POWER Magazine

A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals surprising aspects about how federal subsidies for electricity have been distributed, how the power generation mix has shifted, and how consumption has transformed since 2001. The June 29–released report, “Generation Mix has Shifted, and Growth in Consumption has Slowed, Affecting System Operations and Prices,” responds [...]The post How the Power Sector Has Changed Since 2001 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Thirteen states are suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the recently finalized Clean Water Rule, which they say illegally puts the federal government in charge of a majority of water and land resources in the U.S. North Dakota, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, [...]The post States Sue EPA, Army Corps Over Final Waters of U.S. Rule with Reach Over Power Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, PREPA, Wednesday made a $415 million payment to its creditors (mostly hedge fund investors), avoiding a default and giving the troubled government-owned utility more time to work out a deal to restructure its $9 billion debt. Had the utility defaulted, according to financial experts, it could have triggered the default [...]The post Puerto Rico’s Utility Makes Debt Payment, Avoids Default appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) released details from its security inspection program for commercial nuclear power reactors and Category I fuel cycle facilities, finding only one “failure to protect designated target set components effectively” during the 23 NRC-evaluated force-on-force (FOF) exercises conducted in 2014. Although not perfect, the marks are far better than inspection results [...]The post Nuclear Power Plant Security Forces Fare Better on Inspections than TSA Agents appeared first on POWER Magazine.

China on June 29 submitted its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) for reducing carbon emissions to the United Nations in preparation for the COP21 climate negotiations in Paris later this year. The INDCs are formal pledges toward a hoped-for binding agreement. The Chinese pledge builds on its November agreement with the U.S. In its INDC, [...]The post China Submits Plans for Reducing Carbon Emissions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post THE BIG PICTURE: Emissions Controls appeared first on POWER Magazine.

This is a web supplement to “Riding Off into the Sunset: Nuclear Decontamination and Decommissioning Update,” appearing in the July 2015 issue of POWER. The Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) is located in eastern Lithuania near Visaginas—a town of more than 20,000 people founded in the mid-1970s for workers constructing INPP and for the [...]The post Ignalina: Decommissioning Chernobyl’s Big Sister appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Wind is no longer a niche alternative energy industry, American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) CEO Tom Kiernan told attendees at WINDPOWER 2015. Despite policy hurdles, the wind sector has seen exponential growth and formidable cost reductions; it has the government’s endorsement for a low-carbon future; and it’s making up an ever-larger share of the nation’s [...]The post Wind Is Mainstream, and Other Insights from WINDPOWER 2015 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Voters in Colorado and stakeholders in Minnesota forced through unique managed generation transformation plans that paved the way for aggressive state renewable and clean energy standards—inadvertently pushing their utilities out in front of proposed and now actual federal policies. As the power industry struggles with rising costs of adaptation, many beleaguered executives are anxiously focusing [...]The post The Voters Were Right: Colorado and Minnesota’s Paths to Clean Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The United States is continuing its successful track record of providing global leadership in technologies critical to ensuring the prosperity of current and future generations, as it has done for decades. Today, clean energy technologies need to be quickly developed to satisfy often opposing energy needs: national security, affordability, and environmental sustainability. The nation is [...]The post NETL: Providing Energy Technology Solutions and Options appeared first on POWER Magazine.

At the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), generation transitions are nothing new. The nation’s largest public power system—with 34 GW of generating capacity, supplying retail distributors with nine millionThe post Public Power “Big Dog” TVA Takes Fresh Approach to Resource Planning appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Harrington Generating Station, located near Amarillo, Texas, began burning Powder River Basin (PRB) coal when its units first entered service, beginning in 1976. A unique feature of the plant is that TUCO Inc. buys and delivers the coal and Savage Services owns and operates the plant’s coal-handling facility. Incomparable housekeeping and exceptional safety performance evidence [...]The post Xcel Energy’s Harrington Generating Station Earns Powder River Basin Coal Users’ Group Award appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a 5–4 decision announced on June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) rules limiting mercury and other hazardous air pollutants released from power plants. In April 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), ruling in a 2–1 decision [...]The post Supreme Court Strikes Down EPA’s MATS Rule appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A bill that would halt the Clean Power Plan’s compliance deadlines until litigation on the rule has been completed has passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a 247–180 vote. The Ratepayer Protection Act (H.R. 2042) now goes to the Senate, where the GOP is working on a similar measure to suspend the Environmental Protection [...]The post House Passes Measure to Stall EPA Clean Power Plan appeared first on 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.