Power Engineering International articles from May 2005

Power Engineering International archives from May 2005

A new, clear day.(Up Front)
May 1, 2005... These days it seems I cannot travel far without having a discussion about nuclear. At a recent meeting to develop this year's conference programme for Power-Gen Asia, our organising committee posed the question: "With high oil prices and high...

Corporate America leaves Bush behind on carbon question: the US government is becoming isolated, even from major US corporations, in its resistance to the low-carbon agenda, says Janet Wood.(Analysis)(George W. Bush)
May 1, 2005... "US public policy should encourage a transition to a lower-carbon-intensive economy through a broad-based approach, such as a carbon tax or other mechanism which addresses all sectors of the economy." That quote comes not from an...

Utilities warn on regulation.(international)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Regulatory uncertainty holds back the investment needed to secure power supplies, according to a new survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The Global Utilities Survey, Under Pressure, is the seventh annual survey carried out by PwC. ...

Uzbekistan to sell power plant stakes.(international)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Uzbek government hopes to raise $150 million by selling stakes in four power stations, but analysts say the age of the assets and the poor quality of the country's electricity market may make it difficult to make the sale. The four...

Nigeria unveils infrastructure investment programme.(international)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Nigeria's federal government is to spend $1.8 billion on its energy infrastructure over the next three years. The plan would see construction of seven new gas fired power stations, along with gas transfer facilities and transmission and...

Mosenergo may be sold this year.(international)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Unified Energy Systems (UES) is planning to sell off its prize asset, Mosenergo, later this year, according to local reports. Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said that the six wholesale generation companies would not be sold...

Afghanistan networks get power boost.(international)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Asian development Bank has approved a $50 million loan to help provide power in Afghanistan. The money will be used to construct an electricity transmission network as well helping bring power to 1.2 million people in rural areas. The...

Hungary.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Hungary: E.On Hungaria has signed an agreement with the Mohacs area local authority on a site for a new power station. The power company aims to begin construction on the gas or coal fuelled plant during 2007 and to start it up in 2009.

Kazakhstan.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Kazakhstan: A China-Kazakhstan subcommittee on energy co-operation has met for the first time. Kazakhstan aims to produce 150m tonnes of oil and gas per year by the end of the decade, but said the project required new investment.

Kazakhstan.(News digest)(Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Co.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Kazakhstan: An EBRD loan is being sought by the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Co so it can build a 500kV transmission line linking the north and south of the country. The line will link Ekibastuzskaya and Yukgres.

Romania.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Romania: E.On and the Romanian government have concluded a privatization agreement under which E.On will acquire a majority stake in regional utility Electrica Moldova. Based in northeastern Romania, the utility serves 11 per cent of the...

Russia.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Russia: Unified Energy Systems is to set up an energy joint venture company with metals group Norilsk Nickel. The group will lease the assets of the local utility, Taimyrenergo, for ten years.

Sudan.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Sudan: Work has started on a $400m 1776 km transmission line that will bring power from a new dam across Sudan. The transmission line is being built by China's Harbin Power Station Co and it is due for completion in 2007.

UAE.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... UAE: The United Arab Emirates needs to almost double its current production of electricity by 2010 and will increase its generating capacity from 12 800 MW to 18 800 MW, according to local reports.

UAE.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... UAE: Potential investor companies aiming to take a stake in the Union Water & Electricity Company will be pre-qualified before the end of this year. The company is due to be sold to a single bidder, while shares in the Independent Water & Power...

Uganda.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Uganda: A new 50 MW power plant at Lugogo will help meet peak demand and reduced load shedding, according to Uganda's Electricity Transmission Co. The $30m plant from Aggreko was due to start up in late April,

Zambia.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Zambia: Three new hydro projects are due to include private company participation, according to Energy Secretary Geoffrey Mukala. The first will be a $600m project on the Lunsemfwa and Luangwa rivers. Two private firms are investigating more...

UK and Norway agree deal on gas supply.(europe)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The British and Norwegian governments have signed a framework treaty that paves the way for co-operation on North Sea projects between the two states and aims to facilitate the import of gas to the UK. The treaty follows two years of...

Spanish wind ahead.(europe)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... A report from Emerging Energy Research predicts that Spain will nudge ahead of Germany as the largest developer of wind power capacity in 2005. Spain added 1931 MW of wind power in 2004 compared to Germany's 2042 MW, but the saturated German...

Greens oppose wind farm.(europe)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Environmental group Greenpeace has lodged an objection to a 234 turbine wind farm development around Stornoway on the island of Lewis, Scotland--its first ever objection to an onshore wind project in the UK. The group strongly backs renewable...

AMEC in deep water over wind.(europe)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Project management and services company AMEC has been awarded a contract to design and manage delivery of the worlds first deep water wind energy turbines to be located in the Moray Firth off northeastern Scotland. The demonstration project...

Brussels broadband support.(europe)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The European Commission (EC) has recommended to member states that they remove any 'unjustified' regulatory obstacles, in particular from utility companies, on the deployment of broadband power line communication systems, in an attempt to make...

Germany's Kyoto costs calculated.(europe)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... German electricity wholesalers and major users of electricity have called for tighter controls on the financial burdens of supporting renewable energy sources. They have criticised the level of subsidies available for wind power and biomass and...

France.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... France: Electricity distributor Electricite de Strasbourg, a subsidiary of Electricite de France, is to invest [euro]100m ($131m) in existing power generation projects ahead of energy market opening. The market opening is scheduled for 2007.

France.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... France: Electricite de France is to undertake its largest hydro power project for 20 years at Gavat (Isere) on the Romanche, scheduled for commissioning in 2013. The underground power station will have two turbines with total output of 46 MW.

France.(News digest)(Greenpeace)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... France: A French court has upheld a complaint initiated by Greenpeace against French nuclear fuels reprocessing group Cogema, saying it does not have the appropriate administrative authorizations to be able to treat nuclear fuel materials...

Germany.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Germany: Novera Energy has secured exclusive rights to acquire a 56 MW portfolio of wind farms in Germany which are either installed or under construction. Ongoing technical and management services would be provided by Germania Windpark and GE...

Germany.(News digest)(Sandbank)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Germany: Areva T & D has been awarded a contract by German wind farm developer Sandbank 24 to study grid connection options for the 360-400 MW Sandbank 24 offshore wind farm - so far the world's largest offshore wind development.

Ireland.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Ireland: Aggreko has secured a two-year agreement with the Irish Electricity Supply Board (ESB) to supply generators nationwide for maintenance, repair and upgrading of the national network.

Ireland.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Ireland: A government spokesman has confirmed that the wind energy sector would be paid a guaranteed price for its electricity output, despite reservations expressed by the energy regulator. The sector is to see a change from a competitive...

Italy.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Italy: Milan-based Nuvera Fuel Cells has launched a commercial offering of its 5 kW PowerFlow hydrogen fuel cell module at the Hanover Fair aimed at OEMs, for use in stationary or mobile applications.

Spain.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Spain: Fiberblade, a unit of Gamesa Eolica, has agreed a $75m deal for the supply of carbon fibre and related materials from Zoltek Cos Inc for use in the construction of large-scale rotor blades for wind turbines.

Sweden.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Sweden: Alstom has won a contract worth around [euro]190m ($248m) to provide replacement steam turbine and generator equipment for the Ringhals nuclear power station. The contract is part of a project to increase the power output of the...

Indian power and fuel companies diversify.(asia-pacific)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Two Indian coal companies have decided to enter the power generation business. Coal India Ltd is to act jointly with Nyveli Lignite Corp to provide power as well as fuel. The companies' first project will be a 2000MW thermal plant to be...

Philippines meets energy crunch with cuts and power saving.(asia-pacific)(Philippines Department of Energy)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Philippines Department of Energy plans to add time-of-use pricing to a cut down working week to try to conserve energy and avert power cuts during the summer months. The Philippines has been put under pressure by rising oil prices and...

EGAT looks to overseas deals.(asia-pacific)(Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand will be transformed into the country's overseas energy investment arm shortly after it is privatized, according to a company spokesman. He said the privatization would allow the utility to...

October deadline for Philippines bids.(asia-pacific)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Following several delays, the Philippines government has set October as a new working target for privatization of the National Transmission Corporation. Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the country was committed to "bid out the Transco...

Talks back on over Dabhol.(asia-pacific)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Indian financial institutions with a stake of up to Rs50 bn ($1.16bn) in Dabhol Power Company are in talks with GE and Bechtel to take over their 85 per cent equity in the project. The talks follow the Indian government's approval of a...

Bangladesh.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Bangladesh: India's Tata Group is completing a pre-feasibility study on plans to invest $2bn in Bangladesh. The investment would include a steel mill and fertilizer factory as well as a 100MW power plant, which is likely to be coal-fired and...

China.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... China: Foreign companies are likely to be able to take a stake in Chinese power projects in the next two years, according to local press speculation. Chinese regulations had limited overseas stakes, but the investment will be required to...

China.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... China: A 1000MW wind farm is to be built in Shangyi County, Hebei Province, according to local reports. The project will be built in stages to 2020 at a cost of yuan 9bn ($1.1bn).

India.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... India: Taking advantage of under-utilized capacity, including that at captive power plants, could add up to 5000 MW to the Indian grid, according to power secretary R V Shahi. A refurbishment programme over the next six months aims to bring...

India.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... India: Areva has made a [euro]14.5m offer to buy Alstom's Indian T&D business. The offer closes on 18 June.

India.(News digest)(CIPCO Power, GMR, Spectrum power generation contracts)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... India: The Maharashtra government has signed an MoU with eight companies to invest in 12500 MW of new generation in the next five years. They are Reliance industries, Tata Power, Essar Power, CIPCO Power, GMR, Ispat and Spectrum.

Pakistan.(News digest)(nuclear power station)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Pakistan: China and Pakistan have jointly launched a project to build Pakistan's third nuclear power station. The 325MW PWR, due for completion in 2011 at a cost of Rs51bn ($870m) will be largely supplied by China and will be sited at Chasma,...

Sri Lanka.(News digest)(Ceylon Electricity Board )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Sri Lanka: The Ceylon Electricity Board is to restructure debt and build new coal-fired stations to recover a Rs86bn ($860m) deficit. The electricity company has been losing Rs40m daily since switching to thermal generation because of low hydro...

Sri Lanka.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Sri Lanka: Chinese and Indian companies are competing to build a 300MW power plant in Sri Lanka. A bid from India's National Thermal Power Corporation was well received but China was said to have offered a lower bid.

Thailand.(News digest)(GE Energy )
May 1, 2005... Thailand: Hydro is the highest-potential renewable fuel in Thailand for this year, according to GE Energy CEO John Rice. He said wind would be second, and the company planned to launch low-speed wind turbines for the region in the next 12-18...

Ontario signs for gas fired station.(americas)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Canadian partnership equally owned by Japanese firm Mitsui and the American company Calpine will construct a 1005 MW gas fired power plant in Ontario, after it was awarded a 20 year power supply contract by the Ontario Power Authority. ...

Investors call for greenhouse disclosure.(americas)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Leading US institutional investors have called on the electric power industry to issue reports within a year on how future greenhouse gas limits will affect them financially. The investors also called on the top bond rating agencies and...

Calls to update Northwest.(americas)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Various US regional electric utilities and the Bonneville Power Administration are to explore ways to improve the planning, oversight and operation of the Northwest's electricity transmission system. The four areas on the agenda are: the...

Solar so good for wastewater plant.(americas)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... A solar energy system is to be installed at a wastewater treatment plant near Atlantic City after the county's utility authority awarded a $3.25m contract to WorldWater & Power and its Joint Venture partner, Conti. The system will use...

Hydro-Quebec and Ontario bid for Churchill River.(americas)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Hydro-Quebec has joined forces with Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation in an attempt to beat off the competition to develop the hydro-electricity potential of the Lower Churchill River in Canada. The $9bn proposal would see 2824 MW...

T&D upgrade to tempt Brazilian power investors.(americas)(transmission and distribution )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Brazil's transmission and distribution networks will receive heavy investment this year after several domestic power companies announced their spending plans. Celg, controlled by the state government of Goias, has pledged to invest...

Bolivia.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Bolivia: Developments to tap into the country's potential to export around 5000 MW of hydro and thermoelectric power through domestic and international connections will not be made in the short term.

Brazil.(News digest)(contract between Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A. and Korea Electric Power Corp)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Brazil: Brazil's federal power holding company Eletrobras has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korean utility Korea Electric Power. The two will study joint power investments in Brazil and other South American countries.

Jamaica.(News digest)(Jamaica Energy)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Jamaica: Wartsila will supply a 49.5 MW power barge to Jamaica Energy, following on from the 74 MW power barge it delivered to the company in 1994.

USA.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... USA: Federal legislation will be required to co-ordinate the construction of a 1300 mile high voltage transmission line from the Rockies that is intended to ease California's power supply problem.

USA.(News digest)(renewable energy )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... USA: Sales of renewable energy through green power programmes continued to grow in 2004, reaching 1.9 billion kWh, according to the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

USA.(News digest)(United States Of America)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... USA: In a significant departure from the traditional propeller wind turbines, McKenzie Bay has developed an innovative wind turbine design which it says is safer, quieter and more aesthetically pleasing than its competitors.

USA.(News digest)(United States Of America)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... USA: CMS Energy has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a 20 year renewal of its licence to operate the 789 MW Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan. Its current licence expires in 2011.

USA.(News digest)(United States Of America)(EHN)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... USA: AES and the renewable energy company EHN, have entered into a joint venture to develop more than 350 MW of wind generation projects in New York state over the next few years.

USA.(News digest)(United States Of America)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... USA: The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted approval for CenterPoint Energy to complete the second phase of selling its power generation company, Texas Genco Holdings, to a consortium of private equity investors known as Texas Genco...

USA.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... USA: The consortium that purchased the half built Luna Energy Facility in New Mexico from Duke Energy has contracted Fluor Corporation to complete the 570 MW generation plant by the third quarter of 2006

USA.(News digest)(United States Of America)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... USA: Constellation Energy has agreed to sell its 680 MW Oleander power plant in Cocoa, Florida to subsidiaries of Southern Company, for $206m. The plant will continue to sell power under its existing contracts with Seminole Electric...

Greenhouse gas credits float in first private pool.(companies)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The world's first privately owned mechanism set up to help corporations and governments purchase greenhouse gas emissions credits has launched, joining the field of greenhouse gas emissions trading. At first close, Natsource, the...

EDF recovery breathes life into IPO.(companies)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... A 56 per cent increase in net income returned in EDF's financial results for 2004 has helped reverse the group's fortunes, putting it in better shape for the upcoming privatization process. Meanwhile, an 11 per cent rise in group cash flow,...

Acciona bids for Pacific Hydro.(companies)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... A $546m takeover bid to gain control of Pacific Hydro, the Australian wind and hydro-electricity generator, has been launched by Spain's Acciona. The Spanish firm sees Pacific Hydro as a springboard to boost its generation capacity and...

Enel probed over bourse price fixing.(companies)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Enel is to be investigated by the Italian anti-trust authority in response to allegations that it may have been involved in price fixing on the electricity bourse. The authority's decision to investigate comes after the Authority for...

EDF and Enel thaw on Edison.(companies)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... EDF and Enel are understood to have reached an agreement that will see EDF's voting rights in the Italian electricity company Edison released from the current freeze at two per cent. Enel would obtain a stake in 2600 MW of installed...

BNFL could sell Westinghouse.(companies)(British Nuclear Fuels )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The British government could sell Westinghouse, the nuclear firm owned by British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL), according to the company's chief executive, Steve Tritch. Speaking at the Pittsburgh Technology Council, Tritch said: "There are people...

Capitalists trust wind.(News digest)(Ventus)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Capitalists trust wind: The specialist venture capitalist trust Ventus, established to invest in companies that will develop and operate small on-shore UK wind projects, has raised over [pounds sterling]13m ($25m).

Cash for distribution.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Cash for distribution: Reversing a trend, EDF is to spend over [euro]3bn ($3.9bn) in the next three years to develop its distribution network. The French distribution sector operates in conjunction with the national network organization RTE.

CenterPoint exit.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... CenterPoint exit: The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted approval for CenterPoint Energy to complete the second phase of selling its power generation company, Texas Genco Holdings, to a consortium of private equity investors known as...

Costs down profits up.(News digest)(RTE Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Costs down profits up: The French network company RTE increased its operating profit last year by four per cent to [euro]1.6bn ($2.1bn) on stable sales of some [euro]4bn largely due to a reduction in its costs.

Double EWE.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Double EWE: Germany's fifth largest energy group, EWE, has reported that net profits in 2004 doubled to [euro]180m ($235m) following its acquisition of the Leipzig based Verbundnetz Gas. Sales increased also, from [euro]3.1bn to [euro]6.1bn.

Mega merger mooted.(News digest)(Centrica PLC, Norsk Hydro ASA)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Mega merger mooted: Centrica chief executive, Sir Roy Gardener, is believed to have discussed a deal with his counterpart at Norsk Hydro that would see the two companies merge to create an international energy company. However, with an upcoming...

Partners energized.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Partners energized: International Power and EnergyAustralia will establish a retail power partnership after International Power agreed to pay [pounds sterling]24.4m ($46.3m) for a 50 per cent stake. The 50:50 partnership will sell electricity...

Plus a minus.(News digest)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Plus a minus: Standard and Poor's Ratings Services has lowered its long term corporate credit rating on state owned French gas utility Gaz de France to 'AA-' from 'AA'. An S&P analyst said the drop reflected the long term challenges in GdF's...

Romanian stake.(News digest)(EON Corp)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Romanian stake: Eon has signed an agreement with the Romanian government that could see it win a 24.62 per cent stake in the soon to be privatized regional utility Electrica Moldova. Eon's aim is to control 51 per cent of the company.

Siemens changes up.(News digest)(Flender Holdings GmbH)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Siemens changes up: Siemens has expanded its industrial drive technology by integrating gear system supplier Flender Holding into its Automation and Drives Group at a cost of [euro]1.2bn ($1.5bn).

The Italian job: one year since the introduction of deregulation and competition in Italy's electricity market systemic problems remain. Do politicians hold the key to allowing the market to build on the good progress made?(ELECTRICITY TRADING)
May 1, 2005... The Italian Energy Pool has been in operation for a year now and in that time considerable change and developments have been observed. A case in point is the national blackout that brought almost the entire country grinding to a halt. Since...

Care in the competitive community: customer service is playing an increasingly important role in the energy business. Ansaldo Energia's collaboration with EniPower in Italy is a case in point.(Operation & Maintenance)
May 1, 2005... In recent years, liberalization has dramatically changed the structure of the electricity value chain. The unbundling of different services, once part of vertically integrated monopolies, has further boosted the search for competitiveness...

The carrot and the stick: EU policies on renewable energy and carbon trading are tipping the balance for energy-intensive pulp and paper mills. Now there is a good economic case for switching to high-efficiency biomass boilers to meet their heat and power needs--and reduce waste in the process.(Combined Heat and Power)
May 1, 2005... For energy-intensive industries, decisions on how to meet energy needs quickly affect the bottom line, and at the moment it seems that every new development will increase the pressure. Energy prices are increasing, competition is increasing,...