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GE Renewable Energy announces two hydropower services contracts in the US

GE Renewable Energy announced at HydroVision that it has signed two hydropower contracts in the U.S. one for FirstLight’s Northfield Mountain project and one for PG&E’s Caribou One hydropower station.




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On the brink of blackouts, Texas makes case for power plant boom

It may be time to start building power plants in Texas again.




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How Australia’s top-five digital health innovation sectors attract global investment

Austrade has launched a digital health website showcasing Australia as an ideal location for developing, testing and launching the next generation of digital medical technologies.




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Japanese manufacturer opens for business in Queensland

Oji Fibre Solutions (OjiFS), the New Zealand subsidiary of Japanese manufacturer Oji Holdings Corporation (Oji Holdings), has opened its A$72 million corrugated box manufacturing facility in the Gold Coast suburb of Yatala.




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Artificial intelligence expert selects Sydney for Asia-Pacific launch pad

New York-based artificial intelligence (AI) specialist, Dataiku, is expanding in the Asia-Pacific region with a major new office in Sydney. The company will be hiring dozens of local employees, from customer-facing staff to data scientists.




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How proper training programs can help prevent accidents at hydropower plants

With the potential for disaster at hydropower projects around the world, the lack of organized training programs becomes a prominent consideration in how companies manage their assets.




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Machining work performed to deal with bearing cooling problem at Lookout Shoals

A problem with bearing cooling at the Lookout Shoals plant helped Duke Energy uncover several other issues that needed to be resolved. Through creative approaches and significant machining work, the units are now operating dependably.




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Geocaching challenge takes participants to three Pacific Northwest hydro facilities

Visitor centers at large hydro projects in the U.S. nearly became an endangered species after 9/11. Fears about additional attacks on critical infrastructure led to restricting public access to many hydro projects, putting visitor centers in jeopardy.




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Utility GDF Suez Plans to Double European Renewable Capacity by 2025

GDF Suez SA plans to double renewable power production capacity in Europe over the next decade as the utility shifts its focus away from developing more historic natural gas and nuclear energy sources in the region.




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Republican Texas Bows to California and Backs Energy Finance Plan

Jim Keffer is Republican state lawmaker in Texas with a permit to carry a concealed weapon and doubts about whether human activity is causing global warming.




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Clean Energy Spending Drops 15 Percent to Reach Lowest Level Since 2013

Global investment in clean energy slumped 15 percent in the first quarter to the lowest level in two years because of a decline in wind and utility-scale projects.




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Green Bonds Sprout as Wall Street Embraces Renewable Energy Debt

Bonds backing clean energy and other sustainable initiatives are booming. Investors are snapping up green bonds at the fastest pace on record, as big banks like Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Corp. pile in with new issuance to feed the growing appetite for socially responsible investments.




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German Utility's Race for Renewables Seen as Too Little, Too Late

RWE AG, the German utility whose coal-fired plants make it Europe’s largest carbon emitter, officially started the company’s largest renewables project on Thursday: a wind farm in Liverpool Bay off Britain’s coast.




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‘Snail’s Pace’ in Climate Talks, Weak Pledges Frustrate UN Chief

The secretary general of the United Nations is frustrated with the pace of negotiations for what’s intended to be a crucial agreement limiting global warming.

Climate change pledges submitted so far from the world’s leading economies won’t be enough to keep the planet from warming dangerously, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday in New York.

Proposals to reduce heat-trapping emissions need to be “a floor, not a ceiling,” he said.

The global increase in temperatures will exceed 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) under the national pledges already submitted to UN, Ban said. That’s the goal scientists and the UN have set to avoid the worst effects due to global warming.

The proposals submitted to date “will not be enough to place us on a 2-degree pathway,” Ban said.

Without any changes to global emissions, the world is on track to warm by 4 degrees Celsius or more, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Change Janos Pasztor said earlier this month.

World leaders have five months to go before a meeting of almost 200 nations in Paris that’s intended to seal a new global pact to cut planet-warming carbon emissions. If successful, the agreement would be the first ever to require both developed nations like the US and growing economies like China to address climate change.

“The pace of UN negotiations are far too slow,” Ban said. “It’s like a snail’s pace.”

The U.S., the world’s biggest historic source of greenhouse gases, pledged earlier this year to cut its emissions by as much as 28 percent by 2025. The European Union has promised a 40 percent cut by 2030. Several other major economies, including Australia and Japan, have yet to submit climate plans to the UN.




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Cost estimates for 1,200-MW Punatsangchhu-1 hydroelectric project reach US$1.74 billion

India's Union Cabinet has approved cost revisions for its intergovernmental agreement with the Royal Government of Bhutan to implement the 1,200-MW Punatsangchhu-1 hydroelectric project on Bhutan's Punatsangchhu River.




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Solar power growth impacting UK electricity sector

Q2 of 2015 saw a large increase in the generation of electricity from solar PV in the UK, with the growth having a significant impact on electricity market prices and other supply factors.




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Nepal awards contract for first large-scale pumped-storage hydropower project

Engineering firm Lahmeyer International GmbH and sub-consultant Manitoba Hydro International have been awarded a contract by Tanahu Hydropower Ltd. to provide a number of services associated with the development of the 140-MW Tanahu pumped-storage project in Nepal.




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Italy's ERG Power Generation acquires 527 MW of hydroelectric power from E.ON

German utility E.ON has agreed to sell its 527 MW Terni hydroelectric power complex to Genoa-based ERG Power Generation S.p.A.




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Seattle City Light evacuates 711-MW Skagit hydropower project amidst wildfire

Safety concerns raised by wildfires have forced utility Seattle City Light to evacuate employees from the town of Diablo, the nearby 711-MW Skagit hydropower complex and the North Cascades Institute's Environmental Learning Center.




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Proposed changes to U.K.'s FiT program met with backlash from small hydro sector

Changes to the United Kingdom's Feed-In Tariff program could have a negative impact on a number of generation sectors -- including small hydroelectric power -- according to a number of industry groups.




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Tibet’s 510-MW Zangmu, world’s highest elevation hydroelectric facility, is online

At more than 10,800 ft above sea level, the 510-MW Zangmu Hydropower Station -- the largest in Tibet and one of the highest elevation hydroelectric facilities in the world -- is fully operational. Constructed at a cost of US$1.5 billion, the facility is located in Gyaca County, Shannan Prefecture on the Yarlung Zangbo River (Brahmaputra River), that flows through Tibet downstream into India and Bangladesh.




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Knight Construction wins spillway gate rehab contract for Blue River Dam

Knight Construction & Supply Co. has won a $3.7 million contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rehabilitate spillway gates at the Blue River Dam in Oregon.




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Black Rock Tidal Power raises C$15 million for MHK project

Schottel Hydro subsidiary, Black Rock Tidal Power (BRTP), has raised C$15 million (US$11.5 million) for investment in its 2.5-MW TRITON floating marine hydrokinetic energy platform.  




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Atlantis Resources' MeyGen tidal energy site on track for grid connection in 2016

Tidal energy developer Atlantis Resources remains on track to deliver power to the Scottish power grid from the MeyGen site in the coming year, according to an end-of-year statement issued by the company earlier this week.




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U.S. power grid vulnerable to foreign hacks

Security researcher Brian Wallace was on the trail of hackers who had snatched a California university's housing files when he stumbled into a larger nightmare: Cyberattackers had opened a pathway into the networks running the United States power grid.
 




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Earthquake in Malaysia near 165-MW Sultan Mahmud hydroelectric facility

Published reports indicate the 165-MW Sultan Mahmud hydroelectric facility located on the Kenyir River in the interior district of Hulu Terengganu, Malaysia, suffered no damage after a 2.7 magnitude earthquake was recorded 10 km below the surface of its catchment, Kenyir Lake, at 9:25 p.m. local time on Feb. 23.  




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EMEC announces flurry of activity at Scottish marine energy site

Capping a busy February for the European Marine Energy Centre is an announcement that tidal turbine manufacturer Tocardo has signed a 20-year deal for testing at EMEC's array in Orkney.




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Equitix backs tidal energy developer Atlantis with significant investment

Tidal energy developer Atlantis Resources Ltd. has entered into a partnership agreement with infrastructure developer, investor and fund manager Equitix worth at least US$714 million.




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Pacific Northwest BiOp once again rejected by court

The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon ruled on May 4 that the 2014 Columbia Basin salmon biological opinion violates the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act, and declared it invalid.




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EEP awards contract to build 2,200-MW Koysha hydroelectric plant

Italian construction and civil engineering firm Salini Impregilo has been awarded a US$2.8 billion contract to build the 2,200-MW Koysha hydropower plant in Ethiopia.




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BC Hydro, McLeod Lake Indian Band reach agreement on 1,100-MW Site C hydroelectric project

Canadian utility BC Hydro and the McLeod Lake Indian Band have forged an agreement that will give the aboriginal group "economic development opportunities and other benefits" related to the construction and operation of the Site C hydroelectric project.




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EDF, World Bank help fund 420-MW Nachtigal hydropower plant in Cameroon

Electricite de France (EDF) and the World Bank are joining with the government of Cameroon to fund the €$1.2 billion (US$1.3 billion), 420-MW Nachtigal hydropower plant.




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Will the G20 Spur Post-Paris Climate Action? 3 Signs to Look For

The G20 meeting in Hangzhou, China, this September brings together leaders of the world’s largest economies for the first such gathering since the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate. G20 Leaders Summits traditionally focus on economic growth and financial stability, but since more than 190 countries collectively agreed to greatly enhance mitigation of the causes and impacts of climate change, the need to tackle a changing climate and foster clean energy has become a clear economic and business reality.




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PacifiCorp, KRRC submit FERC filings for Klamath hydropower project removal

A pair of applications filed by the Klamath River Renewal Corporation today with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission puts into official motion a long-standing plan to remove four hydroelectric plants on the Klamath River.




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Work stoppage ends at 20-MW Lower Modi Khola hydropower facility

Construction resumed Oct. 4 on tunnel works after a brief work stoppage that began on Sept. 28 at the 20-MW Lower Modi Khola run-of-river hydropower facility.
 




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MeyGen tidal power site reaches milestone with production of first energy

The first power has been produced at the MeyGen tidal power site in Scotland, according to project developer Atlantis Resources Ltd.




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US$40 million available for the first open-ocean, grid-connected U.S. wave energy test facility

U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Patty Murray, D-Wash., today announced funding will be awarded to build the United States’ first open-ocean, power grid-connected wave energy test facility at a site off the Oregon coast, according to a U.S. Senate press release.
 




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EPC contract signed for 30-MW Nyadi hydropower project in Nepal

Nyadi Hydropower Ltd. and Zhejiang Hydropower Construction & Installation Company Ltd. of China signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract on Jan. 16 for the 30-MW Nyadi hydropower project, according to local published reports.  




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10.6-MW Pulanai hydropower plant being constructed in Philippines suffers attack

The Philippines Department of Energy (DOE) released a report today saying its US$133.4 million 10.6-MW Pulanai hydropower plant being constructed in the southern province of Bukidnon on the Island of Mindanao, was attacked by armed individuals on Feb. 25.




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Tesla acquisition will spark shift in EV market

One of the most game-changing news events in the electric vehicle and energy storage industry, is the acquisition of Maxwell Technologies by Tesla for $218 million, according to Frost & Sullivan.




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Research shows virtual reservoirs can boost flexibility of small hydropower facilities

New research shows that small run-of-river (ROR) hydropower projects can provide just as much baseload stability as reservoir-based hydropower plants while being highly responsive to real-time grid and market changes. This means that as the U.S. seeks to expand renewable energy sources without compromising reliability, one option is more flexible (and profitable) hydropower that doesn’t involve dams.

 




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Norsk Hydro recuperating from cyberattack

Norsk Hydro has suffered from a cyberattack that has crippled some of its infrastructure. Norsk Hydro is primarily an aluminum manufacturer, but the company also owns and operates 17 hydroelectric power stations in Norway.




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Connor, Clark & Lunn Infrastructure, Desjardins acquire Regional Power hydroelectric plants

Connor, Clark & Lunn Infrastructure (CC&L Infrastructure) and Regime de Rentes du Mouvement Desjardins, Desjardins Financial Security Life Assurance Company, and Certas Home and Auto Insurance Company (together, Desjardins) have acquired Regional Power Inc. from The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife).




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Mitsubishi Hitachi launches renewable energy services provider

Oriden – a play on the English word “origin” and the Japanese word “denki” meaning ‘electricity’ – is the start of a new type of power generation organization. 

 




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Ameren, Opus One Solutions partner on DER, transactive energy markets

Illinois microgrid to test transactive energy markets as a part of the company's commitment to innovation and clean energy




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FPL building world's largest solar-storage combo facility in Florida

The unit of NextEra Energy announced plans to build a 409-MW energy storage facility in Manatee County. FPL says the Manatee Energy Storage Center will be the world’s largest solar-power battery system by four-fold.





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Ultra-fast EV chargers coming ultra soon as e-mobility manufacturers ramp up

The viability of electric vehicles depends in part on a manufacturing plant in eastern Australia, where gleaming white cabinets the size of large refrigerators are loaded onto shipping crates. They’re among the most advanced car chargers available, promising to deliver a full tank of juice in minutes.




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Vattenfall pilots salt technology with 10x the capacity of water storage

Experiments have shown the ability to store ten-times the capacity of water, and for months on end. It is hoped the technology will help overcome any weather-related fluctuations in renewable generation from wind or solar.




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SEPA helps demystify transactive energy in new report

This week the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) released a report that is says will help utilities and other industry stakeholders understand and prepare for the grid of the future