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Report: Human Error to Blame in Fatal India Plant Accident

July 23, 2018

An internal report from NTPC said an “error in judgment” by plant operators led to an explosion at India’s Feroze Gandhi Unchahar Thermal Power Station last year that resulted in the deaths of 45 workers.

Reuters news service on July 23 said it had reviewed a summary of the report on the accident that occurred November 1, 2017. It said three department heads at the 1,550-MW coal-fired plant decided not to shut down a 500-MW boiler at the plant to clear ash that had built up in the unit. The buildup caused the unit to over-pressurize, which caused an explosion that released hot gas, killing several workers instantly. Others died in the days after the accident, which left survivors with severe burns.

India’s Power Ministry in the week after the accident established a committee to investigate the explosion.

Asian News International in November, in a post on its Facebook page, presented a video taken by a worker using a mobile phone after the accident.…

Navajo Nation Negotiating Sale of West’s Largest Coal Plant

July 17, 2018

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The Navajo Nation on July 12 said it has identified a potential buyer for the 2,250-MW Navajo Generating Station (NGS) in Arizona, the largest coal-fired power plant in the western U.S. The Navajo Nation Council, in a joint news release with the Navajo Nation’s Office of the President and Vice President, said the Hopi Tribe supports an agreement to sell the plant in order to keep it open, along with the nearby Kayenta Mine from which the plant sources coal.

The NGS and the adjacent mine generate about one-third of the Navajo Nation’s operating budget and about 80% of the Hopi Tribe’s, with most of the workers at both the power plant and the mine members of the tribes. The plant’s current ownership plans to close the plant near Page, Arizona, by the end of 2019 if the facility is not sold.

The joint release said negotiations are underway with New York-based Avenue Capital Group, a global investment firm that invests in distressed companies and the distressed debt market, as the potential new owner.…

EPA Sends Replacement for Clean Power Plan to Trump

July 11, 2018

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The Trump administration is moving forward with its effort to replace the Clean Power Plan, with the president set to review a document sent to the White House on July 9.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 10 said a new rule, which insiders said would be more favorable to the coal industry, was sent to the president on Monday. The document itself has not been released. The EPA in a statement Tuesday said would seek public comment on the new measure only after a White House review is completed. EPA spokeswoman Molly Block in a statement said the agency would move quickly on the replacement rule but did not provide a timeline.

Trump has repeatedly said the Clean Power Plan (CPP), pushed by the Obama administration, was part of the previous president’s “war on coal.” The CPP was part of that administration’s push for tougher environmental regulations and pollution standards for power generation and other industries. Trump has moved to support both coal and nuclear power, asking for government intervention in power markets to help both coal and nuclear power plants.…

First Commercial AP1000, EPR Reactors Connected to Grid

July 9, 2018

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Two nuclear energy milestones were reached in the past week, as the world’s first commercial AP1000 and EPR reactors were connected to China’s power grid.

Westinghouse announced Sanmen 1, the first AP1000 unit, was connected to the grid June 30, one day after Électricité de France (EDF) connected the first EPR reactor—Taishan 1—to the system. The EPR is a third-generation pressurized water reactor, with technology by EDF and France’s Framatome. Taishan 1 is the first of two, 1.7-GW reactors at the site, which is owned by TNPJVC, a joint venture of China General Nuclear (CGN), which owns 51%; EDF, which owns 30%; and Yuedian, a Chinese electric company that owns 19%.

The 1.1-GW Sanmen 1 reactor is the first of four new AP1000 plants under construction in eastern China. The AP1000, also a pressurized water reactor, is the technology being used for two new reactors at the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia. Unit 3 at Vogtle is scheduled to come online in November 2021, with Unit 4 following a year later.…

EPA Chief Pruitt Resigns; Former Coal Lobbyist Takes Helm

July 7, 2018

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Scott Pruitt, chosen by President Donald Trump to lead the Environmental Protection Agency despite repeated lawsuits against the agency when he served as Oklahoma’s attorney general, resigned as EPA director July 5. Pruitt had been under scrutiny throughout his EPA tenure for questionable ethical decisions involving his office.

Pruitt, who repeatedly said he had done nothing wrong during his time as director, in his resignation letter Thursday wrote: “It is extremely difficult for me to cease serving you in this role first because I count it a blessing to be serving you in any capacity, but also, because of the transformative work that is occurring. However, the unrelenting attacks on me personally, my family, are unprecedented and have taken a sizable toll on all of us.”

He continued: “My desire in service to you has always been to bless you as you make important decisions for the American people. I believe you are serving as President today because of God’s providence.…

GE CEO: Company ‘Finished’ with Restructuring

June 27, 2018

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General Electric (GE) saw its stock price surge more than 7% on June 26 after the company said it would dissolve its stake in oil services company Baker Hughes and spin off its healthcare unit over the next few years.

The announcement comes one day after GE said it would sell its Distributed Power business, which includes the company’s Jenbacher and Waukesha engines, to global private investment firm Advent International in a $ 3.25 billion deal.

CEO John Flannery on Tuesday, in an interview with the CNBC program “Squawk on the Street,” said, “I’m a believer” in his company’s turnaround prospects. “I’m very comfortable when we have seen issues along the way, we’ve serviced them, we’ve dealt with them and I think today is another example of that,” he said.

Flannery, who has divested several of the company’s assets since taking over from long-time CEO Jeffrey Immelt last summer, including the company’s electrification unit, said, “We are finished” when asked if more moves were in the offing.…