POWER Magazine

When it comes to running a power plant, it’s easy to take the little things for granted. Yet it’s the little things that often have the greatest impact on plant managers’ ability to deliver reliable service for their customers. Take power, for instance. Plant managers are focused on bringing power to their customers. But are […]The post Counterfeit Parts: Why Authenticity Is Imperative appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Solar roadways—roads that incorporate embedded photovoltaic cells—have piqued interest for several years. A few examples are finally being rolled out, though their practical applications are still beingThe post New Solar Roads Unveiled appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Bill Gates is taking on another global challenge: “Reliable, affordable energy for the world.” On December 11, the richest man in the world announced yet another commitment to effecting radical changeThe post Energy R&D Is Essential to Any Great Country appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Heads of some of the nation’s energy trade groups are looking forward to a rollback of regulations under the Trump administration, they said January 31 during a panel discussion at the United States Energy Association’s annual State of the Energy Industry Forum. President and CEO of the National Mining Association, Hal Quinn, perhaps the most […]The post Energy Industries Look Forward to Regulatory Relief under Trump appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An explosion and fire at the Delta Energy Center—an 835-MW combined cycle power plant located in Pittsburg, Calif.—forced the station offline on January 29. A spokesperson for Calpine Corp., the plant owner, told POWER that the fire was contained to the facility and that there was no danger to the neighboring community. No injuries occurred […]The post Explosion and Fire Forces Gas-Fueled Combined Cycle Power Plant Offline appeared first on POWER Magazine.

American Electric Power (AEP) has sold four competitive natural gas and coal power plants‚ a total of 5.2 GW, and plans to invest the proceeds from the sale in its regulated business. AEP completed the sale of the plants to Lightstone Generation LLC, a joint venture of Blackstone and an affiliate of ArcLight Capital Partners […]The post AEP Sells Competitive Natural Gas, Coal Power Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The board of French utility EDF has approved a compensation package for the closure of France’s oldest nuclear reactor, the 39-year-old Fessenheim nuclear plant, but it delayed making a final decision on the closure until after the presidential election this spring. Closure of the 1,800-MW Fessenheim plant in northeastern France, near the German border, has […]The post Retirement Process for Oldest French Nuclear Reactor Stalled Until After Elections appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Though Southern California weathered last summer without major natural gas supply constraints that were feared as a result of the 2015–2016 leak from the Aliso Canyon storage field, a blast of cold weather this week has forced Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) to withdraw stored gas from the still-damaged facility to maintain reliability. The limited […]The post Southern California Braces for Possible Natural Gas Constraints appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Having been denied a request for an extended schedule, petitioners in an ongoing lawsuit challenging the merits of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for coal-fired power plants late on January 23 filed a series of briefs with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The briefs filed […]The post Petitioners File Briefs in NSPS Case Days after Change of Administration appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A crane boom collapsed under heavy winds at the Takahama nuclear power plant in Japan, landing on the Unit 2 reactor building and fuel handling building at around 9:50 p.m. local time on January 20. Plant operator, Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO), reported that no injuries and no adverse environmental effects resulted from the accident. […]The post Crane Collapse at Nuclear Power Plant Adds to Safety Concerns appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As part of its ongoing drive to exit competitive power markets, FirstEnergy Corp. said on January 23 that it has agreed to sell four natural gas–fired power plants in Pennsylvania and its competitive share of a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant in Virginia to private equity firm LS Power Equity Partners III. FirstEnergy announced last year that […]The post FirstEnergy Unloading Five Plants in Virginia and Pennsylvania appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Trump administration will scrap executive actions to curb U.S. carbon pollution from power plants and other climate measures outlined in the Obama administration’s landmark Climate Action Plan, according to an “energy plan” published by President Donald Trump’s White House minutes after he was inaugurated January 20. Under the White House’s plan, the Trump administration […]The post Trump Moves on Plans to Scrap Climate Initiatives appeared first on POWER Magazine.

While admitting no wrongdoing or liability, Duke Energy reached an agreement with the U.S. government to resolve a lawsuit related to its acquisition of a Florida gas-fired power plant. The plant in question—Osprey Energy Center (Figure 1)—is a 537-MW two-unit combined cycle facility located in Auburndale, Fla., that Duke Energy purchased from Calpine Construction Finance […]The post Duke Energy Settles Florida Power Plant Lawsuit appeared first on POWER Magazine.

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) has ordered the cessation or postponement of 104 coal-fired power projects in 13 provinces scattered around the country. The body responsible for formulating and implementing energy development plans and industrial policies issued the order on January 16 to achieve goals to cap national installed coal capacity at 1,100 GW as […]The post China to Halt or Cancel More Than 100 Coal-Fired Projects appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Amazon’s latest wind farm in coastal North Carolina has completed construction and is weeks from beginning operations—and state legislators have just asked the incoming Trump administration to shut it down. The $400 million, 208-MW, 104-turbine project, built by Apex Renewables near Elizabeth City and backed by financing from Iberdrola Renewables, is supposed to power Amazon’s […]The post State Opposition to Wind Power Spikes as Trump Prepares to Take Office appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Homer City Generation, operator of a three-unit, 1,884-MW coal-fired generating station about 45 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, Pa., has initiated a voluntary, pre-packaged Chapter 11 case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The financial restructuring process is expected to eliminate more than $600 million in existing secured debt from Homer City’s […]The post Struggling to Compete with Natural Gas, Pennsylvania Coal Plant Files for Bankruptcy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A bill to protect U.S. power grid from cyber-attacks reintroduced by members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee urges a “retro” approach to cybersecurity, including replacing computer-connected operating systems with analog and human-operated systems. U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Angus King (I-Maine) on January 10 renewed their support of the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act, […]The post UPDATED: Senators Renew Push for Return to Analog in Grid Cybersecurity Bill appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Although AREVA recently disclosed that 17 U.S. nuclear power plant units have installed components that were forged at the Le Creusot facility in France—a forge that has been under scrutiny due to questionable quality assurance documentation and carbon segregation irregularities in some parts manufactured at the site—the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) does not consider the […]The post 17 U.S. Nuclear Units Have Components Forged at Site Under Investigation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Non-utility generators urge FERC to overturn state actions in New York and Illinois that the generators claim distort FERC’s wholesale electricity markets.The post Non-Utility Power Generators Push FERC on State Nuclear Subsidies appeared first on POWER Magazine.

NuScale will submit the nation’s first application for design certification of a small modular reactor (SMR) to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Thursday. The Corvallis, Ore.–based company, which is majority owned by the Fluor Corp., has been developing its light-water reactor nuclear technology for more than 15 years. Development of the NuScale power module […]The post NuScale Poised to Submit Nation’s First-Ever SMR Design Certification Application to NRC appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An incident at J.M. Stuart Station—a 2,318-MW coal and diesel generating facility operated by Dayton Power and Light Co. (DP&L)—resulted in six people being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Several media outlets referred to the event as an explosion, citing nearby residents’ accounts of the incident. At least a few people said they heard and felt […]The post Six People Injured by Explosion at Ohio Coal Power Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

For the third straight year, renewable generation accounted for the majority of new utility-scale capacity additions in the U.S. during 2016, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on January 10. The EIA estimated that the U.S. added 24 GW of new utility-scale generation in 2016, of which 63% was renewables, almost all of it wind […]The post Renewables Again Lead Capacity Additions in 2016 as Coal Production Continues to Fall appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Petra Nova—a commercial-scale post-combustion carbon capture project designed to remove more than 90% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) from a 240-MW slipstream of flue gas off of the W.A. Parish generating station in Fort Bend County, Texas—has been completed, according to project partners NRG Energy Inc. and JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corp. The […]The post World’s Largest Post-Combustion Carbon Capture Project Completed appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Beyond major reliability events that have prompted regional blackouts in the past, the U.S. grid faces “imminent danger from cyber attacks,” warns the second installation of the Obama administration’s Quadrennial Energy Review (QER). Here are other key trends outlined in the comprehensive study of the nation’s electricity system. The QER, available on the DOE web site, identifies the threats, […]The post DOE’s Quadrennial Review: 8 Trends That Are Shaping the U.S. Electric System appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. took a big step toward becoming a major exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2016 as Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass export terminal in Louisiana came online early last year and upgrades to the Panama Canal that opened in June made shipments to the Pacific region considerably easier. Data from the Department of […]The post U.S. LNG Exports Surge in 2016—But Not Where They Were Expected [Updated] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

If the Clean Power Plan is scrapped or weakened, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may be forced to regulate greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted by existing power plant with wider repercussions under its National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) program, experts have warned. While President-Elect Donald Trump promised to “scrap” the Clean Power Plan during his […]The post Experts: If Clean Power Plan Perishes, GHG Regulation Almost Certain Under NAAQS Program appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The 2,250-MW Navajo Generating Station near Page, Ariz., and the associated Kayenta coal mine may close in 2017.The post Coal-Fired Navajo Station Could Close This Year appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has dropped its support of a 24-MW offshore wind demonstration project proposed by Fishermen’s Energy off the coast of Atlantic City, N.J. “Under the Energy Department’s award, Fishermen’s Energy must have secured a power offtake agreement by December 31st to be eligible for another round of funding,” a DOE spokesperson […]The post DOE Ditches Another Offshore Wind Demonstration Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has submitted documents that suggest its plan to permanently store low-level and intermediate-level nuclear waste close to its Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Kincardine, at an underground site near the eastern shore of Lake Huron, is the best option for disposal. Responding to a February 2016 request for information by the […]The post OPG: Kincardine Nuclear Waste Deep Geologic Repository Is Best Alternative appeared first on POWER Magazine.

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Difficult market conditions have accelerated the much-hyped closures of a string of coal-fired power units in the U.S., but the phenomenon is extending overseas, gripping plants in Australia and Germany. In the wake of the Paris agreement in December 2015, a number of governments have moved to phase out coal-fired generation. This October, France, which […]The post Market Conditions Force Coal Unit Closures in Australia, Germany appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. may be getting its first overhead 600-kV high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) line in more than 20 years. Developers are advancing the Plains and Eastern Clean Line, a 720-mile (1,150-kilometer [km]) project that could deliver 4 GW of renewable power from the Oklahoma Panhandle region to states in the Southeast. The project is spearheaded by […]The post Readying for New HVDC Line, U.S. Lags Behind Rest of World appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Barely a year after Mexico launched a wholesale market with retail competition as part of a wide-scale reform of its power sector, the country has managed to implement a transparent system that is attracting investment. Mexico has also expanded its grid and deployed notable amounts of renewables that are producing power at unprecedented low prices, […]The post Mexico Makes Rapid Progress on Energy Reform appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Just a few months ago, New England’s biggest and most controversial pipeline proposal, Algonquin Gas Transmission’s Access Northeast project (see “Securing Pipeline Infrastructure for Gas-Fired Generation in New England” in the July 2016 issue), was poised for regulatory scrutiny. Access Northeast distinguished itself by its partnership with electric distribution companies (EDCs), namely National Grid and […]The post New England’s Controversial Pipeline Proposal Suffers Severe Setbacks appeared first on POWER Magazine.

China has officially begun construction of its first offshore nuclear power plant, a demonstration project that will employ the domestically developed ACPR50S small modular reactor (SMR). China General Nuclear Power Corp. (CGN) on November 4 told reporters at a press conference that the project (Figure 6) is a “top priority” that will further the country’s […]The post China Starts Building SMR-Based Floating Nuclear Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As our January 2017 cover image of a dynamic Rubik’s Cube suggests, the power industry, especially in the U.S., is dealing with something akin to solving a 3-D puzzle whose pieces are being added and subtracted as the game is being played. Although shares of traditional, regulated electric utilities remain some of the most predictable […]The post The Power Industry’s Moving Pieces in 2017 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. market for electricity is trifurcated. More than half the country is served by competitive generators bidding against each other in wholesale markets. Almost half is served by conventional state-regulated, vertically integrated utilities controlling generation and transmission. The rest, a much smaller portion, consists of government-owned and customer-owned utilities, some of which are generators […]The post U.S. Electric Markets in Transition appeared first on POWER Magazine.

If broad policy commitments announced by various countries are implemented, coal will not only lose its rank as the dominant fuel for power generation to renewables by 2040, but the world’s coal fleet will be significantly transformed by technology advances, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) newly released World Energy Outlook (WEO-2016) forecasts. Under a baseline […]The post IEA: Coal Boom Is Over appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A tumultuous election year that was marked by market turmoil, the events of 2016 clearly showed that big change is afoot for the power sector. Many of POWER‘s bold predictions for 2016, such as that the near-simultaneous surge in U.S. natural gas production and recent enactment of environmental rules would reshape the U.S. power sector, […]The post A Look Back at 2016: The Year of Transition appeared first on POWER Magazine.

POWER‘s monthly infographic sheds light on power sector trends globally, and in 2016, it highlighted water issues, future coal fleet technologies, U.S. power plant retirements, energy storage technologies, China’s power glut, global emissions limits, and more. January 2016: Future Coal Fleet What the world’s future coal fleet will look like by technology. February 2016: GHG […]The post THE BIG PICTURE 2016: The Year in Power Sector Infographics appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Some of the U.S. coal market’s own product wound up in its stocking this Christmas season. Despite hope from the election of Donald Trump and a potential shift toward more coal-friendly energy policies, coal plant owners across the country continued the trend toward shutdowns and reduced operations that have marked the past few years. Coal […]The post U.S. Coal Fleet Continues Contractions Despite Looming Changes in Policy appeared first on POWER Magazine.