Power Engineering International articles from November 2008

Power Engineering International archives from November 2008

India's nuclear power sector: from homegrown to global?(UPFRONT)
November 1, 2008... India and the United States have signed a controversial new agreement that is poised to open the Asian giants homegrown nuclear sector to foreign investment and expertize. But will the expected global recession dampen enthusiasm for investing...

All quiet on the western front?(ANALYSIS)
November 1, 2008... The impact of the global economic shakedown is creating new conditions for EPC contractors and could hasten the emergence of China as a major force. Nigel Blackaby assesses the views of power industry professionals in Asia. Recent news...

Power engineering international editorial calendar 2009.(Calendar)
November 1, 2008... January Review/Directory February Renewable Energy Instrumentation & Control Gas Engines Plant Optimization Climate Change & Electricity Distributed Generation March Germany Special Issue ...

Bahrain.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... Bahrain: Ireland's ESB International was the sole bidder for Bahrain's Electricity and Water Authority's tender for a 400 kV transmission network consultancy contract.

Bahrain.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... Bahrain: South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries has won a $1.7bn deal to build a power and desalination plant in Bahrain. The plant will generate 1245 MW of power and produce 213 m litres of water a day.

Kenya.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... Kenya: A power plant will be constructed at Rabai at the cost of Sh 12bn ($ 150m). The diesel powered plant will add 90 MW of capacity to the national grid. The project will be built by an independent power producer by 2009.

Kenya.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... Kenya: The Kenyan government has, for the second time in three months, invited investors interested in setting up nuclear reactors to address the country's current power shortage. However, some experts question whether the country has the...

Saudi Arabia.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... Saudi Arabia: UK based Hayward Tyler Group has been awarded a contract to supply nine boiler circulation pumps for the Shoaiba power plant in Saudi Arabia. The company said the contract is worth "several million dollars".

Saudi Arabia.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia's minister of electricity and water, Abdullah Al Hussain, has said that he expects investment in the country's power sector to reach Dh 195.5bn ($53.3bn) by 2015, as the number of consumers rises from the current 5.2...

Turkey.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... Turkey: Vestas has received an order for the supply and installation of five wind turbines for installation at the Ayyildiz project in Balikesir province. The Ayyildiz plant is expected to save the environment from almost 25 000 tonnes of...

UAE.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... UAE: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp has awarded US-based C[H.sub.2]M a ten-year contract to manage the UAE's planned civilian nuclear power programme. The UAE is considering developing nuclear energy to satisfy rising demand for electricity as...

Uganda.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... Uganda: Norpak Power, a Norwegian power firm that has shown an interest in building the Karuma hydro-power project, has pulled out of the deal after a protracted conflict with the World Bank.

China.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... China: The China Huaneng Group, has announced that it has inked contracts with ten suppliers to equip a nuclear plant in Shandong. The nuclear power plant is designed to adopt high-temperature, gas-cooled technology, with a capacity of 200 MW...

India.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... India: Steel Authority of India Ltd and Larsen & Toubro Ltd are expected to form a joint venture to set up a coal fired power plant using supercritical technology. The joint venture will identify coal blocks and facilitate the setting up of a 2...

India.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... India: Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd has secured a contract for setting up a 412 MW hydroelectric project in Himachal Pradesh. The Rampur HEP is located downstream to the 6 x 250 MW Nathpa Jhakri HEP.

Japan.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... Japan: The Tokyo Electric Power company has agreed with the city of Kawasaki to build two large-scale solar power plants. The plants, south of Tokyo, will be among the largest solar facilities in Japan and will generate about 21m kW per annum.

Laos.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... Laos: Eight banks have signed a $585.5m syndicated loan to finance the Theun-Hinboun hydropower extension project in Laos by the plant operator THPC. The loans will be used to increase the power generating capacity of the Theun-Hinboun dam from...

Pakistan.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... Pakistan: KUB associate company, Progas Pakistan Ltd, has won its bid to construct a 305 MW independent power project in Port Qasim, Karachi, Pakistan.

Philippines.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... Philippines: Alsons Consolidated Resources Inc. (ACR) is studying options on its possible investment in a 200 MW coal fired power plant in Maasim, Sarangani.

Thailand.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... Thailand: Power generator manufacturer Gunkul Engineering plans to invest $28m next year to develop its own wind power plant and produce wind turbine generators to meet the country's growing appetite for renewable energy.

Vietnam.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... Vietnam: Industrial giants are poised to invest $400m into two electricity plants and into the production of diesel from gas in the northern Hung Yen Province. The investment hopes to allow mining companies to access deeper coal reserves and...

Croatia.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... Croatia: The investment needed in Croatia's power sector to increase the country's 4000 MW capacity to the required 7500 MW by the year 2020 has been estimated at [euro]4.5bn ($5.6bn), according to Deputy Prime Minister Damir Polancec.

France.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... France: Westinghouse Electric has won a deal to refurbish generators at nuclear power plants operated by EDF. Under the ten-year, [euro]100m ($124m) deal Westinghouse will renew stator coils at EDF's domestic nuclear plants.

France.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... France: EDF has appointed Irish company OpenHydro Group to build the first underwater tidal turbines in Brittany. The OpenHydro partnership will install four to 10 tidal turbines--total capacity of between 2 MW and 4 MW--to be connected to the...

Ireland.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... Ireland: Padraig McManus, CEO of ESB, expects Ireland will generate some of its electricity form nuclear power within 25 years, saying that renewable sources would be insufficient and an over-reliance on coal unsustainable.

Italy.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... Italy: Eni and Enel have signed a strategic agreement to develop technologies for the capture, transport and geological sequestration of C[O.sub.2] and for the joint construction of a pilot C[O.sub.2] capture and sequestration project in...

Spain.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... Spain: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has received a full-turnkey order for two sets of LNG fired gas turbine combined-cycle power generation systems, some 800 MW in total, from Endesa Generacion. The new systems are slated to go on-stream in...

Spain.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... Spain: Irish power utility ESBI is to build a [euro]500m ($621m), 860MW gas fired power station in Corvera, Asturias. ESBI will be responsible for the construction, operation and ownership of the facility through its subsidiary company,...

UK.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... UK: Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, has seen its proposed 250 MW offshore wind farm project off the Lincolnshire coast receive official consent.

UK.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... UK: The UK has overtaken Denmark as the world's number one for offshore wind farms, with 597 MW constructed, following the completion of Centrica's Lynn and Inner Dowsing wind farms near Skegness.

Argentina.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... Argentina:Argentina's Neuquen province has received five letters of interest for the construction of the 480 MW Chihuido I hydro project. The winner of the building contract will also be given a concession to operate the plant for 15-20 years....

Canada.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... Canada: Jacob Engineering Group has announced that it has received a contract from EPCOR to provide engineering services for the proposed Genesee integrated gasification combined-cycle project near Edmonton.

Canada.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... Canada: Areva's transmission and distribution division has been awarded a [Euro] l9m ($24m) contract by Hydro Networks to supply and install a static VAR compensator, which will be the largest in Ontario.

Chile.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... Chile: Construction has resumed on the Bocamina II coal burning power plant in Coronel. Coronel officials shut down construction in September on environmental grounds, but a local court has now allowed the project to proceed.

Honduras.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... Honduras: The Honduran government and Mesoamerica Energy have signed a $260m agreement for the construction of a 100 MW wind energy farm.

Panama.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... Panama: Kardan is building a $150m hydroelectric plant on the Chiriqui River. Hydro Caisan has signed a ten-year power purchase agreement for the plant.

Puerto Rico.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... Puerto Rico: The Puerto Rican government has announced a $165m investment in 20 wind turbines. The turbines will reduce the country's reliance on oil to produce electricity by 20 per cent by 2015.

USA.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... USA: The US wind energy industry installed 1389 MW of generating capacity in the third quarter of 2008, bringing to 4204 MW the amount of new capacity added this year.

USA.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... USA: Areva, the French nuclear engineering firm, and Northrop Grumman Corp will build a $360m plant to make large reactor parts in Virginia. The companies expect US nuclear power plant construction to expand significantly.

USA.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... USA: Amec, the international engineering and project management company, has won a contract to provide essential emissions enhancements, including flue-gas desulphurization units, for the Chesterfield Power Station in Virginia.

Crossing the Irish sea.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... Crossing the Irish Sea: Irish power company Vayu is reported to be looking to enter the UK electricity market early next year. The company will initially concentrate on the commercial and industrial sectors, which consists of heavy consumers of...

Double the fun.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... Double the fun: General Physics Corporation has been awarded a second competitively bid contract by Romania's Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica to provide performance engineering services for the Cernavoda Nuclear power plant.

Enjoying the sunshine.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... Enjoying the sunshine: Trans-India Acquisition Corporation has entered into an agreement to acquire approximately 80 per cent of privately held Solar Semiconductor Limited, which designs, manufactures and sells solar photovoltaic modules.

Generating revenue.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... Generating revenue: Voith Siemens Hydro Power Generation, a JV between Voith AG and Siemens AG that serves the hydroelectric power sector, has officially begun operations at its new generator workshop, located at its existing site in Shanghai,...

Heading to capital hill.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... Heading to Capital Hill: Alstom has opened a new office in Washington, DC, USA--extending the company's network in North America. According to Alstom, the strong and growing demand for clean, alternative power generation solutions in North...

Low carbon deal.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... Low carbon deal: Centrica plc, through its British Gas New Energy division, has announced the acquisition of the low carbon solutions company, Semplice Energy Limited, for a total cash consideration of [pounds sterling]1.5m ($2.4m).

Sharing the knowledge.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... Sharing the knowledge: AMSC has licensed two of its proprietary wind turbine designs to South Korea-based Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). HHI plans to commence production of the 1.65 MW doubly fed induction wind turbines by the end of 2009.

Taking control.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... Taking control: Invensys Process Systems has signed a contract with John Brown Engineering Gas Turbines Limited to supply Tricon control systems for three gas turbine units that John Brown is currently overhauling.

Transforming diagnostics.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... Transforming diagnostics: Megger Group has acquired Pax Diagnostics of Sweden. The company's transformer testing and insulation diagnostics products will be a strong addition to its range of test instruments for the power industry.

Gulf states close in on regional power grid deal.(INTERNATIONAL)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Gulf Arab states are expected to sign an agreement on the development of a regional electricity grid and a power trading system. Yousef Janahi, chairman of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) interconnection authority said that electricity...

Alstom seals deal for Seversk nuclear plant turbine packages.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... Alstom Atomenergomash has contracted with Atomenergoproekt to engineer the turbine generator package and turbine hall equipment for the Seversk nuclear power plant, due to be built in the Tomsk region of Siberia. Atomenergoproekt is part of...

Qatar considers nuclear option.(INTERNATIONAL)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Qatar is considering adding up to 5400 MW of nuclear capacity to its energy generating system between 2011 and 2036, according to a recent Moody's report. Qatar plans to more than double its present installed generating capacity to cope...

Russian grid firms seek state investment aid.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... Russia's power grid companies want to increase their investment levels by 18 per cent to 909.4bn roubles ($34.50bn), but are apealing for state help. One of the largest companies, MOESK, would like to switch to a new pricing scheme that...

Gulf states may need $35bn for power projects.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... Gulf Arab countries face an acute challenge in meeting rising demand for electricity as they press ahead with an unprecedented construction spree. Encouraged by high oil revenues, governments in the region have launched massive infrastructure...

Middle East's largest solar panel plant unveiled.(INTERNATIONAL)
November 1, 2008... The largest solar photovoltaic manufacturing plant in the Middle East will be set up in Dubai's Technopark, under plans unveiled recently by Dubai World chairman Sultan bin Sulayem. Plant construction will begin in November, and production...

ASEAN region's power sector set to suffer from delays.(ASIA-PACIFIC)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Southeast Asia is likely to face significant power shortages as the global economic crisis makes financing of projects more problematic and prone to delays, according to a market analyst. Mark Hutchinson, senior director of Cambridge Energy...

Flue gas desulphurization systems set to be big business in China.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... Over the next 12 years owners of coal fired power plants will spend $200bn dollars adding flue gas desulphurization (FGD) systems to existing and new combustion units, forecasts the McIlvaine Company. More than 800 GW of coal fired boilers...

Two new geothermal power plants ease Indonesia's shortage.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... Two geothermal power plants with a total capacity of 132 MW could be in operation soon to help ease Indonesia's power supply shortage. Sugiharto Harsoprayitno, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's director of geothermal utilization,...

More companies to launch hydropower in Myanmar.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... More regional companies will launch a hydropower project in Myanmar's southern Tanintharyi Division, according to local press. Under a memorandum of understanding between the Myanmar Ministry of Electric Power-1, the Italian-Thai...

Japan to require firms to use more non-fossil fuels.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... Japan plans to require electric, gas and petroleum companies to use certain amounts of non-fossil fuel power such as solar, hydraulic and nuclear. The goal is to raise the proportion on non-fossil fuels Japan uses to 30 per cent in fiscal...

GE sees growth opportunities in Malaysia.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
November 1, 2008... GE Energy has said it sees continued growth and opportunities in Malaysia's power sector, reported the New Straits Times. The US company said that, although Malaysia has a comfortable power reserve margin between generating capacity and...

MEPs vote yes on compulsory CCS for coal plants.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... MEPs have voted to make carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology compulsory on all coal fired power plants built from 2015. In a draft directive report passed in October, the European Parliament's environment committee proposed to make...

UK's Drax poised to invest [pound sterling]2bn in biomass units in Siemens partnership.(EUROPE)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Drax, owner of western Europe's largest coal fired power station, has unveiled a [pound sterling]2bn ($3.1bn) renewable energy investment plan in an effort to diversify its business and according to a company statement. Drax said it...

UK commits to 80 per cent emissions cuts by 2050.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... The UK has committed itself to the most ambitious greenhouse gas emissions cuts in the world after Energy and Climate Change Minister Ed Miliband said London is raising its target from a 60 per cent cut to 80 per cent by the year 2050. Mr...

Commissioning of Olkiluoto-3 may be postponed until 2012.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... Finnish electricity utility Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) has announced that commissioning of the Olkiluoto-3 European pressurized water reactor may be postponed until 2012 due to construction delays. Confronted with these delays, the...

Enel plans massive investment in nuclear power.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... The CEO of Italian energy group Enel, Fulvio Conti, has stated that the company plans to spend between [pound sterling]16bn ($23.06bn) and [pound sterling]20bn on building four to five nuclear power plants similar to the facility the firm is...

Abu Dhabi's Masdar takes stake in London wind project.(EUROPE)
November 1, 2008... Abu Dhabi's Masdar has bought into German firm E.ON's stake in the massive London Array offshore wind farm project. Masdar will take a 20 per cent stake in the project, with E.ON retaining a 30 per cent share. An official with the Abu...

US solar in cost parity with coal and gas by 2016.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... US solar power producers have predicted that withineight years they will no longer need federal subsidies to help them compete in the power market, according to the industry. By then solar power is expected to cost less than electricity...

Areva US nuclear project moves one step closer to construction stage.(AMERICAS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... UniStar Nuclear Energy has awarded an Areva-Bechtel Power Corporation consortium a contract to complete the detailed design engineering for an Areva US Evolutionary Power Reactor (US EPR) in Maryland, US. The design work will include full...

Air permit awarded for high-efficiency, low-NOx Texas plant.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has granted Panda Energy International's planned 1 GW combined-cycle power plant in Temple. Texas an air permit. The highly efficient natural gas fired generating station will supply the power...

Greenfield energy centre begins commercial operation.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... Calpine Corporation and Mitsui & Co have announced the completion of the Greenfield Energy Centre, in Ontario Canada, and the start of commercial operations. Calpine chief executive officer Jack Fusco, said: "We appreciate the opportunity...

US geothermal scheme wins viability study grant.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... US Geothermal's Raft River site in Idaho has been chosen by the US Department of Energy to demonstrate the viability of enhanced geothermal systems (EGSs). The department will provide a grant of $ 6m to help fund the $ 9 m project. ...

Brazilian bank to finance energy transmission project.(AMERICAS)
November 1, 2008... Brazil's development bank, BNDES, has announced the approval of a $ 180m loan for Sao Paulo-based energy distribution company CTEEP to build a new transmission system. CTEEP, the major energy supplier for Sao, Paulo, Brazil's most...

Europe's TSOs may face probe into grid-congestion.(COMPANIES)(transmission system operators)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
November 1, 2008... The European Commission (EC) may launch a probe into allegations that power transmission system operators (TSOs) in the European Union are pushing congestion to the borders of their grid systems, according to Platts. Speaking at...

EDF takes Constellation Energy bid off the table.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... EDF is citing the current unfavourable market conditions as the reason behind it abandoning plans to make a further bid for Constellation Energy. The French power giant said, the current conditions in the credit market were not conducive...

Renewables insurer enhances offering.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... RSA, a major insurer of renewable energy projects worldwide, has enhanced its global renewable energy division by the launch of three 'Centres of Excellence', which are to be located in Denmark, Canada and the United Kingdom. The three...

Exelon makes uninvited bid for NRG Energy.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... Exelon Corporation, the USA's largest nuclear power operator, has made an unsolicited $6.2 bn all-stock bid for NRG Energy Inc., the second largest electricity generator in Texas. An Exelon-NRG combination would result in a total enterprise...

CEZ acquires Albanian power distributor.(COMPANIES)(Operatori i Sistemit te Shperndarjes)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... CEZ Group's bid for a majority stake in the Albanian distribution company Operatori i Sistemit te Shperndarjes (OSHH sh.a.) has been accepted by the Albanian Ministry of Power Engineering. Once the Albanian government has confirmed the...

All change for Deutz Power Systems.(COMPANIES)
November 1, 2008... Deutz Power Systems GmbH, a global supplier of plants for decentralized power generation, has adopted a new name. From 1 October, the company became known as MWM, which stands for the former Motoren-Werke Mannheim name. According to Axel...

Recession casts a shadow over carbon trading: the global financial crisis and inevitable fall in industrial output are bad news for the carbon and CDM markets. But just how bad will it get for the traders in these complex-some would say arcane-disciplines, asks Chris Webb?(CARBON TRADING)
November 1, 2008... The very concept of a market to trade carbon seemed ludicrous to some only a decade ago. All that changed, however, after the Kyoto Protocol claimed its place in history and assumed a cherished position in the lexicon of environmental science....

Laser fusion: sparking the debate on future energy: lost month marked the official launch of the High Power laser Energy Research or HiPER project. HiPER is a proposed international laser facility that aims to demonstrate the feasibility of laser fusion as a future source of clean power. PEi talks to Professor Mike Dunne, director of the Central Laser Facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK, and the HiPER project leader.(Q&A)(Interview)
November 1, 2008... PEi: Can you describe what HiPER is and how it is being funded? Mike Dunne (MD): HiPER is a very large-scale laser facility that is aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of laser fusion as a future energy source. The project is a...

Emissions impossible: tough emissions regulations are being rolled out around the world, leaving power plant operators struggling to find technologies that will help them cope in the new regulatory environment. One American company, however, believes it has the answer.(Gas Turbine Combustion System)
November 1, 2008... Increasingly restrictive government regulations on emissions from gas turbines are driving key technology decisions across the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In Texas in the US, for example, regulations are forcing permit holders in...

Nuclear power's great expectation: in its latest projection study to 2030, the international Atomic Energy Agency has once again increased its projections for global nuclear power capacity, although to maintain its share of total electricity generation, nuclear expansion needs to be more rapid.(Nuclear Power Generation)
November 1, 2008... In its recently published 2008 report, 'Energy, Electricity and Nuclear Power Estimates for the Period to 2030', the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has once again revised its projections for global nuclear power capacity upwards. ...

Model behaviour: finite element analysis has all the answers Finite element analysis provides engineers with a powerful set of tools that take the guesswork out of producing optimally designed engineering products. Nowhere is this statement more relevant than to the power engineering sector.(Power Equipment Modelling)
November 1, 2008... Power generating equipment and structures cover an extremely wide range of engineering products--gas and steam turbine blades, nuclear plant piping, wind turbine blades, wave energy converters--all of which need to be designed for both...