POWER Magazine

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt told House lawmakers on December 7 that the agency will introduce a rule to replace the Obama administration’s legacy Clean Power Plan. Pruitt told Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) in a brief exchange, during a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Environment held on Thursday […]The post Pruitt: EPA Rule to Replace the Clean Power Plan Is Coming appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Kevin McIntyre, freshly sworn in as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), has asked the Department of Energy (DOE) for a 30-day extension for the commission to act on the proposed Grid Resiliency Pricing Rule. FERC is required to take final action on Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s September 28-issued notice of proposed rulemaking […]The post New FERC Chair McIntyre Seeks Delay on Grid Resiliency NOPR appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Connected Plant Conference will be held in Charlotte, N.C., February 26–28, 2018. The forum is designed for professionals in the power generation and chemical process industries who are leading digital adoption at all stages. Sessions are tailored to offer actionable information and strategies to maximize the use of data, analytics, and related technology to drive efficiency improvements, […]The post Connected Plant Expert Offers Preview of Upcoming Conference [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Kevin McIntyre was sworn in as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on December 7, just more than a month after his nomination to the post was approved by the Senate. He takes over from interim chair Neil Chatterjee, who will remain at FERC as a commissioner. The agency that regulates transmission and wholesale […]The post McIntyre Takes Reins as New Head of FERC appeared first on POWER Magazine.

General Electric (GE) said December 7 it will cut 12,000 jobs in its power unit as the company continues to struggle with changes in the global power market. The company in a statement said the staff reductions will save $1 billion in 2018. “Traditional power markets including gas and coal have softened,” the company said, […]The post GE Cutting 12,000 Jobs in Power Division appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In December 2016, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) announced the introduction of its JAC gas turbine—a new air-cooled J-series model. The JAC has flexible ramping capabilities, an impressive 64% efficiency, 99.5% reliability, and a combined cycle output of 575 MW. Furthermore, the design has been thoroughly tested, with more than 14,000 operating hours at T-Point, MHPS’s validation facility. The […]The post MHPSA CEO Optimistic About the Future [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

New Jersey lawmakers are exploring whether to legislatively prop up future operation of two nuclear power plants in the state, holding a hearing on December 4 in which key stakeholders sounded off on how nuclear subsidies could affect the environment, the economy, and the power market. The hearing, jointly held by the state Senate Environment […]The post New Jersey Considers Nuclear Subsidies for PSEG Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week reportedly closed an investigation concerning costs and delays at Mississippi Power’s now-abandoned Kemper integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) project without recommending an enforcement action. Mississippi Power on December 1 also reached an amended settlement agreement with key stakeholders on the remaining costs associated with the $7.5 billion […]The post Southern Co. Tackles Two Hurdles to Move Past Scrapped Kemper IGCC Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Toshiba Corp. has agreed to accelerate its payments to Georgia Power to help the utility finance completion of the troubled Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion. The deal announced December 5 comes four days after a recommendation from state regulators that the project be abandoned if Georgia Power cannot make it financially viable, and also to lessen […]The post Toshiba Will Make Remaining Vogtle Payments by mid-December appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Solar Energy Industries Associations (SEIA) on December 5 released an anti-tariff plea specially tailored to President Donald Trump. The “America First Plan for Solar Energy” urges the president to reject tariffs proposed for imported crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) solar panels. SEIA’s plea comes as the president mulls over the whether or not to impose […]The post SEIA Makes Anti-Tariff Pitch Tailored to Trump appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Fuel, operations, and plant design all affect the overall efficiency of a plant. This quiz is designed to test your knowledge of heat rate and efficiency fundamentals. Create your own user feedback survey To learn more about coal plant efficiency, frequent problems that reduce efficiency, and some solutions for improving operation and reducing generation costs, read “Understanding Coal […]The post Test Your Knowledge: Heat Rate and Efficiency appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A new analysis by staff at Georgia’s Public Service Commission (PSC) says continuing construction of two AP1000 reactors at the Plant Vogtle nuclear facility near Waynesboro, Georgia, is not economic, and the group says that unless Georgia Power agrees to modify its conditions for completing the project to ensure it will be financially viable, the […]The post Georgia Regulators: Change Vogtle Economics or Cancel Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

WEC Energy Group continues to move away from coal-fired power in its portfolio. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based utility in November gave WEC investors more details about the plan for Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), a WEC subsidiary, to close the Pulliam Power Plant in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as early as next fall. WEC subsidiary We Energies last […]The post Another Coal-fired Plant Will Close in Wisconsin appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a November report, The Global CCS Institute said carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the only technology able to decarbonize the industrial sector. To reach the Paris Agreement’s target to keep global atmospheric temperature increases to below 2 degrees Celsius, 2,500 CCS facilities will need to be operational by 2040, with 14% of cumulative […]The post THE BIG PICTURE: Global CCS appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Associated Electric Cooperative has spent a decade building a pulverizer performance program for its Thomas Hill Energy Center. The effort, combined with a sharp focus on maintaining proper air/fuel ratiosThe post Improve Power Plant Heat Rate with a Pulverizer Performance Program appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Electric Power Research Institute’s full spectrum of online monitoring-related research offers nuclear power plant operators guidance for monitoring program implementation. The research results are usedThe post Reducing Nuclear Plant Operations and Maintenance Costs Through Online Monitoring appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Cross-border trade in energy—electricity, natural gas, and oil—has been an unanticipated boon to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, exceeding $140 billion in 2015. The Trump administration’s antipathy towardThe post Will North American Energy Trade Wax or Wane Under Trump? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Power plants have been blowing soot using essentially the same method for decades. However, technological advances now offer boiler operators a much-improved technique. Rather than running sootblowing systemsThe post Increase the IQ of Your Intelligent Sootblowing appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Originally embedded in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code , today the Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants standard for inservice testing of pumpsThe post ASME Operation and Maintenance lnservice Testing Program Ensures Nuclear Component Operational Readiness appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Successfully designing and constructing a hydropower plant, while accounting for site space constraints and not disrupting commercial traffic on a busy waterway, presented challenges for a Midwestern utilityThe post Willow Island Hydro: A Small but Mighty Marvel on the Ohio River appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in early October announced it would rescind yet another signature Obama administration policy: the electricity regulation known as the Clean Power Plan (CPP). As withThe post Rescinding Clean Power Plan a Positive Step Toward Free Market for Electricity appeared first on POWER Magazine.

High-Pressure, Rotary Gear Pumps for Severe Applications Northern Pump manufactures high-pressure, heavy-duty, positive-displacement, rotary gear pumps for industry, designed to perform in severeThe post Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia Show Preview appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The solar industry has the opportunity to integrate intelligent technology, including some that was originally developed for conventional energy resources, into its solar systems. Most parts of a solar farmThe post Solar Power’s Golden Opportunity: Connected Tech appeared first on POWER Magazine.

When is a D+ grade acceptable? The answer should be never. But that’s the state of the U.S. power grid according to the 2017 infrastructure report card issued by the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE). And the impact of this year’s catastrophic hurricane season only reinforced its vulnerability. Given the billions of dollars of […]The post Say Hello to Hybrid Microgrids: Renewables, Storage, Diesel, and Intelligence appeared first on POWER Magazine.

When it comes to the Clean Power Plan (CPP), the tables have turned, but the arguments are largely the same. On November 28 and 29, during the Trump administration’s only public hearing on its plan to repeal the CPP, an Obama-era regulation aimed at reducing carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants, old arguments for and […]The post Familiar Battle Lines Drawn at Clean Power Plan Public Hearing appeared first on POWER Magazine.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) wants to sell Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility, even as state lawmakers discuss how to deal with the group’s involvement in the abandoned V.C. Summer nuclear project. Lawmakers also disagree with who should advise the state on a possible sale. Leaders of South Carolina’s House and Senate have hired […]The post Officials Ponder Santee Cooper Sale in Wake of Failed Nuclear Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The bell has tolled for another U.S. coal-fired power plant. WEC Energy Group on November 28 said it would shutter its Pleasant Prairie facility in Wisconsin, another victim of energy market dynamics that include low natural gas prices, falling demand for electricity, and the continuing move by utilities toward renewable power generation sources such as […]The post WEC Will Close Coal-fired Plant in Wisconsin appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A decision by the Canadian province of Ontario to refurbish 10 units at the Bruce and Darlington nuclear generating stations (BNGS and DNGS) and extend the life of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station (PNGS) will likely provide a low-risk means of supplying residents low-emission, low-cost electricity, according to a November 21 report published by the […]The post Report: Ontario Nuclear Refurbishment Good Way to Supply Low- Emission Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) analysis of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2015 from U.S. coal consumption shows 43 states recorded lower emissions year-over-year, with just four states showing increased levels, while three states and the District of Columbia had little to no emissions. On the whole, the EIA report released in mid-November comparing […]The post EIA: Coal Plant Closures Lead to Large Emissions Drop appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The fate of Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E’s) Diablo Canyon Power Plant is expected to be decided by year-end, with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) set to hear final arguments about the plant’s future on November 28. The 2.2-GW nuclear plant has operated near Avila Beach, California, since 1985. A judge in early November […]The post California PUC Will Rule Soon on Diablo Canyon’s Future appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Weak earnings associated with General Electric’s (GE’s) underperforming $10.1 billion investment in Alstom have prompted the giant conglomerate to rejigger its power business and lean more heavily on other segments. GE Power, the company’s long-standing and lucrative business unit that has installed 1.6 GW of the world’s installed capacity over its 125-year history, has also […]The post GE Power Falters on Underperformance of Alstom Investment appeared first on POWER Magazine.

GE and Exelon announced a multi-year agreement to deploy GE’s portfolio of Predix software solutions across the energy company’s six electric utilities to further enhance reliability and efficient service to its more than 10 million customers. Exelon’s six utilities will use these advanced analytics to further strengthen transmission and delivery systems. POWER Executive Editor Aaron […]The post Exelon’s Digital Transformation [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

U.S. utilities continue to announce closures of financially troubled and older coal-fired power plants even as government officials work on a bailout plan to keep them operating. Owners of a coal plant in Montana that has only been online since 2006 informed the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) last week of plans to shutter the […]The post More U.S. Coal Units Closing Despite Possible Market Pricing Change appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens has announced it will cut 6,900 jobs, about half of them in Germany, over the next “several years” as the company consolidates its three power-related divisions. The November 16 announcement comes just days after U.S. power giant GE announced its own restructuring plan. Lisa Davis, a member of Siemens managing board, said in a […]The post Siemens Will Consolidate Power Divisions, Cut 6,900 Jobs appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Global technology and engineering giant Emerson renewed its bid for a $29 billion takeover of Rockwell Automation, the world’s largest dedicated industrial automation firm, saying it remained “convinced” a merger of the companies offered “compelling strategic, operational, and financial merit.” Emerson Chairman and CEO David Farr on November 16 sent Rockwell’s president and CEO, Blake […]The post Emerson Offers New $29B Bid to Take Over Rockwell Automation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Acting Chairman Neil Chatterjee, who has said he is “sympathetic” to a rule that would help prop up struggling U.S. coal and nuclear power plants, apparently is ready to move forward with an interim plan to keep financially troubled plants operating while his agency continues to consider a market-changing cost […]The post FERC’s Chatterjee Has Interim Plan to Prop Up Coal, Nuclear Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Virginia regulators are ready to consider a proposal to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in the Northeast, becoming the 10th state in the nation’s largest carbon-trading market. The move comes as newly elected governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, prepares to take office in a state where the Republican-led legislature has shot down previous […]The post Virginia Moves to Join RGGI Carbon-trading Market appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens in November introduced the SGT-A45 TR, a mobile 44-MW aeroderivative gas turbine designed for the world’s booming fast power market. While the product’s launch is pivotal for the giant technology conglomerate—which has suffered flagging orders for large gas turbines—Siemens’ interest in distributed generation also points to a prominent direction in which the future of […]The post Siemens Launches 44-MW Aeroderivative Gas Turbine Model for Fast Power Demand Surge appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Utilities across the country are gearing up for an attack on the power grid November 15 and 16. Thankfully, it’s only a drill. But in the event of an actual emergency, a real physical and cyberattack on the U.S. electricity infrastructure, GridEx IV—a biennial exercise conducted by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC)—will help […]The post Utilities Prepare for Simulated Attack on U.S. Power Grid appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In the next 25 years, the world will turn increasingly to renewables and natural gas to meet energy demand, turning away from coal, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2017 (WEO). As in previous years, the report makes predictions based on different scenarios. This year’s include a New Policies Scenario, which […]The post IEA Paints Picture of World Dominated by Renewables and Natural Gas appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Officials in India say the the death toll from the November 1 explosion at an NTPC thermal plant in Unchahar has risen to 43, with seven more deaths reported in the past week. Dozens of workers at the plant were injured when flue gases and steam were released from a 500-MW coal-fired unit at the […]The post Death Toll Rises to 43 in Wake of India Coal Plant Blast appeared first on POWER Magazine.

ExGen Texas Power (EGTP) Holdings LLC and ExGen Texas Power LLC, a subsidiary of Exelon Corp., on November 7 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware is aimed at reducing the company’s debt, and four of EGTP’s five natural gas-fired power plants in Texas would be owned by lenders […]The post Exelon Subsidiary Files Bankruptcy; Lenders Would Take Over Four Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

India’s Power Ministry has established a committee to investigate the November 1 explosion at NTPC’s thermal power plant in Unchahar. The death toll from the blast is at 36, and dozens more workers at the plant were injured when flue gases and steam were released from a 500-MW coal-fired unit at the plant. Several remain […]The post India Launches Probe of Power Plant Blast; Death Toll at 36 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Officials in India on November 6 said the death toll has risen to 35 after an explosion and fire November 1 at NTPC’s Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Station in Uttar Pradesh state. NTPC, the nation’s largest power utility, said flue gases and steam were released in the blast, which occurred in a 500-MW coal-fired unit […]The post Death Toll at 35 in India Plant Explosion; Officials Point to High Pressure in Boiler appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. House of Representatives on November 2 proposed a tax bill that would phase out the wind energy production tax credit (PTC), extend a tax credit for the nuclear power industry, add credits for geothermal and fuel cell programs, and end a tax credit for the purchase of electric vehicles. Wind energy proponents decried […]The post House Proposed Tax Bill Ends Wind PTC, Extends Nuclear Credit appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A Missouri utility has filed an application with the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) to build a $1.5 billion wind power project and accelerate the closure of a coal-fired power plant. Empire District Electric Co. on October 31 asked the PSC to approve its plan, citing cost savings for customers of more than $300 million […]The post Missouri Utility Closing Coal Plant, Adding Wind Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

POWER magazine has been the voice of the industry for 135 years—and its rich archive is a rare chronicle of the uncertainties that the power sector has always faced. In September 1939, two months before this piece was published, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, prompting the UK—and within hours—Australia, India, New Zealand, and France to declare […]The post From POWER’s Archives: On the Precipice of War appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An explosion at a coal-fired power plant in India has killed as many as 29 people and injured more than 100, according to officials in Lucknow, India. The blast, which occurred November 1 at the Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Station, was apparently caused when a boiler pipe burst in a 500-MW generating unit that […]The post Death Toll at 29 After Explosion at India Thermal Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.