Best of POWER

(June 10, 2024)

Welcome to the end-of-June issue of the Best of POWER, a bi-monthly e-newsletter from POWER magazine that provides important news and information that many in our audience have found to be must-reads.

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Kemmerer 1 Breaks Ground: A Look at TerraPower's Natrium Fast Reactor Nuclear Power Plant | Bill Gates’ nuclear innovation firm TerraPower has broken ground on the non-nuclear portion of Kemmerer Unit 1, a 345-MW Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) power plant. The groundbreaking on June 10 makes the federal demonstration project the first advanced nuclear reactor project to move from design into construction in the Western Hemisphere, the company noted.

The ADVANCE Act—Legislation Crucial for a U.S. Nuclear Renaissance—Clears Congress. Here's a Detailed Breakdown | The U.S. Senate has passed the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act, sweeping legislation that seeks to promote U.S. nuclear leadership, accelerate advanced nuclear technology development while preserving existing nuclear generation, bolster national security measures, and enhance regulatory efficiency to support new nuclear deployment.

NVIDIA CEO: AI Will Impact the Future of Energy | The future of energy may depend on technology with roots in the video game industry, by a company founded more than 30 years ago that wanted to use accelerated computing to improve the look and feel of the gaming experience.

Siemens Gamesa Reportedly Developing 21-MW Offshore Wind Turbine | The global race to build ever-larger offshore wind turbines may have another entrant, as Siemens Gamesa has reportedly told customers the company plans to produce a 21-MW model in the next few years.

Nuclear Energy—A Technology That Must Be Continued | Dr. David Gattie, a University of Georgia engineering professor, recently tweeted, “Nuclear is critical, but the priority must be U.S. national security and ensuring America’s competitive advantage over China and Russia in nuclear science, engineering and technology—not just about climate change.”

In Case You Missed It: A Closer Look at Two Operational Small Modular Reactor Designs | There are literally dozens of small modular reactor (SMR) and microreactor designs being developed by different companies around the world, and some of the work has been going on for decades. Yet, only two designs have actually been built and put into commercial operation. POWER takes a closer look at both of them.

Michigan Coal Plant Eyes BECCS Retrofit: Could Become First U.S. Facility with ‘Carbon-Negative’ Power | CMS Energy’s subsidiary NorthStar Clean Energy has given Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) the green light to start initial work on converting a 73-MW coal-fired power plant in Michigan into a bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) facility that could send “carbon-negative” power to the grid.

GOP Lawmakers Aim to Protect Coal and Gas-Fired Power Plants from EPA Rules | Forty-three Republican senators (along with one Independent) introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval on June 5 to overturn emissions rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which they say target existing coal-fired power plants and new gas-fired plants. The action was led by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. In the House of Representatives, U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) simultaneously led 138 of his colleagues in introducing an identical resolution.

China Brings World's Largest Solar Power Plant Online | The state-owned Power Construction Corp. of China has brought a 5-GW solar power plant into commercial operation, with the project taking over as the world’s largest operating photovoltaic (PV) facility.

Filings Support 41 GW of New Gas-Fired Generation Across Texas | Texas’ plan to add more natural gas-fired power generation capacity, supported by money from a newly created energy fund, received a boost when several companies announced their intention to file applications to build new facilities under the program.