Power Engineering International articles from January 2004

Power Engineering International archives from January 2004

Outlook: stable.(Up Front)
January 1, 2004... Going into 2004, the good news is: there seems to be less bad news. If until now the roller-coaster has been in free fall, finally there is evidence that although we may not be on the way back up just yet, we are at least at the bottom of the...

Shaping up for competition: Electricite de France has unveiled a new strategy to take it forward to full market opening in 2007. Sian Green examines how the utility is facing up to the future.(Analysis)
January 1, 2004... It seems that Electricite de France (EDF) has started the new year by turning over a new leaf and facing up to the inevitability of competition in its home power market. The French national electricity giant--the enfant terrible of the European...

Saudi Arabia signs 1 GW cogeneration plant deal.(International)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Saudi Arabia's state owned oil company, Saudi Aramco, has signed four energy conversion agreements with International Power (IP) (60 per cent) and Saudi Oger (40 per cent). Under the agreement, IP and Saudi Oger will develop own and operate...

New submarine cable to interconnect Spain and Morocco.(International)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... A 30 km, high voltage submarine interconnection cable linking Spain and Morocco's electric power grids across the Straits of Gibraltar is to be constructed and will be completed in 2005. Morocco's state owned L'Office National de...

Zambia to refurbish Kafue Gorge hydropower plant.(International)(Electricity Supply Corporation)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The Electricity Supply Corporation of Zambia has turned to an Alstom-led consortium to upgrade the generators at the Kafue Gorge hydro power station in a $17.6m contract and will look to increase output to 6 X 200 MVA. Alstom will achieve this...

JBIC aids Egypt wind project.(International)(Japan Bank for International Cooperation)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The Japan Bank for International Cooperation will loan [yen]13.5bn ($125m) to the Renewable Energy Authority of Egypt to finance a 120 MW wind project. The project, named Zafarana Wind Power Plant, will be situated in Zafarana on the Red...

UES invests in Ukrainian discos.(International)(Unified Energy Systems )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Unified Energy Systems of Russia (UES) has acquired controlling stakes in ten Ukrainian electricity distribution companies in a bid to increase its international portfolio of electric power assets. Details of the acquisition have not been...

Bahrain.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Bahrain: Alstom has signed a contract valued at around [euro]40m ($51m) with Alba Aluminium Bahrain to supply six top mounted combustor chambers equipped with Alstom's advanced burner technology. The new combustors will be installed in ALBA's...

Bahrain.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Bahrain: AES announced that it has completed the sale of approximately 39 per cent of its interest in AES Oasis for $150m to the IDB Infrastructure Fund managed by Emerging Markets Partnerships (Bahrain) E.C.

Bulgaria.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Bulgaria: Bulgaria's Energy Minister, took part in an official ceremony in Skopje, Macedonia, to sign agreements on the launch of a 150 km, 400 kV transmission line between Bulgaria and Macedonia.

Israel.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Israel: State-owned Israel Electric Corp. said it will invest $1.16bn in 2004 to develop electricity production and supply systems. The 2004 development budget, comprising about 35 per cent of the company's total 2004 budget of $3.6bn excluding...

Oman.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Oman: Ten international companies are on the short list bidding for Oman's largest private power project expected to cost over $200m and proposed to be built in the northeast city of Sohar. Those included are International Power, AES,...

Poland.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Poland: Electricite de France has increased its stake in the Rybnik power plant in Poland to nearly 20 per cent, the Polish government announced. The recent deal marks the conclusion of an agreement that was signed by the west European company...

Russia.(News digest.)(ESN Energo)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Russia: UES will name the winner of a tender to manage the Northwestern Heat and Power Plant in January or February 2004. Nine international energy companies submitted bids. Italy's Enel has said it would bid in consortium with Russia's ESN...

Slovakia.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Slovakia: The V1 nuclear power plant in the western Slovak town of Jaslovske Bohunice will shut down in 2008, two years ahead of the official expiry of its lifespan. The closure is based on a decision of the state and is not due to any safety...

South Africa.(News digest)
January 1, 2004... South Africa: Eskom has awarded Alstom a [euro]19m ($24.2m) contract to rehabilitate the Unit 2 turbine generator at Duhva Power Plant in Witbank South Africa. In January 2003, the 600 MW unit, which was commissioned in 1980, suffered extensive...

EC proposes new energy security measures.(Europe)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The European Commission is proposing a legislative package intended to complement the opening of gas and electricity markets by strengthening infrastructure and addressing security of supply by encouraging an increase in power production. Draft...

Italian CCGT plant contract awarded.(Europe)(Combined Cycle Gas Turbine)(Energia Molise )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Italian power company Energia Molise has awarded a [euro]305m ($386m) turnkey contract to build a new 765 MW combined cycle power plant to a consortium formed by Austria's VA Tech Hydro and Technip Italy. The plant will be located on a...

Finland chooses EPR design.(Europe)(European Pressurized Water Reactor)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Finland's electricity utility Teollisuuden Voima Oy (TVO) has signed an agreement with the Areva and Siemens consortium to build an European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR) nuclear power plant at its Olkiluoto site. The nuclear island for the...

UK wind growth.(Europe)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The UK government has upped its plans for offshore wind farm construction from 6 GW to 7 GW in response to high demand from developers. Interest in UK renewables projects has been boosted by an extension the renewable obligation certification...

GB bill progresses.(Europe)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The second reading of the Energy Bill that will establish a single electricity market across Great Britain took place in December. The establishment of a single market (Betta) to replace Neta, which covers England and Wales, has the support of...

Belgium.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Belgium: Electricite de France has sold its ten per cent stake in Belgian electricity producer SPE, which it has held since 2001. EDF said it no longer considered Belgium as a core market.

Europe.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Europe: A lobby group of European industry associations headed by Cogen Europe has published a set of basic principles and rules to promote an adequate allocation of C[O.sub.2] emission rights to cogeneration facilities under the proposed EU...

Finland.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Finland: Helsinki Energia has ordered Metso Automation's metsoDNA automation solution for its coal fired Salmisaari power plant in Finland as part of a modernization.

France.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... France: Duke Energy has sold its Compagnie Thermique du Rouvray 103 MW CHP plant in northwest France to Courant CTR Holdings SAS, an affiliate of ArcLight Capital Partners, for $79.7m.

Germany.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Germany: Germany has introduced a new solar energy law guaranteeing above-market rates for electricity from solar power up until next summer through a consumer surcharge. The UVS solar association predicts the measure will trigger 20-30 per...

Germany.(News Digest)(Plambeck Neue Energien)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Germany: German competition authorities have approved a [euro]1bn North Sea offshore wind park proposal from Denmark's Energi E2 and Germany's Plambeck Neue Energien, initially consisting of 77 turbines of 3.6 MW each.

Germany.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Germany: Areva's joint subsidiary with Siemens, Framatome ANP has won a contract from E.ON Kernkraft worth more than [euro]60m ($76m) to supply fuel reloads for four nuclear reactors.

Greece.(News Digest)(Energiaki Thessalonikis)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Greece: GE Energy is supplying one 260 MW Frame 9FA gas turbine generator to Energiaki Thessalonikis for a new combined cycle power plant in northern Greece. Austria's VA Tech has been appointed EPC contractor.

Ireland.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Ireland: ESB National Grid is predicting that Ireland will suffer a 500 MW generation shortfall over the next two years, assuming power generation output remains at its present level. Proposed new plant build would reduce the deficit to 200 MW....

Netherlands.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Netherlands: Dutch utility Nuon's acquisition of Reliant Resources' European business has received regulatory clearance from Dutch competition authorities, following certain guarantees from Nuon.

UK.(News Digest)(American Electric Power Company Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... UK: The sale of AEP's UK operations, which includes the Fiddlers Ferry and Ferrybridge power stations has reportedly attracted interest from International Power, a Texas Pacific/Soros consortium and CGE Power, a consortium of UK and European...

Huaneng buys OzGen stake.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... China's state-owned Huaneng Power Group has tapped the Australian electric power market for the first time with the acquisition of two InterGen-owned power plants worth a total of $227m. Huaneng has purchased a 50 per cent stake in OzGen, a...

Tohoku drops new nuclear power project.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Japan's Tohoku Electric Power Co. has been defeated by local residents opposing its plan to build a nuclear power plant in Maki City. The residents had brought a civil suit against the city's mayor and 23 opposing residents after the mayor...

Wartsila contracted for 100 MW plant.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Wartsila has been awarded a $64.5m contract to supply Indonesia's PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) with a 102 MW diesel power plant. The power plant is being installed as part of a major expansion project at a ferronickel smelting plant. It will...

Philippines signs three deals.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The Philippines and Japan have signed three power deals relating to the construction of a 210 MW coal fired plant in Mindanao, the establishment of wholesale electricity spot market and the development of the Leyte-Cebu interconnection project....

Singapore launches vesting contracts.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Singapore's Energy Market Authority (EMA) is to introduce vesting contracts into Singapore's electricity market in a bid to control the market power of the main generating companies. The aim is to halt companies withholding power supplies...

China boosts nuclear capacity.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... China will boost its nuclear capacity with the construction of a 6 GW power plant in Yangjiang. Work on the plant will start in 2006. Guandong Nuclear Power Co., will construct and manage the $8bn project. The six units will be on line...

Australia.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Australia: Trustpower, the Tauranga-based power company, has received planning permission to build a new wind farm near Adelaide, South Australia. The wind farm will have an output of 32 MW, generated from 20 turbines.

Bangladesh.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Bangladesh: AES Corp. announced that it has completed sale of 100 per cent of its ownership in two generation businesses in Bangladesh--AES Haripur, a 360 MW gas fired combined cycle power project and AES Meghnaghat, a 450 MW gas fired combined...

China.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... China: Huaneng Power International said the State Council, China's cabinet, has approved its feasibility study on the construction of two 1000 MW coal-fired units in Zheijiang province.

China.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... China: PetroChina Fuel Oil Co., has started construction of a [yen]4.1bn ($38.5m) power plant that will use Orimulsion as its fuel. The power plant, being built in Zhanjiang city in Guangdong province, will have two power generators each with a...

China.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... China: The Chinese government plans to invest a record [yen]18.85bn ($2.27bn) in the construction of the East China Power Grid in 2004 to relieve power shortages in the eastern region.

Philippines.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Philippines: State owned PNOC Energy Development Corp. has signed contracts with Japan's Kanematsu Corp. for geothermal projects totalling peso5.6bn ($101.2m). Kanematsu has been contracted to build a 40 MW power plant near Mount Kanalon in...

South Korea.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... South Korea: South Korea has delayed a planned $300m initial public offering of a unit of Korea Electric Power Corp. until June from February because of unfavourable market conditions. Seoul plans to sell five thermal power generating units at...

South Korea.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... South Korea: BP and SK Corp. reached agreement for BP to participate in a new 1074 MW gas fired power station in South Korea, due to commence operation in 2006.

Thailand.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Thailand: The board of Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand has approved a power development plan for 2004-2015 that shows the country will need 1265 MW more power capacity than previously projected to meet growing electricity demand.

Thailand.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Thailand: The cabinet has endorsed the new structure for the country's electricity sector, which requires separate financial accounts for the generation and transmission systems of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.

Brazil launches new model.(Americas)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Brazil has unveiled a new model for its electricity sector designed to attract investment, reduce power shortages and cut tariffs. The model involves the creation of two energy trading markets consisting of a regulated pool and a free market...

Utilities suspend power grid plan.(Americas)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... A collection of utilities in the southeastern USA have called off plans to create a regional power grid due to conflicts with regulatory bodies. The utilities, which include Southern Co. Inc. and Entergy Corp., cancelled the integration of...

AES settles $1.2bn debt with BDNES.(Americas)(Brazil's National Development Bank)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... AES Corp. has ended a yearlong, $1.2bn debt battle with Brazil's National Development Bank (BNDES) by transferring assets to a new holding company. The deal involves the transfer of AES stakes in electricity distributor Eletropaulo and...

Australian company gears up for Chilean hydropower assets.(Americas)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Australian renewable energy group Pacific Hydro has been named as the preferred bidder for $75.6m of hydropower assets in Chile. The 39.3 MW Coya and 37 MW Pangal hydropower stations belong to Chile's state owned copper producer, Codelco,...

AES Panama inks $320m financing deal.(Americas)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... AES Corp.'s subsidiary, AES Panama, has closed a $320m financing deal for its power portfolio in Panama. The transaction is the largest private financing in Panama's history. The proceeds of the issuance will be used to refinance an...

Argentina.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Argentina: Argentina must invest $450m per year to add an additional 1000 MW annually to keep up with demand, according to Oscar Dores, director of the Foundation for Electric Development.

Brazil.(News Digest)(Flat Engineering do Brasil)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Brazil: Flat Engineering do Brasil has awarded an order to Metso Automation for the supply of two steam turbine control systems for existing units 1 and 2 of the Santa Cruz power plant, located in Rio de Janieiro, Brazil.

Canada.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Canada: Construction of the $95m Summerview Wind Farm will begin immediately, with work on the electricity generating facility to be completed by July 2004, officials at Transalta have said.

Chile.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Chile: Chile-based energy holding company Enersis will invest some $400-600m in 2004 in the expansion, maintenance and completion of power generation projects in Chile and Brazil.

Mexico.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Mexico: Mexican utility Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) will buy three turbines from Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp. with the help of a $140.6m loan guarantee. CFE will install the gas fired turbines at a 150 MW power plant in San...

Mexico.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Mexico: ABB has been awarded a contract to maintain the SCADA/EMS systems at Mexico's national utility, Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE). The project will ensure that CFE's installation of ABB's systems are kept up to date over a four and...

USA.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... USA: FERC said that Duke Energy will pay $2.5m to settle all outstanding matters relating to the western electricity crisis in 2000 and 2001. The settlement addresses allegations regarding potentially manipulative bidding practices in the...

USA.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... USA: CSFB Private Equity, the private equity arm of Credit Suisse First Boston, announced it has completed its previously announced acquisition of all of the equity interests in United American Energy Holdings through affiliates of DLJ Merchant...

USA.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... USA: Foster Wheeler has announced that its subsidiary, Foster Wheeler Power Group, has been awarded an order by Bechtel Power Corp. to design and supply a 400 MW pulverized coal fired boiler to be installed at the Springerville Generating...

USA.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... USA: The US energy market will need up to 13 liquefied natural gas import terminals over the next few years to supply fuel for electric utilities and manufacturing plants, according to the US government.

Wind turbine merger.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Two leading Danish wind turbine manufacturers, Vestas Wind Systems and NEG Micon, are to combine their businesses in a share-swap deal. The merger will give the companies a leading position in the growing wind turbine market, and will help to...

Caterpillar and Solar join forces.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Solar Turbines Incorporated and Caterpillar International Power Systems have announced that they have aligned their businesses to form Caterpillar Power Generation Systems (CPGS). The move will, says Solar Turbines, create a marketing...

Renewables can complete with fossil fuels, says IEA report.(Companies)(International Energy Agency)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... A new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) states that location and technology are two of the most important factors affecting the competitiveness of renewable energy, and that in certain locations, renewables can compete with...

El Paso sets roadmap.(Companies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... El Paso has announced a business plan that defines the company's future business targets and financial goals. Under the plan, the company will streamline its operations into a new corporate structure organized around key regulated and...

ABB capital increase.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... ABB capital increase: ABB has announced that more than 99 per cent of subscription rights were exercised in its $2.5bn capital increase. Together with a recent [euro]650m bond and a new $1bn credit facility, the capital increase will help to...

AEP service contract.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... AEP service contract: American Electric Power has awarded a $165m, six-year service agreement covering gas and steam turbines throughout the USA to GE Power Systems. The agreement covers GE Frame 7FA machines at three AEP plants, plus steam...

British Energy sells.(News digest)(GB Gas Holdings Limited)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... British Energy sells: British Energy plc has sold its 50 per cent equity interest in Offshore Wind Power Limited (OWP) to GB Gas Holdings Limited for an up-front cash consideration of [pounds sterling]2.2m ($4m). OWP has an option to take a...

E.On invests.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... E.On invests: The E.On Group plans to invest [euro]13.8bn ($17.6bn) over the next three years. The majority of the capital spending will be on fixed assets, including maintaining and expanding the company's power and gas networks, and...

Excelergy collaborates.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Excelergy collaborates: Excelergy Corporation has signed a partnership agreement with Wipro Technologies to jointly market, deploy and integrate Excelergy platforms in North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. Wipro will provide...

PSM N[O.sub.x] achievement.(News digest)(Power Systems Mfg., LLC )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... PSM N[O.sub.x] achievement: Power Systems Mfg., LLC has announced a major step forward in its emissions reduction technology for gasfired industrial gas turbines. Its new technology, which is undergoing field evaluation, is expected to reduce...

Technofast seeks growth.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Technofast seeks growth: Specialist fastening device manufacturer Technofast has announced ambitions for aggressive growth over the next three years. The Australian company, which has already established itself in the US nuclear power market,...

World Bank study.(News digest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... World Bank study: Worldwide trading of greenhouse gases more than doubled over the last year to about 71m t, according to a World Bank study. Power sector projects accounted for half of the emission reductions that were traded in 2003.

Can wind make the grade? One of the barriers to increasing the level of wind energy in Europe's fuel mix is finding financing, especially for large-scale projects. PEi examines the factors analysts examine in deciding whether a wind project makes the investment grade.(Project Financing)
January 1, 2004... Few would argue that generating electricity from the wind makes environmental sense. Wind is a clean, renewable energy source and, if sited sensitively, wind parks have limited environmental impact. Making the economic case for wind energy is...

Rapid City reliability: ABB has commissioned the Rapid City DC Tie, a 200 MW back-to-back HVDC link connecting the eastern and western interconnections in the USA. The link will increase grid reliability, and features ABB's capacitor commutated converter technology.(HVDC Systems)(high-voltage direct current)
January 1, 2004... The benefits of interconnections between asynchronous power grids became obvious in the aftermath of the power outages in summer 2003. Interconnected power grids using a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) back-to-back system can transfer the...

Unique union: GE has unveiled its latest gas turbine offering, the LMS100. Based on a unique blend of aeroderivative and heavy duty frame technology, the engine is the result of extensive industry collaboration and will be the world's most efficient simple cycle gas turbine.(Gas Turbine Technology)(GE Energy)
January 1, 2004... In 2000, engineers at GE Energy (formerly GE Power Systems) pitched the idea of developing a 100 MW-class, flexible and highly efficient gas turbine unit to the company's senior management. Just three years later, and following extensive...

Cao Ngan sets the standard: under its Master Plan for the power sector, the Vietnamese government is promoting the construction of new coal fired power plants. The first of these will be the Cao Ngan CFB plant, which is also one of the first coal fired plants in Vietnam to be developed as an IPP project.(Coal Fired Power Plants)
January 1, 2004... To meet the rapidly increasing demand for electric power while utilizing mainly domestic energy resources, the Vietnamese government is promoting the construction of new clean, coal fired power plants. Apart from hydropower and combined cycle...

A future for bio-oils: the use of biofuels in power generation presents a number of challenges for manufacturers and plant operaters. But such fuels can also bring opportunities and environmental benefits.(Distributed Generation)
January 1, 2004... In 1900, Rudolf Diesel presented an engine which ran on peanut oil and wisely stated in 1912 that, "The use of vegetable oils for engine fuel may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in the course of time as important as petroleum...

Communication innovation: the market for Power Line Carrier (PLC) systems is growing worldwide, with utilities requiring systems with greater functionality and digital capabilities. A new PLC system from Siemens fits the bill.(It Focus)
January 1, 2004... Power Line Carrier (PLC) systems have become an essential and integral part of electricity transmission networks in many countries. Whether digital or analogue, they provide the utility with an effective means of supervising and protecting the...

India's MSEB overcomes duct difficulties at Chandrapur.(Equipment Roundup)
January 1, 2004... In May 2003, India's Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) awarded a contract for the replacement of the flue gas duct at one of its power plants to Alstom Power Service India. Just five months later, the plant's boiler was back operating...

Gear units step up production.(Equipment Roundup)
January 1, 2004... A new conveyor system designed to increase production at UK Coal's Daw Mill Colliery by up to 50 per cent is using Series G gear units supplied by David Brown, a Textron Power Transmission company. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new...

ESB looks for quality.(Equipment Roundup)
January 1, 2004... Systems designed and built by Christ-Kennicott Water Technology will perform the crucial task of maintaining water quality for boilers and steam turbines at two new ESB power stations in the Republic of Ireland. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...