Energy Jobs at EnergyNorthwest.com

Enviros Dispute State Findings on Coal Ash Spill

October 8, 2018

Environmental officials in North Carolina say their tests show that coal ash released from Duke Energy’s Sutton power plant in Wilmington during flooding from Hurricane Florence has not had a negative impact on the Cape Fear River.

The state’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on October 4 said its test results on water samples collected on four different days following the hurricane aligned with results from Duke Energy’s water tests. Environmentalists, though, said the state tests are not conclusive because they did not include tests on the sediment at the bottom of the river.

The DEQ said heavy metals found in the river water are within state standards. Paige Sheehan, a Duke Energy spokeswoman, in a statement said the state’s test results show “that Cape Fear River quality is not harmed by Sutton plant operations.” A DEQ spokeswoman said the state did find slightly elevated levels of copper in the river, but said they are not a threat to public health.…

Nuclear Power Roundup: New Milestones Reached on Several Reactors

October 4, 2018

| No Comments

| Industry News

A handful of nuclear power projects around the world completed notable achievements recently: Rostov 4 entered commercial operation, Tianwan 4 achieved first criticality, the Akademik Lomonosov floating nuclear power plant completed fuel loading, Leningrad II-1 received its commissioning permit, and the dome was installed on Karachi 3.

Rostov 4

Rostov Unit 4 was placed into commercial operation on September 28, three months ahead of schedule. The reactor is the last VVER-1000 type that will be constructed in Russia. However, Rosatom said the design incorporated some safety elements that are used in Generation 3+ power units.

“Rostov NPP [nuclear power plant] is the first NPP in the newest history where the so called straight-line construction that provides both adherence to deadlines and maximum effective use of materials and financial resources was revived. It is due to this type of construction [Rostov] NPP was constructed not only 3 months earlier, but with the high quality,” Director General of Rosenergoatom JSC Andrey Petrov said in a press release announcing the achievement.…

New York Gas Plant Comes Online Despite Opposition

October 2, 2018

| No Comments

| Industry News

The Valley Energy Center in Orange County, New York, entered commercial operation on October 1 despite complaints from local officials and area residents about noise from the plant, among other concerns.

Community members spoke out against the plant at public hearings last week, saying they have felt sick when the plant has undergone test runs over the past several months. Orange County officials and local politicians said they support a decision by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) not to renew the air permit for the plant, though the plant is allowed to operate while a court decides the permit issue.

The DEC has said the plant needs a federal Title V air permit. Competitive Power Ventures (CPV), the plant’s operator, has argued it has one year to obtain the permit after beginning full-time operation.

The Valley Energy Center is a 675-MW gas-fired plant in Wawayanda. It was originally scheduled to begin commercial operation in February, but its opening was delayed because the DEC had not finished permitting Millennium Pipeline Co.’s…

Deadline Extended for Vote on Future of Plant Vogtle

September 26, 2018

| No Comments

| Industry News

The drama over the fate of the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion in Georgia continued September 25 as the four co-owners of the project sparred over conditions that one of the co-owners, Oglethorpe Power, wants in order to secure its support for moving forward with the project.

A vote on the future of the oft-delayed, massively over budget project was delayed several times Tuesday before eventually being pushed to 5 p.m. Eastern time September 26. The plant’s co-owners on Monday agreed construction should continue on two new AP1000 reactors at the site in Waynesboro, but Oglethorpe’s support was conditional, with the electric membership cooperative saying it needs an agreement on how costs for continuing construction will be capped before casting a “yes” vote. A “no” vote from Oglethorpe could bring a cancellation of the project.

Steve Tumlin, the mayor of Marietta, Georgia, and the city’s representative on the board of the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power), said the deadline for a definitive vote on the project’s future can be extended as much as seven days.…

AP1000 Reactor Set for Commercial Operation in China

September 20, 2018

| No Comments

| Industry News

An AP1000 nuclear reactor at the Sanmen power plant in China will likely be the first of its kind to begin commercial operation, with reports saying the reactor could come online as early as September 21.

A statement from China National Nuclear Power Company, issued to the stock exchange in Shanghai on September 20, said the reactor is expected to be ready for operation Friday after a 168-hour test run. The Sanmen plant is in east China’s Zhejiang province.

Snowy Yao, an analyst in Hong Kong with China Securities International Finance Holding Company, told Bloomberg: “It’s a landmark event for China’s nuclear power industry. It’s safe to say China is now one of the leaders in the world’s civil nuclear power industry.”

The AP1000, a pressurized water reactor designed by Westinghouse, is the same reactor being built for Units 3 and 4 at the Vogtle plant in Georgia, the long-delayed project that continues to be beset by cost overruns and legal squabbling over its construction.…

Appeals Court Backs Illinois’ Nuclear Subsidies

September 14, 2018

| No Comments

| Industry News

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on September 13 upheld subsidies offered by Illinois to help struggling nuclear power plants. The court rejected arguments from power producers and some Illinois energy consumers that so-called zero-emission credits (ZEC) are preempted by the Federal Power Act. Opponents argued the program violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, saying it usurps the authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and FERC’s jurisdiction over wholesale electricity markets.

The ruling was in the case Electric Power Supply Association et al. v. Star et al.

The Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA), an advocacy group for the electric power industry, along with other independent generators and some Illinois energy consumers had said the state’s ZEC program and the $ 235 million in yearly subsidies sent to a pair of Exelon Corp. nuclear plants as part of the state’s Future Energy Jobs Act directly impacted wholesale markets.

The latest appeal in Illinois was filed after a judge in July 2017 dismissed an earlier appeal by EPSA and a group of power generators.…