in response to [...]The post Vogtle Nuclear Plant Unveils Its New FLEX Dome appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed ozone rule came under scrutiny in two U.S. House of Representatives hearings held during the past week. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s subcommittee on energy and power on June 12 heard testimony on the rule from Janet McCabe, the EPA’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of [...]The post House Subjects EPA Ozone Rule to Twofold Probe appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Oregon-based utility and Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary PacifiCorp filed plans this month to shut down nearly 3 GW of its coal generation by 2033 as it moves toward greater integration with the California energy market. PacifiCorp’s 2015 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which it has filed with regulators in Oregon, Washington, California, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, contains [...]The post PacifiCorp Axing Coal as It Joins CAISO appeared first on POWER Magazine.

California’s grid gurus say they can make it through this summer, but the future may pose real problems for a hydro-heavy regional system. As the grip of California’s four-year drought tightens, will the long-running event crimp electricity generation in the state? So far, according to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which dispatches much of [...]The post California Drought and Power Potential appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 4 released a draft assessment of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on the nation’s water supplies, concluding that there was no evidence of widespread impacts but conceding that data on the subject is limited. The assessment, conducted at the request of Congress, follows water used for [...]The post EPA Finds “No Widespread, Systematic Impacts” on Water Quality from Fracking, but Data Limited appeared first on POWER Magazine.

At the annual Power-Gen Europe Conference held in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven called for greater leadership as Europe tackles de-carbonization, distributed energy, and market integration. She began her presentation by highlighting one of the biggest changes to Europe’s power markets: The May 20 decision to [...]The post IEA Executive Director Praises Energy Price Coupling in Western Europe appeared first on POWER Magazine.

What separates investor-owned utilities (IOUs) and public power companies these days? Less than you might imagine. In early June, while the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the trade association for IOUs, was holding its annual meeting in New Orleans, I was in Minneapolis at the annual conference of the American Public Power Association (APPA), which represents [...]The post Public Power and IOUs Mostly on the Same Page appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The D.C. Circuit rejected challenges to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed carbon rules for existing power plants, ruling that it has no authority to review rules that aren’t yet final. “Petitioners are champing at the bit to challenge EPA’s anticipated rule restricting carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants. But EPA has not yet [...]The post Federal Court Strikes Challenge to Proposed EPA Carbon Rule as Premature appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Germany’s tax on nuclear fuel rods is not against European Union (EU) law, the bloc’s top court has ruled. The decision from the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union on June 4 may be detrimental to utilities that own nuclear power plants, which have already paid about $5.67 billion in the levies that [...]The post Top EU Court: German Nuclear Fuel Tax Is Legal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Tesla and energy storage firm Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS) on June 4 announced a deal for 500 MWh of storage capacity using Tesla’s utility-scale Powerpack batteries, which it introduced last month. A portion of the contract—50 MW, 200 MWh—will go toward meeting AMS’s commitment with Southern California Edison (SCE) under the utility’s procurement deal last [...]The post Another Big Battery Storage Deal for California appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Interior (DOI) has approved the first three solar energy projects from its Western Solar Plan. The projects total 440 MW and will be built on public lands in Clark County, Nev. Under the Western Solar Plan, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has designated 19 solar energy zones covering roughly 298,000 acres [...]The post First Projects Under Western Solar Plan Get DOI’s OK appeared first on POWER Magazine.

China’s State Nuclear Power Technology Corp. (SNPTC)—general contractor of the first four AP1000 units being built in China—and China Power Investment Corp. officially announced a merger in a move to reinforce the country’s plans to eventually export reactors. The new company, State Power Investment Corp., will own assets worth more than $112.94 billion. SNPTC was [...]The post China’s Nuclear Power Companies Merge To Strengthen Export Ambitions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In contrast to the bitter partisanship that has paralyzed Congress for the past few years—especially with respect to energy policy—the Obama administration’s first Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) received a mostly warm welcome from House GOP members, who echoed its concerns with the state of the nation’s energy infrastructure during a hearing on June 2. “Many [...]The post QER Gets Warm Reception from House GOP appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The long-awaited restart of the Sendai nuclear power plant, the first of Japan’s nuclear facilities to be re-licensed for operations after the nation’s entire fleet was shutdown in 2011 following the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami, will be pushed back to at least mid-August, plant owner Kyushu Electric Power said on June 2. Restart of Sendai [...]The post Restart of Sendai Nuclear Plant Delayed to August appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will soon issue DTE Electric a combined license (COL) to build and operate an Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) at its existing Fermi 2 site in Michigan. The federal regulator announced on April 30 that it found the staff’s review adequate to make the necessary regulatory safety and environmental [...]The post DTE Electric to Get NRC Combined License (COL) for Proposed Nuclear Reactor appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Obama administration’s first installment in the Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) drew a variety of responses in its first public hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on April 28. Chairman Lisa A. Murkowski (R-Alaska) opened the hearing with a nod to the still-in-limbo Keystone XL pipeline. She noted that though the QER [...]The post QER Draws Praise, Fire in Senate Hearing appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Golden Valley Electric Association in Healy, Alaska, has fired up a refurbished 50-MW coal plant that has been idle for the past 16 years. Crews from the rural electric cooperative started the boiler at Healy Plant 2 (joining 25-MW Healy Plant 1) last Thursday as the unit arose from the ashes of a failed government-supported [...]The post Alaska Gets a (Sort-of) New Coal Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Nearly everyone in the power sector has a co-worker or colleague who served in the armed forces, or themselves served in the military. While this has been the case for decades, specific efforts to hire veterans into the generation industry have gained steam and are being better recognized in recent years. To highlight efforts that [...]The post Faraday Awards Honor Efforts in Hiring Veterans appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Don’t wait until after an incident to make improvements and correct problems in coal handling systems: That was the message delivered to attendees at the best practices workshop during the Powder River Basin Coal Users’ Group (PRBCUG) Annual Meeting, which began on April 20. The event—being held in Rosemont, Ill., in conjunction with the 17th [...]The post Famous Last Words: “It’s Never Happened to Us!” appeared first on POWER Magazine.

What happens in Washington, D.C., seldom stays in Washington, D.C., so on April 21 at the 17th annual ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition, the Powder River Basin (PRB) Coal Users’ Group took a look at what is headed their way from the nation’s capital. The first item was, surprise, a success story, according to Rick [...]The post PRB Coal Users’ Group: Power Industry Regulatory Updates from Washington appeared first on POWER Magazine.

This interview with Dr. Fatih Birol, Chief Economist, Director of Global Energy Economics and Executive Director (starting September 2015), International Energy Agency (IEA) was conducted by Global Business Reports in May 2015. It has been edited for style and length and is a web-only supplement to the sponsored report “Power in Turkey” appearing in the [...]The post Dr. Fatih Birol on Global Energy Markets and His Goals for the IEA appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Japanese Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) approved Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s operational safety programs for Sendai Nuclear Power Station Units 1 and 2 on May 27. The approval is the last of three needed by the company to verify that the plant complies with new regulatory requirements implemented as a result of the Fukushima disaster. [...]The post Only Pre-Service Inspections Remain Before First Nuclear Plant Restarts in Japan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a state implementation plan (SIP) call action to 36 states directing them to correct specific startup, shutdown, and malfunction provisions in their SIPs to ensure they are fully consistent with the Clean Air Act (CAA). The action comes in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by the [...]The post EPA Takes Action to Eliminate Startup, Shutdown, and Malfunction Emissions Exemptions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP) will cut power sector CO2 emissions to levels not seen since the 1980s in addition to giving a big boost to renewables at the expense of coal, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said this week. In its “Analysis of the Impacts of the Clean Power [...]The post Clean Power Plan Will Cut CO Emissions to 1980s Levels, Says EIA appeared first on POWER Magazine.

South Mississippi Electric (SME), an electric cooperative that has been Mississippi Power Co.’s (MPC’s) long-time backer in the development of the Kemper energy facility, has pulled out of the project, citing delays in project schedule and increased participation costs as reasons for its withdrawal. The cooperative that generates and transmits electricity for 11 member cooperatives [...]The post Kemper Project Loses Key Power Buyer Due to Delays, High Costs appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz lauded the wind industry’s immense growth since 2008 at the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA’s) WINDPOWER 2015 Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Fla., but he cautioned that more was needed for a long-term low-carbon future. “Wind generation has more than tripled in the U.S. in just six years, exceeding 4.5% of [...]The post Carbon Challenge Will Require More Than Just Renewable Boost, Moniz Says appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Taller wind turbines and longer blades could increase the technical potential for wind deployment in the U.S. by 54%, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said today as he unveiled a new report from the Department of Energy (DOE). The report, “Enabling Wind Power Nationwide,” essentially posits that if advanced turbine concepts with hub heights of 110 [...]The post Energy Dept.: Taller Wind Turbines, Longer Blades Will Make Wind Power Ubiquitous in the U.S. appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Duke Energy announced on May 19 that it will construct a new 650-MW natural gas–fired combined cycle power plant (CCPP) and retire its 375-MW Asheville coal power plant by early 2020. The plan also includes the addition of solar generation at the site as well as construction of a new substation and 40-mile transmission line [...]The post Duke Announces Plan to Retire Asheville Coal Plant, Replace with CCPP appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) on May 14 announced $60 million in funding for 23 new projects to foster new technologies in dry cooling and fusion power. The Advanced Research In Dry cooling (ARID) initiative, one of ARPA-E’s newest projects, will provide $30 million to support 14 project teams developing [...]The post ARPA-E Announces $60 Million in New Funding appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A group of Illinois state lawmakers are proposing legislation to discourage the import of Powder River Basin (PRB) coal into the state, making locally mined coal more appealing to power plants. The coal competitiveness plan being proposed would modify regulations that allow electric utilities to pass through the cost of transportation to customers. According to [...]The post Lawmakers Work to Make PRB Coal Less Attractive in Illinois appeared first on POWER Magazine.

At Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), repeated generation transitions have marked the giant public power utility’s long history, from hydro, to coal, to nuclear. The latest resource plan points to natural gas, along with renewables and energy efficiency, as the basis for the agency’s generating future. At the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), generation transitions are nothing [...]The post Public Power “Big Dog” TVA Takes Fresh Approach to Resource Planning appeared first on POWER Magazine.

“You can’t take a clean source of energy off the table.” That was the conclusion that a panel of four experts came to as they discussed the role that nuclear power should play in the battle to fight climate change. The panelists met on May 14 as part of the 62nd Annual Industry Conference and [...]The post Experts: More Nuclear Power Is Needed appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the Eastern Interconnection States Planning Council have released a resource guide to help states overcome institutional barriers and coordinate on Clean Power Plan compliance. The Multistate Coordination Resources for Clean Power Plan Compliance guide—which was funded by the Energy Department—includes a multi-state planning checklist, a legislative [...]The post NARUC Promotes State Coordination for Clean Power Plan Compliance appeared first on POWER Magazine.