An AREVA-Bechtel Power Corporation consortium has been awarded a multi-year contract from UniStar Nuclear Energy to complete detailed design engineering for a proposed AREVA U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor (U.S. EPR) adjacent to Constellation EnergyÂ’s Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby, Maryland.
The AREVA-Bechtel teamÂ’s detailed design engineering work is in preparation for construction of the advanced Generation III+ U.S. EPR.
The scope includes full plant specifications and design of plant facilities and buildings. This will provide UniStar Nuclear Energy the information needed to make important decisions about plant-equipment purchases and construction-site preparations, should a final decision be made to build a plant.
“This new multi-year agreement now involves nearly 500 AREVA and Bechtel engineers,” said Tom Christopher, CEO of AREVA Inc. “With the design certification application submittal and UniStar’s combined license (COL) application on track, we are ready to complete the next step on the path of certainty toward commercial operation of the first U.S. EPR.”
The design will benefit from experience gained from four EPRs under construction, including one in Finland, one in France, and two in China. In the United States, UniStar Nuclear Energy and two of its partners, AmerenUE and PPL, are developing plans for U.S. EPRs in Maryland, New York, Missouri and Pennsylvania.
AREVA is reinforcing its readiness for the next wave of plants in the United States by aggressively recruiting hundreds of engineers and technical experts. More than 200 engineers were hired last year. Due to the high demand for more nuclear power, AREVA is continuing to expand its engineering operations in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
The AREVA EPR is an evolutionary 1,600+ MWe net pressurized water reactor design based on well-proven technology and is the first Generation III+ design actually being built. The EPR incorporates significant improvements in safety and economics over previous technologies, providing lower total lifecycle costs and the greatest physical safety for the 21st centuryÂ’s energy scenarios.
Nighttime Thermoelectric Generator converts radiative cooling into renewable energy, leveraging outer space cold; a Stanford-UCLA prototype complements solar, serving off-grid loads with low-power output during peak evening demand, using simple materials on a rooftop.
Key Points
A device converting nighttime radiative cooling into electricity, complementing solar for low-power evening needs.
✅ Uses thermocouples to convert temperature gradients to voltage.
✅ Exploits radiative cooling to outer space for night power.
✅ Complements solar; low-cost parts suit off-grid applications.
Two years ago, one freezing December night on a California rooftop, a tiny light shone weakly with a little help from the freezing night air. It wasn't a very bright glow. But it was enough to demonstrate the possibility of generating renewable power after the Sun goes down.
Working with Stanford University engineers Wei Li and Shanhui Fan, University of California Los Angeles materials scientist Aaswath Raman put together a device that produces a voltage by channelling the day's residual warmth into cooling air, effectively generating electricity from thin air with passive heat exchange.
"Our work highlights the many remaining opportunities for energy by taking advantage of the cold of outer space as a renewable energy resource," says Raman.
"We think this forms the basis of a complementary technology to solar. While the power output will always be substantially lower, it can operate at hours when solar cells cannot."
For all the merits of solar energy, it's just not a 24-7 source of power, although research into nighttime solar cells suggests new possibilities for after-dark generation. Sure, we can store it in a giant battery or use it to pump water up into a reservoir for later, but until we have more economical solutions, nighttime is going to be a quiet time for renewable solar power.
Most of us return home from work as the Sun is setting, and that's when energy demands spike to meet our needs for heating, cooking, entertaining, and lighting.
Unfortunately, we often turn to fossil fuels to make up the shortfall. For those living off the grid, it could require limiting options and going without a few luxuries.
Shanhui Fan understands the need for a night time renewable power source well. He's worked on a number of similar devices, including carbon nanotube generators that scavenge ambient energy, and a recent piece of technology that flipped photovoltaics on its head by squeezing electricity from the glow of heat radiating out of the planet's Sun-warmed surface.
While that clever item relied on the optical qualities of a warm object, this alternative device makes use of the good old thermoelectric effect, similar to thin-film waste-heat harvesting approaches now explored.
Using a material called a thermocouple, engineers can convert a change in temperature into a difference in voltage, effectively turning thermal energy into electricity with a measurable voltage. This demands something relatively toasty on one side and a place for that heat energy to escape to on the other.
The theory is the easy part – the real challenge is in arranging the right thermoelectric materials in such a way that they'll generate a voltage from our cooling surrounds that makes it worthwhile.
To keep costs down, the team used simple, off-the-shelf items that pretty much any of us could easily get our hands on.
They put together a cheap thermoelectric generator and linked it with a black aluminium disk to shed heat in the night air as it faced the sky. The generator was placed inside a polystyrene enclosure sealed with a window transparent to infrared light, and linked to a single tiny LED.
For six hours one evening, the box was left to cool on a roof-top in Stanford as the temperature fell just below freezing. As the heat flowed from the ground into the sky, the small generator produced just enough current to make the light flicker to life.
At its best, the device generated around 0.8 milliwatts of power, corresponding to 25 milliwatts of power per square metre.
That might just be enough to keep a hearing aid working. String several together and you might just be able to keep your cat amused with a simple laser pointer. So we're not talking massive amounts of power.
But as far as prototypes go, it's a fantastic starting point. The team suggests that with the right tweaks and the right conditions, 500 milliwatts per square metre isn't out of the question.
"Beyond lighting, we believe this could be a broadly enabling approach to power generation suitable for remote locations, and anywhere where power generation at night is needed," says Raman.
While we search for big, bright ideas to drive the revolution for renewables, it's important to make sure we don't let the smaller, simpler solutions like these slip away quietly into the night.
Ontario ICI Electricity Pricing Freeze helps Industrial Conservation Initiative (ICI) participants by stabilizing Global Adjustment charges, suspending peak hours curtailment, and reducing COVID-19-related electricity cost volatility to support large employers returning operations to full capacity.
Key Points
A two-year policy stabilizing GA costs and pausing peak-hour cuts to aid industrial and commercial recovery.
✅ GA cost share frozen for two years
✅ No peak-hour curtailment obligations
✅ Supports industrial and commercial restart
The Ontario government is helping large industrial and commercial companies return to full levels of operation without the fear of electricity costs spiking by providing more stable electricity pricing for two years. Effective immediately, companies that participate in the Industrial Conservation Initiative (ICI) will not be required to reduce their electricity usage during peak hours or shift some load to ultra-low overnight pricing where applicable, as their proportion of Global Adjustment (GA) charges for these companies will be frozen.
"Ontario's industrial and commercial electricity consumers continue to experience unprecedented economic challenges during COVID-19, with electricity relief for households and small businesses introduced to help," said Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. "Today's announcement will allow large industrial employers to focus on getting their operations up and running and employees back to work, instead of adjusting operations in response to peak electricity demand hours."
Due to COVID-19, electricity consumption in Ontario has been below average as fall in demand as people stayed home across the province, and the province is forecast to have a reliable supply of electricity, supported by the system operator's staffing contingency plans during the pandemic, to accommodate increased usage. Peak hours generally occur during the summer when the weather is hot and electricity demand from cooling systems is high.
"Today's action will reduce the burden of anticipating and responding to peak hours for more than 1,300 ICI participants with 2,000 primarily industrial facilities in Ontario," said Bill Walker, Associate Minister of Energy. "Now these large employers can focus on getting their operations back up and running at full tilt and explore new energy-efficiency programs to manage costs."
The government previously announced it was providing temporary relief for industrial and commercial electricity consumers that do not participate in the Regulated Price Plan (RPP) by deferring a portion of GA charges for April, May and June 2020 and by extending off-peak rates for many customers, as well as a disconnect moratorium extension for residential electricity users.
MidAmerican Energy Wind XI expands Iowa wind power with the Beaver Creek and Prairie farms, 169 turbines and 338 MW, delivering renewable energy, grid reliability, rural jobs, and long-term tax revenue through major investment.
Key Points
MidAmerican Energy Wind XI is a $3.6B Iowa wind buildout adding 2,000 MW to enhance reliability, jobs, and tax revenue.
✅ 169 turbines at Beaver Creek and Prairie deliver 338 MW.
✅ Wind supplies 36.6 percent of Iowa electricity generation.
✅ Projects forecast $62.4M in property taxes over 20 years.
Power company MidAmerican Energy recently announced the beginning of operations at two huge wind farms in the US state of Iowa.
The two projects, called Beaver Creek and Prairie, total 169 turbines and have a combined capacity of 338 megawatts (MW), enough to meet the annual electricity needs of 140,000 homes in the state.
“We’re committed to providing reliable service and outstanding value to our customers, and wind energy accomplishes both,” said Mike Fehr, vice president of resource development at MidAmerican. “Wind energy is good for our customers, and it’s an abundant, renewable resource that also energizes the economy.”
The wind farms form part of MidAmerican Energy’s major Wind XI project, which will see an extra 2,000MW of wind power built, and $3.6 billion invested amid notable wind farm acquisitions shaping the market by the end of 2019. The company estimates it is the largest economic development project in Iowa’s history.
Iowa is something of a hidden powerhouse in American wind energy. The technology provides an astonishing 36.6 percent of the state’s entire electricity generation and plays a growing role in the U.S. electricity mix according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). It also has the second largest amount of installed capacity in the nation at 6917MW; Texas is first with over 21,000MW.
Along with capital investment, wind power brings significant job opportunities and tax revenues for the state. An estimated 9,000 jobs are supported by the industry, something a U.S. wind jobs forecast stated could grow to over 15,000 within a couple of years.
MidAmerican Energy is also keen to stress the economic benefits of its new giant projects, claiming that they will bring in $62.4 million of property tax revenue over their 20-year lifetime.
Tom Kiernan, AWEA’s CEO, revealed last year that, as the most-used source of renewable electricity in the U.S., wind energy is providing more than five states in the American Midwest with over 20 percent of electricity generation, “a testament to American leadership and innovation”.
“For these states, and across America, wind is welcome because it means jobs, investment, and a better tomorrow for rural communities”, he added.
OSW CareerMatch Offshore Wind Job Fair convenes industry leaders, supply chain employers, and skilled candidates at IPF 2020 in Providence, Rhode Island, spotlighting workforce development, training programs, and near-term hiring for U.S. offshore wind projects.
Key Points
An IPF 2020 job fair connecting offshore wind employers, advancing workforce development in Providence, RI.
✅ National job fair at IPF 2020, Providence, RI
✅ Connects supply chain employers with skilled candidates
✅ Includes a workforce development and education summit
The Business Network for Offshore Wind, the leading non-profit advocate for U.S. offshore wind at the state, federal and global levels, amid a U.S. grid warning about coronavirus impacts, will host its seventh annual International Partnership Forum (IPF) on April 21-24, 2020 in Providence, Rhode Island.
New this year: the first-ever national offshore wind industry job fair plus a half-day workforce development summit, in partnership with Skills for Rhode Island’s Future. The OSW CareerMatch, will showcase jobs at top-tier companies seeking to grow the workforce of the future, informed by young people's interest in electricity careers, and recruit qualified candidates. The Offshore Wind Workforce Development and Education Summit, an invitation-only event, will bring together educators, stakeholders, and industry leaders to address current energy training programs, identify industry employment needs, required skillsets, and how organizations can fulfill these near-term needs. CareerMatch will take place 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, and the Workforce Summit from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., both at the Rhode Island Convention Center.
“The U.S. offshore wind industry has reached the stage that, in order to successfully develop and meet new project demands, will require an available and qualified workforce,” said Liz Burdock, CEO and president of the Business Network for Offshore Wind, noting worker safety concerns in other energy sectors. “This first-ever national Job Fair will allow top-tier supply chain companies to connect with skilled individuals to discuss projects that are going on as they speak.”
“Hosting the first-of-its-kind offshore wind energy job fair in The Ocean State is apropos,” said Nina Pande, executive director of Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, as future of work investments accelerate across the electricity sector. “Our organization is thrilled to have the unique opportunity to help convene talent at OSW CareerMatch to engage with the employers across the offshore wind supply chain.”
The annual IPF conference is the premier event for the offshore wind supply chain, which is now projected to be a $70 billion revenue opportunity through 2030. Fully developing this supply chain will foster local economic growth, provide thousands of jobs, adapt to shifts like working from home electricity demand, and help offshore wind energy meet its potential. If fully built out worldwide, offshore wind could power 18 times the world’s current electricity needs.
The exhibit and conference sells out every year and is again on track to draw over 2,500 industry professionals representing over 575 companies, all focused on sharing valuable insights on how to move the emerging U.S. wind industry forward, including operational resilience such as on-site staffing plans during the outbreak. The full conference schedule may be seen online here. More details, including special guest speakers, will be announced soon.
Hinkley Point C delays highlight EDF cost overruns, energy security risks, and wholesale power prices, complicating UK net zero plans, Sizewell C financing, and small modular reactor adoption across the grid.
Key Points
Delays at EDF's 3.2GW Hinkley Point C push operations to 2031, lift costs to £46bn, and risk pricier UK electricity.
✅ First unit may slip to 2031; second unit date unclear.
✅ LSEG sees 6% wholesale price impact in 2029-2032.
✅ Sizewell C replicates design; SMR contracts expected soon.
Vincent de Rivaz, former CEO of EDF, confidently announced in 2016 the commencement of the UK's first nuclear power station since the 1990s, Hinkley Point C. However, despite milestones such as the reactor roof installation, recent developments have belied this optimism. The French state-owned utility EDF recently disclosed further delays and cost overruns for the 3.2 gigawatt plant in Somerset.
These complications at Hinkley Point C, which is expected to power 6 million homes, have sparked new concerns about the UK's energy strategy and its ambition to decarbonize the grid by 2050.
The UK government's plan to achieve net zero by 2050 includes a significant role for nuclear energy, reflecting analyses that net-zero may not be possible without nuclear and aiming to increase capacity from the current 5.88GW to 24GW by mid-century.
Simon Virley, head of energy at KPMG in the UK, stressed the importance of nuclear energy in transitioning to a net zero power system, echoing industry calls for multiple new stations to meet climate goals. He pointed out that failing to build the necessary capacity could lead to increased reliance on gas.
Hinkley Point C is envisioned as the pioneer in a new wave of nuclear plants intended to augment and replace Britain's existing nuclear fleet, jointly managed by EDF and Centrica. Nuclear power contributed about 14 percent of the UK's electricity in 2022, even as Europe is losing nuclear power across the continent. However, with the planned closure of four out of five plants by March 2028 and rising electricity demand, there is concern about potential power price increases.
Rob Gross, director of the UK Energy Research Centre, emphasized the link between energy security and affordability, highlighting the risk of high electricity prices if reliance on expensive gas increases.
The first 1.6GW reactor at Hinkley Point C, initially set for operation in 2027, may now face delays until 2031, even after first reactor installation milestones were reported. The in-service date for the second unit remains uncertain, with project costs possibly reaching £46bn.
LSEG analysts predict that these delays could increase wholesale power prices by up to 6 percent between 2029 and 2032, assuming the second unit becomes operational in 2033.
Martin Young, an analyst at Investec, warned of the price implications of removing a large power station from the supply side.
In response to these delays, EDF is exploring the extension of its four oldest plants. Jerry Haller, EDF’s former decommissioning director, had previously expressed skepticism about extending the life of the advanced gas-cooled reactor fleet, but EDF has since indicated more positive inspection results. The company had already decided to keep the Heysham 1 and Hartlepool plants operational until at least 2026.
Nevertheless, the issues at Hinkley Point C raise doubts about the UK's ability to meet its 2050 nuclear build target of 24GW.
Previous delays at Hinkley were attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, but EDF now cites engineering problems, similar to those experienced at other European power stations using the same technology.
The next major UK nuclear project, Sizewell C in Suffolk, will replicate Hinkley Point C's design, aligning with the UK's green industrial revolution agenda. EDF and the UK government are currently seeking external investment for the £20bn project.
Compared with Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C's financing model involves exposing billpayers to some risk of cost overruns. This, coupled with EDF's track record, could affect investor confidence.
Additionally, the UK government is supporting the development of small modular reactors, while China's nuclear program continues on a steady track, with contracts expected to be awarded later this year.
Hydro One Avista takeover rejection signals Washington regulators blocking a utility acquisition over governance risk, EPS dilution, and balance sheet impact, as investors applaud share price gains and a potential US$103M break fee.
Key Points
A regulator-led block of Hydro One's Avista bid, citing EPS dilution, balance sheet risk, and governance concerns.
✅ Washington denies approval; Idaho, Oregon decisions pending.
✅ Shares rise 5.7%; US$103M break fee if deal collapses.
Opposition politicians may not like it but investors are applauding the rejection of Hydro One Ltd.'s $6.7-billion Avista takeover of U.S.-based utility Avista Corp.
Shares in the power company controlled by the Ontario government, which has also proposed a bill redesign to simplify statements, closed at $21.53, up $1.16 or 5.7 per cent, on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Washington State regulators said they would not allow Ontario's largest utility to buy Avista over concerns about political risk that the provincial government, which owns 47 per cent of Hydro One's shares, might meddle in Avista's operations.
Financial analysts had predicted investors would welcome the news because the deal, announced in July 2017, would have eroded earnings per share and weakened Hydro One's balance sheet.
"The Washington regulator's denial of Avista is a positive development for the shares, in our opinion," said analyst Ben Pham of BMO Capital Markets in a report on Wednesday.
"While this may sound odd, we note that the Avista deal is expected to be EPS dilutive and result in a weaker balance sheet for (Hydro One). Not acquiring Avista and refocusing its attention on its core Ontario franchise ... along with related interprovincial arrangements such as the Ontario-Quebec electricity deal under discussion would likely be viewed positively if the deal ultimately breaks."
Decisions are yet to come from Idaho and Oregon state regulators, but Washington was probably the most important as the state contains customers making up about 60 per cent of Avista's rate base, Pham said.
He pointed out that a US$103-million break fee is to be paid to Avista if the deal collapses due to a failure to obtain regulatory approval.
CIBC analyst Robert Catellier raised his 12-month Hydro One target price by 25 cents and said many shareholders will feel "relieved" that the deal had failed.
He warned that the company's earnings power could deteriorate as the province seeks to reduce power bills by 12 per cent, despite an Ontario-Quebec hydro deal that may not lower costs.
