POWER Magazine

Increasing demands on the energy sector are driving a handful of serious workforce challenges. One of the most concerning is an aging workforce with high levels of retirement, colliding with a shortage of skilled workers to fill the gaps. Case in point—the average age of U.S. utility workers is more than 50 years old, several […]The post Addressing a Skilled-Trades Gap in the Energy Sector—and How to Ease the Transition appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A technology leader in the power generation sector officially has a new name today, as the former Hitachi ABB Power Grids is now Hitachi Energy. The rebranding, announced during the summer and taking effect Oct. 13, is the latest move by a joint venture formed in the summer of 2020 when Hitachi and ABB closed […]The post Newly Minted Hitachi Energy Pushing ‘Urgency’ of Clean Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Emerson Electric Co. said it will merge its software business with rival Aspen Technology (AspenTech) in an $11 billion deal that will bring together both companies’ expertise in industrial software applications. It’s the latest move by Emerson to support the rapid growth of digitization in the power generation industry. “We saw an attractive opportunity to […]The post Emerson Merging Software Business with AspenTech in $11 Billion Deal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A subsidiary of one of India’s largest conglomerates announced two deals as part of its plan to invest more than $10 billion in renewable energy assets over the next few years. Reliance New Energy Solar (RNESL), part of Reliance Industries Ltd., on Oct. 10 said it was buying Norwegian-headquartered solar panel maker REC Solar Holdings […]The post India Group Starts on $10 Billion Plan for Solar Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The federal government’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) on Oct. 7 issued a proposed rulemaking to rescind several Trump-era regulatory amendments that limit the scope of environmental reviews completed by federal agencies under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). If finalized, the proposed rule would restore agencies’ discretion to broaden the scope of NEPA reviews. […]The post CEQ Proposes to Restore Impactful NEPA Provisions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Hydrogene de France (HDF) Energy, an independent power producer and fuel cell manufacturer, has kicked off construction of one of the world’s first multi-megawatt baseload hydrogen power plants. The company says the project in French Guiana, which is being “duplicated” in about 20 countries, will provide 128 MWh of green hydrogen storage. HDF Energy’s $200 […]The post Pioneering 10-MW Baseload Hydrogen Power Plant Breaks Ground in French Guiana appeared first on POWER Magazine.

For the better part of the past decade, utility companies have been more concerned with the potential for outages than cyberattacks, but this has changed over the past several months. The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and the remote cyberattack on a Florida water treatment plant put cybersecurity top-of-mind and made it clear hackers can do […]The post Three Things Utility Companies Need to Do to Prevent the Next Cyberattack appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Stricken by a surge in global coal prices and freight costs, several Indian coal power plants are fielding a critical coal supply shortage that has forced some to curtail power. Fearing a power crisis, the Ministry of Power recently directed hydropower generators to defer scheduled maintenance through October. The Ministry of Coal, meanwhile, this week […]The post India’s ‘Unprecedented’ Coal Shortages Paralyzing Power Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Four General Electric (GE) gas turbines have been deployed in California as part of the follow-up to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency order to safeguard the state’s power grid. GE recently announced two of the company’s 30-MW TM2500 aeroderivative turbines have been installed at the Roseville Energy Park in Roseville, with another two installed adjacent to […]The post GE Gas Turbines Installed to Support California Power Supply appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The head of Europe’s largest utility said countries need to put a price on carbon in order to cut emissions of greenhouse gases and meet climate targets. Francesco Starace, CEO of Italy-based Enel, speaking Oct. 5 at the Reuters Impact virtual summit, said the world’s larger economies need to lead on developing strategies and taking […]The post Enel CEO: ‘Please Put Price on Carbon’ appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In December 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a new subcommittee focused on the nation’s electric grid. The Grid Resilience for National Security subcommittee was a response to increasing threats to the country’s expansive electric grid that reliably delivers electricity to power the digital age. Today, those threats are even more relevant than ever […]The post Monitor, Teach, Protect: Three Priorities for Insider Threat Prevention in the Energy Sector appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Consumers today want their utilities to provide an experience like any other service provider, offering the same control and transparency. User-friendly smart meter technology has allowed consumers to play a bigger role in managing their energy usage and cost. But to give customers true command of their energy consumption, the industry needs distributed intelligence technology. […]The post Distributed Intelligence: Empower Consumer Control and Uncover New Possibilities appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ten years ago, the energy market was based around the conventional, centralized generation of oil and coal plants. It was predictable and formulaic. These staples of yesterday’s energy market are no longer the future of energy generation. Instead, we see a global push toward clean energy with wind and solar power, and companies are accelerating […]The post The New Wave of the Decentralized Energy Market appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As the energy sector transforms and innovates into a decarbonized, digitalized industry, it is crucial that talent pools are available with the right balance of skills and experience to deliver the projects and operations needed for a brighter tomorrow. NES Fircroft, a staffing company dedicated to providing the skilled engineers and technical workforce needed to […]The post Energy Transition Outlook appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It took a team effort, led by Kiewit as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor, to overcome numerous challenges and build a 1,000-MW natural gas-fired facility that has sparked aThe post Collaboration Brings the Energy for Pennsylvania Community appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Stanton Energy Reliability Center is a unique hybrid power station that includes two GE LM6000 gas turbines, each integrated with a battery energy storage system. The station provides reliable and stable powerThe post Stanton Energy Reliability Center Hybrid Supplies Power When Southern California Needs It Most appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The 1993-built 610-MW Prime Termoflores gas plant in Barranquilla, Colombia, set out to boost its efficiency and ramp up performance to provide reliable backup to the region’s volatile, hydro-reliant powerThe post Ingenuity Boosts Efficiency at Colombian Gas Power Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The West Riverside Energy Center is a two-unit combined cycle power plant located near Beloit, Wisconsin. Alliant Energy’s state-of-the-art facility has several important sustainability and efficiencyThe post Sustainability and Efficiency Are Key Considerations at the West Riverside Energy Center appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Gas turbines have grown into a hallmark of the modern power system for their high efficiency, reliability, operational flexibility, fuel flexibility, and low-emission power options. But if gas turbines are toThe post Gas Turbine Technology Advances That Could Boost Their Future Relevance appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, next month. The roughly two-week-long event will bring together delegates from around the world with a goalThe post Getting to Net-Zero GHG Emissions Will Take More Than Closing Coal Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The need to boost renewable energy production and infrastructure has never been higher. Offshore wind power is a crucial part of achieving net-zero emissions and has tremendous potential. As more and largerThe post Dynamic Export Cables Help Unlock Potential of Offshore Wind Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Many experts believe hydrogen will play a key role in the effort to decarbonize the world’s energy supply. However, current hydrogen production methods release a lot of carbon dioxide, and carbon captureThe post Environmental and Permitting Considerations for Decarbonizing with Hydrogen appeared first on POWER Magazine.

China’s tightening coal supplies, more stringent energy intensity and environmental restrictions, and soaring industrial power demand have triggered another widespread power crisis. Blackouts and brownouts have reportedly afflicted numerous provincial jurisdictions across the economic powerhouse this week, most prominently in Guangdong in the south, and Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning in the northeast, according to state-run […]The post China Grappling with Another Crippling Power Crunch appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Terrestrial Energy has unveiled an upgraded 390-MWe design of its Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) power plant to meet utility requirements and boost its cost-competitiveness as part of an effort to ramp up its candidacy for deployment at Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG’s) Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. This week, the Canadian firm also announced a series […]The post Terrestrial Energy Launches 390-MW Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor Design appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The energy industry has been going through a revolution, and more and more businesses are looking to transition from non-renewable fossil fuel energy sources such as coal and oil to renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydroelectric energy. There are a plethora of reasons for this shift, but there are three issues that are […]The post Distributed Energy Platforms a Key for Sustainable Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Bismarck, North Dakota-based Basin Electric Power Cooperative will join Dairyland Power Cooperative and ALLETE Inc. as co-owners of the planned Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC), a combined cycle natural gas power plant proposed for construction in Superior, Wisconsin. The deal between Basin Electric and ALLETE was announced on Sept. 28. Basin Electric will become a […]The post Three Coal-Heavy Utilities Team Up on New Gas-Fired Power Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The first Russian-made nuclear reactor fuel bundles with experimental ATF (Advanced Technology Fuel) rods have been loaded into Unit 2 at the Rostov nuclear power plant (NPP) in southwest Russia. The reactor resumed operations earlier this month after a scheduled maintenance and refueling outage. The Rostov site is home to four VVER-1000 reactor units (Figure […]The post Experimental Advanced Fuel Rods Loaded in Russian Nuclear Reactor appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An executive and entrepreneur who designed battery packs for SpaceX has partnered with a leader of India’s transportation industry in a venture designed to improve the lifecycle of lithium-ion batteries, and help that country’s transition toward electric passenger vehicles. Porter Harris, a battery engineer known for his work in thermal cooling and heating methodology, and […]The post Former SpaceX Engineer Driving New Battery Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine.

There is no doubt that the energy industry is moving toward decarbonization and renewable sources. But, despite the $2.7 trillion spent on renewables over the past decade, that future is still a long way off. It all comes down to the economics. It’s cheaper to operate an existing fossil fuel plant than build new renewable […]The post Improving Power Plant Efficiency with Nanocomposite Surface Treatments appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Pennsylvania, a major power producer that relied on fossil fuels for 66% of its net power generation in June, plans to maintain its nuclear generation at current levels until it can ramp up other carbon-free supplies to 100% by 2050, the state’s Sept. 22–released 2021 Climate Action Plan suggests. The measures are part of a […]The post Nuclear Is the Bastion of Pennsylvania’s Newest Climate Action Plan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Poland’s push for nuclear power could include repurposing of coal-fired power plants with small modular reactor (SMR) technology from NuScale Power. NuScale on Sept. 23 announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with two Polish companies, KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. (KGHM), and Piela Business Engineering (PBE), to explore how NuScale’s technology could be […]The post SMRs May Replace Polish Coal; GE Hitachi in Fuel Supply Pact appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Partners developing the 800-MW Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm have announced they will swap assets jointly owned by their 50/50 Vineyard Wind joint venture to allow each party to focus on its separate expansion within the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind industry once the 800-MW Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm is operational. The Vineyard […]The post On Heels of $2.3B Financial Close, Vineyard Wind Joint Venture Partners Announce Restructuring appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Most people recognize that carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas (GHG), and while not everyone agrees, a majority of climate scientists believe increasing concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere are causing climate change on Earth. Carbon pricing is a market-based strategy for reducing CO2 emissions. The goal of carbon pricing schemes is to place […]The post Is America Ready to Take a ‘Baby Step’ Toward Carbon Pricing? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A group of energy sector entrepreneurs, supported by a Scottish multi-national energy company, has announced the launch of a business venture focused on rolling out large-scale wind and solar farms across the UK and Europe. Renewco Power on Sept. 22 said it wants to develop more than 4 GW of renewable energy projects in the […]The post SSE Backs Top Power Execs With New UK Renewable Energy Group appeared first on POWER Magazine.

For the progressive development of modern civilization, access to minerals is critical. The main recoverable reserves of such minerals are often located at high latitudes. For example, a significant number of the world’s hydrocarbon deposits are located above 60 degrees North latitude. Our company, Noyabrskie Power Grids, is also located in this area, and its […]The post Frost-Heaving Problems and Solutions for Power Engineers appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Everyone in the power industry is familiar with Siemens Energy. Its technology is behind about one-sixth of the world’s power generation, and even a larger portion than that in the U.S.—roughly a third. Yet, Siemens Energy as currently organized is a fairly new entity. The company was spun off from Siemens AG and began trading […]The post ‘What’s Next’ for Siemens Energy? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Nuclear Advisory Council Deems Commissioning of Holtec SMR-160 by 2030 a ‘Credible Target’ appeared first on POWER Magazine. Holtec International’s ambitions to install its first set of SMR-160 small modular reactor nuclear plants in the U.S. by 2030 may be a “credible target,” the company’s advisory council comprising 20 utility and nuclear industry leaders has reportedly determined. The Holtec Advisory Council, a body that provides Holtec with “input on the technical and commercial merits […]The post Nuclear Advisory Council Deems Commissioning of Holtec SMR-160 by 2030 a ‘Credible Target’ appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post In First for the U.S., Vineyard Wind Achieves $2.3B Financial Close for Offshore Wind Farm appeared first on POWER Magazine. Vineyard Wind 1, an 800-MW phase of an offshore wind project offshore Massachusetts, has achieved financial close. The milestone, a first for a U.S. commercial-scale offshore wind farm, now allows Vineyard Wind to provide its contractors with a notice to proceed with construction. Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between AVANGRID subsidiary Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen […]The post In First for the U.S., Vineyard Wind Achieves $2.3B Financial Close for Offshore Wind Farm appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Ethiopia Outlines $40 Billion Plan as GERD Hydro Startup Nears appeared first on POWER Magazine. Ethiopian officials have said they are moving closer to commissioning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) hydropower installation, part of 71 power projects included in a $40 billion investment package to increase the country’s electricity generation over the next decade. The 6,450-MW GERD project, being built on the Blue Nile River and set to more […]The post Ethiopia Outlines $40 Billion Plan as GERD Hydro Startup Nears appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post SCR Design Considerations: Retrofit Challenges and Ratcheting Emissions Level Requirements appeared first on POWER Magazine. Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) projects often focus on the final NOx emissions levels achieved, but a successful project is about much more than that. Facility owners must consider the complete scope associated with an SCR installation, from supply chain issues and ultra-low NOx emissions levels to customization requirements associated with a given application’s pressure drop […]The post SCR Design Considerations: Retrofit Challenges and Ratcheting Emissions Level Requirements appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post SRP Approves Arizona Expansion with 16 Gas-Fired Turbines appeared first on POWER Magazine. The board of directors of Arizona’s second-largest public utility has approved a nearly $1 billion plan to expand the natural gas-fired Coolidge Generating Station, adding 820 MW of generation capacity. The Coolidge station at present is a 575-MW power plant with 12 single-cycle gas turbines; the plant began operating in 2011. The expansion plan approved […]The post SRP Approves Arizona Expansion with 16 Gas-Fired Turbines appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post NRC Backs Storing Nuclear Waste in Texas appeared first on POWER Magazine. Federal regulators have approved a private company’s plan to store nuclear waste in the oil fields of West Texas, the latest move in the continuing saga of where to store spent fuel from U.S. nuclear power plants. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Sept. 13 issued a license to Interim Storage Partners LLC (ISP), […]The post NRC Backs Storing Nuclear Waste in Texas appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Illinois Nuclear Plants Saved by Last-Minute Vote appeared first on POWER Magazine. The Illinois Senate has approved an overhaul of the state’s energy policy with an eye toward a carbon-free future, with a key part of the package keeping the Byron nuclear power plant operating just hours before Exelon, the parent of Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), said it would begin shutting down the facility. Senators voted 37-17 on […]The post Illinois Nuclear Plants Saved by Last-Minute Vote appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post LNG-to-Power Project, $30 Billion in Offshore Wind Targeted for Vietnam appeared first on POWER Magazine. Power generation projects both thermal and renewable continue to be announced for Southeast Asia, with Vietnam taking a lead role with both onshore and offshore power generation installations. Details of a large liquefied natural gas (LNG)-to-power project were announced Sept. 13, just days after the country’s T&T Group and Denmark’s Ørsted said they are prepared […]The post LNG-to-Power Project, $30 Billion in Offshore Wind Targeted for Vietnam appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Chevron Exploring Equity Interest in Mitsubishi Power and Magnum Green Hydrogen Hub in Utah appeared first on POWER Magazine. Chevron is poised to acquire an equity interest in the Advanced Clean Energy Storage project, a developing green hydrogen hub that could support more than 1 GW of electrolysis facilities and store 5,500 metric tonnes of their produced green hydrogen in salt caverns near Delta, Utah. The integrated energy giant on Sept. 9 announced that it […]The post Chevron Exploring Equity Interest in Mitsubishi Power and Magnum Green Hydrogen Hub in Utah appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Siemens Gamesa Launches World’s First Fully Recyclable Wind Turbine Blade appeared first on POWER Magazine. Siemens Gamesa has launched what it says is the world’s first wind turbine blade that can be used at a commercial offshore wind farm and recycled at the end of its lifecycle. The company already has agreements with three major customers—including RWE and EDF Renewables—for the installation of the blades at offshore wind farms. The […]The post Siemens Gamesa Launches World’s First Fully Recyclable Wind Turbine Blade appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post TotalEnergies Seals $10B Deal to Develop Fuel Supplies, Power Generation for Iraq appeared first on POWER Magazine. TotalEnergies, the French oil and gas multinational company formerly known as Total, has bagged deals representing a total $10 billion with the government of Iraq to help the resource-rich country address power shortages. The company said on Sept. 6 that following the agreements with the Iraqi Ministries for oil and electricity and the country’s National […]The post TotalEnergies Seals $10B Deal to Develop Fuel Supplies, Power Generation for Iraq appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Former Prime Ministers Tout Need for Pumped Storage and More Hydropower appeared first on POWER Magazine. Tony Blair and Malcolm Turnbull, former prime ministers of the UK and Australia, respectively, suggested pumped storage and more hydropower will be vitally important to electric grids around the world as more wind and solar are added to the power mix. Speaking on the opening day of the World Hydropower Congress, which began Sept. 7 […]The post Former Prime Ministers Tout Need for Pumped Storage and More Hydropower appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Groups Announce Successful Test to Advance Fusion Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine. A company working to bring fusion energy technology to market joined with a group from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in announcing a successful test of what they call the world’s strongest high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet, technology considered key for development of commercial fusion energy. Representatives of Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), along with researchers […]The post Groups Announce Successful Test to Advance Fusion Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Moss Landing Battery Project Offline After Overheating appeared first on POWER Magazine. The first phase of the battery storage project at the Moss Landing complex in California was taken offline after an overheating issue caused some parts of the installation to be damaged. Vistra said the incident happened late on Sept. 4. Fire crews responded to the site, and though no fire was found, officials said battery […]The post Moss Landing Battery Project Offline After Overheating appeared first on POWER Magazine.