Industry News | EnergyNorthwest.com

Siemens Will Consolidate Power Divisions, Cut 6,900 Jobs

November 18, 2017

Siemens has announced it will cut 6,900 jobs, about half of them in Germany, over the next “several years” as the company consolidates its three power-related divisions. The November 16 announcement comes just days after U.S. power giant GE announced its own restructuring plan.

Lisa Davis, a member of Siemens managing board, said in a statement “The power generation industry is experiencing disruption of unprecedented scope and speed,” necessitating changes to the company’s operations.

Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser had mostly confirmed the restructuring plan last week, saying it would be “painful,” after reports surfaced in October that the company would likely cut jobs, close some units, and sell others as it downsized its Power and Gas Division. According to the company’s 2016 annual report, its Power and Gas business employs 48,700 workers and accounts for about 20% of the company’s revenue.

Janina Kugel, head of the company’s human resources department, in a statement said “The cuts are necessary to ensure that our expertise in power-plant technology, generators and large electrical motors stays competitive over the long term.”…

FERC’s Chatterjee Has Interim Plan to Prop Up Coal, Nuclear Plants

November 16, 2017

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Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Acting Chairman Neil Chatterjee, who has said he is “sympathetic” to a rule that would help prop up struggling U.S. coal and nuclear power plants, apparently is ready to move forward with an interim plan to keep financially troubled plants operating while his agency continues to consider a market-changing cost proposal from the Department of Energy (DOE).

Utility Dive on November 15 reported that Chatterjee is “considering regulatory action,” saying FERC could issue a “show cause” order directing regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and independent system operators (ISOs) to update market tariffs to keep baseload plants, or those with “necessary resilience attributes,” operating or show why those plants should not continue to remain online. That would provide time for FERC to institute rules regarding electricity grid resilience and market compensation.

Neil Chatterjee, acting chairman of FERC, says he is ready to implement an interim plan to help struggling coal and nuclear plants. Courtesy: FERC

Chatterjee, who said he has not detailed his plan with other FERC staff, told Utility Dive his proposal would be “messy” and “uncomfortable.”…

India Launches Probe of Power Plant Blast; Death Toll at 36

November 14, 2017

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India’s Power Ministry has established a committee to investigate the November 1 explosion at NTPC’s thermal power plant in Unchahar. The death toll from the blast is at 36, and dozens more workers at the plant were injured when flue gases and steam were released from a 500-MW coal-fired unit at the plant. Several remain hospitalized with severe burns.

The investigative panel was created November 6 by order of the Power Ministry, under a provision of the country’s Electricity Act 2003. It is led by P.D. Siwal, a thermal power expert from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). The Power Ministry said it wants a report from the committee within the next month, and would like a report on the cause of the blast within the next week. The agency also asked the committee to “fix responsibility for lapses, if any,” and “to suggest remedial measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future.”

Other members of the investigating committee are Subir Chakraborty, director of projects for Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd.…

Death Toll Rises to 43 in Wake of India Coal Plant Blast

November 12, 2017

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Officials in India say the the death toll from the November 1 explosion at an NTPC thermal plant in Unchahar has risen to 43, with seven more deaths reported in the past week. Dozens of workers at the plant were injured when flue gases and steam were released from a 500-MW coal-fired unit at the plant during a maintenance operation. Several workers remain hospitalized, many with severe burns, according to local officials, who late November 10 said at least eight of the injured are in “very critical” condition.

India’s Power Ministry has a committee investigating the explosion at the Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Station in Uttar Pradesh state. The blast occurred in Unit 6 of the plant, a unit which was commissioned in March and had been operating on a trial basis since September. The six-unit, 1,550-MW Gandhi plant supplies electricity to nine states—Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Uttarakhand—and employs about 870 workers.…

Babcock & Wilcox to Cut 30% of Renewable Workforce on Profitability Woes

November 10, 2017

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Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises Inc. (B&W), which is already in the midst of a restructuring plan and ongoing cost controls, will slash 30% of its renewable energy workforce and implement cost-saving measures across the company to combat falling revenues.

The global energy and environmental technology and services provider said as it announced its 2017 third quarter results that revenues stood at $ 408.7 million, falling 0.5% ($ 2.3 million) compared to the third quarter of 2016.

However, the company’s chairman and CEO E. James Ferland also announced cost-cutting measures, saying it is “prudent” that the company maximizes its financial optionality as it moves closer to the completion of the construction of new renewables projects in the UK, which is expected by mid-2018.

“We are driving cost-savings actions within our business segments and in overhead-related functions, with a target of approximately $ 45 million in annual savings, as we work to improve our global cost structure,” continued Ferland.

The announcement is dismal for the company, which embarked on restructuring in June 2016 after projections showed that coal utilization will decline faster than previously forecast.…

Death Toll at 34 in India Plant Explosion; Officials Point to High Pressure in Boiler

November 6, 2017

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Officials in India on November 5 said the death toll has risen to 34 after an explosion and fire November 1 at NTPC’s Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Station in Uttar Pradesh state. NTPC, the nation’s largest power utility, said flue gases and steam were released in the blast, which occurred in a 500-MW coal-fired unit that was commissioned in March and had been operating on a trial basis at the plant since September.

NTPC officials investigating the incident said November 3 that pressure inside the unit shot up to 70 times its normal level in just a few minutes before the explosion, and an emergency shut-off mechanism that should have disabled the unit apparently failed to work. A fireball exploded in the unit and pressurized steam gushed out onto dozens of workers, who were either killed or severely burned.

Local hospital officials on November 5 said several workers severely burned in the incident remain hospitalized.

Federal Power Secretary A.K. Bhalla told local media that along with NTPC executives, officials from Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.…