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Sempra Energy Exits U.S. Renewables Sector

April 25, 2019

Sempra Energy on April 22 marked its complete exit from the U.S. renewables business as it completed the sale of 724 MW of operating wind generation and battery assets to American Electric Power (AEP) for $ 1.05 billion.

The San Diego–headquartered utility holding company, which says it has the largest U.S. customer base, said the move is consistent with a strategy to pay down debt and redeploy capital to support the growth of Sempra Energy in North America.

The transaction on Monday is the latest in a series of divestitures over the past year to raise $ 2.5 billion in proceeds. As Sempra Energy CEO Jeff Martin noted in a February fourth quarter earnings call, it stems from a “deep strategic process” led by the company’s board to exit fossil-fired generation as well as renewable generation that began as early as 2014.

“[I]t’s very important to make sure we’re doing all the right things to advance the clean energy transition, but it’s also important that we’re doing that in a way which is thoughtful around price, diversity of supply in a balanced energy program,” Martin said.…

The POWER Interview – Keeping Nuclear Power Viable

April 23, 2019

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Nuclear power in the U.S. and globally has battled headwinds in recent years, and not just from the growth of other power generation resources such as solar, wind, and natural gas.

Problems in the U.S. nuclear sector, such as construction delays and cost overruns at the Vogtle site in Georgia, the cancellation of the V.C. Summer project in South Carolina, and continued debate about where to store nuclear waste—not to mention the retirement or scheduled closures of several iconic U.S. nuclear plants—have dogged the industry.

The push toward carbon-free power, though, and government policies more favorable for nuclear have spurred research into new technologies. David Kropaczek, director for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Innovation Hub – Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL), recently spoke with POWER about nuclear power and what his group is doing in its research and development of nuclear technology.

POWER: Nuclear power faces several challenges in the U.S. What needs to happen to keep nuclear power viable in this country?…

GE Marks ‘Ultra Low’ NOx Gas Turbine Technology Triumph

April 21, 2019

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In a significant technical triumph, GE has completed first installation of a new gas-fired power plant technology that it says can reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions to 5 parts per million (ppm).

GE on April 11 completed combustion upgrades on nine GE 9E gas turbines at five power generation enterprises in Shenzen, a major industrial city in Guangdong Province, China, outfitting them with the company’s newest iteration of its dry low NOx (DLN) solution—DLN1.0+ with Ultra Low NOx.

The turbines are owned by Shenzhen Nanshan Power Corp., Shenzhen New Power Corp., Shenzhen Datang Baochang Gas Power Generation Co. Ltd., Shenzhen Yuhu Power Co. Ltd., and CNOOC Shenzhen Power Co. Ltd.

The upgrade reportedly reduces NOx emissions from the E-class Chinese turbines from 50mg/m³ (about 25 ppm) to 15mg/m³ (about 7.5 ppm). According to GE, the reductions are achieved through an increase of the flame temperature. “A flame with a lower temperature will produce less NOx, and the key is to be able to mix air and fuel together prior to burning,” it explained.…

Holtec Adds Indian Point Nuclear Plant to Decommissioning Portfolio

April 17, 2019

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Entergy on April 16 said it will sell its Indian Point Energy Center to Comprehensive Decommissioning International, a Camden, N.J.-based jointly owned subsidiary of Holtec International, a company buying nuclear plants that are closed or scheduled for retirement.

Holtec in the deal will receive funds that Entergy has invested in a decommissioning trust, currently worth about $ 2 billion. Entergy has now agreed to sell all its remaining fleet of merchant nuclear reactors to decommissioning firms; the company last year said it would sell its Vermont Yankee plant, which closed in 2014, to New York-based NorthStar.

NorthStar said it would complete decommissioning and restoration of the Vermont Yankee site by 2030. Entergy in its decommissioning report filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) had said its work would not be completed until 2075.

Entergy has said it will shut down the last two of Indian Point’s three reactors in 2021. Unit 1, a 257-MW reactor that came online in 1962, was retired in 1974.…

Ohio Lawmakers Announce Plan to Subsidize Nuclear Plants

April 15, 2019

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Ohio lawmakers on April 12 announced a plan to provide financial support to the state’s two nuclear power plants by adding a surcharge to customers’ electric bills. The bill’s supporters said it also would generate as much as $ 300 million annually for clean power generation in Ohio, though the measure calls for abolishing mandates for renewable energy.

House Speaker Larry Householder (R), leader of the state’s Republican-controlled House that is backing the bill, said the proposal—called the Ohio Clean Air Program (OCAP) —would do more than save the nuclear plants. About half the money raised by the surcharge would go to Davis-Besse nuclear plant near Toledo and the Perry plant near Cleveland.

The nuclear plants are scheduled to close by 2021 unless operator FirstEnergy Solutions (FES) can find a buyer for the plants or financial relief to keep them open. FES sought bankruptcy protection in March 2018, just after the company notified regional transmission organization (RTO) PJM Interconnection that it would close four uneconomic nuclear units—a total of 4 GW, including the two Ohio plants—in the RTO’s footprint.…