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MHPS Marks Third Major U.S. Gas-Turbine Milestone in Recent Months

August 31, 2018

NTE Energy on August 28 formally began operations of its 475-MW Kings Mountain Energy Center (KMEC) natural gas–fired plant in Cleveland County, North Carolina, marking the third major milestone in recent months for gas-turbine giant Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) Americas.

The $ 500 million KMEC facility features MHPS G-Series advanced-class gas turbine technology. Owned and operated by NTE Carolinas LLC, KMEC began operations three months after NTE Energy opened its 525-MW Middletown Energy Center in Butler County, Ohio, which also features MHPS G-Series technology. That plant is powered by a M501GAC gas turbine and technology in a combined cycle alignment.

On August 23, MHPS also announced successful first fire for Dominion Energy’s 1,558-MW Greensville County Power Station located in Emporia, Virginia. That plant operates three M501J gas turbines supplied by Mitsubishi. The three J-Series turbines, which MHPS said “are the cornerstone of the largest and cleanest gas-fired power block ever operated inside the U.S,” are the first to come online in the U.S.…

Coal’s ACE in the Hole? New Rule Still Faces Headwinds

August 29, 2018

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The Trump administration has extended a potential lifeline to coal-fired power plants with its Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule. Now the debate is about how much the plan will actually help coal generation.

Energy analysts and other industry experts who spoke with POWER on August 28 say the new rule, which would give individual states the power to determine how to regulate power plant emissions—or whether to regulate them at all—may not make a difference when it comes to the market for coal-based power.

Economic forces, which have increasingly favored natural gas and also renewable energy sources in recent years, have contributed to the fall of coal. And while Trump said the ACE rule is a replacement for the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP), the CPP has never been implemented due to protracted legal challenges, including a continuing stay of the rule by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Other regulations dealing with power plant emissions, including the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), along with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule, remain in force and continue to impact power plant operators.…

Power Market Is Changing — Distributed Energy Gaining Ground [PODCAST]

August 27, 2018

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The power market is changing. It’s being driven more and more by the retail side of the business, according to Roy Palk, Esq., president of New Horizons Consulting. Palk will give a presentation titled “The Rise of Distributed Energy — New Challenges Bring New Opportunities” during the Distributed Energy Conference, which will be held at the Denver Marriott West in Golden, Colorado, October 15–17, 2018.

Palk joined The POWER Podcast to give a brief preview of his talk. He said younger, more-sophisticated and environmentally attuned consumers, as well as commercial and industrial companies that are going green—often following edicts from their boards of directors—are forcing utilities to evolve in order to remain the energy provider for these customers.

The rise of solar and wind power, microgrids, and other distributed energy resources means member-owned cooperatives and large utilities must look at their business models in a new light, focusing on the benefits of leveraging the trend toward distributed generation.

To learn more about the Distributed Energy Conference and to register for the event, visit www.distributedenergyconference.com…

Experts: Coal Plants Must Adapt to New Energy Landscape

August 25, 2018

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The Trump administration’s Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule announced August 21 calls for coal-fired power plants to meet state-designed performance standards, most notably focused on increases in heat rate and overall efficiency for individual generating stations.

Energy experts speaking at the MEGA Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 22 agreed it’s a goal worth pursuing. They also said it will be difficult to achieve due to the evolving nature of U.S. power generation.

The rise of natural gas, which today accounts for the largest percentage of the nation’s electricity production, along with the addition of renewable sources such as wind and solar power to the grid, has lessened the amount of coal-fired generation across the country. It has decreased coal’s capacity factor—the average power generated by a particular energy source, divided by the rated peak power of that source—to just above 50%, behind natural gas, and well below the 73% capacity factor for coal as recently as 2008, according to the U.S.…

Nuclear Power Production Up for Fifth Year in a Row

August 21, 2018

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Nuclear power generation increased worldwide in 2017 for the fifth successive year according to a report released by the World Nuclear Association (WNA). Production from nuclear plants reached 2,506 TWh in 2017, more than 10% of global electricity demand.

The average capacity factor for the world’s nuclear power plants increased year-over-year to 81.1%, continuing the high-performance displayed over the last two decades, during which average capacity factors have consistently hovered around 80%. In an August 15 press release announcing the publication of “World Nuclear Performance Report 2018,” the WNA noted that reactor performance has been “maintained irrespective of how long a reactor has been in operation.” It said there has been no evidence of “age-related decline.”

There were 59 reactors under construction at the end of 2017. Four reactors were connected to the grid during the year, with an average construction time of 58 months. Four projects were started during the year and two were halted, including two units at the V.C.…

Potential Navajo Station Operator—Less Capacity Equals More Profit

August 17, 2018

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The possible new operator of the largest coal-fired power plant in the western U.S. told Arizona regulators this week the company would run the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) at less than half its installed generation capacity in order to maintain profitability. An official for Illinois-based Middle River Power (MRP) also said the plant would operate with fewer workers and would pursue a new lease and coal supply agreement.

The current owners of the 2,250-MW Navajo station in Page, Arizona, which include Arizona Public Service (APS), have said they plan to close the plant in 2019 unless it can be sold. Negotiations are continuing 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, with MRP—headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Deerfield—as the potential new operator. Russell Begaye, president of the Navajo Nation on whose land the plant sits, recently said a lease agreement with Avenue Capital and MRP could be discussed by tribal lawmakers at a meeting in October.…