Alabama Power purchased the Calhoun Natural Gas Facility in order to help improve its grid reliability. “The Calhoun facility, located in Eastaboga, Alabama, includes four simple cycle combustion turbine units that can operate on either gas or oil, having onsite oil storage as a backup fuel source. Constructed in 2003-2004, the units have a combined maximum generation capacity of 743 MW.”
Westinghouse Will Be Purchased for $7.9 Billion
Westinghouse is being purchased by two entities: “Cameco Corp (CCO.TO) and Brookfield Renewable Partners said on Tuesday they would acquire nuclear power plant equipment maker Westinghouse Electric in a $7.9-billion deal including debt, amid renewed interest in nuclear energy.
The deal for one of the most storied names in the American power industry at an equity value of $4.5 billion comes at a time when nuclear power is seeing an uptick in interest amid an energy crisis in Europe and soaring crude oil and natural gas prices.”
Dominion Energy Proposes New Solar and Energy Storage Projects in Virginia
“Dominion Energy has proposed nearly two dozen new solar and energy storage projects, according to new filings with Virginia regulators. If approved by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC), the projects will provide more than 800 MW of electricity.
Ten solar and storage projects totaling nearly 500 MW would be directly owned and operated by Dominion. The proposal also includes PPAs with 13 solar and storage projects, totaling more than 300 MW.
Construction of the projects is projected to support nearly 4,800 clean energy jobs and will generate more than $920 million in economic benefits across Virginia.”
Canada OPG and Czech Republic Partner to Advance Small Modular Reactors
By PowerMag: “Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Czech Republic-based ČEZ are collaborating to advance deployment of nuclear technology, including small modular reactors (SMRs). The companies said they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Oct. 11, with an aim to “reduce financial, technical and schedule risk to both parties on their respective future projects.”
“OPG is Ontario’s largest electricity generator. The company has 75 generating stations in the province with a combined capacity of more than 18 GW. In addition to 66 hydroelectric facilities, its fleet includes two nuclear stations—the 3.5-GW Darlington facility and the 3.1-GW Pickering station (Figure 1). OPG says nuclear power provides about 60% of Ontario’s power today.”
AES Increases Its Battery Energy Storage by an Additional 908 Megawatt-hours in California
By Renewable Energy World: AES confirmed two new future battery storage sites in Lancaster CA for a total of 227 MW / 908 MWh capacity. “The two facilities are expected to provide a boost to California’s grid, storing renewable energy to be dispatched during periods of high demand.”
AES is awarding contracts for both Clean Power Alliance and PG&E for purchasing the renewable energy from its Luna and Lancaster (LAB) facilities. “In its own announcement, Fluence said the LAB system will use its Mosaic platform for intelligent bidding in the state’s wholesale market, operated by CAISO. Mosaic will “integrate directly with Gridstack, processing operating constraints and parameters in real-time, and employ advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence to generate bids that maximize LAB’s market earnings.”
To build or not to build: TVA asks public to weigh in on construction of large solar farm
RenewableEnergyWorld – The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is asking for public input on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the North Alabama Utility-Scale Solar Project in Lawrence County.
In January 2019, TVA announced that it holds a two-year purchase option on 3,000 acres in Lawrence County to study the feasibility of building a large solar farm in order to continue reducing its carbon footprint.
The purpose of this EIS is to address the potential environmental effects associated with constructing, operating, maintaining, and decommissioning the solar facility.
The draft EIS includes two alternatives: a No Action Alternative and an Action Alternative. Under the No Action Alternative, TVA would not execute the purchase under the Purchase Option Agreement, and TVA would not develop a solar facility at this location. Under the Action Alternative, TVA would execute the purchase under the Purchase Option Agreement for the Lawrence County, Alabama, property.