Wind towers crumpled after Iowa wind farm suffers rare direct hit from powerful twister May 22, 2024 A wind farm in southwest Iowa suffered a direct hit from a powerful tornado that crumpled five of the massive, power-producing towers, including one that burst into flames. But experts say fortunately such incidents are rare. Video of…
Idaho regulators reject utility’s bid to limit liability for wildfire damages May 23, 2024 The Idaho Public Utilities Commission turned down a request last week from an electric company that wanted to limit its responsibility for future wildfire damages. Portland-based PacifiCorp, which serves about 90,000 Idaho customers through Rocky Mountain Power, asked the commission last…
FirstEnergy Using Helicopters and Infrared Technology for Vegetation Management Inspections May 14, 2024 To keep power flowing safely and reliably, FirstEnergy Corp. is conducting proactive aerial inspections of nearly 7,000 miles of transmission lines in its service territory using helicopters equipped with infrared technology. This work helps ensure that high-voltage power lines and equipment remain…
Can Aging U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Withstand More Extreme Weather? APRIL 23, 2024 To reach its climate goals, the Biden administration aims to extend the lives of U.S. nuclear reactors. But a new report finds regulators have not studied whether increasingly extreme weather could threaten the safety or viability of power plants largely built in…
Transformer fires trigger emergency shutdown of Waterford 3 nuclear plant March 25, 2024 Entergy’s Waterford 3 nuclear generating plant in Killona was forced to shut down last week after two transformers caught fire in the plant’s main transformer yard, according to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The fires and emergency SCRAM, or shut-down, of the…
SRP, City Of Phoenix To Begin Removing Trees That Threaten Overhead Power Lines March 12, 2024 In an effort to increase power reliability and reduce potential safety risks, SRP and the City of Phoenix are scheduled to begin removing trees growing too close to power lines. For every tree removed, three more trees will be…
US government may sue PacifiCorp, a Warren Buffett utility, for nearly $1B in wildfire costs February 26, 2024 The U.S. government is threatening to sue PacifiCorp, a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, to recover nearly $1 billion in costs related to the 2020 wildfires in southern Oregon and northern California, though the company is…
Oak Ridge public-private partnership looks to advance quantum tech for the power grid FEBRUARY 1, 2024 A new cooperative endeavor based at Tennessee’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory unites public and private sector players to push forward advancements in the quantum sciences field, particularly for solutions to further secure the U.S. energy grid. Unveiled last week,…
Texas’ grid has gone 3 years without a crisis. Will it last? 01/30/2024 In the three years since deadly blackouts paralyzed Texas, two major winter storms have hit the electricity grid without plunging the state into blackouts. Texas has touted its success during those two events — Elliott in December 2022 and Heather this January…
Coordination of Texas electric and natural gas sectors key in dealing with blackouts Energize Weekly, January 10, 2024 Better coordination between the Texas electric and natural gas industries is key to getting individual generating facilities up and running – a so-called blackstart – after a cold-weather blackout, according to a federal report. The joint study…
Japan’s nuclear power plants largely undamaged following quake Jan 2, 2024 Japan’s nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan coast escaped serious damage in the New Year’s Day earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. But the 7.6 magnitude quake, which triggered tsunami warnings from Hokkaido to Kyushu and led to evacuations…
Hawaii completes assessment of Oahu energy system and critical infrastructure December 29, 2023 The Hawaii State Energy Office (HSEO) recently concluded work on an initiative called the O‘ahu Energy System and Critical Infrastructure Vulnerability and Resiliency Assessment. The assessment involved a comprehensive hazard and risk assessment of O’ahu’s critical energy infrastructure (CEI), including major supply,…
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