Power Engineering articles from March 2006

Power Engineering archives from March 2006

Energy hits the limelight.(energy policy)
March 1, 2006... After years of lackadaisical concern--and in some years no concern--about our country's energy supply, is our nation's need for new, clean energy supplies finally getting the attention it deserves? On President's Day, President Bush began a...

Tax benefits and partnership agreements impact renewable energy economics.(taxation in energy industries)
March 1, 2006... The Energy Policy Act of 2005 selectively extends tax incentives including accelerated depreciation, production tax credits (PTCs) and investment tax credits (ITCs) to renewable energy investments including wind, solar and biomass projects. To...

Yucca roller coaster ride continues.(The Yucca Mountain)
March 1, 2006... The Yucca Mountain, Nev., nuclear waste repository project appears to face even more obstacles in 2006. Just when the nuclear industry thought the Department of Energy (DOE) was finally making significant progress toward an operational...

Solar thermal's day in the sun could be at hand.(power plant construction)
March 1, 2006... Construction of the Nevada Solar One plant, which at 64 MW will be the world's third largest solar power plant, might signal that parabolic trough solar thermal technology, which it employs, provides the reliability, efficiency and flexibility...

Engineered chutes reduce dust and maintenance.(coal handling)
March 1, 2006... The increasing trend to switch to or blend Powder River Basin (PRB) coal at plants designed for other fuels often requires coal yard upgrades to improve coal handling. An important element for improving the efficiency and safety of coal yards...

Progress Energy.(buildings and facilities)
March 1, 2006... Progress Energy is evaluating its Harris Nuclear Plant site near Raleigh, N.C. as a potential location for new nuclear capacity and has selected Westinghouse to supply reactors for potential future expansion there.

British Nuclear Fuels.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
March 1, 2006... British Nuclear Fuels has agreed to sell Westinghouse Electric Company to Toshiba Corp.

Ventus Energy.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Metis Energy )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Ventus Energy and Metis Energy plan to develop a $2.5 billion, 1,000 MW wind farm near Churchill Falls, Labrador. The Height of Land Wind Park will be the largest wind park in Canada.

Xcel Energy.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
March 1, 2006... Xcel Energy wants to build a demonstration IGCC plant in Colorado to prove coal gasification technology at high altitudes burning western coal.

GE Energy.(acquisitions)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... GE Energy has completed acquisition of Altair Filter Technology, a leading global provider of inlet filtration solutions for the power generation, oil, gas and marine industries.

FirstEnergy.(restitution and community service projects for failure )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... FirstEnergy has agreed to pay $28 million in fines, restitution and community service projects for failure to adequately report to the NRC an acid leak that nearly ate through a six-inch steel cap on the reactor vessel at the Davis-Besse...

NRG Energy.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
March 1, 2006... NRG Energy has completed its acquisition of Texas Genco.

Universal Communication Systems.
March 1, 2006... Following California's announcement of the largest solar incentive plan ever enacted in the United States, Universal Communication Systems has announced it will open an office in Los Angeles from which to market solar panels and solar energy...

American Electric Power.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
March 1, 2006... American Electric Power has completed the sale of its 50 percent interest in the Bajio power plant in Mexico to InterGen for $29 million.

David Evans and Associates.(services of energy industries)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... David Evans and Associates has launched Momentum Renewable Energy, initially focused on developing and co-owning a portfolio of 10 to 50 MW community wind projects with partners in the agricultural industry.

Calpine Corporation.(PERSONNEL & PROMOTIONS)
March 1, 2006... Scott Davido has been named Calpine Corporation's chief financial officer. He was most recently executive vice president of NRG Energy.

CH2M HILL.(nuclear services business group's appoinments)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Jessie Roberson has joined CH2M HILL as president of the nuclear services business group. He was most recently director of nuclear regulatory programs for Exelon Nuclear.

Babcock Power subsidiary Vogt Power International.(PERSONNEL & PROMOTIONS)
March 1, 2006... Michael LeClair has been named president of Babcock Power subsidiary Vogt Power International, succeeding Marc Horvay.

Shaw Stone & Webster.(Shaw Stone and Webster contracts)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Shaw Stone & Webster has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract by Xcel Energy for a 750 MW supercritical coal-fired unit to be built at the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo, Colo.

AREVA.(AREVA contracts)
March 1, 2006... AREVA has been awarded a contract by Florida Power & Light to supply 30 interim dry storage casks for used nuclear fuel to Florida Power & Light's St. Lucie 1 & 2, Turkey Point 3 and 4, and Seabrook.

Babcock & Wilcox.(Babcock and Wilcox contracts)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Babcock & Wilcox has been awarded a contract valued at more than $40 million from Black Hills Corp. to provide a 90 MW coal-fired boiler, selective catalytic reduction system, spray dryer absorber, bag house and auxiliary equipment for the...

CH2M HILL.(Sierra Pacific Power contracts)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... CH2M HILL has received an engineering procurement and construction contract from Sierra Pacific Power for a new 514 MW combined-cycle facility expected for commercial operation in 2008.

Foster Wheeler.(CONSTRUCTION & CONTRACTS)
March 1, 2006... Foster Wheeler will design and supply two circulating fluidized-bed boilers for two 330 MW CFB units at Cleco Power's Rodemacher Power Station near Boyce, La.

enXco Services.(enXco Services contracts)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... enXco Services will provide operations and management services for Babcock & Brown's 50 MW Kumeyaay wind project near San Diego, Calif., the 7.5 MW Jersey Atlantic wind project in Atlantic City, N.J. and the 24 MW Bear Creek wind project in...

Bigger and better: for wind energy to compete with mainstream power, turbine output must be increased. This will require longer, more efficient blades. Technology improvements in the area of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites will make it possible.(research on wind turbine blades)
March 1, 2006... Wind is a clean, infinitely renewable, though sometimes capricious, source of energy. It has great market appeal, and it has recently enjoyed a substantial amount of technological focus. Most of this focus over the last five to seven years has...

Renewable energy and fuels: in the mainstream; Those in the renewable energy industry have known for a long time what those who are unfamiliar with the industry are just learning--renewable energy has entered the mainstream, it is here to stay and it has a bright future.(Power Gen Renewable Energy and Fuels conferences)
March 1, 2006... It won't be long until the Mandalay Bay Resort and Convention Center in Las Vegas plays host to one of the best shows in town--POWER-GEN Renewable Energy & Fuels. Now in its third year, the conference and exhibition will take place April...

New life for old catalyst: technology developed in Europe is now being optimized to make an attractive catalyst rejuvenation option even better.(research)
March 1, 2006... For the past 10 to 15 years, much of the U.S. coal-fired power generation industry has successfully deployed selective catalytic reduction (SCR) as the preferred technology for the mitigation of nitrogen oxide (N[O.sub.x]) emissions on a...

Harnessing the power of maintenance: more utilities are realizing that structured, comprehensive and proactive maintenance strategies deliver uptime to their bottom line.(maintenance strategy review process)
March 1, 2006... Pressures on utilities to improve plant performance and profitability have always been present and have increased over time. But trends in recent years have intensified those pressures. Machinery performance requirements have never been...

Technology lowers N[O.sub.x] and generates renewables credits: a new hybrid technology can allow small power facilities to economically reduce N[O.sub.x] emissions and garner renewable energy credits in the bargain.(control of emissions)
March 1, 2006... A new technology is now available that takes selective catalytic reduction (SCR) expertise, available to major utility plants for years, and combines it with a method to achieve high thermal efficiency and heat-recovery to reduce N[O.sub.x] and...

New genset offering raises the bar.(power generation industry )
March 1, 2006... The first in a new family of diesel generator sets that Caterpillar terms the biggest new product launch from its engine division in more than 20 years, has been unveiled in its 3 MW, 16-cylinder diesel generator set configuration. The new Cat...

Imagination: barometer for independence.(physics degree exam at the University of Copenhagen)
March 1, 2006... This legend--the truth of which is not necessarily related to its value--concerns a question in a physics degree exam at the University of Copenhagen: "Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper with a barometer." One student...