POWER Magazine

PJM Interconnection said it will hold its 2022–2023 capacity auction under current market rules on Aug. 14, 2019, though the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has yet to issue a decision on the grid operator’s plan to revamp its Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR). In an April 10 filing, however, PJM asked FERC to clarify that […]The post PJM Will Hold Capacity Auction Under Current Rules in August appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Financing has reportedly been secured for a 1,600-MW coal-fired power plant in India’s eastern state of Jharkhand. Qatar’s Gulf Times newspaper reported April 6 that Power Finance Corp., a state-run lender in India, and its subsidiary REC approved a $1.5 billion loan for the project. The report said the new plant would be funded through loans […]The post POWER Notebook: New 1,600-MW Coal Plant in India; Low-Price Solar Deal in Idaho appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The world’s first complete advanced nuclear fuel test assemblies containing accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) have been installed at Southern Co.’s Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant’s Unit 2 in Georgia. Nuclear giant Framatome delivered four GAIA lead fuel assemblies containing enhanced ATF (EATF), including both pellets and cladding, to the plant owned by Georgia Power in […]The post Vogtle 2 Installs World’s First Full Accident-Tolerant Fuel Assemblies appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Coal combustion was responsible for more than 0.3 degrees C of the 1-degree C surge in global average annual surface temperatures above pre-industrial levels—and that makes coal the single largest source of the global temperature increase, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says in a new report. The finding, outlined in the IEA’s Global Energy & […]The post For First Time, IEA Quantifies Coal’s Dominant Role in Global Temperature Increase appeared first on POWER Magazine.

PG&E Corp. announced on April 3 the appointment of William “Bill” Johnson as the company’s new president and CEO. It also announced the appointment of 10 new directors to its board of directors. The board appointments will be effective as of the next in-person board meeting, which will be held as soon as practicable, the […]The post Former TVA CEO Will Take the Reins at PG&E appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Energy (DOE) unveiled a slate of measures to help U.S. hydropower thrive as costs for wind and solar plummet. Measures will include a roadmap to identify hydro’s value in a future grid, and a first-of-its-kind prize designed to encourage innovative and faster pumped storage construction techniques. In her opening speech at Waterpower […]The post How the DOE Is Looking to Save Hydropower appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Florida Power and Light Co. (FPL) has been building new solar farms and bringing gigawatts of new natural gas-fired generation capacity online in recent years. Now the utility has announced what it calls the world’s largest solar-powered battery storage system. FPL on March 28 said the Manatee Energy Storage Center, a 409-MW/900-MWh battery storage facility, […]The post FPL Will Build World’s Largest Battery Storage System appeared first on POWER Magazine.

North Carolina officials have ordered Duke Energy to excavate all its coal ash storage ponds in the state, saying the utility’s current plan for its coal ash sites does not sufficiently protect groundwater. The directive issued April 1 comes after regulators in other states, including Virginia, issued similar rulings regarding coal ash disposal in those […]The post N.C. Officials Order Duke Energy to Excavate Coal Ash Ponds appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp. (UMERC) placed two new natural gas-fired generating stations into commercial operation on March 31, part of the company’s plan to reshape its generation fleet as it seeks to “balance reliability and customer cost with environmental stewardship.” UMERC, a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group, also retired the coal-fired 430-MW Presque Isle […]The post New Gas-Fired Plants Come Online in Michigan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A project to demonstrate a novel power cycle that promises to produce low-cost, reliable, and flexible power from natural gas—while generating no atmospheric emissions, and fully capturing carbon dioxide—is inching closer to commissioning. Its developers are now actively assessing siting for the first commercial-scale 300-MW NET Power facility. NET Power’s 50 MWth Demonstration Plant in La […]The post Inside NET Power: Gas Power Goes Supercritical appeared first on POWER Magazine.

While conventional power plant cycles produce power from turbines using water or steam as the working fluid, supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) cycles use CO2 that is in a supercritical state—at a temperature and pressure above its critical point where liquid and gas phases are not distinguishable. CO2 has a relatively low critical pressure of 7.4 megapascal […]The post What Are Supercritical CO2 Power Cycles? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post THE BIG PICTURE: Cost of Power Comparison appeared first on POWER Magazine.

India’s first grid-scale battery-based energy storage system was launched in February. The 10-MW system is owned by AES Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp., and operated by Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd. (TataThe post India Installs Its First Grid-Scale Battery Storage System appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A widespread misconception persists that nuclear plants can only function as inflexible baseload sources of power—and it’s hurting prospects for the nuclear sector’s role in the world’s future powerThe post Flexible Operation of Nuclear Power Plants Ramps Up appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The world’s first autonomous combined cycle power plant is currently under construction at the Takasago Machinery Works facility in Japan, and it will be operational by 2020, according to Mitsubishi HitachiThe post Autonomous Power Plant Takes Shape in Japan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Netherlands Orders Early Closure of Coal Plants. The Dutch government on March 8 told Swedish power producer Vattenfall to stop using coal at the 650-MW Hemweg-8 hard coal-fired unit in Amsterdam by theThe post POWER Digest (April 2019): News Briefs from Around the World appeared first on POWER Magazine.

What keeps you up at night? The question has become cliché as panel moderators now routinely ask it as a “thought-provoking” final query to close out executive roundtable sessions at industry conferencesThe post Replacing Retirees and Improving Reliability High on To-Do Lists appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ever since deregulation came to the power industry, combined cycle plant managers have been trying to benchmark their production metrics and cycling costs against those of their competitors. There has alwaysThe post Analytical Tool Helps HRSG Operators Compare Equipment Reliability appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Today’s microgrid installations showcase a variety of configurations and control systems. Commercial and industrial sites are finding innovative ways to power their operations, particularly those in remoteThe post Off-Grid Microgrid: Solar + Batteries + Thermal Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

When conversations around the power industry turn to computer hacking, more often than not experts say it’s not a question of if, but rather, how systems have been compromised. William Doering, adjunct professor in the online Master’s in Business Administration program at Maryville University and a director with Guidehouse—a management consulting services provider—said he has participated […]The post Working with Peers Is Critical to Power System Reliability [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A wide-ranging bill introduced by a large group of bipartisan U.S. senators on March 27 seeks to cement the role advanced nuclear reactors will play in the nation’s future power mix. The “Nuclear Energy Leadership Act” (NELA), aims to “reestablish U.S. leadership in nuclear energy,” which has been lost to state-sponsored development in Russia and […]The post Bipartisan Senators Move to Cement Nuclear Power’s Future appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is funding a project that would prepare Westinghouse’s 25-MWe eVinci micro-reactor for nuclear demonstration readiness by 2022. The agency on March 27 said it will provide $12.9 million of the estimated $28.6 million Westinghouse needs for a project to prepare the micro-reactor for a demonstration, including for design, analysis, licensing […]The post Bagging DOE Support, Westinghouse Eyes Demonstration for Nuclear Micro-reactor by 2022 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Several power-sector CEOs—appearing at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Summit in New York this week—suggested that existing nuclear power plants should not be allowed to slowly vanish from the U.S. electricity grid under market pressure caused by cheap natural gas and the growth of renewable energy. The leaders submitted that nuclear power provides important […]The post CEOs Say Preserving the Nuclear Power Fleet Is Imperative appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Depending on the deployment location and competing energy prices, photovoltaic solar panels are among the most cost-effective power solutions being added to the grid today, often without subsidies and other incentives. The revelation came during a panel discussion—which included several CEOs from the power sector—that took place at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Summit […]The post Solar Power Is Economical Today, but Comes With Challenges appeared first on POWER Magazine.

President Trump has signed an executive order (EO) to boost coordination for and national resilience against electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threats—both from nuclear warfare and natural events like solar superstorms. The action suggests new federal mandates to protect critical infrastructure against EMP events and attacks may be on the horizon. Senior Trump administration officials from the National Security […]The post Trump Acts on Critical Infrastructure Resiliency Against EMP Threats appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens, Three Mile Island, and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) made notable headlines over recent days. Here is this week’s POWER notebook. Siemens Bags First Order for 41-MW Aeroderivative Gas Unit Siemens on March 25 said it received its first order for its newest aeroderivative gas turbine offering—the SGT-A45. The buyer, Bayat Power, a subsidiary […]The post POWER Notebook: First Order for Novel Gas Turbine; Three Mile Island Accident Turns 40; PG&E Pushes Back on Judge’s Proposal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

After a Navajo tribal council on March 21 voted 11–9 to block acquisition of the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) and Peabody Energy’s Kayenta coal mine, the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC) announced it would drop its bid to keep the 2.3-GW coal-fired plant near Page, Arizona, open. NTEC, a company wholly owned by the Navajo […]The post Navajo Nation Ends Bid to Acquire 2.3-GW Coal Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

GE introduced its GT26 HE (high efficiency) gas turbine upgrade on March 25 by announcing Uniper would be the first to install the new technology at the company’s Enfield Power Station in London, England. “We’re proud to launch our new GT26 HE upgrade with Uniper—it’s the most advanced solution we’ve ever introduced on a GT26 […]The post First Gas Turbine Upgrade Blending GE and Alstom Technology Unveiled appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry on March 22 said his department will guarantee up to $3.7 billion in additional loans to finance continued construction of two new nuclear reactors at the Vogtle plant in Georgia. While Perry and other government officials stressed the importance of the project to the U.S. nuclear industry, critics called it a […]The post Vogtle Loan Guarantees Praised, Criticized appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The United States Energy Association (USEA) is an association of public and private energy-related organizations, corporations, and government agencies that helps increase understanding of the world’s energy issues. Barry Worthington has been the executive director of the USEA for more than 30 years. During that time, he has seen the association grow from a two-person, […]The post Trump Ended War on Fossil Fuels, but Focus Needed on CCS [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A German business magazine reports that Siemens is exploring options for its struggling gas turbine business, and could look to form a joint venture with Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). Manager Magazin on March 21 said Siemens “wants to accommodate the large turbine business of the Japanese Mitsubishi Group and in the future hold only a […]The post Siemens, Mitsubishi Discuss Merger of Turbine Units appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry will reportedly announce March 22 that the Trump administration will finalize $3.7 billion in loan guarantees to support completion of the Vogtle nuclear plant construction project. The announcement is expected when Perry visits the site near Waynesboro, Georgia, on Friday along with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Southern Co. CEO Tom […]The post Trump Administration Set to Guarantee $3.7 Billion to Finish Vogtle Nuclear Expansion appeared first on POWER Magazine.

MGM Resorts International took a bold step in 2016 when it ended its energy-buying relationship with NV Energy and instead chose to purchase electricity from private providers. The company’s decision was driven by a desire to slash bills and boost renewables. Henry Shields, executive director of finance and analysis in the Corporate Sustainability division of […]The post How a Major Resort Owner Manages Its Power [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Renewable generation in the U.S. has doubled over the past 10 years. In 2018, generation from solar, wind, hydro, and other renewables soared to a record 742 TWh—or 17.6% of total U.S. generation. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), since 2008—when renewables provided 382 TWh—wind generation rose from 55 TWh and generated 275 TWh […]The post Renewables Provided 18% of U.S. Power Generation in 2018 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A report from an independent market monitor for PJM Interconnection shows that natural gas-fired power generation topped coal-fired output in PJM in 2018, the first time that gas has topped coal in the history of the largest U.S. grid operator. The “2018 State of the Market” report from Monitoring Analytics LLC, which includes Volume 1 […]The post Gas Now Tops Coal in PJM, but Nuclear Still No. 1 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Norsk Hydro, a major global aluminum producer that is also Norway’s third-largest producer of hydropower, has been stricken by an extensive cyberattack—reportedly ransomware—that forced its entire global network offline. The company powers its sizable aluminum production operations with 20 hydropower plants concentrated in Telemark, Røldal-Suldal, Sogn, and Vennesla, producing a total 10 TWh per year. […]The post Cyberattack Debilitates Major Aluminum and Hydropower Producer appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators are urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw a proposed rule that they said could “lead to the undoing” of the Obama administration’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). In a March 18 letter to newly appointed EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler, the group led by Sens. Lamar Alexander […]The post Bipartisan Senators Urge EPA to Drop Proposed Changes to Mercury Rule appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Dominion Energy has reached an agreement with utilities in Connecticut to keep the Millstone Power Station, the state’s only nuclear power plant, in service for at least another decade. Dominion announced the deal March 15, the deadline the company had to tell ISO New England, the regional grid operator, whether it would retire the two […]The post Dominion Reaches Deal to Keep Millstone Nuclear Plant Open appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Westmoreland Coal Co., the nation’s largest independent coal producer, announced March 15 that it has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will operate as a new, privately held company. The company, headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, near Denver, said its assets, including three mines in Montana, are now owned and operated by Westmoreland Mining LLC, a […]The post Westmoreland Coal Emerges from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The chief executive of Vistra Energy Corp. last week said coal is not likely to regain market share in the U.S. power market. Curtis Morgan, in a panel discussion March 14 at the CERAWeek event in Houston, Texas, said “coal is on its way out. More and more plants are being retired.” It’s not the […]The post POWER Notebook: ‘Coal on Way Out’, Theme Parks Embrace Renewables appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Florida Power & Light (FPL) continues to add to its solar power portfolio, with the utility on March 13 announcing plans to build the largest community solar program in the U.S. Eric Silagy, FPL’s president and CEO, in a statement said, “We’ve been aggressively expanding solar with one goal in mind: bringing more solar to […]The post FPL Plans to Build 1,500 MW of Solar in Next Two Years appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. has agreed to build six nuclear power plants in India, according to a joint statement from the two countries issued March 13 in Washington, D.C. The countries held two days of talks this week, discussing international security and nuclear cooperation. The talks involved Andrea Thompson, the U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control […]The post U.S. Will Build Nuclear Plants in India appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Nathan Myhrvold, the long-time polymath idea man for Bill Gates, his former boss at Microsoft, on March 12 told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) annual regulatory information conference, “Energy is the fulcrum that gives leverage to human ingenuity.” Nuclear, he said, must be a large part of providing that leverage to the world. Myhrvold, speaking […]The post Myhrvold Pushes Advanced Nuclear at NRC Conference appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the Japanese utility that took on the behemoth task of controlling and decommissioning the six-unit Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima prefecture after the March 11, 2011, accident, recently released a video showing progress at the site. Source: https://www4.tepco.co.jp/en/news/library/archive-e.html?video_uuid=t820ghcq&catid=61795 The disaster began as a 15-meter (49-foot) tsunami inundated and disabled the […]The post VIDEO: Progress and Challenges to Decommission Fukushima Daiichi appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the U.S. continue to rise, as the use of natural gas for power generation increases in countries such as China, South Korea, Japan, and Mexico. Data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) shows that four U.S. LNG export facilities combined to ship 483 LNG cargoes in 2018, a […]The post Energy Secretary Wants to Fast-Track U.S. LNG Export Projects appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A Wyoming bill designed to keep coal-fired power plants operating in the state was signed into law by the state’s governor last week, one of several developments worldwide that impacted the power generation landscape in early March. Also in the U.S., the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) defended its hiring of a contractor that led the […]The post POWER Notebook: Wyoming Moves to Save Coal Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Royce Peters, senior technical coordinator for the Carpenters International Training Center (ITC) in Las Vegas, Nevada, was a guest on The POWER Podcast. The ITC is the largest and most-comprehensive training facility of its kind in the world. Following the completion of phase six of construction in 2018, the center now has more than 1.2 […]The post An Inside Look at a State-of-the-Art Training Facility [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Minnesota and Wisconsin recently joined the list of states aiming for a 100% clean-energy future, while some Illinois lawmakers are pushing for not only carbon-free power, but also 100% renewable energy. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) was the latest to announce a set of policy proposals designed to lead his state’s electricity sector to 100% […]The post States Take Lead with Plans for 100% Carbon-Free Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An estimated 91% of U.S. coal power plants that submitted groundwater monitoring data as required by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2015 Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) rule have unsafe levels of one or more contaminants, a collaborative analysis of the monitoring data by several environmental groups suggests. The March 4 report is significant because power […]The post Power Companies Refute Findings of Widespread Coal Plant Groundwater Contamination appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Florida Power & Light (FPL) on March 4 announced plans to build four new solar power plants this year, with each expected to come online in early 2020. The company has rapidly expanded its solar power portfolio in recent years; the four new plants will join 18 others already operating in the state. FPL also […]The post FPL Developing More Solar, Set to Bring Big Gas Plant Online appeared first on POWER Magazine.