Rod Walton

Rod Walton 785 posts

Rod Walton is content director for Power Engineering, POWERGEN International and the online POWERGEN+ series. He is a 13-year veteran of covering the energy industry both as a newspaper journalist and trade publication editor. He can be reached at 918-831-9177 and [email protected].

SNC-Lavalin, E2S sign MOU on exploring coal/fossil to energy storage conversion projects

10.27.2021

Longtime power plant operations, management and services firm SNC-Lavalin will work with an energy storage developer on exploring opportunities to convert end-of-life fossil power plants to clean energy facilities. E2S Power and SNC-Lavalin signed the non-binding memorandum to collaborate on the rapidly growing energy storage market as a potential option for retiring power plants. Research firm Wood Mackenzie has forecast

E.ON, Enel and Iberdrola partner to meet growing hydrogen demand in Germany

10.27.2021

Power Engineering International German utility E.ON is partnering with Italian utility Enel and Spanish energy company Iberdrola to create a hydrogen production and distribution network in the Ruhr region in Germany. E.ON plans to produce 80,000 metric tons of hydrogen per year as part of the H2.Ruhr hydrogen program. The initiative aims to produce hydrogen and green ammonia to meet

MidAmerican Energy close to putting first 3-MW Iowa solar farm into operation

10.26.2021

Iowa-based MidAmerican Energy is not new to utility-scale renewable energy, but the company’s earlier plans have focused on the wind farms clearly visible along I-80 and throughout the region. Solar was not so much of a priority for the company until now. Soon, MidAmerican Energy will flip the switch on its first utility-scale solar photovoltaic project and then quickly add

Coal rally in Europe: Record gas prices flip script in 3Q

10.26.2021

Power Engineering International Record gas prices across Europe saw coal and lignite make up a greater share of Europe’s fuel mix than gas in the third quarter of 2021. That was one of the key standouts from the latest report from energy market data analyst EnAppSys, European Electricity Generation Summary Q3-2021. European coal and lignite plants produced 110TWh during the quarter

CAMS gains energy storage O&M contract for 200 MW in Texas utility-scale battery sites

10.26.2021

A Houston-based energy operations and maintenance firm will handle O&M services at two major battery storage projects in Texas. Developer Broad Reach Power has contracted Consolidated Asset Management Services (CAMS) to oversee O&M at the two 100-MW energy storage sites. Those include Bat Cave Energy Storage in Mason County and North Fork Energy Storage in Williamson County. “As our Broad

Vogtle nuclear expansion facing yet another delay, Georgia Power reports

10.25.2021

Georgia Power has pushed back the in-service dates for its troubled Vogtle Units 3 and 4 expansion project—the first new nuclear power plant construction to be completed in years—by maybe another quarter or more. The utility originally had hoped to make Unit 3 commercial operational by this year, but numerous cost overruns and construction problems have caused more delays. Now,

Lauber named incoming CEO at Wisconsin utility group

10.25.2021

Wisconsin-based utility holding company WEC Energy Group’s leadership will change early next year. CEO Kevin Fletcher will step down from the position effective Feb. 1, 2022, and serve as a senior adviser until his retirement in June. Fletcher will be succeeded by current Chief Operating Officer Scott Lauber. Onetime CEO and now Executive Chairman Gale Klappa will continue in that

10.25.2021

Siemens Gamesa will join Dominion Energy and Orsted in developing an offshore wind manufacturing hub at the Port of Virginia in Portsmouth, Virginia.

10.25.2021

Georgia Power has pushed back the in-service dates for its troubled Vogtle Units 3 and 4 expansion project—the first new nuclear power plant construction to b…

10.25.2021

Wisconsin-based utility holding company WEC Energy Group’s leadership will change early next year. CEO Kevin Fletcher will step down from the position effecti…

10.25.2021

Siemens Gamesa will join Dominion Energy and Orsted in developing an offshore wind manufacturing hub at the Port of Virginia in Portsmouth, Virginia. …

El Paso Electric, Mitsubishi Power collaborating on decarbonization plans

10.25.2021

Texas-based utility El Paso Electric has signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Power to develop renewable energy and storage projects that can contribute to the u…

McDermott, Shell, NASA working together on liquid H2 storage demonstration

10.21.2021

Power sector engineering and construction firm McDermott International is part of a consortium selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to demonstrate the feas…

1,182-MW Ohio combined cycle gas turbine plant now in commercial operation

10.21.2021

Bechtel has completed engineering, procurement and construction work at a new $1.3 billion combined cycle gas turbine plant in Ohio. The EPC firm has turned ove…

10.21.2021

Bechtel has completed engineering, procurement and construction work at a new $1.3 billion combined cycle gas turbine plant in Ohio. The EPC firm has turned ove…

Mississippi green hydrogen hub would be one of world’s largest

10.21.2021

A $3 billion green hydrogen storage hub planned for Mississippi would be 10 times larger than any other project of its kind in the U.S., and one of the largest …

Exelon, DOE pitch in on $92M digitalization upgrade at Limerick nuclear station

10.20.2021

Exelon Generation will utilize a $50 million federal cost-share award to fully digitalize the control room at its Limerick Generating Station in Pennsylvania. O…

East Coast Cluster selected as one of UK’s first CCUS projects

10.20.2021

Power Engineering International The UK’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has named the East Coast Cluster (ECC) as a ‘Track-1�…