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Another Major Leadership Shuffle: PSEG Gets New CEO

September 4, 2022

PSEG CEO Ralph LaRossa (left) and PSEG’s previous CEO Ralph Izzo (right). Courtesy: PSEG

In another high-profile leadership shuffle at a major U.S. power generating company, PSEG’s longtime president and CEO Ralph Izzo on Sept. 1 passed leadership of the regulated infrastructure company to Ralph LaRossa, who was previously PSEG’s chief operating officer (COO).

Izzo, who will continue to serve as executive chair of the PSEG board until December 2022, will also pass that role to LaRossa. LaRossa will become chair of the PSEG Board on Jan. 1, 2023, when he will also join the executive committee of the PSEG board.

The leadership milestone at PSEG follows several notable leadership changes across the industry in recent months. In August, Entergy Corp. Chairman and CEO Leo P. Denault announced he would retire in 2023, ending a decade-long role as the head of the New Orleans–headquartered power generating giant. Denault will be succeeded by Andrew “Drew” Marsh, Entergy’s current executive vice president and chief financial officer.…

France Set to Take Over Major Power Producer Amid Energy Crisis

July 10, 2022

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The French government is prepared to take full control of EDF, one of the world’s largest producers of electricity, as the energy group struggles with increasing debt due to problems with its current and future nuclear power fleet.

Élisabeth Borne, who took over as France’s prime minister in May, in her first state-of-the-nation speech to the country’s parliament on July 6, said a power crisis exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means the government must take action to limit the impact of rising energy prices. Borne told legislators, “We must have full control over our electricity production and performance. We must ensure our sovereignty in the face of the consequences of war and the colossal challenges to come … that’s why I confirm to you the state’s intention to own 100% of EDF’s capital.”

EDF is facing construction delays and cost overruns on new nuclear power plant projects in France and the UK. It also is dealing with corrosion issues at some of its older nuclear facilities.…

French President Calls for Major Increase in Nuclear Power, Offshore Wind

February 12, 2022

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France, already a world leader in nuclear power generation, plans to build at least six new reactors, with President Emmanuel Macron on Feb. 10 saying the country will consider building an additional eight on top of that as it also moves forward with developing small modular reactors (SMR).

Macron, who is up for re-election in April, made the comments during an appearance Thursday at GE Steam Power’s manufacturing site at Belfort in eastern France. He said nuclear power is critical to the country’s efforts to increase its output of carbon-free electricity as it moves away from coal and natural gas. Macron also said his country would add more renewable energy, including as many as 50 offshore wind installations that would enable France to have 40 GW of offshore wind generation capacity in service by 2050.

French officials recently said the country would allow its last two operational coal-fired power plants to operate far more than usually permitted through at least the end of February due to about a dozen of France’s 56 existing reactors being offline for maintenance.…

Major India Utility Plans Massive Increase in Renewable Energy

October 19, 2021

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The chief executive of major India electricity producer Tata Power said his company is prepared to make major investments in renewable energy, primarily solar and also wind power, as the group looks to increase its clean energy portfolio from its present 4 GW to 25 GW by 2030.

Praveer Sinha, Tata Power’s CEO and managing director, told Nikkei Asia that “for a country like India, renewable is very good source” for power production. He said India’s sunny climate provides the country with “huge potential” for solar power, “so for us, this is a very important opportunity to leverage and see how we can increase our generation through renewable sources.”

Sinha told the news service that Tata could provide “excellent 24/7 renewable solutions” via solar, wind, and other clean energy sources. Tata Power, part of Tata Group, India’s largest conglomerate, has said it would like to add 2 GW of new renewable generation annually over the next decade. Renewable energy today makes up about 30% of the company’s generation.…

Fuel Loading Only Major Milestone Left for Vogtle Unit 3 Nuclear Project

July 30, 2021

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The post Fuel Loading Only Major Milestone Left for Vogtle Unit 3 Nuclear Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Tom Fanning, CEO of Southern Company, reported during the company’s earnings call on July 29 that hot functional testing (HFT) had been completed on Vogtle Unit 3, and that the “next and final major milestone” is fuel load. “We project fuel load to occur sometime near year-end 2021 or early in 2022,” he said.

The Vogtle nuclear power plant expansion project includes the addition of two new Westinghouse AP1000 reactors—Units 3 and 4 at a site near Waynesboro, Georgia, that has two existing units. (Unit 1 began operation in 1987 and Unit 2 began operation in 1989.) The project is owned by four partners—Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power (45.7%), Oglethorpe Power Corp. (30%), Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power, 22.7%), and Dalton Utilities (1.6%).

Construction on Unit 3 and 4 has been a long, drawn-out process. Southern Nuclear (a subsidiary of Southern Company) filed for an early site permit (ESP) application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in August 2006.…

In Major Reversal, EPA, Army Will Revise Definition of ‘WOTUS’

June 12, 2021

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The post In Major Reversal, EPA, Army Will Revise Definition of ‘WOTUS’ appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In yet another dramatic turn for federal policy governing the “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS), the Biden administration has announced its intent to revise the definition of WOTUS, citing “destructive impacts” to critical water bodies under a Trump-era rule.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army on June 9 issued a declaration requesting remand of the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which the Trump administration made effective a year ago to replace a 2015 Obama-era rule. The Department of Justice, meanwhile, has reportedly acted to file a motion requesting remand of the rule.

The agencies said they intend to initiate a new rulemaking process that restores “the protections in place prior to the 2015 WOTUS implementation.” They also anticipate “developing a new rule that defines WOTUS and is informed by a robust engagement process as well as the experience of implementing the pre-2015 rule, the Obama-era Clean Water Rule, and the Trump-era Navigable Waters Protection Rule.”…