Gas Power Plants News

RWE, Germany's largest power producer, said Europe needed more investment in liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on land to secure shipped fuel supplies from global gas producers in the long term.But RWE Chief Executive Andree Stracke told the Gastech conference in Milan that he did not think Europe would abandon Russian gas forever because of the cost to industries and households.Europe is facing its worst gas supply crisis ever, with energy prices soaring and German importers…

JERA, Japan's biggest electricity generator and the world's largest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), is operating gas- power plants at lower rates as it runs down inventories amid rising heating demand as temperatures drop.The company joins other Japanese power generators reducing run rates on their gas plants as they compete with LNG buyers across northern Asia scrambling to secure supplies, sending prices higher.Tight fuel supplies are also highlighting vulnerabilities in Japan's electricity grid that make it harder to swap power supplies between areas a decade after the Fukushima nucle

A new study revealed that coal power is being replaced by cleaner energy sources in the US – primarily due to an abundance of cheap natural gas.According to Rystad Energy, new renewable energy capacity from solar and wind is on the rise in the US, and April 2019 marked the first month when more electricity was generated in the country from renewable sources than from coal.However, the growing renewable energy sector alone is not wholly responsible for the on-going retirement of coal-fired power plants and the essential moratorium on the construction of new coal plants.“The US thermal coal industry is in severe trouble. However, coal’s demise as the fuel of choice for power generators is primarily due to the upsurge of cheap natural gas and not renewable sources of power…

The international accredited registrar and classification society DNV GL has awarded the Japanese multinational corporation Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) an Approval in Principle (AIP) for their LNG floating power plant (LFPP).The classification body said in a press release that the LFPP is a decentralized energy generation solution that enables locations to tap into natural gas as part of their power mix.The LFPP concept is designed for installation in areas where energy demand is rapidly increasing, but onshore infrastructure is not feasible or commercially viable. Instead, the LNG would be offloaded from a carrier, stored onboard in two cylindrical (IMO type C) tanks, and then regasified for power generation and exported to the onshore grid.

The LNG industry is undergoing a dramatic transformation. North American activity (the majority of which is committed spend) is driving a return to growth in global capital expenditure. A wave of new LNG carrier newbuilds will also be required to support a huge increase in traded base-load LNG volumes. Douglas-Westwood’s (DW) new World LNG Market Forecast 2017-2021 indicates global LNG expenditure will total $284 billion (bn) between 2017 and 2021. This represents a 50% growth compared with the preceding five-year period. Report author, Mark Adeosun, commented, “Liquefaction terminals will remain the principal driver of expenditure with spend in the segment totalling $192bn. This will subsequently lead to a 42% increase in liquefaction capacity by the end of the forecast period.

ABB Turbocharging said it will step up its promotion of variable valve train system, Valve Control Management (VCM). VCM helps a turbocharger to manage air actively so that an engine can operate at different speeds, loads and ambient conditions, thereby increasing its range of application and operation. A major market for this technology is gas power plants. VCM offers new options for higher performance engines that need either a wide range of operation or a fast load response, such as on tugboats, off-highway trucks and emergency power generators. Suboptimal air-fuel flow results in greater risk of engine knock, more polluted exhaust and lower efficiency.

Statoil ASA (OSE: STL, NYSE: STO): Statoil and Wintershall have entered into a 10-year gas sales agreement for the delivery of a total of 45 billion cubic meters (bcm) to the German and other North-West European markets. "This strategic agreement demonstrates the continued competitiveness of Norwegian natural gas in the German energy mix. "The agreement with Statoil, a long-term and reliable energy partner with Germany for decades, is a significant milestone for Wintershall. For us this means that we can also use the volumes we produce from the North Sea in Europe in the future without having to expand our own infrastructure," says Wintershall's CEO Rainer Seele. Germany consumes about 80 bcm natural gas per year and is the second largest gas market in Europe.

Frank W. Donnelly has been appointed President, Wärtsilä North America, Inc. He is also continuing as Vice President, Power Plants in Wärtsilä North America. After graduating from Rice University, Houston, Texas, Donnelly began his career with the French engine manufacturer, SACM, as its head of North American operations. During this period, he focused primarily on offshore generation for semi-submersibles and standby power for nuclear plants. Donnelly joined Wärtsilä in 1988 in connection wíth the acquisition of SACM. During the 90s, he was active in Wärtsilä's Power Development and sales of power plants in Central America and Caribbean.

Frank W. Donnelly has been appointed President, Wärtsilä North America, Inc. as of March 27th, 2007. He is also continuing as Vice President, Power Plants in Wärtsilä North America. After graduating from Rice University, Houston, Texas, Mr. Donnelly began his career with the French engine manufacturer, SACM, as its head of North American operations. During this period, he focused primarily on offshore generation for semi-submersibles and standby power for nuclear plants. Mr Donnelly joined Wärtsilä in 1988 in connection wíth the acquisition of SACM. During the 90s, he was active in Wärtsilä's Power Development and sales of power plants in Central America and Caribbean.

Wärtsilä posted a first-quarter loss, hit by restructuring charges, but said it expected full-year results at its key power divisions to reach last year's level. Wärtsilä reported a January-March loss before extraordinary items of $3.92 million versus a profit a year ago. The result sent Wärtsilä's shares 5.2 percent lower to 23.60 euros in thin opening trade on a flat Helsinki bourse. The stock is eight percent below its year high of 25.65 euros. Wärtsilä booked a 30-million-euro restructuring provision to improve operations at its engine-building divisions, but said it would absorb that charge in the rest of the year, leaving operating results for the divisions on par with 2000.