POWER Magazine

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposed rule to replace the Clean Power Plan—a rule regulating greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from existing coal-fired power plants. The new “Affordable Clean Energy” rule sets GHG guidelines for states to set standards for performance for existing coal-fired power plants. The proposal is the newest development in a […]The post A Brief History of the Clean Power Plan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The possible new operator of the largest coal-fired power plant in the western U.S. told Arizona regulators this week the company would run the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) at less than half its installed generation capacity in order to maintain profitability. An official for Illinois-based Middle River Power (MRP) also said the plant would operate […]The post Potential Navajo Station Operator—Less Capacity Equals More Profit appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The world’s first AP1000 nuclear reactor—Sanmen 1 in China’s Zhejiang province—commenced 100% power operation for the first time on August 11, China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) said. Sanmen 1 was connected to the grid on June 30. Earlier this year, China also put online Unit 5 of the Yangjiang Nuclear Plant on May 23, and Taishan 1, an EPR, on […]The post World’s First AP1000 Nuclear Reactor Reaches Full Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Nuclear power generation increased worldwide in 2017 for the fifth successive year according to a report released by the World Nuclear Association (WNA). Production from nuclear plants reached 2,506 TWh in 2017, more than 10% of global electricity demand. The average capacity factor for the world’s nuclear power plants increased year-over-year to 81.1%, continuing the […]The post Nuclear Power Production Up for Fifth Year in a Row appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A New York Supreme Court judge on August 15 said Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) can resume startup tests at its new natural gas-fired power plant in Wawayanda. The decision Wednesday from Judge Roger D. McDonough came one day after CPV sued New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). CPV is seeking an injunction allowing it […]The post Judge Rules New York Gas Plant Can Resume Startup Tests appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A report from POLITICO says the Trump administration’s rollback of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP) would give individual states more leeway to set their own rules governing emissions from power plants. POLITICO, which covers politics and policy both in the U.S. and internationally, said its review of a draft document, and information from a […]The post States Would Set Rules Under Trump Emissions Plan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An Indiana consumer protection agency has told state regulators they should reject Vectren Corp.’s plan to build a new natural gas-fired power plant in the state. Vectren wants the plant to replace four of the utility’s retiring coal-fired units. Indiana’s Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) on August 13 said it completed a five-month legal […]The post Group: Indiana Should Reject Vectren Plan for New Gas-Fired Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An official with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) told a nuclear industry group this week that the agency and Trump administration officials are trying to identify power plants they consider critical to the nation’s grid. The move is seen as part of the White House effort to prop up the struggling U.S. coal and […]The post Official: FERC, Other Agencies Identifying ‘Critical’ Coal, Nuclear Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Several milestones have been reached at nuclear power plant construction sites around the world including on the Leningrad II-2, Novovoronezh II-2, Barakah, and Plant Vogtle projects. Russian Progress At the Leningrad site, Rosatom—the Russian state atomic energy corporation—reported on August 7 that the main turbine equipment installation for Phase II Unit 2 was completed. The […]The post Nuclear Construction Update: New Progress Made in Russia, UAE, and U.S. appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens reported a 2% rise in industrial profit for its fiscal third quarter on August 2, topping analyst forecasts, though the German engineering giant also reported that revenue for the quarter dropped 4%. The earnings report comes as the company prepares to implement a new strategy that cuts its number of business divisions. The company […]The post Siemens Combining Business Units as Part of New Strategy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

General Electric (GE), long considered the most-prominent business in Schenectady, New York, on April 7 announced another 225 job cuts at its main campus in the city. The announcement comes as GE continues to restructure its operations amid a downturn in global demand for the company’s turbines. GE cut about 110 jobs at the Schenectady […]The post GE Cutting 225 Jobs at New York Campus appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A natural gas-fired power plant in New York state that planned to ramp up to full operations this month has been denied an air quality permit from state officials. Competitive Power Ventures’ (CPV’s) Valley Energy Center in Wawayanda, located in Orange County north of New York City, is in the final testing and commissioning phase, […]The post New York Denies Air Permit for New Gas-Fired Power Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The future of Georgia Power’s 865-MW coal-fired Plant Hammond in Floyd County, Georgia—which recently slashed more than half its workforce—is murky, company officials said August 3. The four-unit facility that began operations in 1954 employed 190 workers in September 2016. Today, according to company officials, the plant only has 41 full-time employees. Georgia Power Regional […]The post An 865-MW Georgia Power Coal Plant Is Showing Distress appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not intend to revisit national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone that the Obama administration issued in 2015, a court filing shows. The agency said in its final status report submitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on August 1 that it has reviewed […]The post EPA Will Not Revisit Obama-Era NAAQS for Ozone appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Cybersecurity experts have identified a new activity group that they say is targeting access operations at electric utilities in the U.S., Europe, Middle East, and East Asia. Cybersecurity firm Dragos Inc. told POWER on August 1 that though it has confirmed that the group—which it dubbed “RASPITE”—is actively targeting electric utilities, “there is no current indication […]The post New Cyber Threat Actor Targeting Power Sector Identified appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It is safe to say that every power plant in the world uses scaffolding in some way, shape, or form. It is a critical component for many maintenance activities where permanently installed access is not possible or practical. Therefore, the dangers associated with scaffolding should not be overlooked by the industry. Often, plant maintenance personnel […]The post Test Your Knowledge: Scaffold Safety appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Test Your Knowledge The quizzes provided here offer an easy way to test your knowledge of various power-related subjects. If you want to learn more about the quiz topics, follow links to articles from the POWER archive, which are provided on each individual quiz webpage. Scaffold Safety Quiz https://www.powermag.com/test-your-knowledge-scaffold-safety/ Monitoring and Treatment of Closed-Loop Cooling Water Systems Quiz https://www.powermag.com/test-your-knowledge-monitoring-and-treatment-of-closed-loop-cooling-water-systems/ […]The post Test Your Knowledge Archive appeared first on POWER Magazine.

According to the International Energy Agency, global natural gas trade has grown by more than 40% over the past 15 years. Over the next five years, current trade flows are expected to significantly diversify, boosted by development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure. LNG trade, which grew by 11% in 2017 to 391 billion cubic […]The post THE BIG PICTURE: A Gas Trade Transformation (Infographic) appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Wind farms are not all created equal. During the previous 12 months ending February 2018, the average capacity factor for U.S. wind turbines—virtually all of which were located on land—was 36.9%. DanishThe post Floating Offshore Wind Farms Exploit a Great Energy Resource appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Cheap and abundant electric power from nuclear fusion—power “too cheap to meter”—has been a dream for more than a half-century. But as time passes, practical fusion appears to be moving further intoThe post Fusion Power: Watching, Waiting, as Research Continues appeared first on POWER Magazine.

High-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology offers several advantages compared to alternating current transmission systems. For example, it allows more efficient bulk power transfer over long distancesThe post Benefits of High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission Systems appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Mobile technologies have numerous applications in commercial power plants and for the power generation industry. Mobile devices help provide communications and data transfer within facilities, along withThe post Equipment Showcase: Mobile Technologies appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Emissions standards have changed a lot since the Shawnee Fossil Plant entered service during President Eisenhower’s second term in office, but the Tennessee Valley Authority has done its part to help theThe post Clean Air Program Makes Shawnee Power Plant a Winner appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As the electric power industry moves forward with new technology, the workforce that is needed to design, build, and manage the next generation of systems will undergo an equal if not greater transformationThe post Raising the Next Generation of Energy Leaders appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A patented Fluidized Bed Steam Reforming (FBSR) technology uses superheated steam—instead of an open flame—and mineralizing additives to treat and immobilize radionuclides in a water-insoluble matrixThe post Fluidized Bed Steam Reforming Technology Reduces Volume of Radioactive Waste appeared first on POWER Magazine.

American Electric Power (AEP) has abandoned its mammoth $4.5 billion Wind Catcher project, one of its largest planned investments, and a key part of its strategy to tamp down carbon emissions by 2030. Under AEP subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO)’s proposed Wind Catcher project, AEP would have acquired a 2-GW wind farm—under construction in […]The post Losing Regulatory Approval Gamble, AEP Scraps $4.5B Wind Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

American Electric Power (AEP) has abandoned its mammoth $4.5 billion Wind Catcher project, one of its largest planned investments, and a key part of its strategy to tamp down carbon emissions by 2030. Under AEP subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO)’s proposed Wind Catcher project, AEP would have acquired a 2-GW wind farm—under construction in […]The post Losing Regulatory Approval Gamble, AEP Scraps $4.5B Wind Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It’s been 30 years since the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) called a halt to construction of the Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama. Details of a deal to finish the plant and its two Babcock & Wilcox pressurized water reactors were announced at a news conference near the idled project July 30. Business executives and […]The post Plan in Works to Finish Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Alabama appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It’s been 30 years since the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) called a halt to construction of the Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama. Details of a deal to finish the plant and its two Babcock & Wilcox pressurized water reactors were announced at a news conference near the idled project July 30. Business executives and […]The post Plan in Works to Finish Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Alabama appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Two planned solar projects in Nevada would be the first in that state to include battery storage, part of an increasing trend toward such projects to help mitigate issues with integrating renewable energy into the larger transmission grid. Both projects are scheduled to begin construction next year pending regulatory approval, with the Bureau of Land […]The post Large Solar-Plus-Storage Projects Planned Near Las Vegas appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Two planned solar projects in Nevada would be the first in that state to include battery storage, part of an increasing trend toward such projects to help mitigate issues with integrating renewable energy into the larger transmission grid. Both projects are scheduled to begin construction next year pending regulatory approval, with the Bureau of Land […]The post Large Solar-Plus-Storage Projects Planned Near Las Vegas appeared first on POWER Magazine.

NextEra Energy Resources, the wholesale power generating subsidiary of Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc., announced it has struck a deal to shorten its power purchase agreement (PPA) with Alliant Energy and will retire the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC)—a 615-MW nuclear power plant located in Palo, Iowa—before the end of 2020. DAEC’s reactor is licensed with […]The post Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant Will Close in 2020 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

NextEra Energy Resources, the wholesale power generating subsidiary of Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc., announced it has struck a deal to shorten its power purchase agreement (PPA) with Alliant Energy and will retire the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC)—a 615-MW nuclear power plant located in Palo, Iowa—before the end of 2020. DAEC’s reactor is licensed with […]The post Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant Will Close in 2020 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

California and Texas—two regions where summer reliability concerns were forecast earlier this year—are suffering extreme temperatures and are scrambling to relieve stress on the grid. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO)—the grid operator that serves about 80% of California—on July 24 and 25 issued statewide Flex Alerts, calling for voluntary electricity conservation during peak afternoon […]The post High Summer Temperatures Send CAISO and ERCOT Scrambling to Maintain Grid Reliability appeared first on POWER Magazine.

California and Texas—two regions where summer reliability concerns were forecast earlier this year—are suffering extreme temperatures and are scrambling to relieve stress on the grid. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO)—the grid operator that serves about 80% of California—on July 24 and 25 issued statewide Flex Alerts, calling for voluntary electricity conservation during peak afternoon […]The post High Summer Temperatures Send CAISO and ERCOT Scrambling to Maintain Grid Reliability appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Poised to drive the future of coal power, many Southeast Asian countries are considering new coal plants with high-efficiency, low-emissions (HELE) technologies, a new report suggests. According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) December-released World Energy Outlook 2017, Southeast Asia, along with India and other developing economies in Asia, will drive global coal demand. The […]The post How Southeast Asian Countries Could Drive the Future of Coal Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Poised to drive the future of coal power, many Southeast Asian countries are considering new coal plants with high-efficiency, low-emissions (HELE) technologies, a new report suggests. According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) December-released World Energy Outlook 2017, Southeast Asia, along with India and other developing economies in Asia, will drive global coal demand. The […]The post How Southeast Asian Countries Could Drive the Future of Coal Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine.

French utility Électricité de France (EDF)on July 25 said it has pushed fuel loading at its 1.6-GW Flamanville 3 nuclear project to the fourth quarter of 2019 and increased cost estimates for the project by another €400 million (USD $467.1 million). EDF said its current cost for the project has ballooned to €10.9 billion (USD […]The post EDF Announces More Delays, Cost Overruns for Flamanville 3 Reactor appeared first on POWER Magazine.

French utility Électricité de France (EDF)on July 25 said it has pushed fuel loading at its 1.6-GW Flamanville 3 nuclear project to the fourth quarter of 2019 and increased cost estimates for the project by another €400 million (USD $467.1 million). EDF said its current cost for the project has ballooned to €10.9 billion (USD […]The post EDF Announces More Delays, Cost Overruns for Flamanville 3 Reactor appeared first on POWER Magazine.

More than two dozen people have died in southeastern Laos after part of a newly built hydroelectric dam broke on July 23, flooding nearby villages. Government officials on July 25 said it had confirmed 26 deaths, with fears the death toll will rise with more than 130 people officially listed as missing and heavy rain […]The post Death Toll Likely to Rise After Dam Failure at Laos Hydro Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

More than two dozen people have died in southeastern Laos after part of a newly built hydroelectric dam broke on July 23, flooding nearby villages. Government officials on July 25 said it had confirmed 26 deaths, with fears the death toll will rise with more than 130 people officially listed as missing and heavy rain […]The post Death Toll Likely to Rise After Dam Failure at Laos Hydro Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials in a July 24 webinar said that Russian hackers infiltrated a power plant industrial control system (ICS) in an incident that could have caused a blackout last year. However, as an industrial cybersecurity expert pointed out—and a DHS spokesperson confirmed—the impact of the incident may be overstated. The expert and DHS responded to a […]The post DHS Warns that Russians Hacked Control Rooms appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An internal report from NTPC said an “error in judgment” by plant operators led to an explosion at India’s Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Station last year that resulted in the deaths of 45 workers. Reuters news service on July 23 said it had reviewed a summary of the report on the accident that occurred […]The post Report: Human Error to Blame in Fatal India Plant Accident appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has ordered the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) to broaden, within six months, its Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) reliability standards to include mandatory reporting of cybersecurity incidents that could harm the bulk electric system (BES). FERC’s Order No. 848issued on July 19 directs NERC to develop and submit […]The post FERC Mandates Reporting of Attempted Cybersecurity Breaches appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Trump administration has finalized a significantly weakened rule governing the disposal of coal ash in landfills and surface impoundments by coal generators nationwide. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed on July 18 that it signed the first rule of its two-part rulemaking set that overhauls the Obama administration’s final 2015 rules for the disposal […]The post EPA Finalizes First Set of Coal Ash Rule Revisions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Framatome reached a major milestone in its review of Le Creusot Forge’s manufacturing records, finishing the task of identifying and characterizing deviations in all of the records for forgings installed on nuclear reactors in France. A total of 1,925 records were analyzed. At this stage of the process, no serviceability issues have been identified in […]The post Records Analysis Complete at Le Creusot Forge, Nuclear Parts Production Ramped Up appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Electric cooperatives in the U.S. have vastly accelerated solar power installments. Today, they own or purchase more than nine times as much solar photovoltaic (PV) power as they did in 2013, a new report says. The report, “A Solar Revolution in Rural America,” was prepared by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), a […]The post How Co-ops Transformed the Solar Landscape in Just Five Years appeared first on POWER Magazine.

For a decade or more, heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) users have heard that Grade-91 tubing (T-91) is susceptible to microstructure damage from improper heat treatment. Now, a new damage mechanism in T-91 tubing has been identified, which HRSG users heard about at the February 2018 HRSG User’s Group Conference. During the discussion on heat […]The post New Damage Mechanism Identified in HRSG T-91 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

China’s first reactor adopting its domestically developed evolutionary third-generation ACPR-1000 design has wrapped up trial operation and begun commercial operation. CGN Power, a subsidiary of China General Nuclear Power Corp., announced that the 1000-MW Unit 5 of the Yangjiang Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong province completed a 168-hour period of trial operation on July 12. […]The post First ACPR-1000 Nuclear Unit Begins Commercial Operation in China appeared first on POWER Magazine.