Power Engineering International articles from October 2008

Power Engineering International archives from October 2008

Credit crunch: a challenge or an opportunity?(UP FRONT)
October 1, 2008... We are a year into what is widely recognized to be a global economic downturn, with some countries such as the United States now experiencing a full-blown recession. At the time of going to press, the world's stock markets were reeling from the...

Offshore wind: key to Europe's energy future.(European Union. European Parliament)
October 1, 2008... The recent backing for legislation by the European Parliament may result in a large boost in investment in renewables, such as offshore wind. Europe's potential is huge and renewables could play a key role in securing energy supply and meeting...

Ghana.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Ghana: A $350m rural electrification project in Ghana has been awarded to a Weldy-Lamont based in Illinois, USA. The company will procure equipment and services from US suppliers as part of a loan arrangement.

Iran.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Iran: Iran is developing new ventures for dams and power plants in ten countries, reports the BBC. Exemplifying plans are the Sangtudeh dam and its 200 MW power plant in Tajikistan, and a new power plant in Sri Lanka.

Iran.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Iran: The country's first solar power station is up and running on a dairy farm in the Negev desert. This follows a recent announcement of state incentives to allow home and industrial customers to install solar power panels.

Liberia.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Liberia: Monrovia says that it might turn over operation of the Mount Coffee Hydro plant to a private US-based group. It may cost the government approximately $300m to rehabilitate the plant, money which the government would struggle to raise.

Nigeria.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Nigeria: Abuja has set an ambitious target of moving 20 per cent of the country to off-grid renewable energy sources by 2012. Renewable energy currently contributes less than one per cent of the country's energy mix profile.

Turkey.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Turkey: Turkey is to build a natural gas power plant in Turkmenistan, and is planning to take part in oil and natural gas exploration works in the Caspian region of the country, according to the Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler.

UAE.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... UAE: Siemens Energy is delivering four turnkey high voltage substations for the planned 'Dubailand' theme park in the United Arab Emirates, continuing Siemens Energy's steady growth in the Gulf region over the past few years.

UAE.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... UAE: Dubai Electricity & Water Authority has received bids from three groups for the $1.5bn contract to build the Hassyan seawater intake and outfall system for the Hassyan power and desalination complex, reports MEED.

Uganda.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Uganda: Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited has been granted a license to clear a route through the Central Forest Reserves of Mabira, Kifu and Namyoya to establish a power supply line to the Bujagali hydropower site.

Belgium.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... Belgium:GDF Suez and Electrabel have filed two requests to construct offshore wind farms in the North Sea off Belgium: Blue4Power I and Blue4Power II. If the requests are accepted, the first wind turbines will be operational in 2012.

Bulgaria.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... Bulgaria:The construction of the country's new nuclear power station, Belene, will start in March 2009 and the first unit is expected to be operational from March 2013. The construction of the second unit will be carried out between March 2010...

Estonia.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... Estonia:Grid operator Pohivork of the state-owned Eesti Energia power utility, expects electricity trading in the Baltics to start on 1 July 2009.

France.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... France:Areva said it will invest [euro]20m ($29.2m) to improve health and environmental monitoring at the Tricastin reactor complex that has been the site of a series of recent safety incidents.

France.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... France: From February 2009, a joint coordination centre created by RTE and Elia, the national electricity operators of France and Belgium will develop grid forecasts and support real-time monitoring of electricity flows on the grids of the...

Germany.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... Germany: RWE has laid the foundation stone of the [euro] 2bn ($2.85bn), 1600 MW twin-unit hard coal power station at Hamm, North Rhine-Westphalia. The plant will go on-stream by mid-2011 or early 2012.

Romania.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... Romania: Areva and Electromontaj Bucharest signed a [euro] 33.5m ($47.8m) deal with state-owned power grid company Transelectrica, to modernize a power station located near Lacu Sarat.

UK.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... UK: Westinghouse has signed agreements with BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and Doosan Babcock to collaborate on building AP 1000 nuclear power plants.

UK.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... UK: German energy group E.ON, Which wants to build nuclear power stations in Britain, has signed an agreement enabling it to connect with the British national power network. The deal, signed with the National Grid, calls for the eventual...

Bangladesh.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
October 1, 2008... Bangladesh: The Bangladesh Power Development Board has awarded Marubeni Corporation a 2.6bn yen ($25m) order for a turbine and generator upgrade at the karnaphuli hydroelectric power plant, Bangladesh's only hydropower plant.

China.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
October 1, 2008... China: According to the developers, an important step towards the completion of the 'Three Gorges' project is looming. In November the installation of the last of the 26 turbines will completed.

China.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
October 1, 2008... China: Yingli Green Energy Holding Company has entered into a framework agreement with the local government in Beijing for the construction of a 10 MW, on-grid solar power plant.

Fiji.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
October 1, 2008... Fiji: The Fiji Electricity Authority has signed a deal with Sinohydro Corporation of China to build the $140m Nadarivatu hydropower plant. The hydroelectric plant once operational in 2011 will provide 90 per cent of Fiji's power needs.

Indonesia.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
October 1, 2008... Indonesia:According to an official from the Energy and Mineral resources Ministry, investors from Abu Dhabi have expressed interest in developing power plants, with capacities up to 3000 MW, in Indonesia.

India.(ASIA-PACIFI)
October 1, 2008... India:The Karnataka government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the state of Chhattisgarh to build a 1200 MW thermal power plant in Chhattisgarh, which will be operational by 2012.

Kazakhstan.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
October 1, 2008... Kazakhstan:RWE is entering into an energy partnership with Kazakhstan's State Assets Management Holding (Samruk), where they will jointly study the use of coal gasification and synthetic natural gas.

Thailand.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
October 1, 2008... Thailand:Emerson Process Management has won a contract to replace aging control for two 300 MW combined-cycle blocks at the 3670 MW Bang Pakong power plant in Thailand.

Vietnam.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
October 1, 2008... Vietnam:Fuhrlaender AG Group of Germany has transferred the first five turbines to a wind power project located in Vietnam's southern central province of Binth Thuan. The wind farm will be built in two phases, with a final capacity of 120 MW.

Bolivia.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... Bolivia:The Andean Development Corporation has agreed around $294m of loan contracts with Bolivia's Planning Ministry for infrastructure projects including the Pututuma-Tarija link.

Brazil.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... Brazil:Alstom Hydro has been awarded a contract valued at [euro]500 ($710m) by EPC contractor Construtoro Norberto Odebrecht for the supply of equipment for the 3150 MW Santo Antonio hydropower plant in Brazil.

Canada.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... Canada:ABB has won orders worth $32m from Hydro One Networks in Toronto, Ontario for the expansion of two existing 550kV-80kA substations involving seven Gas Insulated Switchgear circuit breakers positions.

Canada.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... Canada:Ontario has formally issued a request for proposals for 500 MW of new renewable energy supply from projects larger than 10 MW, as part of a procurement process that will eventually give the province another 2000 MW of green power.

Chile.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... Chile:Canadian methanol producer Methanex plans to develop a 2.3 MW wind farm in southern Chile's Magallanes region at a cost of $5m. The firm is also studying a plan to install a $40m coal fired plant.

Columbia.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... Columbia:Columbia's Mining and Energy Ministry has announced Columbian and foreign firm investment of around $6bn in new projects including seven new hydro plants and two new coal and diesel fired power plants.

Cuba.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... Cuba:Skoda Power of the Czech Republic has won a contract worth nearly 0.5bn crowns ($30m) to upgrade a Cuban power plant approximately 150 km from Havana.

Dominica.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... Dominica:Venezuelan engineers are to build a new power station on the small Caribbean island of Dominica to supplement the island's only existing power station and reduce energy costs to islanders.

USA.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... USA:Iberdrola Renewables has begun construction of its Buffalo Ridge 50 MW wind farm project near White, South Dakota featuring 50 Suzlon wind turbines, due for completion next year.

USA.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... USA:Calpine Corporation has signed a three-year power purchase agreement with TVA to sell 500 MW of electricity from its Morgan Energy Center in Decatur, Alabama.

Selling power.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Selling power: German utility RWE has sold its 50 percent stake in Spanish power generator Tarragona Power to Iberdrola Generacion, also of Spain, but did not provide any financial details. Tarragona owns and operates a 417 MW gas fired...

Cross-border clincher.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Cross-border clincher: Norway's Hydro has signed a contract with Vattenfall for the supply of close to 18 TWh of electricity in Norway over an eight-year period, starting in 2013. It is one of the largest cross-border contracts since the...

Finding Atlantis.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Finding Atlantis: US investment bank Morgan Stanley has increased its stake in Singapore-based tidal power company Atlantis Resources Corporation. Morgan Stanley now has the largest shareholding in Atlantis after a non-cash deal, whereby it...

Cell cell cell.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Cell cell cell: LG Electronics has signed a preliminary deal on a solar cell production venture with German's Conergy, a first foray in its goal to become a global player in the solar industry.

Easing the bottleneck.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Easing the bottleneck:Vattenfall has signed a general agreement with wind power supplier, Vestas, for delivery of wind turbines. During 2010, Vattenfall will purchase wind turbines with a capacity of 100 MW.

A quiet revolution.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... A quiet revolution:RWE Innogy GmbH in Essen, Germany, is taking a minority shareholding and making a [pounds sterling]6m ($10.8m) capital injection into Quiet Revolution Ltd, a wind turbine company based in London, UK.

Our friends electric.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Our friends electric:Baldor Electric has acquired Poulies Maska, a Canadian manufacturer of V-belt pulleys, sheaves, bushings, couplings and related mechanical power transmission components.

Conglomerate construction.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Conglomerate construction:Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo is to spend up to $1.5bn to build two additional generators at Tanjung Jati B coal fired power plant in Jepara, central Java, Indonesia.

Core investment.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Core investment:India's Tata Power has acquired ten percent of Australia-based Geodynamics, which specializes in geothermal energy and enhanced geothermal systems (EGS).

Revised IAEA figures predict increased global nuclear power capacity.(COMPANIES)(International Atomic Energy Agency)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has revised its nuclear power generation projections to 2030. It estimates an increase in global nuclear capacity during this period, ranging from a low case scenario of 473 GW, 27 per cent...

Alstom signs contract to expand Shoaiba plant in Saudi Arabia.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Alstom has signed a contract with Saudi Electricity Company to build stage 3 of the Shoaiba power plant, worth approximately. The new 1200 MW steam power plant will be built adjacent to the existing plant, located on the Red Sea coast 100...

IPSA doubles new clean coal fired capacity in South Africa's Eastern Cape.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... IPSA Group Inc. has announced that it plans to increase the scale of its clean coal fired power plant programme in South Africa's Eastern Cape, from 500 MW to nearly 1000 MW, by the addition of new steam turbine units. Having already...

Strong upward trend for project tariffs in the Gulf region.(COMPANIES)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Since May this year, four major independent water and power projects (IWPPs)-in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia-have received bids from international developers, reports MEED. And, with the exception of the Salalah IWPP in Oman...

Climate change: developing nations need $170bn.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... The World Bank has estimated that a total of $170bn is required between now and 2030 to enable developing countries mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change. Mr Eduardo Dopazo, Fund Manager in the World Bank's Carbon Finance...

GDF Suez wins power and water project in Bahrain.(COMPANIES)(GDF Suez Energy International)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... GDF Suez Energy International has won the contract to build, own and operate the Al Dur 1 power generation and seawater desalination plant, a major independent water and power project (IWPP) in south of Bahrain. The Al Dur 1 facility is a...

World's first CCS coal fired power plant goes online in Germany.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... Swedish utility Vattenfall, utilizing technology developed by Alstom, has inaugurated the world's first coal fired power station with carbon capture & storage (CCS) at Schwarze Pumpe, close to Berlin. The [euro]70m ($99m), power plant is...

Jury accepts campaigners had 'lawful excuse' to damage property.(EUROPE)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The threat of global warming is so great that campaigners were justified in causing more than $61 000 worth of damage to a coal fired power station, a UK jury has decided. Maidstone Crown Court cleared six Greenpeace activists of criminal...

German nuclear phase-out opposed.(EUROPE)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... German energy giants RWE, E.ON and Vattenfall are trying to persuade politicians in Berlin to scrap a planned 15-year phase-out of the country's existing nuclear power stations. The companies hope the promise of low cost energy will lead to...

IEA urges EU to fully liberalize energy markets.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... The Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) has published its first review of EU energy policy, endorsing controversial Commission plans to break up European energy giants. IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka expressed concern about...

Russia to build nuclear plant in Kaliningrad.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... Russia's nuclear energy monopoly Rosatom has agreed on the construction of a new power plant in Kaliningrad. The plant will be constructed about 120 km from the capital of the Baltic Sea exclave between Poland and Lithuania. The plant will...

CCS may double coal fired generation costs.(EUROPE)
October 1, 2008... A parliamentary committee in Germany has concluded that carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology will raise power generation costs at coal fired power stations 100 per cent and gas fired power stations 50 per cent CCS will cost between...

GDF Suez subsidiary increases presence in Thailand.(ASIA-PACIFIC)(Glow Energy)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Glow Energy, a GDF Suez company, has said it is expanding its cogeneration business by developing two new projects-a 382 MW gas fired plant and a 115 MW coal plant, which will start commercial operations at the end of 2009. Close to 70 per...

World's first AP1000 nuclear plant to be built in China.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
October 1, 2008... According to the State Nuclear Power Technology (SNTPC), China will begin constructing the world's first nuclear plant utilizing what is considered Generation III+ nuclear technology in March next year. The Sanmen nuclear power plant will...

Chinese power giant makes significant wind investment in Liaoning Province.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
October 1, 2008... China Power Investment Corporation, one of the country's five major power companies, is to invest 2.8bn yuan ($409m) in building a wind power plant, the largest of its kind in the northeastern Liaoning Province. On completion the plant will...

China signs MOU for CCS project.(ASIA-PACIFIC)(EESTECH Incorporated)(Tianjin Dagang Huashi Power Generation Company Limited)(memorandum of understanding)(carbon capture and storage)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... EESTECH Incorporated and Tianjin Dagang Huashi Power Generation Company Limited (Dagang) have signed an memorandum of understanding to establish a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project using EESTECH's carbon management and storage...

Large-scale solar power plant to be built in Japan.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
October 1, 2008... In an effort to increase its use of renewable energy, Kyushu Electric Power Company is to build a 3 MW solar power plant on a site in Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, where one of its coal fired thermal power plant was previously located. ...

India's largest solar plant sited.(ASIA-PACIFIC)
October 1, 2008... Nagpur, the second capital of the state of Maharashtra, looks set to be the location for what is described as India's biggest solar thermal power plant. The 10 MW solar plant, which will be connected to the national grid, is an initiative...

FPL calls for nuclear energy to be considered as renewable.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... In a highly provocative move, a senior executive of Florida Power & Light has called for new nuclear generated power to be re-defined as renewable as a fast track way of meeting Florida's proposed goal of having 20 per cent of all its power...

Exelon files nuclear plant application.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... Exelon Generation has filed first new nuclear plant application with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a site in Victoria County, in southeast Texas, USA. The proposed two unit plant would have an installed capacity of 3000 MW--enough to...

Areva Koblitz wins contract for Tractebel biomass plant.(zzAMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... Areva Koblitz, a subsidiary of French group Areva, has been awarded a contract worth over [euro]33m ($47m) by Tractebel Energia, to design and build a power plant fuelled by sugarcane bagasse in Pitangueiras, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Construction...

Brazil plans independent nuclear watchdog.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... The Brazilian government is investigating the establishment of an independent nuclear watchdog agency to oversee its expanding nuclear industry. The Nuclear Program Development Committee is undertaking this study in the light of Brazilian plans...

Argentine group plans $1.6bn wind investment in Brazil.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... Argentinean engineering and construction group Impsa plans to invest more that 2.7bn reais ($1.66bn) in wind energy projects in Brazil, according to a report from BNAmericas. The company already has its own wind turbine and hydroelectric...

Kansas utilities strike V-Plan deal.(AMERICAS)
October 1, 2008... Two of the three sections of the proposed Kansas V-Plan transmission project will be built by ITC Great Plains following agreement by Kansas utilities Mid-Kansas Electric Company and Sunflower Electric Power Corporation. Westar Energy will be...

Temasek sells Senoko Power to Japanese consortium for $2.5bn.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Singapore's Temasek Holdings has sold its wholly-owned power generation company, Senoko Power, to a Japanese consortium, Lion Power Holdings, for $2.5bn. The sale of Senoko Power brought to a close the competitive and rigorous bidding...

GE Hitachi eyes a global $60bn in new nuclear deals by 2030.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... GE Hitachi hopes to get up to $60bn in new business constructing up to ten nuclear power plants globally from 2016 to 2030 as the nuclear industry gears up to supply low carbon electricity to countries worried about high oil prices and...

Chadbourne & Parke expands capabilities in UAE by bolstering Dubai office.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... The international law firm of Chadbourne & Parke has bolstered its Dubai office by transferring two partners from its London office. Partner Sohail Barkatali will move to Dubai at the beginning of October, bringing his deep experience in energy...

Siemens and E.ON sign 1150 MW wind turbines deal.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Siemens Energy and E.ON have agreed that the former will supply 500 wind turbines with a total capacity of 1150 MW to E.ON for new projects in the United States and in Europe. The wind turbines will be delivered and installed in 2010 and...

EU approves Edison-Hellenic JV in Greece.(COMPANIES)
October 1, 2008... Italy's Edison and Greek refiner Hellenic Petroleum has won approval from the European Commission for a joint venture that would make the combination the second-biggest power operator in Greece. The 50-50 joint venture aims for a generating...

GDF Suez to buy FirstLight Power for $1.9bn.(COMPANIES)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... French utility group GDF Suez has announced plans to buy U.S. electricity provider FirstLight Power Enterprises. GDF gave no financial details in a statement, but according to industry sources quoted by Le Figaro newspaper the deal would be...

ASEAN region powers toward interconnection: ten powerful nations in South-East Asia seek a Holy Grail of an ASEAN grid to bring about the connection and unification of power markets that will lead to a new economic community.(report)
October 1, 2008... Energy ministers of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Singapore in August 2007 to sign a memorandum of understanding covering the formation of the ASEAN power grid. The formation of the grid, which had been under...

How to solve the UK coal conundrum: the case for cool in light of the UK government's desire for a balanced energy portfolio merits further examination. David McNicol discusses the options available to extend the use of coal fired plants and how they can operate more cleanly.(Coal Power Generation)
October 1, 2008... The power cuts which hit the UK in late May 2008 affecting over 500 000 people were a clear warning that the country's ageing infrastructure is struggling. The head of one major utility remarked that the blackouts were a small indication of...

The solar resource: maximizing energy yield with concentrator photovoltaics.(Emerging Renewables)
October 1, 2008... Concentrator solar photovoltaic technology, which combines high efficiency with low cost, appears poised to enjoy a bright future in large-scale power generation, Nancy Hartsoch, VP of Corporate Marketing of Solfocus, explains why the latest...

Hydrogen: a key role to play in future energy markets Dr Jon Moore, co-founder of Intelligent Energy, offers his view on how the current global economic crisis is creating the opportunity for hydrogen to play a significant role in the world's future energy markets.(Hydrogen Fuel Cells)
October 1, 2008... The current economic downturn has perhaps provided a pause for thought on the prospects for global energy markets. The price of oil may be closer to $100 per barrel right now, but long-term forecasts place it in the $120-$140 window for some...

Strictly no admittance; Greater interconnection of utility outomation systems provides more opportunities for breaches in IT security. The integration of IT security monitoring in the overall utility outomation control structure is ABB's response to this growing concern.(Utility Systems Security)
October 1, 2008... Industrial automotion and control systems now feature in many critical untility applications such as power generation, transmission and distribution. Depending on the type and purpose of the system, its components might be distributed on a...

Providing eco-friendly power to South Korea.(CCGT Power Plant)
October 1, 2008... In March of this year, South Korea's 565 MW Bugok II CCGT power plant began commercial operation. What is unique about the new plant is that it shares a number of common systems used in the generation of electricity with its adjacent older...