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The article offers information on the economic forecasting for the U.S. energy industry. It states that the U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are expected to stay below 2005 levels through 2035, principally due to coal-to-gas fuel switching and a moribund economy. It mentions that the cost of renewable energy mandates was the primary cause of a 2.3 percent increase in the national average cost of residential electricity.

The article reports on the future prospect for the power industry in the U.S. and Europe in 2012. The problem of sovereign debt is likely to impact all major capital projects in Europe, where Great Britain is moving ahead with new nuclear projects while many of its neighbors are finding it difficult to finance their commitment to renewables. The U.S. Federal Reserve Bank has lowered in November 2011 its forecast for economic growth through 2013.

The article focuses on the development of the 510-megawatt FlexEfficiency 50 combined cycle power plant by GE Energy in the U.S. An overview of the FlexEfficiency 50 design is outlined which is a 60 percent thermal efficiency class of plants. Features of the plant are highlighted which include a 9FB combustion turbine, heat recovery steam generator and the Mark VIe digital control system.

The article presents information on Seminole Generating Station located in Palatka, Florida. Its operator Seminole Electric Cooperative Inc. (SECI) provides electricity in central and northwestern Florida counties. SECI is ranked third-largest in the U.S. based on wholesale energy sales. SECI has invested investment about 300 million dollars in the power plant to reduce its air emissions and minimize its solid waste disposal problems.

In this article the authors comment on the impact of global financial crisis on the power industry in the U.S. As stated, with the shrinking of international credit markets, high-capital energy projects were constrained to be called off, despite the 700 billion dollar bank bailout package and renewable energy tax cuts in the year 2008. Rick Sergel, chief executive officer (CEO) at North American Electric Reliability Corp., says that major problem in the energy sector is lack of investment .

The article presents information on the company Public Service of New Hampshire's (PSNH) Northern Wood Power Project (NWPP) that won "POWER" magazine's 2007 Marmaduke Award for excellence in operations and maintenance in New Hampshire. The project, completed in December 2006, reduced emissions and expanded the local market for low-grade wood. The NWPP is among the largest renewable energy projects in the U.S. and the only sizable one to replace a coal boiler with a biomass-fueled steam boiler. PSNH estimates that the NWPP will generate between 300,000 and 400,000 renewable energy certificates (RECs) each year, bringing in about $15 million of additional revenue and helping to keep rates low for PSNH customers.

This article asserts that the Magnolia Power Project, a 310-MW combined-cycle plant in downtown Burbank, California, proves that "urban load-centered generation" is indeed practical, if the right pieces are put in place. SCPPA financed and owns Magnolia on behalf of six of its member municipal utilities. The state's deregulation bomb was built by mixing equal parts price regulation, plant construction delays, regulations prohibiting long-term wholesale power supply contracts, and gross mismanagement by public officials. The fuse was lit by the market-fixing shenanigans of a few traders, and consumers took the brunt of the blast. A quick analysis of data from the California Energy Commission Web site reveals the depth of the problem. Since the advent of deregulation in 1996. Exacerbating the problem. California's electricity supply system is old. and its reliability continues to rely heavily on kilowatt-hours imported from nearby states. As a result, the impact of anticipated new capacity must be put in context. INSET: About SCPPA.

The article presents information on Nebraska City Station Unit 2 power plant located on the Missouri River in Nebraska. It is stated that the new plant will supply reliable energy for the Omaha Public Power District's (OPPD) 340,000 customers located in all or parts of 13 counties in east and southeast Nebraska. The first unit of the plant entered commercial service on May 31, 1979, and produced 100 million MWh net of electricity on Feb. 2, 2009.

The article presents information on Bull Run Fossil Plant located on the Clinch River near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The plant is the only single-unit, coal-fired plant on the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power system. It is stated that the TVA invested 450 million dollars for its SCR and FGD system upgrades at Bull Run alone.

The article announces that Westar Energy Inc.'s Lawrence Energy Center was presented the 2006 Plant of the Year award by Powder River Basin Coal Users' Group at the Electric Power 2007 Conference.

Discusses a proposal of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate mercury emissions from coal -fired power plants, as of October 2004. Provisions of the proposed regulation; Expected percentage of mercury emissions to be reduced with the implementation of the regulation; Concerns regarding the failure of the EPA to compare their proposed regulation approach to the standard required by the Clean Air Act; Stance of the electric power industry on the regulation of other hazardous air pollutants aside from mercury.

Highlights the Powder River Basin (PRB) Coal Users Group's (CUG) meeting held on March 22, 2001 in Baltimore, Maryland. Participants of the meeting; Issues addressed in the meeting; Demand for clean-burning coals; Suggestions for PRB coal shift of power plants; Importance of proper design and operations of a PRB coal-handling system; Coal Plant of the Year award given to Kincaid Generation LLC.

The article presents information on the Prairie State Energy Campus power station in Illinois. Prairie State Generating Co. LLC. is the owner and operator of the power plant. It is stated that the power plant is most probably the last multi-unit coal-fired power plants to be built in the U.S. About 95% the ownership group of the power plant are public power agencies as well as community-owned electric utilities.

The article presents information on the Shentou Second Power Plant in Shuozhou City, China. Shenhua Guoneng Energy Group Corp. Ltd. is the owner and operator of the power plant. The electricity generated by the plant is sent to power grids across Shanxi and Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan , which deliver electricity to the large part of eastern populations centers in China.

The article presents information on the prospects of the Edwardsport Generating Station in Indiana for the POWER Top Plant award. Duke Energy Indiana Inc. is the owner and operator of the power plant. It is stated that one of the main reasons why Edwardsport should get the award is because Duke decided that commercializing of state-of-the-art gasification technology was right.

The article focuses on the Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) Brazi, located in Bucharest, Romania. It informs that CCPP Brazi is the most efficient thermal plant in the country, and it produces about 9% to 10% of the country's total electricity demand. It discusses the construction of the CCPP Brazi plant, which has been built by OMV Petrom SA, a leading Central European oil and gas company and the largest one in Romania.

The article discusses various digital technologies related to the energy industry. It is stated that the third-generation digital control system (DCS) uses the latest personal computer (PC) technology and open communication technologies, that can be applied throughout the power plant. Several software options are also available to the power plant operator, such as Yokogawa's Vigilant-Plant, Alstom Power's ALSPA Series 6, Siemens SPPA-T3000, and Honeywell's TDC 3000.

Presents information on the top power plants according to "POWER" magazine in 2004. Sanford Repowering Project in Florida; Ravenswood Unit 40 in Long Island, New York; Danahu Thermal Power Station in India; Pusan Combined-Cycle Plant in South Korea; Pagbilao Power Plant in the Philippines.

In this article the author presents various forecasts for the power generation industry for 2013. He says that the average price of the natural gas is expected to rise by 20 percent in 2013, and the amount of electricity produced by natural gas is expected to drop by about 10 percent. He mentions that the average domestic cost of electricity is expected to increase by two percent.

The article reports on the U.S. utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule scheduled to take effect in December 2011 will have a three-year timetable for compliance. The two options for utilities are either comply or close their plants. It is noted that the coal power industry has no unity in opposing the compressed schedule requirements of the rule. Various views from industry officials on the issue are also presented.

The article focuses on a report by Professor Matthew Nisbet titled "Climate Shift: Clear Vision for the Next Decade of Public Debate." The report claimed that there is tendency among environmentalists and scientists to blame political inaction on the spending advantage enjoyed by conservatives and false balance in media coverage. It also noted that the 45 national environmental groups working on climate change spent 394 million dollars on climate change and energy policy efforts in 2009.

In this article focuses on the publication of the energy industry magazine "Power," and informs that any type of query or suggestion will be appreciated by the magazine. It is stated that a monthly auction for editorial space in the magazine, is organized by the magazine. "Power" is about to complete its 127th year of publication and is the longest-running industry magazine in the U.S. because the standards set for content and readability are high.

The article introduces a section of articles on the distributed controls, wireless applications, and automation technologies useful for the success of a power-plant, published within the issue. The articles examine how technology advancement plays a role in the evolutionary push toward enterprise-wide asset management. The article also focuses on the 52nd Annual POWID Symposium and the 19th Annual ISA POWID/EPRI Controls and Instrumentation Conference.

The article offers information on the Frank A. Tracy Combined Cycle Plant project by Sierra Pacific Resources Co. (SPR) in Reno, Nevada. The project aims to reduce power purchase from outside suppliers in Nevada. Due to the absence of electrical interconnection between Sierra Pacific and Nevada Power, a proposal has been created for the creation of a 250-mile transmission line which will cost $500 million.

The article reports on the possible effect of the proposed carbon cap-and-trade regulations in the U.S. power industry's 2008 performance. The proposed legislation for carbon control has executives at nuclear- and wind-power plants vilify their counterparts at coal-based utilities, in which they asked allowances to ease the transition. Predicting power industry performance requires understanding on how utilities and other plant developers respond to risk and uncertainty. The imminent arrival of carbon controls has reportedly caused a tectonic shift in the industry.

The article presents the author's comments on the energy policy and other aspects related to power poaching in the U.S. According to the author, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 gave the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the authority to override state and local opposition to the construction of interstate transmission lines. The author observes that the problem with this plan is that it saddles generating regions with the environmental and lost resources costs.

The article comments on the feasibility of implementing integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) in most of the utilities in coming decades. The author says that adopting a technology like IGCC demands careful consideration because it deals with the long-term interests of the power industry. He says that projects worthy of gasification tax credits will be recommended to Internal Revenue Service which would in turn depend on the respective states' ability to deliver what they commit.

Discusses the energy policy of U.S. President George W. Bush. Comment that the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) signed by Bush on August 8 was the first significant national energy policy update in 13 years to successfully pass congressional muster; View that flat funding levels for domestic energy programs and deficit-induced federal budget freezes may not allow the level of spending envisioned by lawmakers; Information that most of the projects identified in the EPAct are evaluated individually.

Focuses on public perceptions on the energy industry's progress in reducing air pollution in the U.S. Results of a survey of the opinion of U.S. citizens on air quality; Findings of the study "Ambient Air Quality Trends" conducted by Meszler Engineering Services; Status of air quality in the country as of November 2004.