Power Engineering International articles from September 2004

Power Engineering International archives from September 2004

Standing on shaky ground.(Up Front)(Editorial)
September 1, 2004... It is interesting and sometimes amazing to watch how different people react to different situations. I recall back in April while visiting Singapore, there was the spectacular collapse of the Nicholl Highway--one of the main highways in the...

Learning from experience: the dismantling for repair of the 80 turbines at the Horns Reef offshore wind farm in Denmark is a major blow to this flagship project. What can the industry learn from this experience, asks Sian Green.(Analysis)
September 1, 2004... Following a series of problems with the operation of the Horns Reef offshore wind power project in Denmark, wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has decided to dismantle the nacelles installed at the site and transport them to land for testing and...

EBRD takes stake in Polish power privatization.(International)(European Bank for Reconstruction and Development )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD) is the prime backer in the privatization of Poland's Zespol Elektrocieplowni Poznan (ZEC), the combined heat and power plant in Poznan. Via its Polish affiliates Dalkia Termika...

Tractebel wins Al Ezzel IPP project.(International)(Bahrain's Ministry of Finance and National Economy)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Bahrain's Ministry of Finance and National Economy has awarded a contract to design, build, own, operate and maintain the Al Ezzel independent power producer project. The 1000 MW combined cycle plant, which will be owned by Al Ezzel Power...

Georgia plans hydro plant sale.(International)(Georgian Electricity Ministry )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Georgian Electricity Ministry has announced that five of its hydroelectric power stations in the west of the country are to be privatized over the next 18 months. The five plants, which are Rioni, Shaori, Lajanuri, Gumati and Dzevruli, have...

Nordic wins Estonia contract.(International)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Nordic Windpower has won a contract to supply one of its twin-bladed Nordic 1000 turbines to the Estonian island of Saaremaa. The turbine will be manufactured in Scotland. It is capable of producing 1000 kW, sufficient to power up to 500 homes...

Rebids invited for Slovak generator.(International)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Complications arising from the bidding for a two-thirds stake in dominant Slovakian generator Slovenske Elektrarne (SE) has led to the four interested parties being asked to resubmit binding bids. Assumptions made by some bidders make bids hard...

Albania.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Albania: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is lending Albania's state-owned power utility KESH [euro]40m ($48.6m) to help improve power supplies in the country. The 15-year loan will be used to construct a new 135 MW oil...

Austria's VA Tech Transmission & Distribution.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Egypt: Austria's VA Tech Transmission & Distribution has won a turnkey contract worth [euro]7.3m ($8.9m) from the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) for the Tahrir Badr AIS substation project.

Russia's Power Machines Group.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Egypt: Russia's Power Machines Group has opened a subsidiary in Cairo to manage its work in the modernization of Egypt's Aswan Dam power station. The project, which is being implemented in cooperation with Germany's Voith Siemens, is due to be...

Hungary.(News Digest)(Pannonpower Group)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Hungary: Pannonpower Group has opened a 50 MW biomass power generating block at its Pecs power plant, following a refit which will see wood chips replacing coal as the fuel source. The biomass block was built in a $44m investment financed by...

Iraq.(News Digest)(Elbe Maschinenbau )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Iraq: Germany's Elbe Maschinenbau has signed an EPC contract with Iraq's Ministry of Electricity for three new power plants to be built by the end of 2005. The contract calls for the construction of a 550 MW plant and a 110 MW facility, both...

Kuwait.(News Digest)(Az Zour power plant )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Kuwait: The first unit of the Az Zour power plant in Kuwait has been connected to the grid with the second and third units scheduled to come on line during September. Siemens Power Generation is building the plant which will have a total...

Initial Public Offering (IPO).(News Digest)(Al Kamil Power Company)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Oman: A strong initial response has been reported in respect of the Initial Public Offering (IPO) for a 35 per cent stake in Oman's Al Kamil Power Company, currently owned by International Power (IP). The plant is Oman's first BOO scheme and IP...

The Oman Oil Company.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Oman: The Oman Oil Company has appointed SNC Lavalin as consultant for a $425m, 700 MW combined cycle captive power plant at an aluminium smelter plant in Oman. Bechtel, Hatch and SNC Lavalin have expressed interest in carrying out the EPC...

Qatar.(News Digest)(Areva's Transmission and Distribution division)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Qatar: Areva's Transmission and Distribution division has won a [euro]20m ($24.3m) contract to construct an electricity distribution management system which will manage the state's 11kV/415v electricity distribution network.

EDP ups stake in Hidrocantabrico.(Europe)(Electricidade de Portugal )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Electricidade de Portugal (EDP) has increased its stake in Hidroelectrica del Cantabrico (Hidrocantabrico) to 95.7 per cent having agreed with Germany's Energie Baden-Wurttemberg (EnBW) and various Spanish interests to buy their 56.2 per cent...

SSE acquires AEP's UK plants.(Europe)(Scottish and Southern Energy)(United Kingdom)(American Electric Power Company Inc.)(2000 MW Ferrybridge plant )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) has bought two major UK coal fired power stations from US energy group AEP. The total consideration for the 2000 MW Ferrybridge plant in Yorkshire and the 2000 MW Fiddler's Ferry plant in northwest England,...

Wave power generator starts up.(Europe)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Ocean Power Delivery's Pelamis, the world's first commercial scale floating wave energy converter, has been installed at the newly opened European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney and completed its first weeks of electricity generation....

HotModule fuel cell record.(Europe)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... A HotModule fuel cell facility from MTU CFC Solutions, installed at the Rhon-Klinikum hospital in Bad Neustadt in Germany, has set a new world record for high temperature fuel cells by achieving over 21 000 operating hours. The Rhon-Klinikum...

Euro foot dragging.(Europe)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... A review carried out by market analysts Datamonitor of progress made towards the establishment of a fully competitive European energy market has concluded that liberalization has advanced only slowly over the past eight years and that the goal...

EHN researches hydrogen.(Europe)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Renewable energy company EHN has begun a research project to obtain hydrogen through electricity generated from wind power. The experiment seeks to achieve the clean and competitive production of a fuel which is forecast to play a key role in...

Denmark.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Denmark: Denmark's Energy Ministry has called for interested companies to prequalify for a [euro]275m ($335m) contract to build a 200 MW extension to the existing Horns Reef offshore wind farm.

Areva.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... France: Areva has signed a contract with Electricite de France (EDF) for the treatment of 5250 t of used nuclear fuel. Under the contract, recyclable materials will be retrieved, final residues contained and 100 t of MOX fuel supplied annually....

The EDF-GDF reform bill.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... France: The EDF-GDF reform bill has now been ratified by the French parliament, transforming the utilities from public to private companies. The French government still retains 70 per cent of the firms' capital.

The German government.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Germany: The German government has approved a bill aimed at reforming the energy market, introducing a regulator to ensure that grid operators charge fairly for network access. The law still requires parliamentary approval.

Powerlight Corporation, K & S Consulting Group and Deutsche Structured Finance.(News Digest)(K & S Consulting Group )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Germany: Powerlight Corporation, K & S Consulting Group and Deutsche Structured Finance have announced an initiative to build the world's largest solar photovoltaic project in Bavaria, Germany. The 10 MW Bavaria Solarpark will consist of three...

Ireland.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Ireland: International specialist banking group Investec says it has successfully arranged the [euro]400m ($487m) financing of a 400 MW combined cycle plant at Tynagh, Co. Galway, Republic of Ireland.

Italy.(News Digest)(Agac)(Tesa)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Italy: Three utility companies in the Emilia-Romagna region, Amps, Agac and Tesa, plan to merge into one new utility, expected to become operational 1 January 2005.

Sweden.(News Digest)(GE Energy)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Sweden: GE Energy has been selected by Vattenfall AB for an uprate project at the Messaure hydropower station on the Lule River in Sweden. GE will provide new runners and will refurbish two Francis hydro turbines at the plant.

Infinergy.(News Digest)(Koop Duurzaame)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... UK: A joint venture, known as Infinergy, consisting of Koop Duurzaame and FPD Savills, is planning to build a [pounds sterling]185m ($331m) 225 MW onshore wind farm located near Inverness, scheduled for start up in 2008.

Ofgem.(News Digest)(Office of Gas and Electricity Markets)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... UK: UK energy regulator Ofgem has confirmed a [pounds sterling]700 000 ($1.25m) penalty on E.ON unit Powergen, after the company unfairly stopped domestic customers from switching to new gas or electricity suppliers.

An important milestone.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... UK: An important milestone in the creation of a single electricity market across Great Britain was passed in mid-August with the publication of the proposed designation text for Betta, which is due to be introduced in April 2005.

Japan prepares for J-Power IPO.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Japanese government is preparing to sell its 83 per cent stake in wholesale electricity provider, Electric Power Development (J-Power). The sale of $3bn of shares in the company will represent the biggest initial public offering since the...

PLN awards boiler contract for delayed Taharan plant.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Indonesia's state electricity company, PT PLN has awarded a contract to an international consortium to supply boilers for the Taharan power project in south Sumatra. The order is valued at $118.3m. Under the contract, the winning...

First GE Frame 9FA gas turbine assembled in China.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The first GE Frame 9FA gas turbine to be assembled in China under a technology transfer agreement between GE and Harbin Power Equipment Company (HPEC) has been shipped from HPEC's manufacturing factory in Qin Huang Dao, Heibei Province, China....

Huaneng gains approval for power projects.(Asia-Pacific)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Huaneng Power International has obtained approvals from the State Council regarding its project proposals for Yingkou Power Plant Phase II and Qinbei Power Plant Phase 2. Yingkou Phase 2, located in Yingkou City, Liaoning Province, will...

China.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... China: A consortium of US private equity investors has paid $84.6m for a 20 per cent stake in Meiya Power, one of the biggest foreign-owned IPPs in China. The Darby Asia Investors-led group bought the stake from Hydro Quebec International.

Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution Group.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... India: Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution Group has received an order from Power Grid Corporation of India to set up four compensation systems. The equipment will improve the transmission performance and the reliability of the 400 kV...

Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... India: The hydro dam owned by Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam has begun operation. When complete in 18 months, the plant will have a generating capacity of 1450 MW.

Indonesia.(News Digest)(PT Triaryani)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Indonesia: Babcock Hitachi K.K and PT Triaryani plan to build a coal fired power plant in Musi Rawas, south Sumatra with a capacity of 2600 MW. The plant will use supercritical technology and cost $4.2bn.

The Department of Energy.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Philippines: The Department of Energy has said that at least five investors have submitted expressions of interest for a concession agreement to operate the National Transmission Grid Corp (Transco). Meanwhile, state-owned utility, Napocor is...

Blue Energy Canada.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Philippines: Blue Energy Canada has developed a proposal for a 4 km tidal fence between the islands of Samar and Dalupiri in the San Bernadino Strait. Pending government approval, the Dalupiri Ocean plant will have a capacity of 2200 MW at peak...

Sri Lanka.(News Digest)(Ceylon Electricity Board)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Sri Lanka: The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is increasing its generation from renewables. CEB is to set up a 30 MW wind power plant at Kalpitiya. It is the country's second wind project. The government is also likely to increase the renewable...

Taiwan.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Taiwan: Taiwan Power Company has received government approval to build a 1600 MW plant in Changhua County. The plant, costing $1.47bn, will have two 800 MW units. Completion is scheduled for July 2010.

Chile seeks to reduce natural gas dependence.(Americas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Chilean government has announced a raft of measures designed to reduce dependence on imports of natural gas from Argentina and diversify the fuel mix in the electricity sector. The move is in response to the energy crisis in Argentina...

Transalta buys Emission Reductions.(Americas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... TransAlta Corporation has made the first Canadian purchase of Certified Emission Reductions under the Kyoto Protocol, buying 1.75m t of greenhouse gas reductions from Chilean agricultural giant Agricola Super Limitada (Agrosuper). The...

Washington to complete San Juan.(Americas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) has selected Washington Group International to complete the construction of the 500 MW San Juan combined cycle plant. Washington Group will provide engineering, procurement and construction...

New Proinfa projects selected.(Americas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Brazilian utility Eletrobras has selected ten new renewable energy projects for inclusion in its Proinfa incentive programme. The move follows the cancellation of several projects due to legal and administrative problems, and has enabled Siif...

Tula unit 5 refurbishment.(Americas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Mexico's Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) has awarded Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) a contract to carry out rehabilitation work on the No. 5 unit at the Tula power plant near Mexico City. The $27.4 million order will involve the...

Pure savings.(Americas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Argentina's rational energy use programme, known as PURE, has reduced gas and electricity consumption by eight and three per cent respectively, according to the Argentine government. The PURE programme was implemented in May 2004 in...

Mexico.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Mexico: ABB is to add two sub-area control centres to its Network Manager Scada/EMS power control system which it installed throughout Mexico for Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE). The two sub-area control centres, at Durango and Sureste,...

Wood MacKenzie.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... USA: New research by Wood MacKenzie has indicated that rising spot Central Appalachian coal (CAPP) prices will not lead to a meaningful increase in demand or price for the already tight natural gas market in the US. Analysts had thought that...

Sempra.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... USA: Sempra has selected Kiewit Industrial as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the construction of its 550 MW Palomar power plant in California. The plant will consist of two 170 MW natural gas fired GE turbines,...

Western Greenbrier Cogeneration.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... USA: Western Greenbrier Cogeneration has employed Parsons as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for an 85 MW, $215m CFB power plant that will use waste coal as fuel. The plant is part of president George W. Bush's Clean...

Unalaska.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... USA: The city of Unalaska is to install a baseload power plant to supply power to the Port of Dutch Harbor, hub of Alaska's commercial fishing industry. The plant will be based on two Wartsila 12V32 generating sets producing a total of 20 MW.

Babcock & Wilcox Company.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... USA: Babcock & Wilcox Company has been selected to participate in two research and testing projects led by the University of North Dakota's Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) to demonstrate advanced mercury control technologies for...

Venezuela.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Venezuela: Five consortia are in the running to qualify for bidding on the design, construction, installation and testing of ten 216 MW Kaplan turbines for the $750m Tocoma hydropower project on the Lower Caroni river, Venezuela. State-owned...

IP and Mitsui buy EME portfolio.(Companies)(International Power )(Edison Mission Energy )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... International Power and Mitsui & Co. have agreed to buy the international generation portfolio of Edison Mission Energy for a total consideration of $2.3bn. International Power will hold a 70 per cent stake in the portfolio and Mitsui &...

Ceramic moves into Europe.(Companies)(Ceramic Fuel Cells (Europe) Limited)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited (CFCL) has established a presence in the European market to take advantage of growth opportunities in the region. The company has set up a wholly owned subsidiary, Ceramic Fuel Cells (Europe) Limited, headquartered in...

GE Energy completes T & D deal.(Companies)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... GE Energy has completed the acquisition of three business units of S. D. Myers, Inc. of Ohio, USA, a specialist in transformer and substation services. The three units acquired are Ohio Transformer, S. D. Myers Substation Services and S. D....

Ingersoll sells Dresser Rand.(Companies)(Reserve Corporation)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Ingersoll-Rand has agreed to sell its Dresser-Rand business unit to First Reserve Corporation, a US-based private equity firm, for $1.2bn. The deal is expected to close in late 2004. First Reserve specializes in energy industry investments...

ABB improves.(Companies)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... ABB has reported that its earnings, orders and revenues continued to improve in the second quarter of 2004, reflecting improved demand in the markets it serves. Orders increased 17 per cent over the same period in 2003, while revenues rose one...

Fly ash force.(Companies)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Separation Technologies and Lafarge Cement UK have agreed to work together to build and operate fly ash separation plants in the UK and Ireland. The two companies will offer an ash management solution for coal fired power plants that eliminates...

AmSuper sets benchmark.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... AmSuper sets benchmark: American Superconductor has reported that it has achieved a key milestone in the manufacturing development of its second generation (2G) high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire. The company has achieved electrical...

Areva orders.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Areva orders: Areva has signed a series of agreements with German, Dutch and Swiss electricity utilities worth [euro]400m ($487m) for its back end division. The agreements cover treatment of used fuel for Dutch utility EPZ; the transport,...

Cooper alliance.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Cooper alliance: Cooper Power Systems and Cargill Industrial Oils and Lubricants have formed an alliance to produce, market and distribute Envirotemp FR3 fluid to electric utilities. The product is used to insulate and cool electrical...

E.ON positive trend.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... E.ON positive trend: E.ON Group has announced that its positive earnings trend has continued in the second quarter of 2004. Operations outside its home market of Germany performed particularly well, and overall earnings before interest and tax...

Flowserve alliance.(News Digest)(Gas Turbine Services Holdings Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Flowserve alliance: Flowserve Corp. and Wood Group Gas Turbine Services Holdings Inc. have formed an alliance to deliver a range of field and shop-based services for the maintenance, repair and upgrade of pumps and related equipment throughout...

Pantellos AccuTrack.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Pantellos AccuTrack: Electronic marketplace company Pantellos has launched Pantellos AccuTrack, the latest version of its contractor time and cost-tracking solution. The product provides utilities with a single point of entry and access for all...

Washingon Group acquires.(News Digest)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Washingon Group acquires: Washington Group International of the USA has acquired BNFL's interest in the former Westinghouse government services business that the two companies jointly purchased five years ago from CBS Corporation. The business...

The great fuel switch: changing population demographics and slow economic growth are forcing Japan to reassess its optimum power sector fuel and technology mix. It seems to spell the end of the country's nuclear era.(Report)
September 1, 2004... Japan's energy policymakers have begun dramatically to revise their thinking on the country's optimum power sector fuel mix. Effective immediately, nuclear is being strongly downgraded as the sector's main primary energy source. It will be...

An expansion minefield: offering 'bundled services' to the home is a strategy that many utilities have followed and abandoned. Is their implementation strategy at fault, or is the concept of non-energy product expansion flawed?(Report)
September 1, 2004... Utility expansion into non-energy products and services has been characterized by a large degree of failure. After a number of years of formulating ambitious expansion strategies, many European utilities have either frozen these initiatives or...

Biomass gets BIG: biomass integrated gasification combined cycle (BIGCC) could provide a cost-effective way of generating electricity from biomass. A number of pilot schemes are helping to develop the technology and overcome technical challenges.(Biomass Gasification)
September 1, 2004... Generation of affordable power from non-fossil fuel sources has been widely debated, especially in the period since the initial concept of the Kyoto Protocol. Power generation from waste material has shown the potential to be an increasing and...

Diary dates.(Calendar)
September 1, 2004... September POWER-GEN Middle East, 13th-15th September 2004, Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, Kingdom of Bahrain Details from: PennWell Corporation, Warlies Park House, Horseshoe Hill, Upshire, Essex, EN9 3SR, UK Tel: +44...

Mapping out a future: BLCP Power Limited is developing the 1400 MW coal fired Map Ta Phut plant in Thailand. The award-winning project is the largest IPP to be developed in Thailand and is an important part of the Thai government's power sector development strategy.(Coal Fired Power Plants)
September 1, 2004... In 1995, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) selected independent power producer (IPP) BLCP Power Limited to construct a 1400 MW coal fired power plant at Map Ta Phut in Rayong Province, Thailand. Nearly ten years and one...

Qinshan sets the standard: China's Qinshan III nuclear power plant--the country's first Candu unit--is now on-line. Construction and project management techniques used during the plant's construction enabled a number of records to be set, and mean that the plant now serves as the Candu 6 International Reference Plant.(Nuclear Power)
September 1, 2004... The Qinshan III Candu nuclear power plant consists of 2X728 MWe units constructed by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and its partners Bechtel and Hitachi with the Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Company Ltd. (TQNPC). The project is located...

Phu My 3: a model BOT; The Phu My 3 project, Vietnam's first build-operate-transfer power plant, has been officially inaugurated. The 720 MW power plant accounts for around ten per cent of the country's electricity supply, and achieved commercial operation after just 26 months of construction.(Combined Cycle Plants)(build-operate-transfer )
September 1, 2004... In December 2001, Siemens Power Generation broke ground at the site of the Phu My 3 power project in Vietnam. Just 26 months later, in early 2004, the plant completed commissioning and achieved commercial operation. Developed as a...

Supporting the digital future: as digital devices grow in importance in society, the need for a secure, reliable and high quality power supply increases. In recognition of this, a collaborative research programme has started in the US which includes the development of an advanced, 'self-healing' electricity grid.(Transmission and Distribution)
September 1, 2004... Power outages and disturbances currently cost the US economy in excess of $119 billion per year, and this value is expected to continue to grow as digital devices proliferate in the economy. According to the USA's Electric Power Research...

Multi-purpose challenge: built under a BOT contract, the San Roque multi-purpose project in the Philippines has entered commercial operation. The plant was built on an aggressive five-year schedule, and has added 345 MW to the Philippine national grid.(Hydropower Plants)
September 1, 2004... The $1.2 billion San Roque multi-purpose project on the Agno River on the Island of Luzon in the Philippines was built to supply 345 MW of hydroelectric power to the Philippine National Power Corporation (NPC) grid, to help control flooding,...

The hallmarks of high availability: in the competitive power markets of today, power generation facilities are getting closer and closer to 100 per cent uptime. Companies that lead share a common trait: investment in the right technologies to ensure that the goals of high availability and reliability can be met.(Operation and Maintenance)
September 1, 2004... The nature of global business in the 21st century is forcing many companies to operate around the clock if they want to remain competitive. Crucial to this operation are the people, information technology and Internet-based applications that...

ESP enhancement: the proactive approach; With emission control standards becoming more stringent, coal fired power plant operators must consider costly ESP upgrades. Advanced modelling techniques can help to evaluate upgrade scenarios, and are currently being applied to a number of plants in Russia, the Ukraine and Kazakhstan.(Emission Control)
September 1, 2004... Of the 15 trillion kWh of electrical energy generated worldwide, almost one third is derived from coal fired installations. This will continue into the foreseeable future, and likely expand as developing countries increasingly make use of their...

A sustainable future? A number of government initiatives are promoting research into and development of a 'hydrogen economy'. But is this really the way to a sustainable future?(Hydrogen Economy)
September 1, 2004... Hydrogen is the topic of the day. The 'Hydrogen Initiative' of US President George W. Bush has led politicians from many countries including within the European Union to follow suit without questioning the promises of the hydrogen enthusiasts....

Cummins launches new low-BTU genset.(GensetRoundup)
September 1, 2004... Cummins Power Generation has introduced a new low-BTU generator set series that is specifically designed to run on the dilute methane gas mixture produced by natural decay in landfills, sewage digesters, or methane emitted from coal seams. The...