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8 Rivers Unveils 560 MW of Allam Cycle Gas-Fired Projects for Colorado, Illinois

April 18, 2021

The post 8 Rivers Unveils 560 MW of Allam Cycle Gas-Fired Projects for Colorado, Illinois appeared first on POWER Magazine.

8 Rivers Capital, inventor of a novel supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) cycle, plans to begin operating a 280-MW NET Power natural gas–fired plant within the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in southwest Colorado by 2025. The company on April 15 also said it will team with agricultural and processing firm Archer-Daniels-Midlands Co. (ADM) to locate a 280-MW NET Power facility in Decatur, Illinois.

The proposed projects are a giant leap forward for Durham, North Carolina- headquartered venture capitalist firm 8 Rivers, and NET Power, a firm it holds jointly with industry backers that is working to commercialize the Allam Cycle.

Despite intense interest from industry, NET Power has been quiet about developments surrounding the potentially revolutionary technology, including any achievements at a NET Power test facility in La Porte, Texas. The company marked its last substantial technology triumph in May 2018, when it achieved first-fire of a novel commercial-scale 50-MWth combustor at the La Porte facility. …

Is It Safe to Invest in Mexican Energy Projects?

March 19, 2021

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The post Is It Safe to Invest in Mexican Energy Projects? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In late 2013, Mexico embarked on a path to transform its energy markets. Then-President Enrique Peña-Nieto oversaw constitutional reforms that ended state-run monopolies, and opened Mexico’s power market to competition and investment from foreign and private companies.

By most accounts, the policies were highly effective in spurring investments in renewable energy and efficient natural gas-fired power projects. A great deal of money has been funneled into Mexico by investors from as many as 45 countries since the law was enacted.

“The result of that was dramatically successful. I mean, you have millions and millions of dollars that were sunk into the power sector bringing in modern equipment, environmentally friendly, because there were a lot of renewable projects that went online. You see how the percentage of renewables changed in the last 10 years—you can see that it has been successful,” Roberto Aguirre Luzi, a partner with King & Spalding, said as a guest on The POWER Podcast.…

EPA Curbs State Review of Energy Projects

June 2, 2020

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The Trump administration on June 1 moved to limit the ability of individual states to use provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) to block energy projects, a potential win for the power generation and other energy industry sectors that have battled lengthy licensing and permitting reviews and rejections based on climate change arguments.

The rulemaking is a setback for those who oppose the siting of oil and natural gas transportation pipelines, and power generation projects such as coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, and hydroelectric dams, the permitting of which has been among the biggest legal and political battlegrounds in recent years.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler on Monday signed a rule that restricts the scope of state reviews under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. Wheeler defended the action in a call Monday with media, saying the EPA wants “to make sure we are limiting the 401 process just to water quality,” noting the rule excludes limits on state reviews of climate and air pollution impacts.…

DOE Announces Additional $64 Million for Clean Coal Projects

February 9, 2020

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has earmarked $ 64 million in additional funding for research and development of smaller, more efficient, and cleaner coal plants. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette on Feb. 7 announced the money would be part of the DOE’s “Coal FIRST Initiative,” telling the audience at an Atlantic Council meeting Friday in Washington, D.C., that the program is designed to “produce more coal power more efficiently and transform it into a near zero-emission energy source.”

The Atlantic Council calls itself a “nonpartisan organization that galvanizes U.S. leadership and engagement in the world, in partnership with allies and partners, to shape solutions to global challenges.” The agency’s international advisory board includes former prime ministers and presidents from Australia, Denmark, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, among others.

“Coal is a critical resource for grid stability that will be used in developing countries around the world well into the future as they build their economies,” said Brouillette in a news release detailing the funding opportunity announcement (FOA).…

Dominion Solar, Wind Projects Will Power Virginia Government Buildings

October 23, 2019

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Dominion Energy has entered a partnership with the commonwealth of Virginia in which government-owned buildings and facilities in the state will get power from Dominion’s solar and wind energy projects.

The agreement, signed by Dominion and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Oct. 18, is the largest procurement of renewable energy to date by the state as part of Northam’s plan to power the whole of state government with clean energy.

The deal includes a 75-MW wind project—the first onshore wind farm in Virginia—along with four proposed solar farms with total generation capacity of 345 MW. The projects are expected to come online in stages over the next three years, if all are approved.

The governor’s office said the new generation, along with previously announced solar projects, should produce enough power to support as much as 45% of the state government’s annual energy use. The agreement comes after Northam in September announced that state government agencies would lead the commonwealth’s push for renewables.…

Energy Secretary Wants to Fast-Track U.S. LNG Export Projects

March 11, 2019

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Exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the U.S. continue to rise, as the use of natural gas for power generation increases in countries such as China, South Korea, Japan, and Mexico. Data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) shows that four U.S. LNG export facilities combined to ship 483 LNG cargoes in 2018, a whopping 84% increase from the 262 export cargoes in 2017.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry, in a March 11 interview with CNBC at CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, talked about the importance of LNG as the U.S. competes globally in the energy sector. “Whether it’s our technology on the renewable side, whether it’s small modular reactors in the nuclear field, obviously the fossil fuels as well. But all of it plays a role,” Perry told CNBC’s Brian Sullivan. “America is a leader in the energy sector, all of those sectors, not just in the fossil fuel side. Obviously, that’s really changed with our ability to deliver [LNG to] 34 countries, now five continents of LNG.…