POWER Magazine

The post Johnson Stepping Down as PG&E CEO appeared first on POWER Magazine. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) announced April 22 that Bill Johnson, the president and CEO who took over those roles in the midst of the company’s bankruptcy proceedings, will step down June 30 after just more than one year on the job. The company said Bill Smith, a PG&E board member, will serve as interim […]The post Johnson Stepping Down as PG&E CEO appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post FERC Orders Delayed Implementation of NERC Reliability Standards appeared first on POWER Magazine. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC’s) motion to defer implementation of seven reliability standards—including for grid cybersecurity—that were slated to become effective this year. In an April 17 order, FERC approved NERC’s April 6 requested motion to defer the implementation of the standards, which have effective […]The post FERC Orders Delayed Implementation of NERC Reliability Standards appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The Power Sector’s Most Crucial COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies appeared first on POWER Magazine. The latest version of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council’s (ESCC’s) resource guide to assess and mitigate COVID-19 suggests the U.S. power sector continues to grapple with key concerns involving control center continuity, power plant continuity, access to restricted and quarantined areas, mutual assistance, and supply chain challenges. In its fifth and sixth versions of the […]The post The Power Sector’s Most Crucial COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Need for Resilience Supports Energy Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine. Independent power producer Neoen Australia said an expansion of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery system has completed its network connection, bringing the Tesla-supported Hornsdale Power Reserve, adjacent to a wind farm in South Australia, to a rated size of 150 MW/193.5 MWh. It’s the latest in a series of projects being developed worldwide to add […]The post Need for Resilience Supports Energy Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post GE Loses Engineering Visionary John Lammas appeared first on POWER Magazine. John Lammas, GE Power’s chief technology officer and vice president of generation technology, an innovator who championed breakthroughs in gas turbine technology both for jet travel and power generation, died suddenly on April 12. GE commemorated Lammas in an emotional tribute to his 35-year legacy at the technology conglomerate, noting his work could be seen […]The post GE Loses Engineering Visionary John Lammas appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Groups File Legal Challenges to ACE Rule appeared first on POWER Magazine. Legal challenges to the Trump administration’s Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule began in earnest April 17, as more than two dozen states and cities, along with several environmental activist groups, filed briefs with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., seeking a rollback of power plant regulations that also have been decried by coal […]The post Groups File Legal Challenges to ACE Rule appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post EPA Nixes Legal Justification for MATS Rule appeared first on POWER Magazine. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 16 withdrew the legal justification for an Obama-era rule that required coal-fired power plants to reduce their emissions of mercury. The Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS) remains in place, but Thursday’s action by the Trump administration could prevent similar regulations from being implemented in the future. EPA […]The post EPA Nixes Legal Justification for MATS Rule appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Wind Energy Leads U.S. Power Generation Growth appeared first on POWER Magazine. The trade group representing the U.S. wind energy industry says the sector emerged as the top provider of new utility-scale power generation in the nation in 2019, with 9.1 GW of large wind power projects coming online. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), in its Wind Powers America Annual Report 2019 released April 16, said […]The post Wind Energy Leads U.S. Power Generation Growth appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post U.S. Nuclear Industry Shaved Generating Costs by 7.6% Compared to 2018 appeared first on POWER Magazine. The U.S. nuclear power fleet last year achieved its lowest recorded average total generating costs in two decades—$30.42/MWh—though it ran at a record-high 93.4% average capacity factor. Total generating costs were 7.6% lower last year compared to the prior year, and have fallen nearly 32% since 2012. The numbers, highlighted in the Nuclear Energy Institute’s […]The post U.S. Nuclear Industry Shaved Generating Costs by 7.6% Compared to 2018 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Vogtle Workforce Reduced by 20%, but Other Projects Strong in March appeared first on POWER Magazine. The COVID-19 outbreak and efforts to halt the spread of the virus are having a real impact at the Vogtle nuclear expansion construction site, but project starts elsewhere were robust in March. Cutting Workforce Due to COVID-19 On April 15, Georgia Power announced in an 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that […]The post Vogtle Workforce Reduced by 20%, but Other Projects Strong in March appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post NYISO: Power Consumption Down as Much as 18% appeared first on POWER Magazine. The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) on April 16 said weekday morning reductions in power consumption have averaged as much as 18% below typical levels, with the most dramatic drops noted in New York City as businesses remain closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. NYISO, in an updated analysis of estimated coronavirus demand impacts released […]The post NYISO: Power Consumption Down as Much as 18% appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Clean Energy Sector Sheds 106,000 Jobs in March appeared first on POWER Magazine. The renewable energy sector has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 106,000 U.S. workers losing their jobs last month, according to an analysis of unemployment data released April 15 from several clean energy groups. Wednesday’s report said hundreds of thousands more job losses in the sector are expected in the next […]The post Clean Energy Sector Sheds 106,000 Jobs in March appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The POWER Interview: Powering Through a Pandemic appeared first on POWER Magazine. It’s an unprecedented time for power generators worldwide. Utilities, grid operators, equipment manufacturers, and others working to keep the lights on know that a reliable supply of electricity is more important than ever as the world battles through the coronavirus pandemic. Dino Barajas, who recently joined the finance arm of DLA Piper in Los Angeles, […]The post The POWER Interview: Powering Through a Pandemic appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Siemens Group Reopens Plants; GE Closing U.S. Factory appeared first on POWER Magazine. Global wind turbine manufacturers Siemens Gamesa and Vestas have restarted work in their facilities in Spain, after that country eased some of the restrictions in place as part of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The move comes at the same time that General Electric announced it would close a subsidiary’s wind turbine manufacturing […]The post Siemens Group Reopens Plants; GE Closing U.S. Factory appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post NERC Moves to Defer Reliability Standards, Provide COVID-19 Flexibility appeared first on POWER Magazine. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to delay the implementation of seven reliability standards that relate to cybersecurity, training, disturbance monitoring and reporting, generator relay loadability, and coordination of protection systems for performance during faults. In an April 6 filing to FERC, NERC noted the rules […]The post NERC Moves to Defer Reliability Standards, Provide COVID-19 Flexibility appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The POWER Interview: Keeping the Flame for Natural Gas appeared first on POWER Magazine. The crash in global oil prices, though a challenge for cash-strapped drillers and U.S. exploration and production (E&P) companies, may provide an opportunity to move natural gas prices higher. Analysts in recent days have said higher gas prices could come as soon as next winter—some predict prices could more than double from recent lows of […]The post The POWER Interview: Keeping the Flame for Natural Gas appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Virginia Commits to End Coal-Fired Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine. Virginia on April 12 became the latest state to commit to a phase-out of fossil fuel-powered electricity generation, as Gov. Ralph Northam signed the Virginia Economy Act into law. The legislation sets new requirements for energy efficiency among the state’s leading utility companies, and also requires most of the state’s six remaining coal-fired power plants […]The post Virginia Commits to End Coal-Fired Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Siemens CEO: No Job Cuts Due to Coronavirus appeared first on POWER Magazine. Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser told a German newspaper the company will not reduce its workforce despite the economic downturn due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Kaeser, in an interview published April 11, said the company would likely continue having some employees work fewer hours at some of its facilities in Germany, and could extend that […]The post Siemens CEO: No Job Cuts Due to Coronavirus appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post At Least Two Dead in Coal Ash Breach in India appeared first on POWER Magazine. A dike at a coal ash pond at a power plant in India gave way on April 10, killing at least two people while four others are missing, according to a local official. The spill covered several acres of cropland in the area. K.V.S. Choudary, the district collector and the top public official in the […]The post At Least Two Dead in Coal Ash Breach in India appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Xcel Selling Gas Plant; Proceeds Will Support Pandemic Relief appeared first on POWER Magazine. Xcel Energy on April 6 announced the sale of the 760-MW Mankato Energy Center (MEC) gas-fired power plant in Minnesota, less than three months after purchasing the plant for $650 million from Southern Co. Xcel had said the MEC was an important piece of the utility’s goal to be carbon-free by 2050. Xcel reached a […]The post Xcel Selling Gas Plant; Proceeds Will Support Pandemic Relief appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Rosatom Groups Help Medical Workers Battle Coronavirus appeared first on POWER Magazine. Scientists at SSC RF TRINITI JSC, a subsidiary of Rosatom’s science division, this week announced they have developed a method of disinfecting and sterilizing medical instruments, clothing, equipment, and facilities using mobile devices for the production of concentrated ozone. The action is one of several initiatives undertaken by Rosatom, the Moscow-based Russian state nuclear corporation, […]The post Rosatom Groups Help Medical Workers Battle Coronavirus appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Technology for Managing Distributed Energy Resources [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine. With the growth of distributed energy resources, including rooftop solar, wind turbines, battery energy storage systems, electric vehicles, and demand response technology, distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) are becoming increasingly important for utilities. Brad Williams, vice president of Industry Strategy with Oracle Utilities was a guest on The POWER Podcast. He touched on a […]The post Technology for Managing Distributed Energy Resources [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Chart Shows Rise in Wind, Solar; Overall Drop in Energy Use appeared first on POWER Magazine. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) latest annual energy flow chart suggests that in 2019, for the second year in a row, wind and solar made up the largest increases in U.S. energy supply, but American consumption of energy fell after a record year in 2018. The national lab’s annual U.S. energy flow chart, or Sankey […]The post Chart Shows Rise in Wind, Solar; Overall Drop in Energy Use appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Managing Modernization: Risks and Rewards of Digital Transformation in the Energy Sector appeared first on POWER Magazine. In the face of widespread disruption driven by economic, regulatory and consumer forces, the energy sector is increasingly adopting digital technologies to transform the industry and bring it into the future. However, this move to modernization can unintentionally expose organizations to a range of new security threats that must be addressed. Digital Transformation—A Move to […]The post Managing Modernization: Risks and Rewards of Digital Transformation in the Energy Sector appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post PJM Ramps Up Preparations as COVID-19 Hotspots Emerge in Its Footprint appeared first on POWER Magazine. PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest regional transmission organization (RTO), is intensifying its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, preparing campuses for worker sequestration and closely coordinating with generators and transmission owners across its system as they grapple with workforce and supply impacts. Although most of PJM’s employees—with the exception of system operators and other essential personnel—are […]The post PJM Ramps Up Preparations as COVID-19 Hotspots Emerge in Its Footprint appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Palo Verde’s Refueling: Ensure Safety, Reliability appeared first on POWER Magazine. It’s a rite of spring for the U.S. nuclear power industry. Plant operators schedule refueling outages, taking a reactor offline not only to refuel but also to perform repairs or other maintenance, and facility upgrades. It’s a task made more problematic this year, as social distancing and travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic […]The post Palo Verde’s Refueling: Ensure Safety, Reliability appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post 2020: A Moment of Truth for Utilities appeared first on POWER Magazine. The start of a new decade marks a critical moment for utilities. As the pace of change accelerates, industry leaders are facing choices that will determine which companies prosper in the new competitive landscape and which languish as slow-growth commodity businesses. West Monroe’s 2020 Energy and Utilities Outlook provides a guide to planning for a […]The post 2020: A Moment of Truth for Utilities appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post EIA Notes Power Demand Destruction From Coronavirus appeared first on POWER Magazine. The coronavirus pandemic is altering the power landscape, with utilities and other power generators forced to adjust for load disruptions. Power consumption is changing as commercial and industrial electricity users close their businesses, and load is shifting to the residential sector with workers now settled in home offices, and students practicing remote and distance learning. […]The post EIA Notes Power Demand Destruction From Coronavirus appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post World’s First HL-Class Gas Turbine Starts Successfully appeared first on POWER Magazine.Siemens Energy completed “first fire” at Duke Energy’s Lincoln Combustion Turbine Station near Denver, North Carolina, on April 6. The accomplishment is a major milestone for the world’s first SGT6-9000HL gas turbine, confirming the engine and auxiliary systems, including the gas supply, lube oil system, control system, and startup systems, all work as designed. During […]The post World’s First HL-Class Gas Turbine Starts Successfully appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Power Industry Pleads for Priority COVID-19 Testing, PPE for Mission-Essential Workers appeared first on POWER Magazine.The U.S. power sector is rallying together to implore state and local governments to treat sector-wide “mission-essential employees” with higher priority and ensure they have top-level access to testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the intensifying COVID-19 pandemic. In a four-page April 2 white paper presumably addressing federal leadership, the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council […]The post Power Industry Pleads for Priority COVID-19 Testing, PPE for Mission-Essential Workers appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Nuclear Option for COVID-19: Medical Isotope Production appeared first on POWER Magazine.Operators of the world’s nuclear reactors are doing more than keeping the lights during the coronavirus pandemic. Along with taking steps to protect their workforce, and having plans in place to keep their facilities running at a time of critical need for power, they also are using nuclear technologies to detect and fight COVID-19. From […]The post Nuclear Option for COVID-19: Medical Isotope Production appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Power Sector Resources for Coronavirus Pandemic Response appeared first on POWER Magazine.As part of POWER magazine’s in-depth coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, its editors are curating a list of resources that may provide actionable information helpful to anyone involved in the world’s vast bulk power systems. Please write to editor@powermag.com if you know of additional resources that should be added to this page. POWER Magazine’s Live […]The post Power Sector Resources for Coronavirus Pandemic Response appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Permitting Issue Delays $1 Billion Nevada Solar Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.The U.S. Bureau of Land Management said it continues to work on issuing a permit for a $1 billion solar power project in Nevada, after already missing two deadlines to move the project forward. The proposed 690-MW Gemini solar farm in Nevada is one of the country’s largest proposed solar projects. It would be operated […]The post Permitting Issue Delays $1 Billion Nevada Solar Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post MHPS Grid-Connects T-Point 2 Advanced Gas Turbine Validation Facility appeared first on POWER Magazine.Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS) has begun commissioning T-Point 2, its newest combined cycle power plant validation facility that will eventually host the company’s much-watched autonomous combined cycle power project. The 566-MW facility at Takasago Works in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, will replace the iconic T-Point facility, which MHPS’s parent company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) completed […]The post MHPS Grid-Connects T-Point 2 Advanced Gas Turbine Validation Facility appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Live Updates: Power-Related Regulatory Responses to COVID-19 appeared first on POWER Magazine.Federal regulators with oversight over U.S. power matters have issued a series of actions over recent weeks to respond to the potentially devastating impact that COVID-19, the new coronavirus, could have on North American power workforce operations and reliability. POWER will update this post regularly with COVID-19 response news and documents from federal and state […]The post Live Updates: Power-Related Regulatory Responses to COVID-19 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Nuclear Agency Provides Equipment to Detect, Battle Virus appeared first on POWER Magazine.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on April 2 said it is dispatching a first batch of equipment to more than 40 countries, designed to enable a nuclear-derived technique to rapidly detect the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The program is part of IAEA’s response to requests for support from its members. “IAEA staff are working […]The post Nuclear Agency Provides Equipment to Detect, Battle Virus appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Energy Groups Supply Gear, Donate Millions to Fight COVID-19 appeared first on POWER Magazine.Energy companies and equipment suppliers to the power generation industry have been at the forefront of efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilities have suspended shutoffs of services to customers impacted by the economic crisis, and have instituted protocols to maintain proper staffing levels to ensure the reliable delivery of electricity during a time when […]The post Energy Groups Supply Gear, Donate Millions to Fight COVID-19 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post France Moves to Support Renewables During Pandemic appeared first on POWER Magazine.U.S. renewable energy advocates have warned of industry slowdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic, and decried the lack of support for solar, wind, and other technologies in the recent aid package passed by Congress. It’s a different story in some foreign countries where the federal government has thrown its support behind renewable energy. France’s ecology […]The post France Moves to Support Renewables During Pandemic appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Project to Outfit Natural Gas Power Plant with Carbon Capture Gets Investor Boost appeared first on POWER Magazine.A project to outfit an existing natural gas power plant with a “large-scale” carbon capture facility got its legs on April 2 with the finalization of key investment agreements. Private equity investment firm Starwood Energy Group Global and global investment fund OGCI Climate Investments announced Thursday they had finalized agreements to co-invest in the initial […]The post Project to Outfit Natural Gas Power Plant with Carbon Capture Gets Investor Boost appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post NERC: Power Industry ‘Well-Prepared’ for COVID-19, Aggressively Confronting Pandemic Threats appeared first on POWER Magazine.Industry responses to a Level 2 alert on contingency planning issued by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) early last month suggest the “vast majority” of registered participants in the North American bulk power system are well prepared for the COVID-19 crisis. NERC, the interconnected bulk power system’s Electric Reliability Organization (ERO), has underscored […]The post NERC: Power Industry ‘Well-Prepared’ for COVID-19, Aggressively Confronting Pandemic Threats appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post EPA Under Fire for COVID-19 Temporary Enforcement Directive appeared first on POWER Magazine.The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) unprecedented temporary policy to relax enforcement of noncompliance with certain environmental rules in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has provoked an impassioned response from industry experts, environmental groups, and from the agency itself. As POWER reported, the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) on March 26 adopted a […]The post EPA Under Fire for COVID-19 Temporary Enforcement Directive appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post COVID-19 May Delay Vogtle Nuclear Expansion appeared first on POWER Magazine.Southern Co. in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 1 said the COVID-19 pandemic “could disrupt or delay construction, testing, supervisory and support activities” at the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project in Georgia. The company in the filing said, “It is too early to determine what impact, if any, the […]The post COVID-19 May Delay Vogtle Nuclear Expansion appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Natural Gas a Powerful Force, Despite Industry Headwinds appeared first on POWER Magazine.Gas prices remain low worldwide, and the challenge for producers is to find a market for their supply. Gas remains the No. 1 source of U.S. power generation, and will continue in that spot for several moreThe post Natural Gas a Powerful Force, Despite Industry Headwinds appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Employer Branding and Onboarding: Keys to Recruiting and Retaining Top Millennial Talent in Power Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.It’s well-known that many of the workers and leaders in the energy sector are approaching retirement age, with 25% eligible in the next 5 years and 50% eligible in the next 10 years. With fewer and fewer people filling the talent bench and an industry that’s fighting a negative public perception, the situation is only […]The post Employer Branding and Onboarding: Keys to Recruiting and Retaining Top Millennial Talent in Power Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post THE BIG PICTURE (Infographic): U.S. Nuclear Lifetimes appeared first on POWER Magazine.The U.S. has 96 licensed-to-operate nuclear power reactors and two reactors under construction. But the average age of the nation’s 96 licensed nuclear units is about 39 years old. That has been of some concern to the nuclear industry, which has provided roughly a fifth of the nation’s power since the 1990s. About 88 of […]The post THE BIG PICTURE (Infographic): U.S. Nuclear Lifetimes appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Subsea Kite Technology Makes a Big Splash for Marine Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.At first view, marine energy developer Minesto’s novel underwater “kite” technology may be easily dismissed as a fanciful concept, one of dozens introduced over the last decade to reap the immense oceanThe post Subsea Kite Technology Makes a Big Splash for Marine Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Electrification: Too Much of a Good Thing? appeared first on POWER Magazine.Electrification has been a much-touted driver for the global energy transition toward decarbonization. But though an all-electric future could have vast implications for the power and gas sectors, achieving itThe post Electrification: Too Much of a Good Thing? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post New Wind Farm Brings More Power to Senegal appeared first on POWER Magazine.Senegal is among the African nations trying to increase access to electricity for its population. U.S. officials estimate about 35% of the country’s 16 million people do not have access to power. TheThe post New Wind Farm Brings More Power to Senegal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Water-Lubricated Bearings Offer Benefits for Hydropower Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.Significant operating and economic benefits can be realized by replacing a poorly functioning or damaged oil-lubricated turbine guide bearing with a water-lubricated design (Figure 4), as part of aThe post Water-Lubricated Bearings Offer Benefits for Hydropower Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post POWER Digest [April 2020] appeared first on POWER Magazine.Group Readies Hydrogen Production Plant in Japan. A consortium including Toshiba, Tohoku Electric Power, and Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in March said it hasThe post POWER Digest [April 2020] appeared first on POWER Magazine.