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Chinese Reactor Is Ahead of Schedule as U.S. Nuclear Projects Flounder

May 28, 2017

China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) completed the dome lift at Fuqing Unit 5—the world’s first power plant being constructed utilizing the HPR 1000 (also known as the Hualong One) reactor design—15 days ahead of schedule on May 25.

The feat was no small accomplishment. The dome weighs about 340 metric tons and has a diameter of 46.8 meters (more than half the length of a U.S. football field). It was said to be the world’s largest and highest dome lift ever undertaken at a nuclear construction site (Figure 1). The dome—composed of 153 prefabricated components divided into five layers—ensures the integrity of the unit’s reactor building.

1. Up, up, and away. The hemispheroid dome was lifted into place on Fuqing Unit 5’s reactor building on May 25. Courtesy: CNNC

“That the dome was lifted 15 days in advance proves that CNNC can construct the HPR 1000 which is a national key project in the field of nuclear power,” Wang Shoujun, chairman of CNNC, said in a press release.…

Wärtsilä Acquires Major Energy Storage Player

May 22, 2017

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Finnish technology firm Wärtsilä has acquired Greensmith Energy Management Systems, a firm that specializes in energy storage optimization and integration software, for an undisclosed amount.

Greensmith, which has designed and deployed more than 180 MW of energy storage at 50 sites globally, has developed a software platform, GEMS, which optimizes the performance of energy storage and reportedly powers more than one-third of all energy storage capacity in the U.S. Greensmith’s energy storage installations include five systems in the PJM frequency regulation market, and a 20 MW/80 MWh system with AltaGas in California to address a constraint posed by the Aliso Canyon gas leak.

Wärtsilä has more than 63 GW of installed power capacity across 176 countries. “This is a perfect match,” said Javier Cavada, president at Wärtsilä Energy Solutions, in a May 15 press release. “The addition of Greensmith’s capabilities and expertise will allow Wärtsilä to offer our installed base significant opportunities for hybrid and energy storage solutions along with full in-house capabilities that combine and optimize different forms of power generation, energy storage and demand-side management.”…

Ohio Committee Suspends FirstEnergy’s Nuclear Power Rescue Plan

May 20, 2017

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Ohio-based FirstEnergy’s plan for a rescue of its two uncompetitive Ohio nuclear plants took a nosedive May 17, as the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee suspended action on the company’s proposal to charge its customers a fee to subsidize the plants.

FirstEnergy’s plan mimics programs adopted in Illinois and New York to create “zero energy credits,” or ZECs, allowing the company to make competitive bids into the PJM regional wholesale market.

The chairman of the House committee, William Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, suspended further hearings on the measure (House Bill 178). “We have heard over 10 hours of testimony on this bill. I have given proponents and opponents a chance to make their case. I am not sensing a keen desire on the part of the House members to vote on this and doubt that we will have more hearings in the near future unless something cataclysmic happens,” Seitz said.

Cleveland newspaper The Plain Dealer suggested “cataclysmic events might include a decision by FirstEnergy Solutions to seek bankruptcy protection from its creditors or a decision by the company to immediately close its four nuclear power plants.”…

Capitalizing Upon Differences Between And Among PRB Coals

May 17, 2017

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Register to attend this complimentary online webinar.
June 6 at 11 a.m. EDT

The Powder River Basin coals are recognized as both Sub-bituminous C and Sub-bituminous A ranked fossil fuels. They differ with respect to many properties including not only calorific value and bulk chemistry (including ash chemistry) but also reactivity and the evolution of potential pollutants (e.g., fuel nitrogen, sulfur). Different PRB coals behave differently both individually and in blends with respect to the combustion process and the issues of deposition and corrosion.

Register at:
https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1140329&sti=web

All registered attendees will receive a certificate of completion

Hosted By: POWER and PRB Coal Users’ Group
Sponsored By: Air Cure

The post Capitalizing Upon Differences Between And Among PRB Coals appeared first on POWER Magazine.

POWER Magazine…

Dominion Resources Changes its Name to Reflect Market Evolution

May 15, 2017

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Dominion Resources, one of the nation’s largest power generators, has changed its name and the names of key subsidiaries, including Dominion Virginia Power.

The Richmond, Va.–headquartered company that has a power portfolio of 26.2 GW, sizable transmission assets, as well as natural gas storage systems and pipelines, will now be known as “Dominion Energy.”

The names of Dominion Energy’s three operating segments—through which the company manages its daily operations and that the company uses in its financial reporting to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission—have been also revised. Power Delivery Group, Power Generation Group, and Gas Infrastructure Group will replace Dominion Virginia Power, Dominion Generation, and Dominion Energy, respectively, the company said.

Several customer-facing entities are also seeing name changes. Questar Corp., a gas pipeline, storage, and local distribution company acquired by Dominion last year in a $ 4.4 billion deal, will now be known as the “Dominion Questar Corp.” The company also has a new logo.

The name changes recognize the company’s “focus on the evolving energy marketplace and to unify our brand after last year’s merger with Questar,” said Thomas F.…

Report: Cheap Natural Gas Poised to Roil PJM Power Market

May 13, 2017

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The flood of cheap Marcellus Shale gas driving massive construction of new natural gas power generation capacity could wreak havoc in the PJM power market, Moody’s Investors Service suggests in a new report.

Two of the nation’s largest power markets, Texas and California, already pose a “distressed environment” for unregulated power companies owing to declining market prices, the credit ratings agency said. Now, a glut of new gas generation in PJM—where new plants are expected to add up to 100 TWh, boosting gas power capacity 25%, by 2021—is poised to increase supply “amid little prospect of growth in demand,” it said.

The agency noted that PJM’s latest forecast report indicates load growth has declined over the last decade, with system load falling to 790 TWh in 2015 from 822 TWh in 2005. Peak demand has also fallen to 143 GW in 2015 from 154 GW in 2005. “Over the past few years PJM has also repeatedly cut its forecasts, and the grid operator currently projects weather-adjusted peak demand growth of only 0.2% per year over the next 10 years,” the report says.…