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First Hydrogen Burn at Long Ridge HA-Class Gas Turbine Marks Triumph for GE

April 24, 2022

Hydrogen combustion has begun at the 485-MW Long Ridge Energy Terminal combined cycle power plant—a flagship GE HA-class project that is purpose-built to transition from natural gas to hydrogen blends and ultimately be capable of burning 100% hydrogen.

While the sprawling multimodal facility in Hannibal, Ohio—which sits on the Ohio and West Virginia border—achieved commercial operation in October 2021, efforts to kick off its GE 7HA.02 gas turbine’s transition to hydrogen combustion began in earnest earlier this year. A test to combust an initial blending of 5% hydrogen and 95% natural gas fuel successfully completed on March 30 demonstrated that capability, said the plant’s owners, Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors, and Grosvenor Capital Management—Labor Impact Fund.

*The 485-MW Long Ridge Energy Terminal combined cycle power plant is a flagship GE HA-class project that is purpose-built to transition from natural gas to hydrogen blends. Courtesy: GE*

The test is part of a project spearheaded by Long Ridge Energy Generation, Black & Veatch, GE, NAES, and Long Ridge’s engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor Kiewit to integrate hydrogen fuel blending at the plant without disrupting its power production for PJM Interconnection.…

Marcos, Pacquiao Could Decide Nuclear’s Fate in Philippines

April 20, 2022

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The candidate leading in the polls just weeks ahead of the May 9 presidential election in the Philippines has vowed to make nuclear power part of the country’s energy mix if he is elected, saying it is the best technology to tackle the country’s high electricity prices.

Other candidates, while noting the importance of nuclear power, have said the country must transition to more renewable energy resources if it wants solve both economic and climate issues.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose father Ferdinand Marcos Sr. ruled the country from 1965 to 1986, including instituting martial law for nearly a decade, is considered the frontrunner among 10 presidential candidates. The list of rivals includes retired Filipino sports star Manny Pacquiao, revered in the Philippines for his professional boxing career and who has served as a legislator in the country since 2016. Marcos Jr.’s main challenger, according to recent polling, is Leni Robredo, the country’s current vice president.

Others in the race include Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso, and legislator Panfilo Lacson.…

EPA Proposes Tighter Controls on NOx Emissions from Power Plants, Industrial Sources

April 18, 2022

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A sweeping new proposed rule published in the Federal Register by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 6 establishes new nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions budgets that will require fossil fuel–fired power plants in 25 states to participate in an allowance-based ozone season trading program starting in 2023.

The proposal, which builds on the agency’s existing Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), seeks to implement the EPA’s 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone of 70 parts per billion by imposing federal implementation plans (FIPs) on these states using its authority under the “good neighbor” requirements of the Clean Air Act. States affected are: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The EPA’s existing CSAPR ozone-season NO_x program limits NO_x emissions from fossil fuel–fired electric generating units (EGUs) in 22 states during the ozone season, which runs from May 1 through September 30.…

DOE Poised to Issue Guidance Document for Civil Nuclear Credit Program

April 16, 2022

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The Department of Energy (DOE) will next week kick off its much-watched $ 6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) program to bolster the existing U.S. nuclear fleet by issuing a guidance document that will set down criteria for a combined certification and a sealed bid auction process.

The agency said in an April 6 update the guidance document it will make public in the week of April 18 “will define program eligibility requirements, identify all required deliverables for both certification applications and the sealed bid auction, and give details on program administration.” Because it is acting on an ambitious schedule as required by the November 2021–enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the agency said it will aim to issue the first certification determination and preliminary credit award decisions “expeditiously” after a 30-day open application period.

The first award cycle for fiscal year 2022 will “prioritize and be limited to reactors that are approaching near-term closure,” the DOE said in its update.…

SCOTUS Reinstates Trump-Era Environmental Certification Rule

April 12, 2022

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The U.S. Supreme Court on April 6 reinstated a Trump-era environmental rule that limited state and tribal roles in enforcing a section of the Clean Water Act (CWA) related to project certification. The order is a temporary triumph for eight states and three energy trade associations, including the National Hydropower Association (NHA).

The high court’s order in Louisiana et al. v. American Rivers et al. reinstates a Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized in July 2020 (and which became effective in September 2020) to address potential delays in certifications and project development that resulted in protracted litigation involving state and tribal reviews under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA).

The Supreme Court acted on an application filed on March 21 by eight states—Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Texas—and three industry groups—NHA, American Petroleum Institute, and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America—that asked the high court to stay an October 2021 order from the U.S.…

Tri-State Moves to Retire Rifle Combined Cycle Power Plant

April 9, 2022

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Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, a wholesale power supply cooperative with 45 members in four states—Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming—announced its intentions to retire the Rifle Station, an 85-MW combined cycle facility in Rifle, Colorado.

The announcement was made on April 5 in conjunction with a filing with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). If approved, the plant would be closed “on or about Oct. 6, 2022,” Tri-State said.

The Rifle plant runs infrequently, according to the cooperative, because “sufficient and lower-cost resources” are available to serve member power requirements. The station reportedly would need “significant investments” to continue operating.

“The decision to retire Rifle Station comes as we transition to cleaner resources and reduce our wholesale rates,” Tri-State CEO Duane Highley said in a statement. “We appreciate our Rifle employees’ commitment and service through the years, and will be working with them to ease the impact of this transition.”

In January, Tri-State reached an agreement with more than two dozen parties on Phase I of its 2020 Electric Resource Plan (ERP), which was before the CPUC at the time.…