POWER Magazine

What began in the world of finance has moved into the power sector. Blockchain, a nascent technology most often associated with cryptocurrency, is a new frontier in the energy space, changing the way power isThe post Blockchain Technology Will Transform the Power Industry appeared first on POWER Magazine.

From both a regulatory and development perspective, 2018 was a significant year for the expansion of energy storage resources (ESRs). From a significant ruling of the Federal Energy Regulatory CommissionThe post Energy Storage Resources: A Year in Review appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Digital technology is everywhere today including in most power plants. Computer hardware and software are changing the way plants are operated and maintained. Many technology experts will tell you thatThe post How Digital Technology Is Changing Power Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Because compliance costs to coal- and oil-fired power plants for the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) far exceed quantifiable benefits to regulating hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions, the Trump administration has proposed it is not “appropriate and necessary” to regulate HAP emissions from power plants under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA), […]The post EPA: Mercury Rules for Coal, Oil Power Units Not ‘Appropriate and Necessary’ appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Despite higher taxable income and pressure on balance sheets, capital spending by regulated utilities will remain elevated—and much of it will be dedicated to replacing aging infrastructure, hardening or efficiency-boosting measures, and on renewables and environmental projects, said Moody’s Investors Service in a recent sectoral briefing. The credit ratings agency for the first time this […]The post Despite Financial Hurdles, Utility Capital Spending to Remain Elevated appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station began commercial operation on Dec. 21, the latest natural gas-fired facility to enter the PJM market. The 940-MW Tenaska plant, located near Smithton in South Huntingdon Township in Westmoreland County in southwest Pennsylvania, was built in just more than two years, though its planning and permitting process took several years […]The post Tenaska Gas-Fired Plant Comes Online in Pennsylvania appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A bipartisan bill to modernize regulation of the nation’s nuclear power fleet passed in the U.S. Senate on Dec. 20 and the House on Dec. 21 without much opposition. It now heads to President Trump. S.512, better known as the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA), seeks to provide a program to develop […]The post Bipartisan Nuclear Modernization Bill Clears Congress appeared first on POWER Magazine.

NV Energy plans to retire a 254-MW coal-fired unit in a power-constrained region of Nevada at the end of 2021, four years ahead of schedule. The company will instead purchase 1,001 MW from new solar photovoltaic projects equipped with 100 MW of long-term battery storage, effectively doubling its total renewable generation from 14% in 2017 […]The post NV Energy Accelerates Retirement of One of Nevada’s Last Coal Units appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Another nuclear power project has been delayed, as the Fennovoima consortium and Russia’s state-run nuclear company Rosatom said the Hanhikivi 1 power plant’s projected start-up date has been pushed to 2028, four years behind the original schedule and eight years later than the proposed start when Finland’s government supported the project in 2010. The announcement […]The post Finnish Nuclear Plant Start-up Delayed Again appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Unit 4 of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant in China entered commercial operation this past weekend after completing commissioning. It began supplying power to the country’s national grid on Dec. 22. Tianwan NPP is the largest facility built with a Russian-Chinese framework of economic cooperation, with Units 1 through 4 based on the VVER-1000 reactor […]The post Tianwan Unit 4 Latest Chinese Reactor to Come Online appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The accelerated retirement of coal-fired and nuclear generation by 2022 could adversely affect reliability in four regions, including in the East and over parts of the central U.S., the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) warned as it released findings from a “stress-test” scenario. But the entity tasked with ensuring reliability and security of the […]The post NERC: Accelerated Coal and Nuclear Retirements Pose Limited Reliability Risks appeared first on POWER Magazine.

There’s never a dull moment in the power industry, and like most years, 2018 was filled with many interesting developments. As it has been for more than 135 years, POWER was there to break the news. The following 10 articles were the most-read online stories of the year. #10: New York Denies Air Permit for […]The post POWER’s Top 10 Most-Read Stories from 2018 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Conferences and exhibitions are a valuable way for power professionals to share ideas and network, gain up-to-date training, further education, understand regulatory or policy changes, and access the latest products and technologies. POWER‘s editors compiled this helpful list of events in 2019 that cater to the power industry. FEBRUARY ARC Industry Forum February 4-7 Orlando, […]The post Key Power Industry Conferences and Trade Shows to Think About in 2019 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Dominion Energy’s bid to purchase SCANA Corp. and its South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) utility, approved by South Carolina regulators on Dec. 14, could bring some stability to SCANA. Shareholders hope that’s the case; they’re excited about swapping their devalued SCANA shares for more valuable Dominion stock. Workers, though, remain uncertain about their futures, […]The post Regulators Back Dominion Takeover of SCANA appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Hitachi Ltd. and ABB on December 17 announced that Hitachi will acquire 80.1% of ABB’s Power Grids unit in an $11 billion deal. Reports of the possible acquisition surfaced December 16, with several media outlets including POWER discussing the agreement, citing sources familiar with the deal who asked not to be identified. Hitachi plans to […]The post Hitachi Acquires ABB Power Grids Business in $11 Billion Deal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Unit 1 of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant completed its final regulatory test of continuous operation and full power for 168 hours on Dec. 13, marking the final milestone toward achievement of commercial operation, China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) and EDF announced at a joint press conference held in Beijing, China, on Dec. 14. […]The post World’s First EPR Nuclear Unit Begins Commercial Operation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Hitachi Ltd. and ABB could announce an $11 billion deal as soon as December 17 in which Hitachi will acquire 80% of ABB’s power grids unit. Reports of the possible deal surfaced December 16, with Bloomberg and others citing sources familiar with the agreement who asked not to be identified. Neither ABB nor Hitachi commented […]The post ABB Nears Sale of Power Grids Division to Hitachi in $11 Billion Deal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has significantly relaxed requirements needed to build new coal-fired power units in the U.S. The revisions proposed on December 6 for performance standards governing carbon dioxide emissions from new, reconstructed, and modified coal power units respond to the Trump Administration’s Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth, which […]The post Trump EPA Scraps CCS as BSER for New Coal Units appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a move widely applauded by the power industry, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of the Army proposed a new definition of “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) that could exempt groundwater and ditches from regulation under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The measures follow other recent significant regulatory actions by the agency. On […]The post Amid Broad Legal Challenges, EPA Proposes Narrower Definition of WOTUS appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens on December 11 said it would lay off about 200 workers at a gas turbines parts and components service center in Houston, Texas, sometime in late 2019 or early 2020. A company spokesperson made the announcement Tuesday, saying the cuts are due to weak global demand for the company’s turbines. Siemens in a statement […]The post Siemens Cutting 200 Jobs at Texas Service Center appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The South Korean government has pledged 4 billion Korean won (about $3.5 million) to support a blockchain-enabled virtual power plant (VPP) in Busan, the country’s second-most-populous city after Seoul. Busan officials said they have selected a project to build a VPP on a “citizens-shared” blockchain. Technology Aggregates Resources, Standardizes Transactions A VPP is a cloud-based […]The post Blockchain-Enabled VPP Planned for South Korea appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC, the Commission) took several actions in November to address impacts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Tax Act). FERC had previously issued a Notice of Inquiry seeking comments on how to address the impact of the Tax Act’s reduction in the corporate federal income tax (FIT) rate […]The post FERC Follows Up on Tax Reform Response appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A novel floating power plant that combines a 145-MW gas-fired combined cycle power plant and a battery energy storage system could begin operating in the Dominican Republic by early 2021. Siemens and the marine arm of Singapore-based ST Engineering on December 3 said they jointly received an order for a SeaFloat barge-mounted power plant from […]The post Dominican Republican to Get Floating Combined Cycle Gas Plant Outfitted with Battery Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Senate on a 50-49 party-line vote December 6 confirmed Bernard McNamee to a seat on the five-member Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission (FERC), despite questions about his independence from the Trump administration and his previous comments in support of a bailout of coal and nuclear U.S. power plants at the expense of renewable […]The post Senate Confirms McNamee as FERC Commissioner appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The two-unit Vogtle expansion in Georgia faces major challenges that are poised to derail its schedule and ramp up costs—and the project is already behind schedule, a consulting firm tasked with construction oversight of the project told regulators. In revealing testimony filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission’s (PSC’s) public interest advocacy staff on November […]The post Plagued by Grim Challenges, Vogtle Nuclear Expansion Lags Behind Schedule, Says Oversight Consultant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Fifteen notable industry groups have urged Congressional leaders to act on the federal used nuclear fuel program, noting no progress on the Yucca Mountain repository license application and consolidated interim storage is “untenable.” The broad coalition of labor unions, state public service commissioners, clean energy organizations, and energy trade associations told U.S. House and Senate […]The post Industry Groups to Congress: Inaction on Nuclear Waste Not an Option appeared first on POWER Magazine.

POWER-GEN International kicked off on December 4 with a keynote presentation focused on evolving power generation schemes and changing business models. Gregory Lee, commission president with Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC), the municipally owned public utility that provides water and electric service to Orlando, Florida, and portions of other nearby areas, opened the conference by providing […]The post The Power Industry Is Transforming, One Municipal Utility Offers a Case in Point appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Xcel Energy has announced its plan to move to 100% carbon-free power generation by 2050, with the utility also saying it will reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2030, from 2005 levels. Xcel, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serves customers in eight states and over the past two years has announced a significant number of renewable […]The post Xcel’s Latest Plan: Carbon-Free by 2050 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The real estate developer who has tried for more than two years to buy the assets of the canceled Bellefonte nuclear power plant project in Alabama has sued the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) after TVA last week pulled out of the deal to sell the plant. Attorneys for Franklin Haney, whose Nuclear Development LLC (NDLLC) […]The post Developer Sues TVA Over Cancellation of Bellefonte Deal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Average wind turbine capacity, rotor diameter, and hub height increased in 2017, continuing a long-term trend. One reason that wind producers choose bigger turbines is to optimize wind power project cost and performance, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Source: U.S. DOE, 2017 Wind Technologies Market Report, […]The post THE BIG PICTURE: Wind Turbine Trends appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Before industrial control systems (ICSs) were network-connected, operators had little to worry about in the way of cyber threats. But as industrial environments, such as energy utilities, become more connected, they’re exposed to vulnerabilities and attacks. ICSs are used in large amounts of critical infrastructure, including the electrical grid, transportation systems, and wastewater plants. How […]The post Three Things ICS Security Pros Can Do to Maximize Uptime appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It’s not particularly easy to find reliable and detailed statistics on the deployment of distributed energy systems. One reason is that a lot of distributed energy is installed behind-the-meter. As a resultThe post Distributed Energy: A Burgeoning Market appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Coal from domestic mines provides just more than 2% of Spain’s electricity generation, as the country has increasingly moved away from coal-fired power toward renewable sources. The administration of newThe post Spain Closing Mines in Transition Away from Coal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A 10-day reliability test for the 150-MW Noor Ouarzazate III thermoelectric solar plant in Morocco has wrapped up, demonstrating that the project can provide continuous rated power even in the absence ofThe post Moroccan Molten Salt Tower Project Clears Reliability Test appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Most operators know that air should be kept out of a heat exchanger’s cooling water supply line. Air can collect in pockets and block flow, increasing velocities, increasing system resistance, decreasingThe post Eliminate Transient Vacuums by Air Injection appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Victoria state in Australia continues to see dramatic growth in solar and wind power, as well as battery storage systems, as the region rapidly expands its power generation capacity, in large part to serve theThe post Australia’s Victoria State Ramps Up Renewables appeared first on POWER Magazine.

For decades, floating power plants have been used widely as a source of flexible, decentralized power generation for several reasons. Among them are that they can be built cost-effectively and rapidly; theyThe post Novel Floating Power Plants on the Horizon appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Veolia Hungary Creates VPP Portfolio. Veolia Hungary in October acquired a 51% ownership share in CHP Eromu Kft., the first step in a process for Veolia to create a virtual power plant (VPP) portfolio. TheThe post POWER Digest [December 2018] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

France will shut down 14 of its 58 nuclear reactors by 2035 as well its remaining four coal power plants by 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron said November 27 in a lengthy speech that sought to clarify the country’s future energy direction. According to the World Nuclear Association, France’s nuclear power share has steadily expanded […]The post In Energy Policy Pivot, France Will Shutter 14 Nuclear Reactors appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Optimizing power plant control systems can be challenging, but new tools are available to simplify and improve the process. On this episode of The POWER Podcast, Executive Editor Aaron Larson spoke with Jon Towslee, digital engagement leader for ABB Inc.’s Industrial Automation Power Generation & Water business. Towslee explained how ABB Ability is focused on […]The post Power Plant Control Loop Tuning and Optimization [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Analysis based on testing mostly conducted by energy companies shows that water near all but two coal plants in Illinois is contaminated with toxic waste. The Chicago Tribune on November 28 reported that a compilation of industry-supplied data from 24 Illinois coal plants shows harmful levels of arsenic, chromium, lead, and other heavy metals in […]The post Contamination Found in Water Near Illinois Coal Ash Dumps appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Despite increased resilience actions, extreme weather events due to climate change are projected to increasingly threaten the nation’s energy infrastructure, and create fuel availability and demand imbalances, the Trump administration’s sprawling climate report released on November 23 suggests. The Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) released by the Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is clear in […]The post Eight Power Sector Takeaways from the Climate Report appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A research group that provides information to institutional investors said cost estimates to decommission U.S. nuclear plants fell in 2017 for the first time in a decade. The Callan Institute, headquartered in San Francisco, California, in its report said decommissioning cost estimates dropped by 2.5% last year, to $88.8 billion. Callan’s data shows costs estimates […]The post Data Shows Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Costs Falling appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a referendum held alongside local elections, the Taiwanese electorate voted overwhelmingly to abolish a stipulation in the country’s Electricity Act that called for all nuclear energy-based power-generating facilities to completely cease operations by 2025. Many experts considered it a surprising victory for pro-nuclear activists. In January 2016, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party garnered widespread support […]The post Voters Back Nuclear Power, Phaseout by 2025 Nixed appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A new study from BloombergNEF (BNEF) says developing countries lead the way on new investments in clean energy, with those nations taking advantage of lower project costs for solar and wind power as they move away from fossil fuel-powered generation. Today’s report, from a survey by BNEF’s annual Climatescope project, says “emerging market nations … […]The post Developing Nations Driving Clean Energy Investment appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A series of strikes at French nuclear plants owned by power giant EDF have caused fluctuating electricity supplies, prompting concerns as the country prepares for a prolonged cold snap. Workers are reportedly protesting wage negotiations and a possible plan by the French government to restructure EDF. The energy branch of French trade union CGT on […]The post Strikes, Outages, Slash French Output by 2.2 GW appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A newly introduced Senate bill aims to make federal loan guarantees available for new high-efficiency, low-emissions (HELE) coal power plants in the U.S. Although it spearheads considerable research and development initiatives to advance coal technology, the nation’s pipeline of coal builds remains virtually vacant, and it now lags painfully behind Asia and Europe in demonstration […]The post Could High-Efficiency, Low-Emissions (HELE) Technology Revive U.S. Coal Power? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It’s been a tumultuous couple of years for GE. The company’s stock price has been decimated by the market, decreasing more than 75% from a high of nearly $32 a share as recently as December 2016. Dow Jones removed the company from its benchmark Industrial Average in June, and GE’s Board of Directors sacked CEO […]The post Business and Leadership Shakeups Continue at GE appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) wants public input as it considers closing two of the utility’s historic coal-fired power plants: its Bull Run plant in Tennessee, and the last coal-fired unit at its Paradise plant in Kentucky. The Bull Run Fossil Plant, near Oak Ridge, has been the only single-generator coal plant in the TVA […]The post TVA Ponders Closure of Iconic Coal Units appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Battelle Energy Alliance—the management and operating contractor for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL)—selected GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s (GEH’s) PRISM technology to support the U.S. Department of Energy’s Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) program. The VTR program is expected to accelerate the development of fuels and materials for U.S. advanced reactors, utilizing fast neutron spectrum technology. Rather […]The post Technology Selected for DOE’s Versatile Test Reactor Program appeared first on POWER Magazine.