POWER Magazine

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has given its staff the green light to license Dominion Energy’s Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) proposed for construction at its North Anna site in Virginia. It also approved an uprate at Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station in Washington. The NRC said it authorized issuance of the combined construction and […]The post NRC to Issue Construction and Operating License for Dominion’s North Anna ESBWR appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The Big Picture: Generation Transition appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It began as an academic argument over how the world could meet a goal of 90% reductions in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, known as “deep decarbonization.” Underneath the academic language is a fightThe post The Deep Dispute over “Deep Decarbonization” appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The human brain is an amazing thing, but it has limitations. However, with the advent of machine learning, the limitations of the human brain no longer have to be the limitations of civilization. MachineThe post Energy Generation from A-to-Z with Machine Learning appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The conversation at the ELECTRIC POWER Conference and Exhibition, as underscored by comments made in its keynote address and at the annual event’s executive roundtable, was optimistic yet cautious, owing toThe post Power Market Operators and Participants See a Glimmer of Optimism in Current Chaos appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Inspecting the internal condition of a turbine generator is an important maintenance activity, but tearing a unit apart is a long and expensive process. Borescope inspections offer one way to minimize workThe post Borescope Inspection Saves Time and Money for Gas Turbine Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The renewable revolution has been a catalyst for the wind energy market during recent years, with the global wind market growing at an incredible pace. It’s estimated that over 1.1 million people work in theThe post Evolving Workforce and Safety Practices for Wind Farms appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Scaffolding typically ranks near the top of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s most-frequently cited standards. However, developing a strong safety culture and implementing an effectiveThe post Scaffold Safety in Coal-Fired Power Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Flow reversal in piping systems can degrade equipment performance and cause significant water hammer, potentially resulting in catastrophic failure. Power plant condenser cooling water systems—or circulatingThe post How to Prevent Circulating Water Flow Reversal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

While the White House has yet to make an official announcement, numerous news outlets have reported that President Donald Trump intends to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. If the rumors prove true, the U.S. will be one of only three nations in the world not a party to the […]The post Trump Rumored to be Pulling Out of Paris Agreement appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Exelon Corp. said it plans to retire the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant around September 30, 2019, unless policy reforms are enacted in Pennsylvania. The company used a similar ploy in Illinois to pressure lawmakers into passing the state’s Future Energy Jobs bill, which provides subsidies for nuclear power plants. In that case, Exelon […]The post Exelon Announces Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant to Close in 2019 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) completed the dome lift at Fuqing Unit 5—the world’s first power plant being constructed utilizing the HPR 1000 (also known as the Hualong One) reactor design—15 days ahead of schedule on May 25. The feat was no small accomplishment. The dome weighs about 340 metric tons and has a diameter […]The post Chinese Reactor Is Ahead of Schedule as U.S. Nuclear Projects Flounder appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Under a proposed restructuring agreement, NRG Energy will hand over 100% equity of GenOn Energy, a wholesale generation company it acquired in a $1.7 billion deal in 2012, to the company’s bondholders once GenOn emerges from voluntary Chapter 11 restructuring. NRG, GenOn, and an ad hoc group of GenOn noteholders reached a mutual cooperation agreement […]The post NRG Poised to Relinquish Debt-Laden GenOn to Creditors appeared first on POWER Magazine.

CEO Tom Fanning told Southern Co.’s shareholders attending the company’s annual meeting on May 24 that a decision on how to proceed with the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion could take several more months. The Vogtle expansion—one of two new nuclear construction projects underway in the U.S. utilizing Westinghouse’s AP1000 technology—has been in limbo, albeit still in […]The post Southern Company Could Delay Plant Vogtle Decision Until Late Summer appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The renewable energy sector employed 9.8 million people in 2016, up 1.1% percent from 2015, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA’s) “Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 2017”, released May 24. “Renewable energy employment worldwide has continued to grow since IRENA’s first annual assessment in 2012, but the last two years have seen […]The post IRENA: Global Renewable Energy Jobs Grew to 9.8 million in 2016 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Two nuclear plants owned by Exelon Corp. in Illinois and Pennsylvania failed to clear PJM Interconnection’s latest annual capacity auction, putting one of those financially crippled units at risk of early retirement. Meanwhile, procurements for solar, wind, and demand response fell dramatically compared to last year, and drastic price declines could roil the market for […]The post PJM Auction Signals Trouble for Nuclear, Coal, and Even Renewables appeared first on POWER Magazine.

President Donald Trump wants to balance the federal budget in 10 years, and it appears he believes that to do so, deep cuts to the nation’s energy research funding are needed. The administration’s fiscal year 2018 (FY18) budget request, released Tuesday, May 23, cuts funding for the Department of Energy (DOE) by $1.7 billion, a […]The post Trump Administration Releases Budget Slashing Energy Research appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ohio-based FirstEnergy’s plan for a rescue of its two uncompetitive Ohio nuclear plants took a nosedive May 17, as the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee suspended action on the company’s proposal to charge its customers a fee to subsidize the plants. FirstEnergy’s plan mimics programs adopted in Illinois and New York to create “zero energy […]The post Ohio Committee Suspends FirstEnergy’s Nuclear Power Rescue Plan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Finnish technology firm Wärtsilä has acquired Greensmith Energy Management Systems, a firm that specializes in energy storage optimization and integration software, for an undisclosed amount. Greensmith, which has designed and deployed more than 180 MW of energy storage at 50 sites globally, has developed a software platform, GEMS, which optimizes the performance of energy […]The post Wärtsilä Acquires Major Energy Storage Player appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Virginia’s governor has directed the commonwealth’s environmental quality agency to establish regulations to curb its carbon emissions from power plants via a carbon trading scheme by the end of this year. Executive Directive 11 signed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) on May 16 instructs the Department of Environmental Quality to develop a proposed rule to […]The post Virginia Governor Orders Power Plant Carbon Regulations appeared first on POWER Magazine.

India’s government has given the state-owned Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd. (NPCIL) the green light to develop 10 new domestically designed pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs). The approval means that NPCIL, the entity that owns and operates India’s 22 nuclear reactors—a total of 6.2 GW—can begin to site and build 10 more 700-MW PHWR […]The post India Approves 10 New Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor Nuclear Units appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Detroit-based DTE Energy wants to slash its carbon emissions by more than 80% from 2005 levels by 2050, a reduction it said is in line with broad targets identified by scientists to address climate change. The company said on May 16 that it plans to substantially increase investments in renewables, transition its baseload capacity from […]The post DTE Joins Growing Number of Power Companies with Carbon Goals appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs May 17 advanced a number of bills that could have significant impacts on the future of energy regulation in the future. Four of the bills— the Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA), the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, the Midnight Rules Relief Act, […]The post Senate Committee Takes on Regulatory Reform appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As the dust from Westinghouse’s recent bankruptcy filing begins to settle, Georgia Power has reached a deal to take over work at its Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project when the current engineering, procurement, and construction contract on the project ends. The announcement of the intended transfer of management duties came May 12, as an interim […]The post Georgia Power, Southern Nuclear to Take Over Plant Vogtle Work appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In 2016, nuclear power accounted for about 20% of U.S. power generation, but that share is expected to fall to just 11% in 2050, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA’s) 2017 Annual Energy Outlook (AEO2017). According to the EIA, 25% of the nation’s nuclear capacity, excluding plants that have already announced retirement, is […]The post EIA Predicts Nuclear Share of U.S. Generation to Fall Nearly 10% by 2050 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Watts Bar 2, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) nuclear unit that began commercial operation last October, has been shut down indefinitely owing to a major issue with a condenser revealed this March. TVA spokesman Jim Hopson told POWER on May 11 that the reactor—the first new nuclear unit to begin operations in the U.S. in more than […]The post No Firm Date for Watts Bar 2 Return to Service Yet appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The flood of cheap Marcellus Shale gas driving massive construction of new natural gas power generation capacity could wreak havoc in the PJM power market, Moody’s Investors Service suggests in a new report. Two of the nation’s largest power markets, Texas and California, already pose a “distressed environment” for unregulated power companies owing to declining […]The post Report: Cheap Natural Gas Poised to Roil PJM Power Market appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Dominion Resources, one of the nation’s largest power generators, has changed its name and the names of key subsidiaries, including Dominion Virginia Power. The Richmond, Va.–headquartered company that has a power portfolio of 26.2 GW, sizable transmission assets, as well as natural gas storage systems and pipelines, will now be known as “Dominion Energy.” The […]The post Dominion Resources Changes its Name to Reflect Market Evolution appeared first on POWER Magazine.

President Trump on Monday made two nominations to fill vacancies at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which, if confirmed, would restore the agency’s quorum and ability to take action. Neither nominee was a surprise. Both names had long circulated in Washington. The mystery was why it took so long—three months—for the administration to fill […]The post Trump Nominates Chatterjee, Powelson to FERC appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Still trying to figure out exactly what Westinghouse’s bankruptcy is going to mean for the project, SCANA Corp. subsidiary South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. (SCE&G), announced in its first quarter progress report that the two-unit expansion of Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station is more than 64% complete. Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy on March 29, […]The post VC Summer Project 64% Complete, SCE&G Says appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Sitting on a panel during the Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit in New York City on April 24, Michael Bloomberg proclaimed that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is “total bullshit.” That statement was not received well by Trude Sundset, CEO of Gassnova, Norway’s state enterprise for the development of CCS. “There’s a whole new world […]The post Norwegian CCS Boss: CCS is not BS appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it is working on guidance to give states the flexibility in implementing programs for the management of coal combustion residuals (CCR) disposal. In an April 28 letter to state governors, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt described the agency’s steps to implement a “new authority” for authorizing state CCR management […]The post EPA Guidance on State Coal Ash Permit Programs Is Coming, Pruitt Says appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The owners of the Vogtle and V.C. Summer nuclear expansions separately secured a few more weeks to allow work to continue onsite at each project while they decide how to proceed with the half-built AP1000 reactors after Westinghouse’s financial debacle. In Georgia, owners of the project to expand Plant Vogtle extended an interim assessment agreement […]The post Vogtle, V.C. Summer Project Owners Buy More Time to Mull Fate of Nuclear Units appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post THE BIG PICTURE: Pumped Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A flood of renewable capacity in the European Union is forcing member countries to consider grid upgrades that offer a more substantial power supply management role to distribution system operators. LeeThe post Europe Rebuilds Grid to Accommodate Green Energy Swell appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Understanding the threat posed to industrial control systems (ICSs) by malware is difficult. It requires knowledge of proper ICS functionality in order to identify illegitimate software. One industrialThe post Malware in Modern ICS: Understanding Impact While Avoiding Hype appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Power project financing demands are constantly changing. The current model for structuring project finance transactions began with the emergence of independent power producers (IPPs). Many IPPs only wanted toThe post Technology Risk Insurance Broadens Power Project Financing Options appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Power plants are complex systems with countless moving parts, and in turn, countless opportunities for things to go wrong. With the advent of 3-D printing technology, repairing or replacing those moving partsThe post 3-D Printing: The Future of Manufacturing and Maintenance appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Community choice aggregation (CCA) continues to emerge as a favorite tool for towns, cities, and counties interested in pursuing local control over their energy supply, increased renewable electricityThe post As Community Choice Aggregation Expands, the Battle Over “Exit Fees” Intensifies appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Community choice aggregation (CCA) is only allowed in seven states currently, but recent developments in California have investor-owned utilities there worried. They fear losing up to 80% of their retail loadThe post Should Investor-Owned Utilities Be Worried About Community Choice Aggregation? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

New York’s electricity system and markets face a blizzard of changes, driven by policy, politics, and economic forces. The New York Independent System Operator and the New York State Energy Research andThe post New York’s Ambitious Transitions: Who Wins? Who Loses? Who Knows? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In two separate actions over the past 24 hours, the D.C. Circuit granted the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) request to suspend cases challenging the Clean Power Plan and the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). The orders are the latest in a series of similar actions over the past month by the D.C. Circuit that […]The post D.C. Circuit Halts Clean Power Plan, Mercury Rule Litigation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As Dynegy moved this week to assume full ownership of two struggling Ohio coal plants it co-owns with AES Corp. subsidiary DPL Inc., the company’s CEO reportedly said it is mulling withdrawing its presence from downstate Illinois owing to the state’s intervention to keep its nuclear plants running. Dynegy CEO Robert Flexon told Crain’s Chicago Business […]The post [UPDATED] Dynegy Rethinks Illinois Ventures Amid Market Turmoil appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Rain and snow has returned to California, ending the record-setting drought with record-setting precipitation. The drought led to forest fires, dead orchards, and brown lawns. It also took a big bite out of ratepayers’ wallets and increased global warming emissions, due to the loss of low-cost, zero-emission hydropower. In a study released April 26 by […]The post Drought Has Big Impact on California Power Market appeared first on POWER Magazine.

President Donald Trump is getting a lot of advice about the Paris Agreement on climate change lately, though it remains uncertain what he’ll do with it. A group of more than a dozen companies, including some power industry big hitters, sent a letter April 26 to the president calling for continued involvement in the agreement. […]The post Paris Agreement Debate Heats Up appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Natural gas supply and price, along with lower electric demand and the growth of renewables, have been far more responsible for the decline in the U.S. coal industry than environmental regulations, according to a new study by Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy and the Rhodium Group, a New York consulting firm. That means […]The post Columbia Study Casts Doubt on Trump Coal Plan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

GE Power signed a landmark deal to provide operations and maintenance (O&M) services for 10 power plants with a combined capacity of 11 GW. Sonelgaz SPE, a state-owned utility in charge of electricity and natural gas distribution in Algeria, owns the facilities. The agreement includes technology upgrades designed to enhance energy efficiency—allowing more than 420 […]The post GE Power Inks Its Largest Services Deal Ever appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The impact of Westinghouse Electric Co.’s March 29 bankruptcy filing will be felt throughout the U.S. nuclear power industry, accord to an April 19 report released by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). “The bankruptcy filing raised fundamental questions about the future of the U.S. nuclear power industry, and particularly whether four new reactors that Westinghouse […]The post Report: Westinghouse Bankruptcy Raises “Fundamental Questions” About Nuclear’s Future appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Trump administration is “closely” reviewing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) final cost consideration finding for its Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) to determine whether it should reconsider the rule or some part of it, it said in an April 18 federal court filing. The EPA filed a motion with the D.C. Circuit urging […]The post Trump’s EPA Signals Changes for Power Plant Mercury Rule appeared first on POWER Magazine.