Japanese energy company JERA has signed a memorandum of understanding with Aboitiz Power Corp to study ammonia co-firing at Aboitiz’s coal plants in the Philippines.

Through the collaboration, renewable energy generator Aboitiz Power aims to study ammonia co-firing at its 12 coal-fired power plants, develop hydrogen and ammonia supply chains, and decarbonise its international operations.

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“By joining forces in the pursuit of greener fuels, our two companies are not only advancing the cause of sustainability, but also paving the way for a cleaner and more vibrant future,” said said Aboitiz Power chairman Sabin Aboitiz.

“Ammonia offers a compelling solution for decarbonizing the power sector, and by looking into it, we are taking a step towards developing the infrastructure needed to support the ammonia and hydrogen value chains.”

If the technology is applied to existing coal-fired power plants, where appropriate, carbon dioxide emissions may be reduced by up to 50%.

With the introduction of these green fuel technologies, the impact on the Philippines economy could broad broader according to Aboitiz, from the construction of import terminals, storage facilities, power station retrofits, etc.

JERA has been a strategic partner of Aboitiz Power since 2021 when the Japanese firm fully acquired a 27% stake in the company.

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EIA said that substantial US coal-fired capacity has retired over the past decade, and a record 14.9GW was retired in 2015.

Annual coal retirements averaged 11GW a year from 2015 to 2020, fell to 5.6GW in 2021, and then rose to 11.5GW in 2022.

In 2023, power plant owners and operators plan to retire 8.9GW of coal-fired capacity, around 4.5% of the total coal-fired capacity at the start of the year.

Most coal-fired power plants currently operating were built in the 1970s and 1980s. As these plants compete with a growing number of natural gas-fired plants and low-cost renewables, more coal-fired units are being retired.

EIA said the largest coal-fired power plant expected to retire this year is the 1,490MW W.H. Sammis Power Plant in Ohio. The oldest four of the plant’s seven coal-fired units were retired in 2020; the last three units are slated to shut down this year, along with the plant’s five petroleum-fired units (13MW of combined capacity).

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Pleasants Power Station (1,278MW) is the second-largest coal-fired power plant retirement expected this year. Energy Harbor, which plans to become a carbon-free electricity supplier by the end of this year, owns both W.H. Sammis and Pleasants.

In addition, some 6.2GW of natural gas-fired capacity is slated to retire, roughly 1.3% of the operating natural gas fleet as of January. Most of that retiring capacity is made up of older steam and combustion turbine units.

Three aging natural gas-fired plants in California (Alamitos, Huntington Beach, and Redondo Beach), with a combined 2.2GW of capacity, are scheduled to retire. These plants were originally slated to retire in 2020 but were granted a three-year extension to maintain grid reliability.

Petroleum-fired power plants make up a small portion of generating capacity at around 2.2%. Most of these plants are seldom run and serve as peaker plants. This year, around 0.4GW of petroleum-fired capacity is scheduled to retire.

Originally published on power-eng.com

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The 30MW capacity turbine will be the core of a new natural gas-fired cogeneration facility at Chang Chun Petrochemical Co.’s Miaoli factory in north-central Taiwan.

The unit, scheduled to begin operating in 2025, will provide power for the company’s factories and steam for manufacturing processes.

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The gas turbine will replace the existing oil and coal-fired boiler facility to reduce emissions in line with Taiwan’s energy policy.

Mitsubishi Power will supply the H-25 gas turbine and auxiliary machinery, and dispatch engineers to provide support for installation and trial operations.

According to Mitsubishi Power, compared to a conventional boiler type cogeneration plant, the H-25 heavy-duty gas turbine contributes to greater plant efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions.

This is the second H-25 gas turbine that Mitsubishi Power will supply to Chang Chun Group, following a unit for a Chang Chun Plastics factory in 2022.

Since 1984, Mitsubishi Power has supplied Chang Chun Group with major equipment for the power and cogeneration facilities at its factories, including nine steam turbines and five boilers.

The H-25 Series gas turbines were developed for utility customers and industrial customers in both 50 Hz and 60 Hz regions. Its first unit came into commercial operation in 1988.

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Xcel will deploy a 10MW / 1,000MWh multi-day storage system at the Sherburne County Generating Station in Becker, Minnesota. Xcel Energy, Colorado, will deploy a 10MW / 1,000MWh multi-day storage system at the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo, Colorado. Both projects are expected to come online as early as 2025 and are subject to regulatory approvals.

The partners used modeling to validate how Form’s multi-day storage could integrate large amounts of wind energy and other renewable resources.

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“This analysis demonstrated that Form Energy’s 100-hour iron-air battery technology will strengthen the grid against normal day-to-day, week-to-week, and season-to-season weather variability, in addition to extreme weather events including severe winter storms and polar vortex events,” read a statement from Xcel Energy.

Xcel Energy has a goal of reducing carbon emissions 80% by 2030 and to deliver carbon-free electricity by 2050.

In November 2022 the utility announced plans to retire the Tolk Generating Station in Texas by 2028. The proposal will go before Texas regulators in February 2023. If approved, this would put the company on the path toward a coal exit by 2030.

Xcel expects a diverse mix of replacement generation, including wind and solar, to be developed near Tolk after coal-fired operations are retired.

According to Xcel Energy’s Integrated Resource Plan, the utility plans to acquire or build up approximately 3,150MW of utility scale solar, approximately 2,650MW of wind and 250MW of storage capacity by 2034.

By 2032, Xcel says it will have added 2,150MW of new wind and 2,500MW of new solar. Beyond 2032, the plan also includes an additional approximately 1,100MW of renewables.

Originally published on power-eng.com

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And the electricity system operator has also given more than a million homes the chance to cut their energy use in return for a discount on their bills.

It is the first time National Grid ESO has initiated its Demand Flexibility Service and comes as plunging temperatures in Britain are predicted to bite on electricity demand.

For an hour this evening, customers with a smart meter will be asked to use less power in return for a cut in their bills.

National Grid ESO said: “Our forecasts show electricity supply margins are expected to be tighter than normal on Monday evening.

“We have instructed coal-fired power units to be available to increase electricity supplies should it be needed tomorrow evening.

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“These are precautionary measures to maintain the buffer of spare capacity we need.”

However, Kelly Becker, President of Schneider Electric in the UK and Ireland, believes the Demand Flexibility Service is an insufficient quick-fix. 

“Short-term incentives to reduce consumer demand for energy may be useful as a precaution against power outages, however, they are a sticking plaster on an even bigger issue.

“Over 60% of all the energy that is produced globally is lost or wasted before it is consumed.

“If we were to approach the crisis differently and tackle just a fraction of this shocking level of waste, then we could easily reduce consumption, and keep the lights on and thermostats up. 

She said that according to figures from the Office of National Statistics, homes across England and Wales have a median EPC energy efficiency rating in band D.

“Meanwhile only around a third of owner-occupied and privately rented properties are rated C or above, which is the minimum level for new build homes.

“Most of our housing stock needs retrofitting to meet the target, bring down costs, reduce waste and go a long way to easing the energy crisis.” 

Becker said that “the digital tools and technologies already exist to give consumers unprecedented visibility over their energy habits at home and adjust their energy usage without sacrificing health and comfort”. 

“These can make a difference in a matter of days or weeks, not months and years. If we adopt them now, we can boost the resilience and stop paying the heavy price of an inherently inefficient energy system.” 

Meanwhile, Jon Hiscock, chief executive of British engineering company Fundamentals, said: “We need to remind ourselves that modern energy grids are some of the most complex man-made systems on the planet.

“And the UK’s grid is one of the most reliable. Load and demand are balanced continuously on our grid, every second of every day.”  

Hiscock said that while “action may be required on the deepest, darkest evenings when excessive demand can spike quickly, the grid is advanced enough to apply granular command and control”.

“Understanding the nuances in demand from different areas means we can predict when overloads are a danger and take steps to balance the load long before they happen.

“We may not need to turn the lights off, just to dim them. For example, we can lower the voltage being supplied to each household to help manage supply and demand.  

He added that the focus needs to be on “how we reconfigure the grid for a low-carbon future”.

“Decarbonisation will spark unprecedented changes in the way that electricity is consumed. Handling the peaks and troughs that come with a more dynamic system means that power from intermittent renewable sources, such as wind or solar, need to be carefully balanced.

“Capacity will need to be increased to ensure resilience. Technologies that increase network flexibility will be key alongside targeted reinforcement of the UK grid.

“Ultimately, we need to take practical steps to ensure our resilient grid can continue to evolve and remain a well-oiled and well-controlled machine.” 

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Demolition of the retired Florida-based Lakeland Electric Units 1, 2 and 3 is under way to make way for Lakeland Electric’s new natural gas-powered plant being built at C.D. McIntosh Power Plant.

The new units are part of Lakeland Electric’s NextGen plan, which the city-owned Florida utility said has already cut its carbon emissions by 50%.

A second implosion at the C.D. McIntosh Power Plant of the coal-fired boiler unit is slated for March.

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In 2020, MAN Energy Solutions was tapped to supply 6 x 18V51/60G reciprocating engines, along with the major balance of plant equipment for the new 120MW RICE (reciprocating internal combustion engine) plant.

MAN said that its gas engine can achieve an efficiency of around 50% in a single cycle and up to 95% in cogeneration. The company said its engine also minimises derating in high temperatures as a result of two-stage turbocharging.

(Editor’s note: Total Wrecking & Environmental will exhibit in booth 1135 at POWERGEN International in Orlando, Florida, February 21-23.)

Originally published on power-eng.com

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Energy Harbor notified state labor officials that layoffs are slated to take place in March and April, and that the plant would close in July. Around 140 jobs are affected.

Last May, Energy Harbor said it planned to deactivate or sell the remaining units of the power plant along the Ohio River five years earlier than previously expected.

The Akron-based company said the move was part of its plan to become a carbon-free energy generator by the end of 2023. Energy Harbor also said it would sell or close its other coal plant, Pleasants Power Station in West Virginia, by the same deadline.

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Energy Harbor filed deactivation notices last spring with regional transmission organisation PJM Interconnection for the following generating units:

• W.H. Sammis Diesel Units SAA, B1-B4, Stratton, Ohio (12.5 MW, diesel oil)
• W.H. Sammis Units 5-7, Stratton, Ohio (1,694 MW, coal)
• Pleasants Power Station Units 1 and 2, Willow Island, West Virginia (1,368 MW, coal)

Energy Harbor has said that the baseload power generated by its nuclear units is “critical infrastructure” required for the clean energy transition.

Among the job losses at Sammis are 22 maintenance mechanics, 18 control room operators, and 19 yard operators.

W.H. Sammis – A retrofit pioneer

In 2005, the plant (seven coal-fired units totaling 2,220 MW) underwent a significant environmental retrofit project. This renovation included new selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems and wet flue gas desulfurisation (FGD) equipment. The project was undertaken by Ohio-based utility FirstEnergy to significantly reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions.

Ultimately, the five-year, $1.8 billion retrofit project was recognised as the construction project of the year at the Platts Global Energy Awards held December 2, 2010, in New York City.

Patsy Wurster, Platts Director of Strategic Media and head of the Global Energy Awards program, commented in a statement in 2010: “…this mega project stood out as a world class engineering, construction and management accomplishment by some of the most experienced companies in the construction business.”

Originally published on power-eng.com

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Located in Rayong province in southeastern Thailand, the 1,434MW BLCP Power Station comprises two subcritical coal-fired boilers that began operations in 2006 and 2007.

The study aims to achieve up to 20% ammonia co-firing to decarbonise the existing power plant, as well as to establish an integrated fuel value chain from procurement to utilisation.

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The study forms part of an MoU signed during the Japan-Thailand Energy Policy Dialogue in Bangkok on 12 January 2023. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), supported by its power solutions brand Mitsubishi Power, will conduct the study on ammonia burners, boiler facilities and equipment necessary for ammonia co-firing.

As part of the MoU, project partner JERA will examine the procurement and transportation of ammonia fuel, available port facilities, as well as ammonia receiving and storage facilities.

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Several Thai and Japanese organisations are also involved in the project, including BPP and EGCO Group from Thailand, and Mitsubishi Corporation from Japan.

Thailand’s government has committed to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065.

To help reach these goals, MHI and Mitsubishi Power have supplied more than 25GW of power generation equipment to Thailand, including facilities currently under construction.

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The order includes the conversion of two coal-fired boilers to bubbling fluidized bed combustion to enable the boilers to run mainly on biomass fuel.

Valmet’s scope of delivery includes engineering, erection and commissioning of the main equipment for bubbling fluidized bed combustion including emission reduction equipment.

The order, valued at approximately EUR 25 million ($26.7 million), will see the converted boilers handed over to the customer by the second quarter of 2024.

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György Palkó, chief executive of Veolia Energia Magyarország Zrt, said: “Our company intends to include environmentally conscious solutions in all its investments, targeting a long-term solution for the sustainability of the industry.

“We are gradually converting our existing coal-fired power plants to run on more environmentally friendly and sustainable fuels.”

He added that after the recommissioning, “the Oroszlány power plant will produce more than 600 GWh of renewable electricity, making up about 1.5 percent of today’s electricity consumption in Hungary”.

According to Europe Beyond Coal, in September 2019 the president of Hungary János Áder announced that the country will stop using coal to produce electricity by 2030.

In March 2021, at the Powering Past Coal Alliance’s global summit, Hungary joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance, stating that the country would phase out coal at its last remaining lignite power plant (Matra, 884MW) by 2025.

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The new facility, set for the site of a former chemical complex in an area to the south of Whitehaven in Cumbria on England’s northwest coast, is proposed to comprise an underground metallurgical coal mine and associated infrastructure, a coal loading facility and railway sidings linked to the local railway and an underground coal conveyor connecting the coal processing buildings with the loading facility.

The decision, made by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove on the basis of recommendations from an independent inspector, is premised on there being a market in the UK and in Europe for coal. Moreover, while there is no consensus on what that future demand may be, it is highly likely that a global demand would remain.

According to the decision document, in the period up to 2049 the development of the mine would not encourage the continued use of blast furnace production methods that would otherwise have been closed or converted to lower carbon technologies.

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However, there is no certainty in the pace that commercial and viable alternatives to such production may come on stream and therefore the longer-term demand for coking coal cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty. Indeed evidence indicates that blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace production is likely to continue in the UK and Europe to around at least 2040 and possibly to 2050 but with the increased use of carbon capture and storage.

Similarly, the document continues, there is not a compelling case that hydrogen direct reduction will result in a significant reduction in the demand for coking coal over the next decade, nor is there certainty that electric arc furnaces will make a significant contribution to UK steel production in the short to medium term, i.e. the next 15 years.

Nor for that matter with increased materials efficiency is there likely to be a significant reduction in the demand for steel in the short to medium term.

Unsurprisingly, the response to the decision has been mixed with the government stating that the development would be net zero over its whole lifetime of 50 years. Moreover, the coal would not be used for power generation.

However, Friends of the Earth referred to it as an appalling decision.

“Approving this mine is a misguided and deeply damaging mistake that flies in the face of all the evidence. The mine isn’t needed, will add to global climate emissions, and won’t replace Russian coal,” campaigner Tony Bosworth was quoted as saying.

Whether or not the development eventually goes ahead remains to be seen but it is likely to attract much controversy and discussion as a presence on a net zero pathway.

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