Nuclear Is the Bastion of Pennsylvania’s Newest Climate Action Plan
Pennsylvania, a major power producer that relied on fossil fuels for 66% of its net power generation in June, plans to maintain its nuclear generation at current levels until it can ramp up other carbon-free supplies to 100% by 2050, the state’s Sept. 22–released 2021 Climate Action Plan suggests.
The measures are part of a broader 18-strategy suite outlined in the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP’s) fifth iteration of the plan, which is updated periodically as required by the 2008 Pennsylvania Climate Change Act. But because electricity generation is the greatest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Commonwealth, accounting for nearly 30% of total emissions, they are a priority, officials told reporters on Wednesday.
The plan acknowledges Pennsylvania’s historic and current role as a significant regional energy hub. The state is the third-largest energy-producing state in the U.S. (after Texas and Florida); it ranks in the top three for coal and natural gas production, and it is the nation’s second-largest nuclear generator.…
On Heels of $2.3B Financial Close, Vineyard Wind Joint Venture Partners Announce Restructuring
The post On Heels of $ 2.3B Financial Close, Vineyard Wind Joint Venture Partners Announce Restructuring appeared first on POWER Magazine.
Partners developing the 800-MW Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm have announced they will swap assets jointly owned by their 50/50 Vineyard Wind joint venture to allow each party to focus on its separate expansion within the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind industry once the 800-MW Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm is operational.
The Vineyard Wind joint venture is equally held by Connecticut-based AVANGRID subsidiary Avangrid Renewables—a company whose majority (81.5%) shareholder is Spanish renewables giant Iberdrola—and Danish fund management company Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). Restructuring will enable both companies “to leverage their strengths and expertise to continue to grow the U.S. offshore wind industry” and “better align project timelines with their separate strategic objectives,” the partners said on Sept. 21.
The development is noteworthy given that the partners recently raised $ 2.3 billion of senior debt to finance the construction of the Vineyard Wind 1 project.…
Frost-Heaving Problems and Solutions for Power Engineers
The post Frost-Heaving Problems and Solutions for Power Engineers appeared first on POWER Magazine.
For the progressive development of modern civilization, access to minerals is critical. The main recoverable reserves of such minerals are often located at high latitudes. For example, a significant number of the world’s hydrocarbon deposits are located above 60 degrees North latitude.
Our company, Noyabrskie Power Grids, is also located in this area, and its core business is the high-quality and uninterrupted power supply to oil and natural gas industry facilities. The company operates in a hard-to-reach area with numerous swamps and lakes, in an area with complex geotechnical and geocryological conditions. Soils located in the zone of seasonal freezing are widespread here, and there are areas of permafrost soils.
The permafrost is formed in the areas of peat, loamy, and sandy sediments with considerable moisture. Soils located in the seasonal freezing zone have frost heave properties, which are shown in the irregularity of surface elevation of the freezing soil layer, replaced with the subsidence of the latter when thawing.…