Power Engineering International articles from March 2008

Power Engineering International archives from March 2008

Should the EU celebrate this unbundle of joy?(UP FRONT)
March 1, 2008... In my editorial this month I thought I would take the opportunity to focus on two topics that are back in the headlines--ownership unbundling of Europe's large power companies and the UK's nuclear future. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You...

Has the Commission finally levelled Europe's playing field? E.ON has caved in to pressure from the European Commission's commitment to ownership unbundling by agreeing to sell its power grid and some generating assets. will this move finally open up the European Union's electricity market to true competition?(ANALYSIS)(Industry overview)
March 1, 2008... In recent times Europe's power industry has resembled an imperial saga in which national players are conquered by cash-rich foreign invaders. This empire building of dominant power companies has flown in the face of the European Commission's...

Egypt.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Belgium's Tractebel Engineering has been awarded an $0.8m consultancy contract by the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company. Tractebel will identify the best long-term plan for the Egyptian electric power system to meet growing power demand...

Egypt.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Cairo has signed a $34m deal with the Palestinian National Authority for setting up linkage transformers of capacity 22 kV to provide power for the Rafah and al-Kanisa areas in the Gaza Strip.

GCC.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Yoursuf Janahi, corporate planning and business development manager at Qatar General Water & Electricity Corporation, has been selected as the next chairman of the GCC Interconnection Authority.

Russia.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... The Czech Republic's PSG International will build a [euro]200m coal fired power plant near Kurgan. PSG will supervise the construction, supply and installation of boilers and equipment made by the companies Turbomach, Siemens, Alstom and...

South Africa.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Eskom has invited tenders for power generating plants that will be in commercial operation by June 2012. Projects between 5 MW and 1000 MW will be eligible.

Tanzania.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... The World Bank has approved the $111.5m Energy Development and Access Expansion Project, which will improve electricity services. Some 81 000 homes, schools, businesses, and public services will access electricity for the first time.

Uganda.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... India is to loan Uganda $350m to boost the country's hydropower generation. Energy Minister Daudi Migereko said Uganda would use the money on the Isimba hydro project, expected to produce 100 MW.

UAE.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Areva has won two turnkey power transmission and distribution contracts in Dubai worth a total of $125m. The first contract, from DEWA, is for two 132/11 kV indoor substations. Under the second, awarded by Nakheel, Areva will build three 132/22...

Zimbabwe.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Mozambique has reconnected its 150 MW power supply to Zimbabwe after the country settled part of its debt owed to Mozambique's state-run electricity firm. Cahora Bassa cut off the supply last December.

Algeria aims to export solar power to Europe by 2013.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Algeria could start exporting solar power to Germany by 2013, according to Tewfik Hasni, president and general manager of the country's renewable energy agency, New Energy Algeria. The agency is lobbying the state for approval for the...

AES to sell Kazakhstan interests.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... AES has agreed to sell its interests in the AES Ekibastuz power plant and Maikuben West coal mine in Kazakhstan to Kazakhmys PLC, Kazakhstan's largest producer of copper. AES will maintain its ownership and operation of its other...

Iran and Russia sign agreement to synchronize power grids.(WORLD NEWS)(CIS Electric Power Council)(Iran. Ministry of Energy)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Energy cooperation between Tehran and Moscow entered a new stage as the CIS Electric Power Council and Iran's Ministry of Energy signed a memorandum of understanding to synchronize their electricity systems. Iran's Energy Minister Parviz...

Oman to privatize two power firms.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Oman will privatize a utility firm and a company that oversees a power distribution grid, government officials have said. "The government will shortly initiate the privatization of Oman Electricity Transmission Company," the Oman Observer...

SibCOTES to design CCGT plants for TGK-2.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Russian engineering company Sib-COTES is to build a combined-cycle gas fired power plant to augment each of the plants Novgorodskaya CHP, Tverskaya CHP-3, Kostromskaya CHP-2 and Yaroslavskaya CHP-2. SibCOTES, a member of E4, is preparing...

KEMA to optimize Bahrain power network.(WORLD NEWS)(Bahrain. Electricity and Water Authority)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Bahrain's Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) has commissioned KEMA to optimize maintenance and related operating processes of its entire electricity transmission and distribution (T&D) network. Both parties agreed on an 18-month...

Belgium.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Evelop Belgium, part of Econcern, has been given the green light to build a 330 MW offshore wind farm 46 km off the coast of Zeebrugge. The development will be further offshore than any other wind farm in the world.

France.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... REpower Systems AG has won an order to deliver 129 wind turbines by 2011 to France's Maia Eolis, the joint venture between Gaz de France and Maia Sonnier.

France.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... The European Energy Efficiency Research Centre has opened at EDF's testing facilities at Les Renardieres in the Paris suburbs. The centre aims to develop new alternatives to fossil fuels to supply electricity to the residential, tertiary and...

Germany.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... RWE has launched the first area-wide employment of smart meters in Germany. The real-time energy devices will be distributed to 100 000 households in Mulheim, Ruhr.

Hungary.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Budapest has said that a new nuclear power plant will have to be built to replace old units at Paks between 2020 and 2025. The final decision on the project will have to be made by 2010.

Ireland.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Dublin has announced a government-backed, guaranteed feed-in tariff of [euro]140 ($203) per megawatthour for offshore wind power in a bid to boost the development of renewable energy.

Lithuania.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... The $350m interconnector project with Poland will not be completed until 2017 rather than 2012 as first hoped, according to the European Commission.

Sweden.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... DONG Energy has decided to build and operate the 30 MW Storrun wind farm, in the municipality of Krokom in Jamtland. Total investment is expected to be SEK275m ($56m).

UK.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... RWE npower is deferring its plan to fill Thrupp Lake near Radley with coal ash from Didcot power station. The company says that the success of its ash recycling and reuse programme have meant the lake scheme is not needed in the short term.

UK.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) numbers 21 nations after the UK agreed to join. The GNEP seeks to develop international nuclear standards and best practice.

E.ON to sell grid and generation assets under pressure from EU.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... E.ON has told the European Commission that it plans to sell its electricity-grid and some generating assets to settle antitrust cases. "E.ON proposes to commit to sell its electricity transmission system network to an operator which would...

Doosan Babcock to demonstrate carbon capture at full scale.(WORLD NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Doosan Babcock is to demonstrate a full-scale version of its Oxycoal carbon capture technology, which has the financial backing of the UK government and utilities such as such as Southern & Scottish Energy, EDF and E.ON. The Korea-based...

Generators' connection to UK grid to change.(WORLD NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The UK is set to see radical change to the way that generators are connected to the National Grid to accommodate increases in intermittent generation over the next ten years. It could unbundle access rights to the grid, auctioning capacity...

Swedish ownership of nuclear power to be revised to bolster competition.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Sweden's co-ownership of nuclear power stations will be revised to strengthen competition, according to the country's Minister for Trade and Industry Maud Olofsson. The government will take measures to harmonize the Scandinavian power...

Siemens to build Rijnmond II.(WORLD NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Siemens has won a contract from InterGen to build and service Rijnmond II, a 430 MW combined cycle plant in the Netherlands. Following the start of commercial operation in mid-2010, Siemens will assume responsibility for plant services over...

E.ON predicts nuclear power boom.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... German nuclear power company E.ON Kernkraft forecasts that 15 to 20 new nuclear power stations will be built in Europe by 2020. After this, over 30 power plants will be built in the second wave of investments. According to E.ON Kernkraft's...

Power engineering international editorial calendar 2008.
March 1, 2008... April Russian Market Gas Turbine Technology Operation & Maintenance Emission Control Transmission Grid Development Steam Boilers Coal Gasification Uninterruptible Power Sources May Western European...

Bangladesh.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... One GW of power is expected to be added to the national grid this year. Some 610 MW of this will come from private projects and 339 MW from plants established under government initiatives.

China.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Figures will show that installed wind capacity has risen from 2.4 GW to 5 GW in 2007. Demand for wind turbines in the country has rocketed over eight years and is predicted to be 6.57 GW in 2010.

China.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Approximately 13 GW of coal fired power stations will close this year as part of the country's drive to cut emissions. The target is 30 per cent greater than that of 2007. The State council has set a target of shutting down 50 GW between 2006...

India.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Gujarat state has awarded a contract to build a 350 MW CCGT plant at Hazira to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). In the $270 million deal, BHEL will build the plant's Frame 9FA turbine, HRSG and control system at its factories around the...

Indonesia.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... The government has set the benchmark selling price for geothermal electricity from independent power producers at between $0.06 and $0.10 per kWh, depending on the location of the plant. Power producers may only sell electricity to PLN, the...

Laos.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Laos and China have agreed on the building of the Nam Ngum hydropower plants near the capital Vientiane in Pakngum district. China National Electronics Import-Export Corporation will build the plant following a feasibility study lasting 18...

Malaysia.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... State utility Tenaga Nasional has awarded a $310m contract to build a 300 MW coal fired power plant to Chinese state-owned company China National electric Equipment Corporation. Following environmental approval, the plant will be in the state...

Nepal.(WORLD NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... India is to supply the country with 40MW as part of the Nepal government's short term plans to reduce the duration of power cuts. Demand is 700 MW but production is only 550 MW, which falls to 300 MW in the dry season. Weekly load shedding in...

Facility to research liquid-sodium in FBRs.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Toshiba has opened a facility to research the use of liquid sodium coolant in fast breeder reactors (FBRs). The plant near Yokohama, Japan, will also help commercialize the 4S distributed nuclear power system. Toshiba says the new facility...

GE opens Singapore centre under localization plan.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... US power generation equipment maker GE Energy has established a site in Singapore as part of the company's plan to localize its commercial operations. It says the new unit will increase the speed of commercial transaction responsiveness. ...

Sub-sea 33 kV cables to link Thai islands.(WORLD NEWS)(Thailand)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... As part of a scheme to develop its power infrastructure, Thailand is to create interconnections between islands in the Kari province in the south of the country. The project will involve the installation of 33 kV sub-sea cables on behalf of the...

Japan to get 10 MW solar plant.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Sharp and Kansai Electric Power of Japan are to build the country's biggest solar power plant, which will generate 10 MW. Sharp will install its solar panels at the plant, and Kansai Electric Power will buy the electricity it generates....

Indian plant to get two 500 MW coal fired units.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... India's Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is to build two 500 MW coal fired units at the Anpara D power station in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Under Rs33900m ($848m) contract, BHEL will design, manufacture, supply and erect...

Coal plant to power Philippines island.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Completion of a 264 MW coal fired plant in the city of Toledo in the Philippines will reduce Cebu island's dependence on a geothermal plant that lies on another island. The new $500m power station will beaclean coal plant with three 82MW...

Canada.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Team Candu has told New Brunswick that they are prepared to pursue a site application and a licence as soon as the province gives them the go-ahead to build a second nuclear reactor at Point Lepreau.

Canada.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... TransAlta is to produce power from a $230m, 66 MW wind farm just outside Fort Macleod, Alberta, by end-2009. This follows a proposal by Greengate Power of Calgary for a 300 MW facility north of Lethbridge at Blackspring Ridge.

Chile.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... the GNL Mejillones joint venture formed by Suez Energy International and Chile's state copper company Codelco will break ground on an LNG regasification plant in the northern port of Mejillones on 24 March.

Ecuador.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... To celebrate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Galapagos, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has launched a programme to end the use of fossil fuels on the islands by 2015. The initiative is led by three wind turbines erected on San...

USA.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... GE Energy and the University of Wyoming have agreed to develop an advanced gasification research and technology centre in Wyoming. Researchers will develop advanced technology for Power Basin River and other Wyoming coals.

USA.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Nuclear plants nationwide generated a record 807 TWh of power in 2007, up more than two per cent on the previous year, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute.

USA.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Ormat Technologies and Nevada Geothermal Power have been given approval to build a 35 MW geothermal development in Blue Mountain, Nevada. The $20m project is set to completed by 31 December 2009.

USA.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has suspended portions of its review of NRG Energy's application for a licence to build two nuclear reactors in South Texas, saying that it would not be concluded until NRG Energy had settled certain...

USA.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Unistar Nuclear Energy has signed a contract with Areva and Bechtel for the Calvert Cliffs unit 3 nuclear power plant in Maryland. Areva will provide a 1600 MW EPR.

California approves feed-in tariffs for renewable energy.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... The California Public Utilities commission has approved feed-in tariffs for renewable energy that allow residents or business with clean power-generating sources like solar or biogas to sell electricity to large utility companies. However,...

Enbridge heads list of big names in carbon sequestration project.(WORLD NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Enbridge of Canada has announced today that it will lead a group of 19 energy industry participants in the AlbertaSaline Aquifer Project (ASAP). ASAP is a broad-based, industry-supported initiative that will roll out in three phases. Phase...

USA carbon trading market to reach $1 trillion by 2020.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... According to New Carbon Finance, the US could have a $1 trillion carbon emission market by 2020 if policymakers continue towards a comprehensive "cap-and-trade" programme that is confined to domestic trading only, Researchers predict that...

Ecuador-Argentina body to build hydro plant.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Ecuador's state-owned power company Termopichincha and Argentina's Enarsa SA have established the Coca Codo Sinclair SA company, which will build the Coca-Codo-sinclair hydroelectric plant. The 1500 MW plant will be located between the...

Luminant details coal emission plans.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... US generator Luminant's Martin Lake plant in Texas, USA is to install in-duct selective catalytic reduction systems at each of its units, while its Monticello plant will install selective non-catalytic reduction systems at each of its units for...

CTEEP to invest $590m in 2008-09.(WORLD NEWS)(Cia Transm Energia Eletr Paulista)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Brazilian transmission company CTEEP plans to invest 1.03bn reais ($590m) in 2008-09, company CFO and investor relations executive Eduardo Feldmann told BNamericas. "Investments in 2008 will reach 503m reais, which is above the 439m reais...

Endesa's reditable deal.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Spanish utility Endesa has agreed to buy the carbon credits that Chinese steel maker Jiangsu Shagang will earn when it generates power at three of its plants using residual gas. The deal covers emissions until 2012.

Financial lifelines.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Italian utility Enel aims to raise [euro]1.0-1.2bn ($1.5-3bn) by selling 19 000 km of high and medium-voltage transmission lines.

Going Dutch.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Spanish utility Endesa is to supply 62 GWh to four large industrial groups in the Netherlands through its supply arm Endesa Energia. The company reportedly finds Holland's electricity market attractive because of its liberalization and...

InterGen's Mexico purchase.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Generator InterGen is to buy the 511 MW portfolio in Mexico of generator TransAlta Corporation in a deal worth $303.5m. InterGen will acquire two combined-cycle facilities that began operating in 2003: the 259 MW plant at Chihuahua and the 252...

More wind for Iberdrola.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Spain's Iberdrola Renovables has signed a contract to have the right to buy for up to [euro]300m ($450m) about 50 wind farms now under construction in Romania. The projects have a total capacity of 1600 MW and are owned by Dobrogea (Schweiz)....

Transforming Africa.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... India's Emco is entering a joint venture with Edison Power of South Africa to make transformers for the African market. Ownership of the new company, Emco-Edison Transformers Africa, will be 51 per cent Emco and 49 per cent Edison Power.

Turbines for France.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Canada's wind turbine maker AAER is joining French energy producer Valorem SAS to distribute wind turbines in France under a joint venture that will be 67 per cent owned by the former, 33 per cent by the latter.

Bulgaria merges energy firms to create regional powerhouse.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Bulgaria is to merge five of its energy companies to boost the competitiveness of their operations in the region and the rest of Europe. Sofia will own all of the holding company formed by the union, which will be in operation by the end...

EDF tenders 1500 MW in France.(WORLD NEWS)(Electricite de France)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... France's state-owned generating company EDF is inviting electricity suppliers to tender for the production of 1500 MW or 10 TWh per year of power in its home country for various periods over the next 15 years. EDF will award 500 MW of...

Alstom and Dow create amine-based scrubbing joint venture.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Power equipment maker Alstom and chemical company Dow area to jointly supply worldwide an amine-based C[O.sub.2] scrubbing technology that can be used on the low-pressure flue gases at fossil fuel power stations. Dow will develop the...

Mitsubishi to raise gas turbine production.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is to increase its production of gas turbines for power plants by 40 per cent in response to growing demand. It aims to make 50 units per year by 2011 by raising output at is factories in Japan and...

GDF and SUEZ buy giant CCGT plant.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2008... Gas distributor Gaz de France (GDF) and industrial group SUEZ have jointly acquired Europe's biggest CCGT plant, in Tees-side, UK, with Equal ownership. Eight turbines at the power station run on natural gas to produce 1875 MW. GDF's...

Areva claims carbon neutral status.(WORLD NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... French power group Areva said it is now carbon neutral following emissions reduction initiatives and the employment of low-C[O.sub.2] technologies in its industrial processes. It added that it has bought carbon credits to compensate for...

Powering India: the ultra-mega challenge; India will need to investment heavily in its electricity sector over the next two and a half decodes to ensure that its economic growth remains unhampered. a growing proportion of that investment will need to come from the private sector.(power report)
March 1, 2008... India is home to over 1.1 billion people, making it the world's second most populous country after China. It is forecast to have the world's largest population soon after 2030. It comprises 28 states and seven union territories and covers an...

A green and pleasant land? in an exclusive interview with PEi, UK energy minister Malcolm Wicks MP discusses the energy policy of the brown government, including the pioneering carbon capture and storage competition, plans for new nuclear power stations, and how the country will meet "hugely ambitious" renewables targets.Tim Probert poses the questions.(UK Energy Policy)(Interview)
March 1, 2008... CARBON CAPTURE & STORAGE PEi: The UK government-backed carbon capture & storage (CCS) competition starts in earnest this month. What is the government's ultimate objective for the competition? Malcolm Wicks MP: The key objectives of...

The need for flexible speed: 0- 100 MW in minutes; Operating a thermal power plant on part load and regulating up and down costs its owner money, partly through lost sales of electricity, partly through an increased part-load heat rate and partly because of increased maintenance costs of the plant equipment. there must be a way for the plant owner to recover these costs. representatives of Wartsila, Siemens and GE offer their solutions.(Multi-purpose Thermal Plants)
March 1, 2008... The dilemma of steam cycle power plants that are typically fired with coal or natural gas (combined cycles) is that the steam system takes several hours to start up. Such plants are not flexible regarding starting and loading. They prefer...

Sunny outlook for concentrated juice; Can concentrated solar power (CSP) become economically competitive with more established power generation? the European Investment Bank (EIB) thinks so. here it explains why it is financing projects that employ this fledgling technology.(CSP Project Financing)
March 1, 2008... Concentrated solar power (CSP) has in recent years been revitalized in Europe, notably in Spain, and the rest of the world. Four CSP projects are under construction in Spain in which the EIB has participated in the financing of: Andasol 1 and...

Engaging the customer in pricing: utilities face the problems of meeting growing demand, hitting climate change targets and satisfying increasingly demanding domestic customers. a pilot smart-metering scheme in Canada seems to show that interactive utility networks can help them meet these challenges.(Smart Metering)
March 1, 2008... Across the globe, energy policy makers are exploring new ways to use electricity prices to engage with customers more directly. Driven by changing customer expectations of their energy providers--and government and regulatory responses to those...

China takes a giant leap to ultrasupercritical technology; The eye-popping economic growth of China, contrary to popular perception, is having some positive impact on the environment. power companies are closing down inefficient coal plants almost as rapidly as a new breed of ultrasupercritical units are being ordered.(Ultrasupercritical Power Plants)
March 1, 2008... PEi visited one such new facility--the world's largest--the 4 x 1000 MW Yuhuan plant in Zhejiang province, 500 km south of Shanghai. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If it can be said that the US is addicted to crude oil, then China can be said...

Packing a powerful punch; A large modular power plant has been developed that makes it easy for power producers to begin electricity production and expand existing operations. the PowerCube turnkey package uses a gas or oil fired engine and brings benefits such as zero water consumption and quick installation.(Modular Power Plant)
March 1, 2008... Power plant owners and operators worldwide are seeking ever swifter deliveries of new generating capacity and demanding that suppliers minimize costs and increase efficiency. A packaged power plant based on large oil or gas engines as prime...

Compression: there's something in the air; Graham Pearl of CompAir explores why the power industry must place such stringent demands on its compressed air sources to ensure continuity of energy supply. Pearl examines why operators should invest wisely in both the quality and reliability of the compressed air equipment chosen.(Air Compressors)
March 1, 2008... In today's power generation industries, compressed air is absolutely everywhere! Whether you are involved in the transportation and distribution of natural gas to the consumer or in the production of electricity via fossil fuel burning,...