POWER Magazine

Japan’s government on July 3 approved a new Basic Energy Plan for the country, saying it is committed to increasing the role of renewable resources for power generation while also confirming it wants nuclear power to remain a vital part of the nation’s energy strategy. Japan issues a revised Basic Energy Plan, which outlines the […]The post Japan’s New Energy Plan Commits to Renewables—And Nuclear and Coal, Too appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Officials with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on July 2 said Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, the country’s oldest operating nuclear power plant, will officially close on September 17. They also said radioactive material is likely to remain at the site in New Jersey until at least the late 2070s, and perhaps beyond. The […]The post Oyster Creek Will Close Sept. 17; Fuel Could Remain at Site for 60 Years appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Solar power generation reached new highs in the United Kingdom recently, with a heat wave and stretch of sunny days across the country highlighting the potential for renewable energy in Britain. Solar produced a record 533 gigawatt hours (GWh) of power from June 21-28. Solar output topped 8 GW on each of the eight days, […]The post Solar Power Hits New Highs in Britain appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Across the country, energy and utility companies are adopting and using drone technology to increase their business operations and improve overall safety of their workforces. Many companies are also discussing the risks and rewards of implementing new safety technology on job sites. With workplace fatalities in the transportation, warehousing, and utilities sectors comprising 17.3% of […]The post Using Drones to Increase Net Safety in the Utility Sector appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In recent years, the use of single-shaft combined cycle power plants has steadily increased in the U.S. While multi-shaft configurations are advantageous in certain scenarios—for example, when layout flexibility or phased installation is needed—single-shaft designs have proven to be a highly efficient and cost-saving option for power plant owners and operators seeking to maximize the […]The post Benefits of Single-Shaft Combined Cycle Power Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Because the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) could ramp up demand for electricity and slash transportation-related emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants, a growing group of stakeholders, including power companies and trade groups, strongly advocate for an accelerated EV rollout. By mid-2018, several countries with potentially large EV markets had set EV deployment targets, as well […]The post THE BIG PICTURE: The Electric Vehicle Push appeared first on POWER Magazine.

On May 22, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the American Public Power Association (APPA), and two groups representing U.S. and foreign automakers sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)The post Electric Vehicles—Subsidies for an Environmental Pretender appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The safe transportation of transformers, gas turbines, generators, and other electrical production equipment is a vital component in suppliers’ current business models and future growth potential. EquipmentThe post Innovative Tool Monitors for Damaging Impacts and Vibration appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Floating solar panel technology has been gaining traction as a favorable and cost-effective alternative to land-based photovoltaic systems. Thriving on the cusp of a massive inclination toward renewable energyThe post Floating Solar Panel Industry Makes a Splash appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Successfully operating a power plant or other industrial complex depends on many things, including the vendors who supply equipment for construction of the facility, along with those who provide the materialsThe post Equipment Showcase: Construction Equipment appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ergonomics—human-factors engineering—should be considered in all workplace improvement efforts. Feeling safe and staying clear of injuries can immensely contribute toward increased productivity by reducingThe post Human Factors: How Do Stress and Fatigue Affect Safety? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Great River Energy rolled out an extensive 700-MHz point-to-multipoint communications project within its 56,000-square-mile service area. Using high-order modulation, combined with full-duplexThe post Innovative Narrowband Solution for SCADA Communications appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Baby boomers are retiring, unemployment is low, skilled craft workers are in short supply, and human resources in the workforce are a growing issue for power industry management. “Demography is destiny.”The post Trends and Obstacles in the Power Industry Workforce appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Trump administration, which is considering subsidizing baseload coal and nuclear power for resiliency and “national security,” is pursuing an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that emphasizes natural gas exports, said Energy Secretary Rick Perry at the World Gas Conference this week in Washington D.C. In a keynote speech on June 26, Perry described the shale gas […]The post Trump Administration’s ‘All-of-the-Above’ Strategy Stresses Export Role for Natural Gas appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A bill codifying the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) role in addressing industrial control systems (ICS) cybersecurity has cleared the U.S. House of Representatives. While H.R. 5733, “DHS Industrial Control Systems Capabilities Enhancement Act,” contains no mandates for the private sector, it directs the DHS’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) to develop and maintain […]The post Bill Codifying Federal Role in ICS Cybersecurity Clears House appeared first on POWER Magazine.

General Electric (GE) saw its stock price surge more than 7% on June 26 after the company said it would dissolve its stake in oil services company Baker Hughes and spin off its healthcare unit over the next few years. The announcement comes one day after GE said it would sell its Distributed Power business, […]The post GE CEO: Company ‘Finished’ with Restructuring appeared first on POWER Magazine.

There are often multiple closed-loop water cooling systems installed in a power plant. Chances are good that they cool or control temperature on some very critical components. It can be easy to ignore these systems because they are usually quite reliable. By its very nature, when a closed-loop system remains closed and operates properly for an extended period of time, it is often […]The post Test Your Knowledge: Monitoring and Treatment of Closed-Loop Cooling Water Systems appeared first on POWER Magazine.

GE will sell its Distributed Power business, which includes the company’s Jenbacher and Waukesha engines, to Advent International, a global private equity investment company, in a deal worth $3.25 billion. “In Advent, we have a partner that shares our team’s passion for delivering outstanding customer outcomes,” Carlos Lange, president of Distributed Power, said in a […]The post GE to Sell Distributed Power Business to Private-Equity Firm 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. Monitoring and Treatment of Closed-Loop Cooling Water Systems Quiz http://www.powermag.com/test-your-knowledge-monitoring-and-treatment-of-closed-loop-cooling-water-systems/ Steam Turbine Rotor Vibration […]The post Test Your Knowledge Archive appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Two Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plants being constructed in China have successfully completed significant project milestones. Sanmen Unit 1—the world’s first AP1000 reactor—achieved initial criticality on June 21. Initial criticality is a nuclear industry term meaning the reactor’s neutron population has remained steady from one generation to the next and the nuclear fission chain reaction […]The post First AP1000 Nuclear Units Reach Key Milestones appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens and General Electric, two rivals battling financial problems due to fewer orders for their flagship energy products and services, could each announce major restructuring moves in the coming weeks, according to media reports. Reuters on June 21, citing a person familiar with the matter, said Siemens plans to merge or trim some of its […]The post Restructuring on Horizon for Siemens and GE appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Puerto Rico’s energy infrastructure must be redesigned and rebuilt with an emphasis on resilience—and that will require wide-ranging, long-term efforts, the Department of Energy (DOE) says in a new report. In its June 20 report, “Energy Resilience Solutions for the Puerto Rico Grid,” the agency lists a number of recommendations for the government of the […]The post Puerto Rico’s Grid Needs Resiliency. Here’s Why It Won’t Be Easy. appeared first on POWER Magazine.

American Electric Power’s (AEP’s) proposed $4.5 billion Wind Catcher Energy Connection project—the largest single-site wind project in the nation—has garnered approval from the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC). The LPSC on June 20 approved a settlement agreement related to the project, which is proposed by AEP subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO). Under the proposal, […]The post AEP’s $4.5B Wind Catcher Project Gets Louisiana’s Approval appeared first on POWER Magazine.

For the first time since it began conducting sector outlooks, Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the regulated utility sector from stable to negative. The new outlook reflects a surge in financial risks in the sector as more individual companies in the regulated space funnel funds to debt. Using an analysis of 42 of the largest […]The post Increasingly Debt-Laden, Regulated Utility Sector Outlook Veers from ‘Stable’ to ‘Negative’ appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens Chief Executive Joe Kaeser on June 19 said reports last week that the German engineering company was considering a sale of its gas turbines manufacturing unit are “media speculation.” Kaeser made the remarks during an event in Zurich, Switzerland. He told Reuters that his company wants to improve the performance of the turbine unit, […]The post Siemens’ CEO: Sale of Turbine Unit Just ‘Media Speculation’ appeared first on POWER Magazine.

About half the world’s power will be generated by wind and solar resources by 2050. Generation from coal will drop more than 70% from today’s levels. That’s according to research from energy analysts published June 19 in the “New Energy Outlook 2018” (NEO) from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The NEO report outlines information from […]The post Analysts: Coal Generation Will Plummet More Than 70% appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens still hasn’t commented on reports it could be looking to sell its gas turbine business. But the managing board member responsible for the company’s power and gas division reportedly issued a memo to staff in the wake of those reports, saying Siemens remains committed to its long-time flagship product. Bloomberg, which on June 13 […]The post Memo: Siemens ‘Committed’ to Gas Turbines Unit appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) executive on June 14 said the utility is prepared to decommission the four idle units at its Fukushima Daini nuclear plant in Japan. The comments come as TEPCO continues to struggle with large compensation payments and cleanup costs associated with the March 2011 accident at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear […]The post TEPCO Exec: Daini Plant Will Be Decommissioned appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens AG, the parent company of Siemens Power and Gas, is contemplating the sale of its lucrative but lately troubled gas turbine business, according to one major news outlet. Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg on June 13 reported that the German giant may be considering the sale of its power and gas business, possibly to a […]The post Siemens Reportedly Considering Sale of Gas Turbine Business appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury on June 11 slapped sanctions on five Russian firms and three Russian individuals for several “significant” malicious cyber-enabled activities, including cyber intrusions in the U.S. energy grid. The department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said the sanctions are authorized under President Obama’s Executive Order 13694, “Blocking the Property of Certain […]The post Sanctions Slapped on Russian Entities for U.S. Grid Cyber Intrusions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

President Trump wants to provide financial support to struggling coal and nuclear power plants. He’s told the Department of Energy (DOE) to make it happen. But a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, along with commissioners from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), made it clear June 12 they don’t support federal government intervention […]The post FERC: There Is No Grid Emergency appeared first on POWER Magazine.

General Electric’s (GE’s) power unit has said it will end manufacturing operations at its plant in Salem, Virginia, next year, with more than 260 workers losing their jobs, according to union officials. Officials noted that 42% of the affected workers are eligible for retirement. The plan announced June 8 said the Salem plant, which opened […]The post GE Will Cut Jobs, End Manufacturing at Virginia Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Tests of a boiler combustion tuning system employing artificial intelligence (AI) at a Taiwanese coal-fired power unit verify improvements to fuel economy that could ultimately reduce costs by up to $1 million annually, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) announced on June 11. Verification testing of the AI-enabled combustion tuning system was conducted at Unit 2 […]The post Tests Incorporating AI in Coal Plant Boiler Combustion Tuning Reap Big Results appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Employees at Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s 385-MW coal-fired Dry Fork Station are all safe after a tornado touched down at the plant’s site in Gillette, Wyoming, on June 1. The company described the harrowing hour before and after the tornado hit the plant and surrounding area. Though the plant “mostly avoided damage,” employee safety protocol […]The post Employees Safe After Tornado Hits Dry Fork Coal Plant in Wyoming appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A suburban Chicago-based energy company executive on June 7 told Arizona officials his group is putting together a proposal to purchase the Navajo Generating Station (NGS), the largest coal-fired power plant in the western U.S. The plant’s current owners have said they will close the 2,250-MW facility by year-end 2019 unless a buyer is found. […]The post Chicago Company Preparing Offer for Navajo Generating Station appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A long-stalled plan to repower NRG Energy’s coal-fired 435-MW Dunkirk power plant in Chautauqua County, near Buffalo, New York, to natural gas may be scrapped, owing to uncertainty involving New York Independent System Operator’s (NYISO’s) interconnection process, the company said. NRG mothballed all four units at the plant by January 2016 during four years of […]The post Completion of Dunkirk Coal-to-Gas Repowering Project Uncertain appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Xcel Energy, citing “historically low” costs for wind and solar power, said it wants to double its generation from renewable sources. Colorado’s largest utility also said it will retire two coal-fired units representing 660 MW at its Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo at least 10 years ahead of schedule. The changes were outlined in a […]The post Xcel Will Retire Coal, Add Renewables in Latest Plan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Trump administration’s attempt to prop up uneconomic “fuel secure” generators in competitive markets is just the latest in a string of recent “extra-market” interventions that experts said imperil independent organized markets for electricity. In a recent white paper, Raymond Gifford and Matthew Larson, energy partners at Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP, said the restructured administrative […]The post Six Glaring Interventions in Competitive Markets — Beyond the Trump Plan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), an industry association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies, made a point during its annual convention of recognizing the mutual assistance workers who labored tirelessly to restore power to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Nearly 200 personnel, who had worked on the ground in Puerto Rico, gathered on stage […]The post Puerto Rico Power Restoration Effort a Focus of EEI Convention appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Chris Crane, CEO of Exelon Corp., seemed to take umbrage with the way comments he made on June 5 were reported by Utility Dive. The website published the headline “Exelon CEO: No grid emergency to justify DOE coal, nuke bailout,” but Crane went out of his way to clarify his position while on stage participating […]The post Exelon CEO Clarifies Headline-Grabbing No-Grid-Emergency Comment appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Navajo Generating Station (NGS) in Arizona is scheduled to close by year-end 2019, but intervention by the federal government could keep the West’s largest coal-fired power plant operating. At the same time, more than 300 of the plant’s workers, along with family members, union representatives and tribal leaders, held a rally in Phoenix on […]The post West’s Largest Coal Plant Could Get a Lifeline appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Optimization through advanced testing and modeling tools will increase NuScale Power’s small modular reactor (SMR) capacity by 20%, which could make it “even more competitive with other electricity generation sources,” the Portland, Oregon, company announced on June 6. The breakthrough would boost the power capacity of a 12-module SMR plant currently planned by Utah Associated Municipal […]The post NuScale Boosts SMR Capacity, Making it Cost Competitive with Other Technologies appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Few entities have expressed approval of the Trump administration’s plan that includes a directive for system operators to buy or arrange purchase of energy or capacity from designated “fuel secure” power plants for two years until the Department of Energy (DOE) can address “grid security” challenges. The 41-page draft memo dated May 29—which was presumably authored […]The post More Groups Weigh-in on Trump Move to Save Coal, Nuclear—Including Supporters appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Reactions from U.S. energy and legal and regulatory groups began pouring in minutes after the White House confirmed on June 1 that President Trump has directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to act immediately to stop the loss of uneconomic coal and nuclear plants. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a June 1 […]The post Swift (and Angry) Reaction to Trump Move to Save Coal, Nuclear Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A draft memo circulated by the Trump administration before the National Security Council urges federal action to force grid operators to buy power from uneconomic coal and nuclear plants. Bloomberg on May 31 first pointed to the existence of the 41-page memo, which is dated May 29 and distributed Thursday. The memo outlines plans for a […]The post [UPDATED] Trump Administration to Force Purchases of Coal, Nuclear Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. is pouring funding into developing new fuel technology for advanced nuclear reactors in a bid to help the flagging industry. On April 27, it awarded General Atomics (GA) $3.2 million for two projects that the San Diego, California-based company is developing, including an accident tolerant fuel (ATF) solution that the company says is […]The post How General Atomics Developed Its Revolutionary Nuclear Fuel Solution appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a bid to tamp down pollution, India’s government in December 2015 notified the country’s coal generators they would need to meet—for the first time—new emissions limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and mercury, as well as tightened limits for particulate matter (PM) and water consumption. The gazetted notification gave new plants until […]The post India’s Power Industry Struggles to Solve Pollution Problems appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As required for the first time by a new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule mandated by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act and Item 402(u) of Regulation S-K, public companies in early 2018 began disclosing ratios that compare total compensation paid to principal executive officers (PEOs), such as a CEO, to the median of the annual […]The post THE BIG PICTURE: CEO-to-Employee Pay Ratio appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Nameplate renewable capacity surged to more than 2,000 GW worldwide at the end of 2016, constituting more than 28% of total generating capacity (Figure 6). Most (56%) was hydropower, followed by wind (23%), and then solar, mostly from photovoltaic (PV) at about 15%. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) the expansion was fueled […]The post Renewable Growth Soars, Buoyed by Distributed Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Service delivery models are today undergoing unprecedented change to accommodate the needs of customers trying to navigate business and market uncertainties. Around the world, industrial manufacturers are facing new and familiar challenges ranging from economic and competitive pressures and the tightening availability of resources, to aging workforces, rising technology and operating costs, and heightened focus […]The post Rethinking the Service Delivery Model for Guaranteed Outcomes appeared first on POWER Magazine.