POWER Magazine

Chile, a country that relied on coal for about two-fifths of its power generation in 2016, in June announced it would mothball eight coal plants, totaling 23 GW, of its existing 28-plant coal fleet over theThe post Chile Presents a Coal Exit Plan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Coal power, which has seen a marked decline in the U.S., is necessary for reliability and energy affordability, and sustaining it could boost pollution technology exports and “improve lives while driving down emissions worldwide,” said Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler in a speech last week. Wheeler made the remarks at a 90-minute event […]The post Wheeler: Keeping U.S. Coal Sector Alive Will Benefit ‘International Environmental Protection’ appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO), owner of the Olkiluoto 3 EPR (European Pressurized Water Reactor) nuclear unit that is under construction in Finland, has said fuel will not be loaded in the reactor before the end of August, while it awaits completion of a schedule review being conducted by the construction consortium. Meanwhile, EDF, which is […]The post Long-Delayed EPR Nuclear Plants Face Further Holdups appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A bill introduced by Senate Democrats on June 26 establishes a national electricity standard that would require large retail suppliers to source at least 1.5% of their power from renewables by 2020 and gradually grow that share through 2035. The measure comes a day after the Energy Information Administration (EIA) revealed monthly generation from renewable […]The post As Renewables Surge Ahead of Coal, Lawmakers Introduce National Renewable Standard appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Power plants are capturing operational data in ever-increasing amounts. However, analyzing all the data can be challenging. A number of tools are available that can help. In this episode of The POWER Podcast, two experts from one technology provider explain how big data can be analyzed to identify trends and create actionable information to solve […]The post How to Monitor and Predict Operational Performance with Digital Analytics [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 24 proposed to partially approve Georgia’s permit program for the disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCR). As it did so, it gave other states some advice: Follow Georgia’s lead and assume oversight of coal ash that power plants dispose within your borders. The preliminary approval marks another important […]The post EPA Urges States to Submit CCR Programs Even as Coal Ash Regulatory Overhaul Continues appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Danish renewables firm Ørsted’s 1.1-GW Ocean Wind project is the winner of New Jersey’s first award for offshore wind, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) said on June 21. Ørsted, with support from Public Service Enterprise Group’s (PSEG’s) non-utility affiliate, vied for the award with two other offshore wind developers that submitted bids […]The post New Jersey’s First Offshore Wind Farm Will Be a Mammoth 1.1-GW Ørsted Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A proposed 900-MW gas-fired power plant was rejected by Rhode Island regulators on June 20, leaving project developer Invenergy pondering its options for the planned facility in Burrillville. Rhode Island’s Energy Facility Siting Board, after a daylong hearing in Warwick, said the plant is not needed. Chicago, Illinois–based Invenergy can appeal the decision to the […]The post Rhode Island Rejects Burrillville Gas-Fired Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Federal courts have been pretty kind to energy infrastructure in recent weeks, particularly in cases involving the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). For starters, this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit removed one of the hurdles to construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The court decided that a new presidential permit—issued […]The post Energy Infrastructure on Tenuous Winning Streak in the Courts appeared first on POWER Magazine.

More than 2 million new solar PV installations were installed in the U.S. in the first three months of 2019—a new record for the first quarter of the year—according to the Wood Mackenzie/Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) U.S. Solar Market Insight report, which was released this week. Utilities led the way, installing 1.6 GWdc of […]The post New Record for Solar PV Installations appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Authorities have initiated a far-reaching investigation into an unprecedented blackout that on June 16 hit a wide swath of South America—most of Argentina and Uruguay, and parts of Paraguay—affecting tens of millions of people. The massive blackout—apagón—is thought to have originated in a disturbance that affected two high-voltage lines, Colonia Elia Y Mercedes and Colonia […]The post Apagón: A Blackout Sweeps South America appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Power plant SO2 and NOx emissions have decreased 92% and 84%, respectively, since Congress passed major amendments to the Clean Air Act in 1990. Meanwhile, mercury air emissions from power plants have decreased 90% since 2000, as federal limits on mercury and other hazardous air pollutants from coal-fired power plants went into effect in 2015. […]The post Power Plant Emissions Down Substantially in U.S. Since 1990 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A new report from BloombergNEF (BNEF) predicts about half of the world’s power will come from renewable resources, including solar and wind, by 2050. The group’s New Energy Outlook 2019, released June 18, noted the trend will be driven by falling prices for solar, wind, and battery storage, along with trillions of dollars of investments […]The post BNEF Report: As Prices Fall, Renewables Rise Worldwide appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule to formally replace the Obama administration’s controversial Clean Power Plan (CPP). Like the CPP, the June 19–issued final ACE rule will regulate greenhouse gases (GHGs), and it will be founded firmly on the agency’s 2009 Endangerment Finding. However, the ACE rule focuses […]The post EPA Finalizes ACE Rule, Replaces Clean Power Plan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens on June 18 said it would cut 2,700 jobs from its Gas and Power division, on top of 10,400 positions the German engineering firm last month said it would jettison as part of cost-cutting measures. The Siemens’ announcement comes one day after U.S.-based rival GE said it would cut 450 jobs at two of […]The post Siemens Will Cut Another 2,700 Jobs; GE Announces Cuts in Switzerland appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The rapid evolution of the world’s power generation landscape is creating challenges for utilities and others in the energy space, as power plant owners and operators adapt to new technologies and changing business models. Jan Vrins, managing director and segment leader for Navigant’s global Energy practice, is immersed in this change. Vrins, who joined Navigant […]The post The POWER Interview: Navigant Navigates Changing Energy Landscape appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Patrick Lee, who founded and leads PXiSE Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of San Diego, California-based Sempra Energy, is a proponent of energy sharing. His company builds enhanced grid management systems, using data, insights, and algorithms “to maximize efficiency and reliability of all DERs [distributed energy resources] as one system.” In other words, a PXiSE-supported microgrid […]The post The POWER Interview: Technology Helps Integrate Renewables to the Grid appeared first on POWER Magazine.

XENOTIME, a cyberthreat activity group thought responsible for TRISIS/TRITON malware attacks on safety instrumented systems (SIS) at an oil and gas Middle Eastern facility in 2017, has been probing power company networks in the U.S. and elsewhere, new intelligence from industrial control systems (ICS) security firm Dragos shows. “In February 2019, Dragos identified a change in […]The post TRITON/TRISIS Cyberattacker Has a New Target: Power Sector appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The natural gas industry is doing quite well and the future looks bright to many observers. “We’re at a really great moment for the natural gas industry in the U.S. Production is growing dramatically. Shale continues to provide tremendous improvements technologically, bringing the cost down and growing the production, extending access to U.S. gas. At […]The post Future May Not Be as Rosy as It Seems for Natural Gas [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Hurricane season is underway and summer heat already has arrived in many areas, which again puts the spotlight on utilities, the power grid, and disaster response plans after a series of major weather events and wildfires caused outages and other disruptions in the U.S. and Caribbean in recent years. “We’re seeing these events occur, and […]The post Energy Insiders Say Tech, Collaboration Key to Utility Storm Prep appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Through a series of incentives and mandates, New Jersey is planning to produce 100% of its power from carbon-neutral sources, electrify its vehicle fleet and building sectors, and set mandatory efficiency standards for electric utilities by 2050, an energy blueprint released by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) suggests. The June 10-released “Draft 2019 Energy […]The post New Jersey’s 100% Clean Energy Goal Imperils Gas Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Talen Montana—part-owner and operator of the Colstrip Steam Electric Station—announced that Units 1 and 2 at the coal-fired power plant will be retired by year-end, well ahead of a previously announced July 2022 closure date. “The decision to retire Colstrip Units 1 and 2 comes after extensive review and exhaustive efforts over the last few […]The post In a Surprise Announcement, Colstrip Units 1 and 2 to Close by Year-End appeared first on POWER Magazine.

General Electric (GE) has rolled out a new portfolio of predictive analytics that could allow utilities to use data from transmission and distribution networks to achieve better operational efficiency as more distributed assets are introduced to the grid. The company on June 11 unveiled three new grid analytics—for storm readiness, network connectivity, and effective inertia—that […]The post GE Launches New Analytics Technologies to Boost Grid Efficiency appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry said coal and nuclear power must be part of the nation’s “all of the above” energy strategy, but the Department of Energy (DOE) does not have the “regulatory or statutory ability” to establish economic incentives for struggling U.S. coal and nuclear plants. Perry, who addressed the Edison Electric Institute’s (EEI’s) annual […]The post DOE’s Perry: Coal, Nuclear Must Be Saved appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Utilities need to adapt as businesses continue to focus on sustainability, looking for cleaner energy sources and viewing such measures as an opportunity to create value, according to a Deloitte study released June 11. What’s less-focused is residential consumers willingness to adopt sustainability improvements, with cost and convenience playing a large role in their choices, […]The post Deloitte Survey: Businesses Back Sustainability, Decarbonization appeared first on POWER Magazine.

India is striving to conserve coal and slash its carbon emissions. The country which depended on coal for 56% of its total capacity of 356 GW as of May 2019, wants to reduce coal’s share to 45% of a planned capacity expansion to 480 GW by the end of 2022. During that period, it will […]The post India’s Coal Future Hinges on Advanced Ultrasupercritical Breakthroughs appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In China, though specific achievements are hard to pinpoint owing in part to a dearth of public or internationally available information, coal technology developments appear to be advancing more rapidly than anywhere in the world. China’s efforts to foster technology advancements are in the country’s national interest, said Mi Shuhua, executive vice president of China […]The post How China Is Improving Coal Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. is investing heavily to ensure its future coal-fired power fleet will be cleaner, more efficient, and more flexible, experts said at the 9th International Conference on Clean Coal Technologies in Houston on June 4. The conference—which is taking place this week in the U.S. for the first time—is spearheaded by the IEA Clean […]The post How the U.S. Is Investing in Advanced Coal Technologies appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Increased power generation from renewable resources such as wind and solar also has created a growing market for energy storage. Generators want to harness that power and have it available when it’s needed, whether or not the wind is blowing or the sun is shining. Rob Allerman, senior director of Power Analytics for Drillinginfo, which […]The post The POWER Interview: State of the Wind, Solar, Storage, and Hydro Markets appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The first independent combined cycle power project in the emirate of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is taking shape after $1 billion in financing was recently secured from GE Energy Financial Services (EFS) and its partners. The plant, featuring three combined cycle blocks, is expected to have 1.8 GW of generation capacity. The […]The post Financing Secured for GE’s UAE Combined Cycle Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The head of GE’s operations in France told a Paris newspaper that a French factory targeted for more than 1,000 job cuts will not close. GE last week said it wanted to make its operations in France more efficient and said changes would come at the Belfort plant in eastern France, which handles technology for […]The post POWER Notebook: GE Plant in France, Targeted for Job Cuts, Will Not Close appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An estimated 5 million U.S. workers wear respirators. Employers are required to provide National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified respirators using a written respiratory protection program enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Design and manufacturing focus on fit, comfort, and ease of use across product lines incorporating advanced technologies, such […]The post The Future Direction of Respiratory Protection appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens AG, the global technology conglomerate that today has headquarters in both Berlin and Munich, in May 2019 announced it will spin off its energy units to focus on its digital “core.” The news has stunned many in the power sector, where Siemens has clenched a formidable presence since 1866. But restructuring at Siemens is […]The post THE BIG PICTURE: Siemens’ Corporate History appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Household batteries could contribute to making the grid more cost effective, reliable, resilient, and safe—if retail battery providers, utilities, and regulators can resolve delicate commercial, operational, and policy issues. The growth of battery storage in the power sector has attracted a great deal of attention in the industry and media. Much of that attention focuses […]The post How Residential Energy Storage Could Help Support the Power Grid appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ansaldo Leads Research Initiative for Low-NOx High-Hydrogen Retrofit Solution. The Dutch government has awarded six partners—Ansaldo Thomassen, Delft University of Technology, OPRA Turbines, VattenfallThe post POWER Digest [June 2019] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The first solar power plant licensed to operate in Vietnam came online in late April, another signal of the country’s increasing reliance on renewable energy. But analysts forecast that coal-fired powerThe post Vietnam Supports Solar and More Coal Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It’s no secret that the power industry workforce is aging and managers are struggling to find qualified candidates interested in filling open positions. In my April column, I referenced aThe post How to Hire the Best Talent appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Swedish power company Vattenfall is testing a technology that stores energy in salt, with a goal of proving whether the process would be useful for storage of renewable energy such as from wind and solarThe post Storing Energy in Salt—Vattenfall Testing Technology at Berlin Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A blockchain pilot wrapped up by European transmission operator TenneT and storage solutions provider sonnen Group this May showed “tremendous potential” when used to network decentralized home storageThe post Blockchain Pilot Shows Promise for Grid Balancing appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Energy (DOE) in March 2018 released a 52-page report outlining its multi-year strategy to improve cybersecurity. In the report’s introduction, Assistant Secretary Bruce J. Walker noted thatThe post Strengthening the Energy Sector’s Cyber Preparedness appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Since the 1940s, when General Electric (GE), launched its gas turbine operations, the company has pioneered and commercialized a lengthy list of gas turbine technologies, large and small. As the decarbonization movement gains pace and more renewables flood the landscape, the company’s gas turbines have taken on new crucial roles to provide dispatchability and flexibility. […]The post The POWER Interview: GE Unleashing a Hydrogen Gas Power Future appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) and Magnum Development, the owner of a large and geographically rare underground salt dome in Utah, have teamed to develop a massive project that could store up 1,000 MW of renewable energy year-round and provide it to variability-challenged Western power markets. The companies this week signed a memorandum of understanding […]The post MHPS, Magnum Will Build 1-GW Renewable Energy Storage Facility in Utah appeared first on POWER Magazine.

“Without action to provide more support for nuclear power, global efforts to transition to a cleaner energy system will become drastically harder and more costly,” Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), wrote in his foreword to the IEA’s recently released report titled Nuclear Power in a Clean Energy System. The report […]The post Nuclear Power Needed for Clean Energy Future appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Illinois on May 27 became the third state in the nation to pass legislation requiring coal ash protections beyond federal requirements. The state’s House passed the Coal Ash Pollution Prevention Act (SB 9) in a 77-36 vote on Monday, only weeks after Senate passage of the bill in a 39-9 vote on May 9. The […]The post Illinois Passes Landmark Coal Ash Legislation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The power industry is changing and power companies must evolve to stay competitive. Many businesses are transitioning from vertically integrated, centralized utility structures to more-distributed models. JEA offers a good case in point. JEA is a not-for-profit, community-owned utility located in Jacksonville, Florida. It serves an estimated 466,000 electric, 348,000 water, 271,000 sewer, and 11,000 […]The post Power Company Business Models Are Evolving [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A wholesale power provider in Colorado wants to supply the state’s largest electric cooperative with power from mostly renewable sources, saying it will pay Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association to retire its coal-fired plants in Colorado and New Mexico. Tri-State, at least for now, said it will not consider the offer. Denver-based Guzman Energy on May […]The post Power Marketer to Tri-State: We’ll Buy and Close Your Coal Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Swedish utility Vattenfall will take up deployment of the massive 12-MW Haliade-X offshore wind turbine in Europe, marking a major milestone for GE Renewable Energy’s effort to boost sales of the largest turbine currently on the market. The two companies agreed to cooperate after a year of “intensive exchanges during which Vattenfall conducted an in-depth […]The post GE Gains Vattenfall’s Backing for Massive 12-MW Offshore Wind Turbine appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will act on a spate of power plant rules over the next year, its newly released agenda of regulatory and deregulatory actions shows. The May 23-released “Spring 2019 Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions” lists 35 new actions, along with 57 actions that it considers “deregulatory.” The list includes new […]The post [UPDATED] EPA Sets Schedules for Long List of Power Plant Regulatory Actions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Saudi Arabian Oil Co., better known as Saudi Aramco, on May 22 signed a 20-year agreement to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a Texas export terminal being developed by California-based Sempra Energy. The two companies confirmed the deal is a sale-and-purchase agreement for 5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG, which is equal […]The post Sempra, Saudi Aramco Have 20-Year Deal for LNG appeared first on POWER Magazine.