Power Engineering International articles from March 2009

Power Engineering International archives from March 2009

Carbon emissions: to trade, or not to trade? With emissions falling amid the economic downturn, the price of carbon in Europe recently dipped below [euro]10/tonne. Falling prices prove that carbon markets function on one level, but can they reduce carbon emissions in the long run?(ANALYSIS)
March 1, 2009... In the long run, said the rehabilitated economist John Maynard Keynes, we are all dead. If the consensus among scientific experts is correct, then collective 'death' is accelerating, via climate change. So, if we accept climate change is the...

GE Energy bags $1bn Saudi deal to supply gas turbines.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... GE Energy has signed a contract for nearly $lbn to supply more than 30 Frame 7EA gas turbines for the Saudi Electricity Company's (SEC) Riyadh Power Plant 10 (PP10). This project, the latest in a series of GE contracts for SEC power...

Russia plans to build four nuclear reactors in Turkey.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Russia is close to securing a deal to build four nuclear reactors in Turkey and the countries are in talks on a power supply deal worth $60bn, according to Russia's energy minister. Sergei Shmatko said the nuclear reactors would have...

Deadline for Saudi Arabia's Yanbu power plant expansion delayed.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Marafiq, Saudi Arabia's Power and Water Utility Company for Jubail & Yanbu has extended the bid deadline for the expansions of phases five and six of a power plant at Yanbu Industry City. Bids for the contract to add two 250 MW steam turbines...

Inter RAO-UES, Siemens sign gas turbine agreement.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Inter RAO-UES and Siemens have signed a memorandum of understanding that will see the German concern undertake a series of projects at Russian power plants. These include maintenance service on the gas turbines supplied for...

UAE conglomerate Mulk unveils solar factory plan.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... A UAE-based solar energy company is to invest over AED200m ($54.5m) to set up a factory manufacturing solar power technology to be deployed in the Gulf and around the world. UAE conglomerate Mulk Holdings and US solar energy developer...

Soviet-trained engineer divulges Chernobyl truth.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Former nuclear engineer Aladar Stolmar has written a first-hand account, entitled 'My Chernobyl', about efforts to enforce better power plant safety standards in Russia that could have prevented the 1986 nuclear disaster at the Ukraine power...

Iraq.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Iraq: Electricity Minister Karim Wahid has invited France to help Iraq build a nuclear power plant, three decades after Paris constructed a reactor near Baghdad that was bombed by Israeli warplanes.

Israel.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Israel: The Israel Electric Company has approved the Arava Power Company's proposal to build a $400m, 80 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) field on kibbutz land in the Arava. The 375-acre project will be the largest PV field in the world.

Jordan.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Jordan: Russia and Jordan have signed an agreement for nuclear cooperation for peaceful purposes, which includes the establishment of an electricity production station and research centers, and also training for physicists.

Nigeria.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Nigeria: The Federal Government is targeting the generation of at least 430 MW from the second phase of the Gurara hydropower project, which has been under construction since 2001. Phase one, scheduled to be completed this year, is a 30 MW...

Qatar.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Qatar: Japan's Chubu Electric Power Company has set up joint working groups with Kahramaa and QEWC to advise on power generation and transmission issues, including safety, fault detection and analysis, load forecasting and crisis management.

Qatar.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Qatar: Proton Energy Systems has been awarded a contract from Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction to supply Hogen hydrogen generators to Qatalum, the world's largest aluminum smelting plant.

South Africa.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... South Africa: GE Energy has signed a deal worth more than R500m ($48m) to upgrade petrochemicals group Sasol's old turbines at its synthetic fuels plant in Secunda, Mpumalanga. The upgrade will take place over 12 months using steam path...

Saudi Arabia.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Saudi Arabia: ABB has won an order worth $63 million from the Saudi Electricity Company to upgrade 15 substations in the country's Eastern and Central provinces.

Italy takes a step closer to a return to nuclear power.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Two of Europe's largest electricity utilities, EDF of France and Italy's Enel have signed two agreements on the development of nuclear energy, particularly in Italy, which has been nuclear-free for more than 20 years. The first agreement...

RWE strengthens independence of UHV grid.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... RWE is taking the initiative by reorganizing its ultra-high voltage (UHV) network into an independent transmission operator (ITO), thereby addressing one of the key points of the Third European Energy Package that is currently under discussion...

Kosovo to build coal fired plant within year.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... According to Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, Kosovo will begin construction of the Kosovo C power plant within the next 12 months, which will help alleviate the power cuts currently being experienced. Kosovo C is a coal-based power plant, with...

Bulgaria.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Bulgaria: GDF Suez of France has decided against teaming up with Germany's RWE and National Electricity of Bulgaria to build a nuclear power plant in Belene. RWE is open to finding a new partner for the project.

Czech Republic.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Czech Republic: CEZ is considering announcing a tender for the supply of reactors to its nuclear power plant in Temelin prior to the completion of the environmental impact assessment.

EU.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... EU: Last year's fall on [CO.sub.2] emissions from installations covered by the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme was primarily due to power generators switching from coal and lignite to natural gas says UK consultancy, says New Carbon...

Netherlands.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Netherlands: KEMA has been commissioned by a group of Dutch utilities, including Essent and Nuon, and the General Energy Council to conduct a study into the need and necessity of large-scale energy storage.

Poland.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Poland: Warsaw has announced that up to 2012, it will provide 1.5bn zlotys ($0.4 bn) to co-finance renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, hydroelectric and electricity from geothermal waters.

UK.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... UK: EDF Energy, the UK arm of France's EDF, will start building at Hinkley Point nuclear power station in early 2013. The first of four reactors will become operational in 2017, with the other three coming online at 18-month intervals.

UK.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... UK: Airtricity, the renewable energy division of Scottish and Southern Energy, has signed an agreement with Aquamarine, aimed at developing sites capable of hosting 1 GW of marine energy by 2020.

UK.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... UK: The operators of Wylfa, Wales' only nuclear power station, have said that they are drawing up plans to extend its operating life by up to four years. It is due to be shutdown in 2010.

Foster Wheeler secures Korean gasification island contract.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Foster Wheeler Italiana has been awarded, by Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction, a contract for the front-end engineering design and technical services for a new gasification island, based on Shell technology, to be built inSouthKorea....

Doosan wins order for eco-friendly facilities for Yeosu thermal plant.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction has won a $65m contract to supply equipment and facilities for the construction of Yeosu. Thermal Power Plant No. 2. Doosan has signed for the supply of a 340 MW circulating fluidized-bed boiler and...

Japan may force utilities to buy surplus solar power.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Japan may force electricity companies to buy surplus power generated by household solar panels at about twice the current price, a government official announced. The scheme, which could start next month, aims to promote solar power as part...

China starts six 10 000 MW wind power bases.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... China has raised the curtain on the layout and construction of six 10 000 MW wind power bases. The northeastern Chinese city of Jiuquan has completed the construction planning of its 10 000 MW wind power base. Total installed capacity is...

Bangladesh.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Bangladesh: The government has invited bids from for setting up a 300 MW gas turbine peaking power plant, on a turnkey basis, at Siddhiraganj, 20km from Dhaka.

China.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... China: Huaneng Power International has announced its new project--to construct two 300 MW co-generating units at Huaneng Yingkou cogeneration power plant--has been approved.

India.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... India: Bharat Heavy Electricals has won an order for the main plant package, involving two new units of 600 MW each, at the upcoming Malwa thermal power project in Madhya Pradesh.

India.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... India: Invensys Process Systems has signed a multi-million dollar deal with Shandong No. 3 Electric Power (SEPCO III) of China, to implement its Foxboro I/A Series distributed control system technology for a 3300 MW generating station being...

India.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... India: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has received an order for two 800 MW supercritical-pressure steam turbines for Andhra Pradesh Power Development Company Limited of India's Krishnapatnam thermal power project.

Pakistan.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Pakistan: The Private Power and Infrastructure Board has received ten bids for 1191 MW of power generation projects to be implemented by the end of this year. The projects require around $1.42bn of investment.

Papua New Guinea.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Papua New Guinea: The Asian Development Bank is assisting the country's government to develop their power sector by helping them prepare a Power Sector Development Plan.

Philippines.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Philippines: One of the country's taipans is planning to invest over $700m in hydropower facilities in Luzon and Mindanao. A consortium is now in the process of conducting land surveys for the 332 MW hydropower plant in Luzon, with potential...

Exelon CEO warns of risks in push to reshape energy policy.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Exelon Corp's CEO John Rowe has warned that government efforts to wean the US economy from carbon-based energy could wind up wasting money and creating a political backlash if plans are not fully thought through. His comments came as the...

GDF Suez continues wind energy developments in Latin America.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... French power and natural gas major GDF Suez has announced that it is continuing its expansion in renewable energy through developments in wind power in Latin America. In Chile, construction of the Monte Redondo wind farm, 320 km north of...

US nuclear unit goes off-line after breaking world record.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Constellation Energy's Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant Unit 2 in Lusby, Maryland, USA, has been taken out of service for a scheduled refuelling outage after completing a record-breaking continuous run of 692 days, five hours and 42 minutes. ...

Ontario's green energy bill aims to create 50 000 jobs.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... The Canadian province of Ontatio's Liberal government has said it hopes a new Green Energy Act will create 50 000 new jobs and transform the province's struggling economy. The new bill will make it easier to bring renewable energy projects...

Rio Seco submits file for $750m coal fired plant.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Chilean firm Rio Seco has submitted an Environmental Impact Statement for a $750m coal fired plant, according to documents filed with national environmental regulator Conama. Pending approval, the Central Termoelectrica Pacifico would use...

Bahamas.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Bahamas: Schneider Power has signed an agreement with Emera to jointly pursue renewable energy projects in the Bahamas, via the Bahamas Renewable Energy Corporation. Both companies will collaborate on at least three projects.

Costa Rica.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Costa Rica: Three offers were submitted to Eolico Valle Central to install a 15.3 MW wind farm in Costa Rica. The bidders were Sinohydro, Consorcio Eolico Valle Central JBM and Consorcio Eduinter-TSK. The evaluation of offers will take two to...

Canada.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Canada: The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has completed Phase 1 of a Pre-Project Design Review of Atomic Energy of Canada's Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR-1000). This would be the first ACR-1000 on Canadian soil.

Canada.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Canada: The St. John's Lower Churchill hydro project is estimated to cost C$1 bn ($770m) more than previously expected, but will transmit an additional 300 MW. The construction of two hydroelectric generation stations in central Labrador will...

Mexico.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Mexico: Spain's Union Fenosa has delayed the award of contracts to supply turbines for its two wind projects in Mexico. The two contracts are for the 500 MW first phase of its Rumorosa project and its 200 MW Biioxo wind project.

USA.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... USA: A plan to convert a coal fired power plant in Ashland to burn wood will cost $58.1m, Xcel Energy revealed. If the project is approved, construction would start next year and could be operating by 2012.

USA.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... USA: The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium has begun drilling the injection well for their large-scale [CO.sub.2] injection test in Decatur, Illinois.

USA.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... USA: Pacific Gas and Electric Company have submitted plans for a five-year programme to develop up to 500 MW of clean solar PV power in its northern and central California service area, one of the largest undertakings of its kind in the...

Vattenfall makes [euro]8.5bn bid for Nuon.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Swedish utility Vattenfall has agreed to buy 49 per cent of the shares in Dutch peer Nuon and to buy the remaining stake in the coming six years, the two firm said in a joint statement. "Vattenfall has made an all cash offer of [euro]8.5bn...

Italy's Enel acquires full control of Spanish electrical utility Endesa.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Italian utility giant Enel has reached a deal to purchase 25 per cent of Endesa--Spain 's leading electricity company--from construction group Acciona, bringing its total stake to 92 per cent. Enel will pay [euro]11.1 bn ($14.2bn) for Acciona's...

Structure of "new RWE" finalized.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... German utility RWE AG has announced that its supply and distribution business is being fundamentally restructured and streamlined along national lines, as a response to burgeoning competition in the European energy market. In Germany, its...

Kyocera to build new solar panel plant in China.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Japan's Kyocera is to build a new plant for solar modules in Tianjin, China, as part of its plan to more than double annual output of solar cells to 650 MW in fiscal year 2011 from fiscal 2008. Upon completion, the plant will quadruple...

Caribbean carve-up.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Caribbean carve-up: Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) has purchased a 50 per cent equity stake in the existing Caribbean portfolio of Marubeni Corporation (Marubeni), Japan's largest trading company.

Consultancy combination.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Consultancy combination: Redpoint Energy, the specialist energy consultancy, has formalized an agreement to collaborate with investment experts Trilemma UK.

Czech sell-off.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Czech sell-off: NRG Energy has entered into an agreement to sell its 50 per cent ownership interest in Mibrag B.V. to a consortium of Severoceske doly Chomutov, Czech Republic's largest brown coal miner and member of the CEZ Group, and J&T...

Mitsubishi makes it.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Mitsubishi makes it: Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), has received formal notification that it has successfully qualified for membership in the Nuclear Energy Institute...

Polish purchase.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Polish purchase: EDF International, controlled by power giant EDF, and German electricity company EnBW is to acquire Polish energy generator Kogeneracja and take joint control of Polish power firm ERSA.

State sell-off.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... State sell-off: Polish businessman Zygmunt Solorz-Zak has allowed the Polish state to sell its stake in the power generating group ZE PAK, in which the businessman controls 46 per cent via his company Elektrim, to an investor chosen by the...

Tratos takeover.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Tratos takeover: Tratos Ltd., the UK distribution sabsidiary of Electrical Cable Manufacturer Tratos Cavi of Italy, has completed its acquisition of North West Cables and its subsidiary Modular Wiring Systems.

Turbine trade.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Turbine trade: RWE Innogy has agreed a [euro]2bn ($2.5bn) framework deal to buy 250 offshore wind turbines from Germany-based manufacturer REpower.

Turkish takeovers.(WORLD NEWS)
March 1, 2009... Turkish takeovers: Czech electricity company CEZ and Turkish energy and chemicals firm Akkok has acquired joint control of Turkish electricity company Akenerji Elektrik Uretim. Subsequently, CEZ and Akkok has acquired joint control of Turkish...

UHVDC unlocks the potential of hydropower: new ultra high voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission technology is helping power generation companies unlock the tremendous potential of hydropower by enabling the creation of power 'superhighways' that can deliver vast amounts of electricity over very long distances.(Hydropower & UHVDC Transmission)
March 1, 2009... Harnessing the energy provided by renewable sources, such as the natural forces of water flow, is one of the great hopes for meeting the world's future power needs, especially in China and India, where reducing dependence on fossil fuels and...

Dynamic balancing of the grid.(Grid Balancing)
March 1, 2009... Industrial and commercial energy users are facing a 'double whammy--a general economic slowdown on one hand and record energy costs on the other. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The price of oil has hit highs never seen before, in real terms,...

Achieving flexible baseload down under: two gas fired combined-cycle power plants recently entered operation in Australia. The NewGen Kwinana and Tallawarra power stations are said to be amongst the most efficient in the country and have the added benefit of offering their operators the flexibility they need in a deregulated electricity market.(Combined-Cycle Power Plants)
March 1, 2009... A combination of deregulation and the increasing need for new baseload and peaking capacity has prompted the recent startup of two new combined-cycle plants in Australia. The NewGen Kwinana and Tallawara power plants are two projects, which...

A forced outage: emergency repair of an overheated generator: how do two companies, 12 hours apart, pull together to repair an overheated generator in the most effective and time-efficient way? This feature describes a particular emergency response to a forced outage, and describes step-by-step how the repairs were carried out.(Forced Outage Response)
March 1, 2009... What would you do if your generator had just suffered a forced outage due to an overheating incident so severe that molten solder from the stator winding connections flowed out of the machine? This was the question and challenge facing...

Long distance link brings power to Delhi: India's transmission network, like its generation sector, has suffered from chronic underinvestment. Things are now changing however, with the government's ambitious plans at a regional, as well as national level. One such inter-regional connection is the Ballia-Bhiwadi 2500 MW HVDC project, which is due to begin transmitting this year.(Inter-regional Transmission)
March 1, 2009... India's desire for electricity continues to skyrocket, but capacity increases are not keeping pace. According to the Ministry of Power's latest figures, in the period 2007-2008 peak demand was 109 GW while peak generation was only 91 GW,...

Nuclear power: phasing out the phase-out? With the German parliamentary elections taking place on 27 September this year, Paul Breeze examines the political options for the prospective candidates concerning the country's nuclear phase-out policy. Grand Coalition or no Grand Coalition, the issue looks set to remain a political hot potato.(Nuclear Phase-Out)
March 1, 2009... When the government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder finalized a political deal in June 2000 to phase out nuclear power in Germany the actual closure of most of the country's nuclear capacity was still a long way off. The deal was the result of...

Algae: putting carbon dioxide in a bind: German utility RWE Power has initiated a cutting edge project that is investigating the use of marine microalgae to capture carbon dioxide ([CO.sub.2]) produced during lignite combustion.(Carbon Capture)
March 1, 2009... Dark green is the colour of the turbid liquid in the V-shaped plastic hoses. Two rows of these transparent containers--so-called photobioreactors--form a futuristic espalier in a greenhouse. As extraordinary as the setting is the idea behind...

Germany making great strides in wind energy.(Wind Power)
March 1, 2009... Germany is the world's number one exporter in the wind energy sector, with an export ratio of 80 per cent. Additionally it is the number two producer of wind energy, with nearly 24 000 MW of installed capacity in 2008. Germany was number one...

Newton Derby takes off with Royal Air Force genset order.(Genset Roundup)
March 1, 2009... Leeds, UK-based specialist generator manufacturer Newton Derby has been awarded a [pounds sterling]1.15m ($1.67m) contract to supply two new generators to the Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Coningsby, Lincolnshire. The new generators will...

Wartsila increases offering of engineering services in Italy by opening new workshop in Taranto.(Genset Roundup)
March 1, 2009... Wartsila has increased its range of engineering services available in Italy with the opening of a brand new workshop in Taranto, an important commercial and military hub in the Puglia region of Southern Italy. Relocation to the new, much...

Edipower selects GE ecomagination technology to comply with new emissions requirements.(Equipment Roundup)
March 1, 2009... Edipower, a leading Italian generation company, has selected GE Energy's ecomagination-certified gas turbine emissions control technology to meet regional greenhouse gas emissions standards at the company's Sermide facility. Edipower will...

Latest self-lubricating carbon graphite materials make debut.(Equipment Roundup)
March 1, 2009... Metallized Carbon Corporation, a global leader in the manufacture of oil-free, self-lubricating carbon-graphite materials, offers its Metcar grades M-106 and M-400 resin impregnated carbon-graphite materials for mechanical parts that run...