POWER Magazine

A bill backed by outgoing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) to subsidize the state’s nuclear power plants unanimously passed a joint committee on December 20 and now heads to the full legislature for a vote. S.3560, introduced on December 14, directs the Board of Public Utilities to issue Nuclear Diversity Certificates (NDCs) to nuclear power […]The post New Jersey Nuclear Subsidy Bill Barrels Out of Committee, Heads for Legislature Vote appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Fires and explosions have caused a significant number of deaths and injuries to power plant staff over the years. To reduce hazards, protective measures must be considered during engineering, design, construction, and operation of power plants, particularly in electrical areas that are often a source of ignition. This quiz is designed to test your knowledge of electrical […]The post Test Your Knowledge: Electrical Area Classification appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) believes that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) needs to fast-track reform of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA), NARUC President John Betkoski III said in a December 18 letter to the commission. The letter pushes for FERC’s new Chairman, Kevin McIntyre, to make […]The post NARUC Calls on FERC to Prioritize PURPA Reform appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering drafting a replacement of the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan. The agency on December 18 published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) soliciting comments from the public on how the replacement should look. The ANPRM is separate from the agency’s current effort to repeal the current rule. […]The post EPA Seeks Input on Potential Clean Power Plan Replacement appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A Michigan utility will build a $500 million natural gas-fired power plant on the site of an existing coal-fired plant in Lansing, and plans to retire the coal plant and another coal-fired facility in the town in the next few years. Lansing’s Board of Water & Light (BWL) announced the project December 18. The city-owned […]The post New Michigan Gas-Fired Plant Will Replace Existing Coal Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A utility group on December 18 agreed to keep a coal-fired power plant in Colorado Springs, Colorado, open for at least a few more years, and its members said they are prepared to move forward with distributed generation and could import power to make up for the eventual retirement of the Martin Drake Power Plant. […]The post Board Keeps Option to Close Colorado Coal-Fired Plant Early appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Global coal demand fell nearly 2% in 2016, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Coal 2017 Analysis and Forecasts report, released December 18. “Demand for coal has now dropped by 4.2% since 2014, almost matching the fall of 1990-1992, which was the largest two-year decline recorded since the IEA started compiling statistics more than […]The post Report: Global Coal Demand Drops Second Year in a Row appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A test plant that will be part of research into producing cleaner-burning coal for power plants is set to begin operation next year in Wyoming, with the company behind the project saying global demand for coal makes the project viable even as the U.S. reduces its reliance on coal for electricity production. Clean Coal Technologies […]The post Clean Coal Test Project Set for Wyoming appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A leading-edge operations center opens in New York The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has taken a huge step forward in increasing the efficiency of its operations with the opening of its new Integrated Smart Operations Center (iSOC), which harnesses the capabilities of state-of-the-art digitization technologies. The center, located in White Plains, N.Y., was officially […]The post Blazing a Trail Toward the Energy Grid of the Future appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Oman recently began operating a Wärtsilä-built power plant in the northern part of the country, part of more than $1 billion in power and energy projects being developed in the Arab nation. The Musandam Independent Power Project (IPP) is a 120-MW natural gas-fired plant (Figure 1) that can use light fuel oil as a secondary […]The post Oman Starts Power Plant as Part of New Energy Development appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A report released December 14 by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) says power generation from natural gas-fired units and renewable sources such as solar and wind will provide enough electricity to offset the closures of U.S. coal-fired and nuclear power plants in the next decade. The agency’s 10-year outlook, part of its 2017 […]The post NERC Report: Natural Gas, Renewable Generation Will Offset Coal, Nuclear Closures appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It’s become a cliché that government would be better if it were only run by private-sector managers using standard business practices. However, there are significant differences between the private sector and government. This quiz is designed to test your knowledge of those differences. Create your own user feedback survey To learn 18 more differences, read “25 Differences Between […]The post Test Your Knowledge: Differences Between Private Sector and Government Managers appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) cycles—which are inching closer to commercial applications for waste heat recovery, concentrating solar power, nuclear, and fossil energy—offer higher thermal efficiencies and power density than conventional steam Rankine and Air Brayton cycles in use today for power generation. But to realize these potentially game-changing cycles, common challenges associated with turbomachinery must […]The post Game-Changing Supercritical CO2 Cycles Are Closer to Commercialization appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Georgia Public Service Commission on December 11 said it will decide December 21 whether to allow construction of two new nuclear reactors at the Plant Vogtle site to move forward, or call for the project to be canceled. Commissioners voted Monday to move up the timetable for a decision on the troubled nuclear project […]The post Georgia PSC Will Decide Vogtle’s Fate on December 21 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Hearings on the future of the Vogtle nuclear expansion project are underway in Atlanta, Georgia, and events of the past few days could impact how quickly the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) and Georgia Power reach a decision on whether construction of two new nuclear reactors continues or is halted. This week’s hearings, which are […]The post Vogtle Hearings Underway; Tax Law Change Could Speed Resolution appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry has granted a 30-day extension sought by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Kevin McIntyre last week to give the regulatory agency more time before it acts on the controversial proposed Grid Resiliency Pricing Rule. In a strongly worded letter, however, he told FERC to act expeditiously to allay reliability threats to […]The post Perry Grants FERC’s Request to Delay Grid Resiliency NOPR, But Calls for Urgent Action appeared first on POWER Magazine.

GE Power said its 9HA.02 gas turbine reached a new milestone by exceeding 64% efficiency in combined cycle power plants. The company attributes at least part of the achievement to advances in additive manufacturing (3-D printing). “The HA is our most advanced gas turbine technology, and we’ve never stopped pushing the boundaries of what it […]The post Market-Challenged, GE Continues to Improve Gas Turbine Efficiency appeared first on 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.