News

TerraForm Power and SunEdison Acquire 930-MW Contracted Wind Portfolio from Invenergy

TerraForm Power signed a definitive agreement to acquire net ownership of 930-MW of wind power plants from Invenergy Wind (Invenergy). TerraForm Power intends to acquire net ownership of 460 MW of the wind power plants from Invenergy with the remaining 470 MW to be acquired by a new warehouse facility, for a combined $2.0 billion in aggregate consideration. Invenergy will retain a 9.9 percent stake in the U.S. assets and will provide certain operation and maintenance services for these power plants.

Booz Allen, Siemens and Power Analytics Partner with New York Communities to Win 16 NY Prize Microgrid Projects

Booz Allen Hamilton, Siemens and Power Analytics will study the technical and economic feasibility of installing community microgrids in 16 cities across New York. These communities were each awarded $100,000 in initial microgrid funding through New York State's NY Prize competition in order to evaluate how microgrids local energy networks that are able to separate from the larger electrical grid can expand customer choice, ensure power reliability, improve resiliency and preserve the environment.

Williams’ Transco Seeks FERC Approval for Pipeline Expansion to Serve New York City

Williams’ Transco filed an application with FERC for the New York Bay Expansion Project to deliver additional natural gas to New York City in time for the 2017/2018 heating season. The New York Bay Expansion is designed to deliver an additional 115,000 dekatherms a day of natural gas into National Grid's distribution system through the Rockaway Delivery Lateral and the Narrows meter station.

Exelon Generation Breaks Ground On 1,000 MW Natural Gas Power Generating Unit

Senior executives from Exelon Generation, Alstom, General Electric and Zachry officially broke ground on the construction of a new low-carbon, combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) at Exelon's Colorado Bend Generating Station in Wharton. The new CCGT will provide an additional 1,000 MW to the existing 498-MW natural gas power plant. The new unit at Colorado Bend is one of two new CCGTs the company is developing in Texas.

NYPA and mprest Receive Grant to Study Prevention of Power Transformer Outages

The New York Power Authority and mPrest, an Israeli software development firm, were awarded a $900,000 grant from the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation to develop a system that can rapidly detect malfunctioning power transformers before they cause larger problems on the electric grid. NYPA and mPrest will develop software for deployment on the NYPA transmission system, and plan to engage the Electric Power Research Institute for research assistance.

Siemens Partners with Con Edison to Install Storm Hardening System in Lower Manhattan

Siemens partnered with Con Edison to install technology that will help keep Con Edison customers in sections of Lower Manhattan in service during severe flooding. Con Edison chose a new automation system to synchronously control underground switches and circuit breakers that will separate two of Con Edison's power distribution networks into four sub-networks. Siemens developed the distribution feeder automation (SDFA) technology specifically for Con Edison's system.

Sensus and GE Collaborate to Create Residential Meter with FlexNet Communications

Sensus and GE's Digital Energy business collaborated to integrate Sensus FlexNet communication technology into GE's existing I-210+c electric meter. Built on GE's meter platform and inclusive of a Sensus FlexNet radio module, the GE I-210+c FlexNet-enabled meter will be available with and without remote disconnect. The new meter is also expected to meet Underwriters Laboratory (UL) 2735 at the time of initial product availability and Measurement Canada certification within three months of availability.

ABB to Enable Integration of French Offshore Wind Parks

ABB won a contract worth around $25 million from the electrical transmission system operator RTE France to supply transformer products and services for ongoing offshore wind power projects. ABB will supply nine 400-megavolt ampere (MVA) booster transformers to help regulate the voltage of power transmitted from four large-scale offshore wind projects being built at various points along the Atlantic coast of France. Deliveries are scheduled from 2017 to 2020.

Westinghouse Wins Safety Upgrade Contract at Palo Verde Nuclear Generation Station

Westinghouse Electric Company was contracted by Arizona Public Service to provide the first Mobius system, a continuous mobile boration system designed for use at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generation Station. Work already is underway on the project. Delivery of the Mobius system to Palo Verde is scheduled for late 2015. At Palo Verde, the Mobius system will be used at the start of outages to borate the plant to refueling boron concentrations much faster than current methods, resulting in reduced outage duration.

AEP Taps Siemens to Modernize HVDC System Welsh in Texas

American Electric Power (AEP) chose Siemens to modernize its HVDC back-to-back link at its 600-MW Welsh HVDC station in Titus County, Texas. Siemens will upgrade its 20-year-old system by installing new control and protection technologies, replacing the cooling, heating and ventilation, and incorporating new harmonic filters and shunt reactors. This will be the first Siemens mid-life control and protection HVDC modernization in the United States.