Electricity sector in Guyana

The electricity sector in Guyana is dominated by Guyana Power and Light (GPL), the state-owned vertically integrated utility. Although the country has a large potential for hydroelectric and bagasse-fueled power generation, most of its 226 MW of installed capacity correspond to thermoelectric diesel-engine driven generators.
Reliability or electricity supply is very low, linked both to technical and institutional deficiencies in the sector, with total losses close to 40% and commercial losses of about 30%. This low reliability has led most firms to install their own diesel generators, which in turn leads to higher than average electricity costs.
Guyana is likely to benefit greatly geopolitically after the transition to renewable energy is completed. It is ranked no. 3 in the index of geopolitical gains and losses after energy transition (GeGaLo Index).
Electricity supply and demand.
Installed power generation capacity in Guyana in 2007 was 226 MW or 0.4 kW per capita, which is lower than in other countries in the region and is hardly sufficient to cover the current demand for electricity in the country. Most electricity generation uses Diesel engines to drive generators. There are plans for introduction of power generation facilities based on renewable resources, but these would still account for only a small share (10 percent) of the generation capacity in the country.
Self-generation is widely spread in Guyana, where 100%, 82% and 37% of large, medium and small firms respectively own generators which supply them with 64%, 54% and 31% respectively of the total electricity consumed. A side effect of self-supply of energy is that the corporate demand for electricity in some regions of the country has decreased significantly. While private generation temporarily eases the pressures on the overall capacity for the sector, it also prevents the realization of economies of scale at a system level. Self-provision of energy appears more costly to companies (up to US$0.38 per KWh) than regional and even local tariffs (around US$0.22 and US$0.25 respectively on average).
In 2007, electricity supplied to the grid was 833 GWh, shared among generators as follows:
"Source": Guyana Energy Agency, Statistics
While the consumption of electricity has increased substantially in the past few years, the installed generation and distribution capacity has increased at a lower pace. Obviously, self-generation has played an important role to fill the gap between consumption and generation of electricity. The low income in the country, high cost per kilowatt hour and low level of Guyana's rural electrification leads to use of kerosene, wood and charcoal still playing an important factor.
Access to electricity.
Access to electricity is usually constrained by a country's level of income; however, in the case of Guyana, it is estimated that the electricity system in Guyana services only about 60 percent of the population, well below the level achieved by many regional peers. Similarly, while electrification is higher in coastal towns with a high industry concentration, there are vast areas of the country that appear underserved on this account. Even companies within regional access to the grid have to wait up to 99 days for connection.
Service quality.
Service interruptions.
Reliability of electricity supply is low, and characterized by frequent and long outages (the highest incidence in Latin America and the Caribbean), load discharges and voltage variations. Poor reliability has been linked to dependence on old and obsolete equipment for power generation, underinvestment in the distribution grid, and lack of incentives for efficient provision of service. The poor quality of electricity supply becomes a key obstacle to growth. For example, companies’ losses attributable to energy outages are estimated to reach up to four percent of their total sales on average. Since large firms can afford to invest on own power generation equipment, these losses are smaller for them than for small firms.
Distribution and transmission losses.
In 2005, losses at the distribution level accounted for almost 40 percent of the energy generated, well above the 13.5% weighted average for LAC. At a commercialization level, the utility has failed to enforce collection of bills, and to eradicate theft and corruption in under billing of the service. GPL initiated a loss reduction plan in 2006, but by 2012 and on still faces continual challenges due to an "ingrained culture of electricity theft" and illegal connections.
Responsibilities in the electricity sector.
Policy and regulation.
The legal, regulatory and institutional framework for the electricity sector includes:
Office of the Prime Minister has principal policy-making and regulatory responsibility in the sector, including for granting licences to the public utilities and independent power producers and approval of development and expansion plans and of operating standards and performance targets for Guyana Power & Light (GPL), the principal supplier.
Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) is the successor of the Guyana National Energy Authority (GEA). The GEA came into operation on 1 June 1998 by appointment of the Minister; it is responsible for all energy related matters. It is the mandate of the GEA "To ensure the rational and efficient use of imported petroleum-based energy sources, while encouraging, where economically feasible and environmentally acceptable, increased utilization of indigenous new and renewable sources of energy."
Public Utilities Commission is the multi-sector independent regulatory agency with authority to set rates, develop regulations and resolve disputes.
Generation, transmission and distribution.
GPL dominates the electricity sector in Guyana as a vertically integrated government-owned utility with a monopolistic position on transmission and distribution, and a major stake (55%) in generation. The fragile financial position of GPL (due mainly to heavy system losses and high exposure to oil prices) constrains its investment capacity on essential maintenance and improvement of generation plants and transmission lines and grid. GPL faces financial difficulties due to a combination of net operating losses (i.e. tariffs below costs) and high commercial losses.
Sector policy.
The “Energy Policy of Guyana,” completed in 1994, advocates the replacement of imported petroleum, as far as possible, by indigenous renewable energy sources. Increased and more efficient use of domestic energy resources, primarily hydropower and bagasse for electricity generation, is envisaged to contribute significantly in this regard. A System Development Plan prepared by GPL in 2000 and its 2007-2011 Development and Expansion Programme reflected the official government policy of utilizing Guyana's renewable energy resources such as biomass and hydropower.
Meanwhile, the sector policy has also relied on the encouragement of private sector participation in building a healthy market-oriented economy. The policy envisaged that Independent Power Producers, which are investor-owned enterprises involved in power generation, will be encouraged. Additional policies are certainly needed to strengthen the energy sector.
Renewable energy.
Hydroelectricity.
Guyana has a massive but yet unrealized potential for hydropower generation. Hydropower generation capacity has been estimated at 7,600 MW, that is, more than 30 times the current installed capacity in the country. Feasibility studies have been carried out for specific projects, but up to now, this potential remains untapped, mainly due to the considerable capital investments required to set up new power facilities. Indeed, beside the actual investment in generation plants, transmission lines would also be required, as most of the generation potential is inland, far from the zones of heaviest demand along the coast.
The 100MW Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project on the Kuribrong River was planned in 2011. However, the project was far costlier than expected.
Bagasse.
Guyana has opportunities for electricity generation based on renewable resources linked to its large sugar industry. Electricity can be generated using bagasse, a by-product of sugar production, as basic fuel for thermoelectric facilities. Bagasse generation benefits from lower and more stable cost of than oil-based generation, as well as lower carbon emissions. A major bagasse co-generation project was implemented in 2006 by the Guyana Sugar Corporation. This project expanded power generation capacity by a further 25 MW (15 MW bagasse-based and 10 MW diesel-based) through an investment of US$27 million in a bagasse co-generation scheme. One third of the new capacity was allocated to the local grid through a power purchase agreement.
Because of its climate, Guyana has a large potential for sugarcane crops, as well as a large sugar industry that could benefit from additional revenue opportunities such as energy generation. Even though it may not be feasible to meet Guyana's power demand with bagasse-based facilities, they can help to reduce the reliance of the sector on imported oil, while having a positive environmental impact through reduced carbon emissions. However, an important constraint to Guyana's bagasse-based generation potential is the lack of year-round supply of bagasse, which means that a substantial investment in storage and hauling would be required.
Wind.
The potential for wind-based generation is considered to be significant, although no comprehensive studies have been carried out. The Guyana Energy Agency reported a pilot project for a wind turbine in Guyana's east coast. This is a small project with expected energy savings of around US$30,000, and a payback period of 40 months. However, no major projects are being put in place. Other Caribbean countries such as Barbados and St. Lucia have promoted the use of such renewable energy sources through initiatives that include the removal of taxes and import tariffs on wind-farm equipment.
History of the electricity sector.
Electricity generation in Guyana was mainly done by large corporate entitles, for processing bauxite or sugar. Residential use was limited to larger cities, such as Georgetown and New Amsterdam and provided by independent companies. International Power Company of Canada operated in Guyana at the turn of the 20th century until assets were bought by Demerara Electric Company in 1925. This was then purchased by British Guiana Electricity Company in 1960, until 1966 when a nationalization policy turned over assets to the government. This company eventually became known as GPL. An attempt to privatize happened in 1992, but has since been returned to full government control.
Tariffs.
Electricity prices in Guyana are the third highest in the Caribbean due in large part to the country's reliance on expensive imported oil for electricity generation. At present the cost of fuel accounts for up to 60 percent of the total cost of electricity generation. Recent oil price hikes are passed on to consumers, as logically part of such increases in production inputs would be reflected in the price that consumers have to pay.
An announced tariff reform will aim to rebalance the loads between industrial and domestic use through an increase in the domestic tariff, and a reduction of the industrial tariff. The new tariff structure will be implemented within a timeframe of 4 to 5 years after its approval by the Prime Minister.
Tariffs effective February 2008 are:
Investment and financing.
Reduction of Guyana's reliance on imported oil and the improvement of energy efficiency will require large investments that will impact on the fiscal stability of the country. The World Bank estimates that an increase in electricity intensity in Guyana at a level comparable with peer Caribbean countries would require investments over the next 10 years of between US$805 million and US$1,497 million (or between 10 and 19 percent of its GDP). However, under the current ownership structure of the system, this level of investment would pose a significant burden on the Government of Guyana, and would create considerable debt sustainability concerns.
Installed capacity is expected to increase by 62.5 MW in the period 2007-2009, as part of a US$120 million plan for future development managed by GPL. This plan also aims to address issues of distribution (through the construction of transmission lines and enhancement of the network) and efficiency.
Private sector participation in the electricity sector.
Independent Power Producers own and operate 45 percent of the installed generation capacity, which is thermoelectric. The table below shows the generation share compared with GPL:
"Source": World Bank, 2007
(1) In 2005-2007, only GPL, GSC, BERMINE and AMC have sold electricity to the grid.
In the last few years, there have been formal efforts to enhance the relationships between private production and GPL; these include co-generation projects, plans for Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), and explicit interest government interest in renewable energy projects. The expectations for capacity growth are reliant on the participation of these independent producers.
A significant enhancement of the regulatory framework will be required in order to ensure the viability of GPL as a potential private venture, and to encourage further private investment. While private participation is desirable, it may also not lead to significant improvements when regulatory capacity is weak and enforcement of contracts is insecure, as is the case in Guyana.
Electricity and the environment.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the institution in charge of environmental issues in Guyana, focusing on effective environmental management and protection and the sustainable use of Guyana's natural resources.
Guyana emitted 1.58 million tons of in 2005, which corresponds to 2.07 t per capita annually.
Currently (September 2008), there in one CDM registered project in the electricity sector in Guyana, the Skeldon Bagasse Cogeneration Project. Average emission reductions for this project have been estimated at 44,733 te.
External assistance.
Inter-American Development Bank.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is supporting several projects in the electricity sector:


Northland Power

Northland Power (TSX: NPI) is a power producer founded in 1987, and publicly traded since 1997. Northland develops, builds, owns and operates clean and green power infrastructure assets in Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and other selected global jurisdictions that produce electricity from clean-burning natural gas and renewable resources such as wind and solar technology.
The Company owns or has a gross economic interest in 2,681 MW of operating generating capacity and 130 MW of generating capacity under construction, representing the La Lucha solar project. In advanced development, Northland has 300 MW of onshore wind under advanced development across three projects in New York State, a 60% equity stake in the 1,044 MW Hai Long project off the coast of Taiwan and a 49% equity stake in the up to 1,200 MW Baltic Power project off the coast of Poland. Northland also operates a regulated utility business in Colombia and has a portfolio of projects in various stages of development in the Americas, Asia and Europe.
Northland's common shares, Series 1, Series 2 and Series 3 preferred shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols NPI, NPI.PR.A, NPI.PR.B and NPI.PR.C respectively.
Conversion to Corporation.
In 2009, Northland Power Income Fund acquired and merged with Northland Power Inc. This transaction was motivated by the Government of Canada's elimination of preferential tax treatment for income trusts, which has prompted a mass conversion of Canadian income trusts into regular corporations. On June 21, 2010, Northland's unitholders approved management's plan to convert to a corporation effective January 1, 2011.


Inverter compressor

An inverter compressor is a gas compressor that is operated with an inverter.
In the hermetic type, it can either be a scroll or reciprocating compressor. This type of compressor uses a drive to control the compressor motor speed to modulate cooling capacity. Capacity modulation is a way to match cooling capacity to cooling demand to application requirements.
Market needs for variable capacity.
Many refrigeration and air conditioning systems require reliable processes which are more efficient, compact, environmental friendly, easy to install and to maintain.
The cooling requirements vary over a wide range during the day and over the year due to ambient conditions, occupancy and use, lighting etc.
Different modulating technologies.
There are several ways to modulate the cooling capacity in refrigeration or air conditioning and heating systems. The most common in air conditioning are: on-off cycling, hot gas bypass, use or not of liquid injection, manifold configurations of multiple compressors, mechanical modulation (also called digital) and inverter technology. Each have advantages and drawbacks.
Working principle.
The variable-frequency drive controls the speed of compressor motor. The compressor is specifically designed to run at different motor speeds to modulate cooling output. Variable speed operation requires an appropriate compressor for full speed operation and a special compressor lubrication system. Proper oil management is a critical requirement to ensure compressor lifetime. Proper oil management provides proper lubrication for scroll set at low speed and prevents excess oil from being injected into the circuit when operating at full speed.
Applications.
Variable speed technology can be implemented in HVACR, close control and process cooling applications and as diverse as packaged or split air-conditioning units, rooftops, chillers, precision cooling, VRF and condensing units.
Challenges in adopting inverter scroll in HVAC systems.
The compressor and drive need to be qualified to work together and for dedicated applications. The drive modulates the compressor speed and prevents it from operating out of the compressor operating limits.
The inverter frequency drives need to use algorithms developed specifically for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) or for refrigeration. They ensure that the system will run within the application constraints.
The drive can also manage other devices such as oil injection valves or multiple compressors. As the compressor rotational speed changes, the amount of refrigerant — and oil — flowing through the compressor increases or decreases. The drive ensures that the compressor and bearings are optimally lubricated at all compressor speeds.


Phantastron

A Phantastron is a type of electron tube oscillator or timer circuit. It was invented during radar development during World War 2. It was described in the Radiation Laboratory series of books, in particular the one on waveforms.


Stefan Krauter

Stefan Krauter (born 1963 in Göppingen, Germany) is a German engineer working in renewable energy. He specializes in photovoltaics, the direct conversion of sunlight into electricity. He is a professor at the University of Paderborn.
Education.
From 1982 until 1988 Krauter studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Technology Munich (TUM).
During 1989 until 1994 he served as scientific assistant at University of Technology Berlin (TUB) at the Institute for Electrical Engineering.
In 1993 he completed his Ph.D. thesis about the optical, thermal and electrical operation model for photovoltaic modules at TUB undr Rolf Hanitsch. In the beginning of 1994 he was a postdoc with Martin Green at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia.
In 1996 he co-found Solon AG, the first cooperation for solar technology in Germany that went public (in 1997).
In 1998 he achieved habilitation from University of Technology Berlin with a thesis about the "energy and CO2 balance of photovoltaic power stations".
Career.
From 1998 until 2005 he held the position of a visiting professor for Alternative Energies at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ-COPPE-EE) and at the State University of Ceará (UECE) in Brazil.
In 1999 he found in Rio de Janeiro "Riosolar Ltd", a company for planning, installation and operation of photovoltaic energy supply systems.
In 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2015 he chaired and organized "RIO - World Climate & Energy Events" (climate protection via sustainable energies) and the "Latin America Renewable Energy Fair" (LAREF).
Since 2005 he is associate professor for Photovoltaic Energy Systems at Technischen Universität Berlin.
In 2006 he founded together with Paul Grunow, Sven Lehmann, and Jürgen Arp the Photovoltaic Institute Berlin AG ("PI-Berlin AG").
From 2008 until 2010 he has been full professor for Photovoltaic Energy Systems at the University of Applied Sciences Biberach. Since 2010 he is a full professor and director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Concepts at the University of Paderborn.


Hexode


Mark Willacy

Mark Willacy is an Australian investigative journalist for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He has won Australia's top journalism prize the Gold Walkley. Willacy has won six other Walkley Awards and has twice been named Queensland Journalist of the Year. Willacy is currently based in Brisbane. Before that he was based in Tokyo for five years as the ABC's North Asia bureau chief and correspondent. Willacy has reported for the ABC from more than 30 countries in Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific. He has written for the Australian literary journal "Meanjin", the UK newspaper "The Independent", and the "Diplomat" magazine.
Television career.
From 2002 until 2006 Willacy was the ABC's Middle East correspondent, based in Jerusalem. From there he covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the 2003 Iraq war. Along with cameraman Louie Eroglu, Willacy spent 93 days in and around Iraq reporting on the conflict (an ABC record for an off-base assignment). During his posting he also interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin (who was assassinated in an Israeli air strike just weeks later), and Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal. He reported from several Middle East countries, from Morocco in the west to Iran in the east.
North Asia.
Willacy was based in Tokyo from 2008 until 2013. He covered the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami, and subsequent nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima. Willacy has visited Fukushima more than 20 times and has interviewed the former Japanese prime minister Naoto Kan several times about his handling of the nuclear crisis. He has also reported from the Korean peninsula on many occasions, and in 2013 he scored a world exclusive with his interview in Seoul with former North Korean spy and assassin Kim Hyun-hee who planted a bomb on Korean Air flight 858 which killed all 115 people on board.
Awards.
Willacy has won Australia's premier journalism prize - the Walkley Award - seven times. In 2020, he won the Gold Walkley and the Investigative Journalism Walkley for exposing war crimes by Australian special forces in Afghanistan and for broadcasting helmet camera footage showing the apparent unlawful killing of an unarmed Afghan man. In 2003, he won a Walkley for his coverage of the Iraq War. He was awarded his second Walkley in 2011 for his reporting on the Japan tsunami and nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima. He won it for a third time in 2015 (with producer Mark Solomons) for exposing one of Australia's largest environmental contaminations. He has also won for his Four Corners report into the 2018 rescue of 12 Thai soccer players and their coach who were trapped in a cave, and for an 18 month investigation with producer Alexandra Blucher into local government corruption. Willacy has been nominated for Walkley Awards on 13 other occasions. In 2019 Willacy and the Four Corners team won the Logie Award for Outstanding News Coverage or Public Affairs Report for their Thai cave rescue story. Willacy has won 13 Queensland Clarion Awards and in 2010 he was named Queensland Journalist of the Year for his investigation into the Mindanao massacre in the Philippines. In 2019 he was again named Queensland Journalist of the Year, this time for his Four Corners investigation into children as young as 10-years old being locked up in adult maximum-security watch houses. In 2020, he won Scoop of the Year at the NSW Kennedy Awards for his world exclusive on Australian Special Forces war crimes in Afghanistan. Willacy has also been awarded the prestigious Eureka Prize for his investigation into systemic corruption inside Japan's scientific whaling program. He has twice been shortlisted for the Perkin Award for Australian Journalist of the Year (2011, 2020) and been a finalist in the Lowy Institute Media Award (2018).
Writing career.
In 2007 Willacy wrote a book about his experiences covering conflict in the Middle East entitled "The View From the Valley of Hell", published by Pan Macmillan. The book was named "Pick of the Week" in the Sydney Morning Herald which said Willacy's "critique of the current situation is hard-hitting and devastating".
Willacy's book "Fukushima: Japan's Tsunami and the Inside Story of the Nuclear Meltdowns", on the 2011 Japanese tsunami disaster, was published in 2013. The Australian newspaper praised the book, saying Willacy "unearths evidence that the company [TEPCO] failed to act on its own warning systems, denied government officials access to data and updates, layered veils of misinformation and falsehoods over the Fukushima plant, withheld information and lied on its way to writing a new chapter in corporate infamy". The Sydney Morning Herald said the book was "a gripping and salutary piece of reportage", while the Japan Times called it "an engaging work that draws readers in rather than shutting them out, portraying the flawed policies and people behind the "man-made" nuclear disaster without sermonizing".
"Fukushima" was long-listed for the 2013 Walkley Book Award. Books+Publishing website named it one of the best books of 2013. A Japanese-language version of the book is due for publication in Tokyo in 2014.


FS Class E.552


Real Ispat and Power

Real Ispat & Power Limited (RIPL) is an integrated steel and power manufacturing firm based in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. The company manufactures sponge iron, power, billet, TMT rebars, wire rod, H.B. wire, binding wire, galvanized iron (GI) wire, barbed wire and eco bricks. Main products of the company are Real Wire and GK TMT rebars.
RIPL, the flagship company of the Real Group, was incorporated on October 4, 1999, as Real Ispat Pvt Ltd, with the objective of manufacturing steel. It was reconstituted as a limited company with the current name on May 6, 2005. The company's final products, thermos-mechanically-treated (TMT) bars, wire rods, and steel wires are sold under the GK TMT Rebars and Real Wire brand names.
RIPL's subsidiaries are Shivalay Ispat and Power Pvt Ltd (SIPPL) and Real Power Pvt Ltd (RPPL). API Ispat and Powertech Pvt Ltd (API) is the latest addition to the Real Group. All five plants of the Real Group are in Chhattisgarh, with its head-office in Raipur.
Manufacturing units of the group.
Real Ispat & Power Limited – Bhorjhara Division
Real Ispat & Power Limited – Urla Division
Shivalay Ispat & Power Private Limited
API Ispat & Powertech Private Limited
Real Power Private Limited


Kontek

The Kontek HVDC is a long, monopolar 400 kV high-voltage direct current cable between Germany and the Danish island Zealand. Its name comes from "continent" and the name of the former Danish power transmission company "Elkraft", which operated the power grid on the Danish islands Lolland, Falster and Zealand and had the abbreviation "ek". As of today, the cable is operated by Energinet.dk in Denmark and 50Hertz Transmission GmbH in Germany.
Kontek is remarkable because, in contrast to similar facilities like Baltic Cable and Konti-Skan, all land sections of the onshore lines on Falster, Zealand and Germany are implemented as underground cable. This unusual measure, which raised the construction costs of Kontek significantly, was made for practical rather than technical reasons. Obtaining permission for building overhead lines can take a long time, and hence underground cables were used in order to ensure it was completed on schedule.
Description.
The Kontek cable begins in the static inverter plant of Bentwisch in Germany. It runs to Markgrafenheide on the Baltic Sea, where a submarine cable section to the island of Falster begins. In this section, the Kontek crosses the Baltic Cable at through the use of a ramp. The Kontek reaches Falster near Gedser, and crosses the island via of underground cable. Subsequently, a submarine cable section then crosses the sea between Falster and Zealand. A land cable on Zealand follows, which ends at the static inverter station in Bjæverskov.
The Kontek capacity is 600 megawatts and was commissioned in 1995.
The high-voltage cable of the Kontek is implemented as paper-isolated oil-filled cable with two copper conductors with a cross section of 800 mm2 permanently joined in parallel. For better monitoring of the oil, the land sections of the Kontek cable are divided in sections of approx. , which are separated by oil-impermeable sockets from each other. In the proximity of these sockets - at some distance from the cable route - there are automatic stations for the monitoring of the oil pressure, the oil temperature and other operating parameters of the cable. For practical reasons, the long submarine cable section through the Baltic Sea between Germany and Denmark was implemented as a single oil-filled section without sockets. As electrode cables of the Kontek, on the German and on the Danish side, commercial plastic-isolated 17 kV-cables are used.
The static inverter station in Bjæverskov was attached to an existing substation for 380 kV/110 kV. For the construction of the static inverter plant in Bentwisch a new construction site was chosen even though only one kilometer north there is still the old 220 kV/110 kV-substation which was built in the GDR. In 2002 the static inverter station in Bentwisch was extended to a 380 kV/110 kV-substation and connected by a 110 kV-line to the old 220 kV/110 kV-substation.
A supplemental 400 MW AC connection between Germany and Zealand in 2018 and costing DKK 2.9 billion, is planned to use the Kriegers Flak offshore wind farm, enabling the wind power to be transmitted to either country as well as passing power between the countries.


NHPC Limited

NHPC Limited (erstwhile National Hydroelectric Power Corporation) is an Indian government hydropower board under the ownership of Ministry of Power , Government of India that was incorporated in the year 1975 with an authorised capital of Rs. 2000 million and with an objective to plan, promote and organise an integrated and efficient development of hydroelectric power in all aspects. Later on NHPC expanded its objects to include other sources of energy like Solar, Geothermal, Tidal, Wind etc.
At present, NHPC is a Mini Ratna Category-I Enterprise of the Govt. of India with an authorised share capital of Rs. Million . With an investment base of over Rs. Million Approx., NHPC is among the top ten companies in the country in terms of investment. Baira Suil Power station in Salooni Tehsil of Chamba district was the first project undertaken by NHPC.
Public Limited Company.
NHPC is listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange on 1 September 2009. The government of India and State Governments have 74.51% share as a promoter of the Company while remaining 25.49% is public shareholding. The total number of shareholders are and share capital is Rs. 12,300,742,773.
Market value.
At present, NHPC is a schedule 'A' Enterprise of the Govt. of India with an authorised share capital of Rs. 150 billion, with an investment base of over Rs. 552 billion Approx. In 2015–16 NHPC made a profit after tax of Rs 24.40 billion . An increase of 15% than the previous year profit of Rs. 21.24 billion. NHPC is among the top ten companies in India in terms of investment.
Initially, on incorporation, NHPC took over the execution of Salal Stage-I, Bairasiul and Loktak Hydro-electric Projects from Central Hydroelectric Projects Control Board. Since then, it has executed 22 hydro projects with an installed capacity of 6717 MW on ownership basis including projects taken up in a joint venture. One wind project of 50 MW has also been commissioned in Oct 2016. NHPC has also executed 5 projects with an installed capacity of 89.35 MW on turnkey basis. Two of these projects have been commissioned in neighbouring countries i.e. Nepal and Bhutan at a capacity of 14.1 &60 MW.
Ongoing Projects (As of Feb 2017).
Presently NHPC is engaged in the construction of 3 projects aggregating to a total capacity of 3130 MW. NHPC has planned to add 1702 MW during 12th Plan period of which 1372 MW has been completed. 5 projects of 4995 MW are awaiting clearances/Govt. approval for their implementation. Detailed Projects reports are being prepared for 3 projects of 1130 MW. Besides, 3 projects of 1230 MW are under development through its JV, Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt. Ltd. in J&K.
In late 2016, NHPC commissioned a 50 MW wind Power Project in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Since its inception in 1975, NHPC has grown to become one of the largest organisations in the field of hydropower development in the country. With its present capabilities, NHPC can undertake all activities from concept to commissioning of hydroelectric projects.
Power stations.
Total – 7097 MW
 * Joint Venture with Madhya Pradesh (M.P.) Government
Hydro Power Projects Under construction.
Total – 4424 MW
Scheduling and Dispatch.
The Scheduling and dispatch of all the generating stations owned by National Hydro Power Corporation is done by the respective Regional Load Dispatch Centres which are the apex body to ensure the integrated operation of the power system grid in the respective region. All these load dispatch centres come under Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO).


Nuclear power in the Soviet Union

Nuclear power in the Soviet Union accounted for 6.5% of total electricity consumption in 1981.
By the end of 1982, the total nuclear capacity installed was 18 GW.


Diaphragm compressor

A diaphragm compressor is a variant of the classic reciprocating compressor with backup and piston rings and rod seal. The compression of gas occurs by means of a flexible membrane, instead of an intake element. The back and forth moving membrane is driven by a rod and a crankshaft mechanism. Only the membrane and the compressor box come in touch with pumped gas. For this reason this construction is the best suited for pumping toxic and explosive gases. The membrane has to be reliable enough to take the strain of pumped gas. It must also have adequate chemical properties and sufficient temperature resistance.
A diaphragm compressor is the same as a membrane compressor.
Invention of the diaphragm compressor.
In the late 19th century William Burton started a workshop building pumps and air compressors at Nogent-sur-Oise, 60km north of Paris, France. Henri Corblin, generally recognised as the inventor of the metallic diaphragm compressor, was based nearby in Paris itself and in 1923 he received a US patent for his invention and design work.
Compression of hydrogen gas with a diaphragm compressor.
The photograph included in this section depicts a three-stage diaphragm compressor used to compress hydrogen gas to 6,000 psi (41 MPa) for use in a prototype hydrogen and compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station built in downtown Phoenix, Arizona by the Arizona Public Service company (an electric utilities company). Reciprocating compressors were used to compress the natural gas. The prototype alternative fueling station was built in compliance with all of the prevailing safety, environmental and building codes in Phoenix to demonstrate that such fueling stations could be built in urban areas.
Hydrogen compression can also be achieved without the use of a compressor in high pressure electrolysis, or with an ionic liquid piston compressor.


Talen Energy

Talen Energy is an independent power producer founded in 2015. It was formed when the competitive power generation business of PPL Corporation was spun off and immediately combined with competitive generation businesses owned by private equity firm Riverstone Holdings. Following these transactions, PPL shareholders owned 65% of Talen's common stock and affiliates of Riverstone owned 35%. As a condition for FERC approval Talen agreed to divest approximately 1,300 megawatts of generating assets in the PJM Interconnection Region to mitigate FERC's competitiveness concerns. On December 6, 2016, Riverstone Holdings completed the purchase of the remaining 65% of Talen's common stock, making it a privately owned company.
History.
According to the Director of Corporate Communications the name "Talen Energy" symbolizes talent of the people who work for the company and energy in terms of the product it produces and what employees bring to their jobs. Talen "represents the idea of talented people energized to succeed." The company's colors of green and yellow were chosen based on then-CEO Paul Farr's love of the Green Bay Packers. Today, the company's logo is simply black and white.
On June 10, 2014, PPL announced that it would spin off its competitive energy business which would merge with Riverstone Holdings' operations to create Talen. The transaction needed approval from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, the FERC, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission before its completion.
On February 2, 2015, PPL and Riverstone accepted the FERC's mitigation option in order to receive approval from FERC. The Pennsylvania PUC approval followed on March 11, 2015 when the PUC approved the transfer of PPL Electric Utilities' ownership in PPL Interstate Energy Company to Talen. The NRC's approval for the transfer of the Susquehanna Nuclear Plant licenses came on April 10, 2015 and on April 23, 2015, PPL received the final regulatory approval from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Talen Energy launched on June 1, 2015. PPL shareholders initially owned 65 percent and Riverstone owned 35% of the shares of the new company, whose shares trade on the NYSE under the symbol TLN.
On June 2, 2015, Paul Farr, President and CEO of Talen, and other executives rang the opening bell on the NYSE in celebration of the Talen Energy launch.
On October 8, 2015, Talen announced the sale of Ironwood Natural Gas plant to a TransCanada subsidiary for 654 million USD, and Holtwood and Wallenpaupack Hydro plants to Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners of Hamilton, Bermuda for 860 million USD.
Facilities and infrastructure.
Talen owns 15,320 megawatts of power generating capacity, and employs over 500 people in its headquarters in Allentown, as well as 3,000 others at plant locations in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Montana. It is the fourth-largest publicly traded independent power producer in the country.
Talen's generation facilities include nuclear, coal fired and natural gas power plants. The largest plant is the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, a 2,700 MWe nuclear power plant, located on the Susquehanna River seven miles (11 km) northeast of Berwick, Pennsylvania.
The following is a list of Talen's current generation facilities owned by subsidiaries of Talen:


Canadian Niagara Power

Canadian Niagara Power Inc. is an electricity transmission and distribution utility servicing Fort Erie and Port Colborne, Ontario. Founded in 1892 as the Canadian Niagara Power Company, it operated the Rankine Generating Station from 1905 to 2006.
Founded in Niagara Falls, Ontario by American William Birch Rankine, the company was acquired by Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation in 1950 and owned by Fortis Inc. since 2002. With the closure of Rankine GS in 2009, the company now focuses on power distribution and transmission network.


Indian Solar Loan Programme

The Indian Solar Loan Programme, supported by the United Nations Environment Programme has won the prestigious Energy Globe "World award for Sustainability" for helping to establish a consumer financing program for solar home power systems. Over the span of three years by 2007, more than 16,000 solar home systems have been financed through 2,000 bank branches, particularly in rural areas of South India where the electricity grid does not yet extend.
Launched in 2003, the Indian Solar Loan Programme was a four-year partnership between UNEP, the UNEP Risoe Centre, and two of India's largest banks, the Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank.
The Indian Solar Loan Program was established in 2003 in the Karnataka State of Southern India, in order to bring Solar Home Systems (SHS) to rural households in the area.
Historically, the Karnataka State has relied on kerosene lanterns for light. This option is not nearly as bright as solar options. It also poses a higher risk of danger, as kerosene lanterns emit unhealthy smoke and fumes, and they are known to burn people. Also, much of rural India has little to no access to the electric grid. Therefore SHS is a highly effective lighting system available to this area due to its reliability and its low impact on the environment, however it is more expensive than other lighting options, which is why loans are necessary in order for it to be successfully implemented in rural India.
Loans from the Indian Solar Loan Programme are available to households and small businesses. Borrowers pay for 15% of the lighting system up front and then continue to repay the loan over the course of 5 years.
This program works well in India because of its previously established solar lighting vendors, and because of its already successful banking system. In India, banks are required to lend 40% of their loans to “priority purposes” - causes that have a positive social impact. Because the Indian Solar Loan Program involves a feasible social benefit, many Indian banks have gotten involved. In fact, 1/3 of the bank branches in Karnataka are involved in the program. The following banks are a part of the Indian Solar Loan Program:
Canara Bank, Tungabhadra Grameen, Chitradurga Grameen, Sahyadri Grameen, Kolar Grameen, Syndicate Bank, Bijapur Grameen, Malaprabha Grameen, Varada Grameen, Netravathi Grameen.
Vendors involved in the program are:
Kotak Urja Private Limited, Selco Solar Light Private Limited, Shell Solar India Private Limited, Tata BP Solar India Limited.
The Indian Solar Loan Programme is only available to people living above the poverty line. People living below the poverty line can access Solar Home Systems from Self Help Groups. The Indian Solar Loan Programme however does give loans to these Self Help Groups, therefore allowing people living below the poverty line to access Solar Home Systems.
According to surveys recording customer satisfaction, recipients of loans have been overall happy with the program. 5% of customers reported they found the program to be “very good”, 92% said it was “good” and 3% said they were “unhappy” with the outcome of their involvement.
Though this program is still most present in the Karnataka State, similar programs have also begun in nearby Kerala State and Andhra Pradesh State.


Southern California Gas Company

The Southern California Gas Company (referred to as SoCalGas) is a utility company based in Los Angeles, California and a subsidiary of Sempra Energy. It is the primary provider of natural gas to Southern California, United States.
Overview.
Its headquarters are located in the Gas Company Tower in Downtown Los Angeles.
SoCalGas provides natural gas service for approximately 21.6 million customers, spanning roughly 20,000 square miles of California, extending from Visalia in the north to the Mexican border in the south. Gas service for San Diego County is provided by sister utility San Diego Gas & Electric, and Southwest Gas and the Long Beach Gas & Oil Department (LBGO) carve out small portions of the Southern California area for natural gas delivery.
The company provides gas service for all or part of the following counties:
History.
This gas company's roots trace back to the 1800s when new settlers arrived in Los Angeles in search of a new frontier. In 1867, Los Angeles Gas Company, the forerunner of today's Southern California Gas Company, installed 43 new gas lamps along Main Street, making the city safer at night. The gas lighting business was run by five entrepreneurs who manufactured the gas from asphalt, a tar-like substance, and later from oil.
The company was enjoying modest success until Thomas Edison introduced his electric light in 1879. With the future of the gas lamp business uncertain, the company began looking for other uses for gas, and Los Angeles soon had its first gas stove and heater. Meanwhile, Pacific Enterprises was looking to expand its gas business. Founded in San Francisco in 1886 as Pacific Lighting, the company bought several small gas manufacturing and distribution companies in the area, including the Los Angeles Gas Company in 1890. These companies ultimately became Southern California Gas Company.
By the early 20th century, natural gas—a colorless, odorless gas found in association with oil underground—was starting to gain attention. The breakthrough came with the discovery of the Buena Vista Oil Field near Taft, California in 1909, which included a huge reservoir of natural gas. Since natural gas had twice the heating value of manufactured gas, the company took the bold step to convert its system to natural gas and build pipelines throughout the state. Natural gas was soon found throughout the country, and demand for the fuel was rapidly growing. To meet customer demand, the company began storing gas in large holding tanks. In 1941, the company introduced a new system to the Southwest United States: underground storage of natural gas. By 2016, the company had four separate underground storage facilities, all of them depleted oil and gas fields repurposed as gas storage. The four are, in order from largest to smallest, the Aliso Canyon field, north of Porter Ranch; Honor Rancho, near Newhall; the La Goleta Gas Field adjacent to Goleta; and the Playa del Rey storage facility, north of Playa del Rey, near the Los Angeles International Airport.
As Southern California's population grew, so too, did the company, eventually becoming the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, serving 19.5 million people through 5.5 million gas meters in more than 530 communities. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Southern California Gas Company is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, a Fortune 500 company based in San Diego. Its service area encompasses 23,000 sq mi (60,000 km²) of diverse terrain throughout most of Central and Southern California, from just south of Sanger to the Mexican border.
In late 2012, the company began the Advanced Meter Installation (AMI) Project that consists of upgrading over 6 million gas meters with the new Advanced Meter communication device. This device is attached to an analog gas meter that automatically and securely transfers gas usage information to the company’s customer service and billing centers. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved a budget of $1.05 billion for this project, which is expected to be completed in 2017.
On March 06, 2019, SoCalGas announced a plan to replace 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. SoCalGas' aims to be the cleanest natural gas utility in North America, which it plans to achieve by delivering increasingly renewable energy to its customers. As part of this effort, SoCalGas has partnered with startup Opus 12 to convert CO2 from raw biogas into methane.
Environmental impact.
A gas leak from the underground Aliso Canyon gas storage started in October 2015 releasing methane in an uncontrolled fashion. By December 2015, thousands of people from Porter Ranch had been temporarily relocated and the leak had added more than 150 million pounds of methane to the atmosphere. The NGO Environmental Defense Fund has called the incident "unprecedented for California" and compared the leak's continuous output of greenhouse gas emissions to that of 7 million cars or "8 or 9 coal-fired plants". The 20-year climate impact of this leak is estimated to be the same as burning a billion gallons of gasoline. The incident has been called "the biggest environmental disaster since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill" by journalists.
The company has advocated for mixing biogas into existing natural gas pipelines. However, California state officials have taken the position that biogas is "better used in hard-to-electrify sectors of the economy-- like aviation, heavy industry and long-haul trucking."


Delta Electricity

Delta Electricity is an electricity generation company in Australia. The company was formed by the Government of New South Wales in 1996 as part of its reform of the electricity sector in the State, which saw the breakup of the Electricity Commission of New South Wales. Delta Electricity, which at the time owned only the Vales Point Power Station, was sold to Sunset Power International for $1 million in November 2015. It has a portfolio of generating sites mainly using thermal coal power.
Generation portfolio.
Delta Electricity, as a State-owned corporation has owned and operated the following power stations to generate electricity for sale under contract. Since December 2015, Delta Electricity only operates the Vales Point Power Station.
History.
Delta Electricity was formed by the Government of New South Wales in 1996 as part of its reform of the electricity sector in the State, which saw the breakup of the Electricity Commission of New South Wales.
Following a report by the Health Rivers Commission, in 1998 the Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, Craig Knowles, announced that a small hydro-electric power station would be installed in the Chichester Dam to generate electricity, reduce greenhouse emissions and allow surplus power to be sold back to the State grid. The mini-power station was completed in 2001 and operated by Delta Electricity, and generates up to of electricity at times of peak flow; with an average annual generation of .
As the Keneally Labor government moved to privatise components of the electricity industry in New South Wales including the electricity trading rights of Delta Electricity, on 14 December 2010 four of the five directors of Delta (including the chairman) suddenly stood down in protest over the proposed sale. On 28 February 2011, at the direction of the New South Wales Government, the newly constituted Board of Delta entered into contracts with energy retailer, TRUenergy, for the supply of electricity under Generation Trading Agreements from the Wallerawang and Mount Piper Power Stations. A subsequent NSW Parliamentary Inquiry was held, but the directors of Delta who resigned refused to give evidence before the Inquiry unless guarantees of parliamentary privilege would be given by the Government. Keneally refused to provides guarantees and, according to the Inquiry chairman, the Government stymied the Inquiry's ability to uncover the facts as to the resignation of the directors.
In May 2012, the New South Wales Parliament passed legislation to sell the State-owned generators. In July 2013, EnergyAustralia acquired from Delta Electricity Wallerawang and Mount Piper Power Stations, near Lithgow, New South Wales, for A$160 million. In November 2014, EnergyAustralia announced that it would permanently close Wallerawang due to ongoing reduced energy demand, lack of access to competitively priced coal and the power station's high operating costs. EnergyAustralia began the process of removing useful equipment from the station in 2015 and began demolition of the site when this process has been completed.
In early 2015, the Colongra Power Station at Lake Munmorah was sold to Snowy Hydro. In November 2015, Delta Electricity, which at the time owned only the Vales Point Power Station, was sold to Sunset Power International for $1 million. Delta Electricity was dissolved in October 2016. The NSW Government retained ownership of the decommissioned Munmorah Power Station (Generation Property Management) which is being demolished.


Gerotor

A gerotor is a positive displacement pump. The name "gerotor" is derived from "generated rotor". A gerotor unit consists of an inner and outer rotor. The inner rotor has "n" teeth, while the outer rotor has "n"+1 teeth; with "n" defined as a natural number greater than or equal to 2. The axis of the inner rotor is offset from the axis of the outer rotor and both rotors rotate on their respective axes. The geometry of the two rotors partitions the volume between them into "n" different dynamically-changing volumes. During the assembly's rotation cycle, each of these volumes changes continuously, so any given volume first increases, and then decreases. An increase creates a vacuum. This vacuum creates suction, and hence, this part of the cycle is where the inlet is located. As a volume decreases compression occurs. During this compression period, fluids can be pumped, or, if they are gaseous fluids, compressed.
Gerotor pumps are generally designed using a trochoidal inner rotor and an outer rotor formed by a circle with intersecting circular arcs.
A gerotor can also function as a pistonless rotary engine. High pressure gas enters the intake and pushes against the inner and outer rotors, causing both to rotate as the volume between the inner and outer rotor increases. During the compression period, the exhaust is pumped out.
History.
At the most basic level, a Ge-rotor is essentially one that is moved via fluid power. Originally this fluid was water, today the wider use is in hydraulic devices. Myron F. Hill, who might be called the father of the Ge-rotor, in his booklet "Kinematics of Ge-rotors," lists efforts by Galloway in 1787, by Nash and Tilden in 1879, by Cooley in 1900, by Professor Lilly of Dublin University in 1915, and by Feuerheerd in 1918. These men were all working to perfect an internal gear mechanism by a one-tooth difference to provide displacement.
Myron Hill made his first efforts in 1906, then, in 1921, gave his entire time to developing the Ge-rotor. He developed a great deal of geometric theory bearing upon these rotors, coined the word GE-ROTOR (meaning "Generated Rotor") and secured basic patents on GE-ROTOR.
Ge-rotors are widely used today throughout industry, and are produced in a variety of shapes and sizes by a number of different methods.


Miravalles Solar Park

Miravalles Solar Park, () is a solar energy project located in Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica, near the Miravalles Volcano. It is operated by the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE).
It has 4300 solar panels, with an individual output of 235 W, for a combined peak total of 1.0105 MW.
At the time of its inauguration, it was the largest solar power plant in Central America. It was constructed with funds donated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.


Hayes Barnard

Hayes Barnard is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist, known for his role as Chief Revenue Officer at SolarCity. Barnard is currently the founder, chairman and CEO of Loanpal (formerly known as Paramount Equity Mortgage). Paramount Solar, a subsidiary of his holding company, was acquired by SolarCity in 2013 for $120 million.
Barnard is also the founder, chairman, and CEO of GivePower, a nonprofit that facilitates solar powered projects to provide clean water and energy systems to underserved communities.
Career.
In September 2003, Barnard founded Paramount Equity Mortgage (later renamed to Loanpal) which provided residential home loans. Prior to that, he worked at Oracle as a sales executive. In 2008, he founded Paramount Solar, a subsidiary of Paramount Equity Mortgage, and became CEO.
In 2011, Guthy-Renker became an investor and business partner assisting in the growth of Paramount Equity Mortgage and Paramount Solar. Barnard and Guthy-Renker also partnered with SolarCity.
In 2013, Paramount Solar was acquired by SolarCity for $120 million and Barnard became SolarCity’s Chief Revenue Officer. As Chief Revenue Officer, he managed a team of 8,000. He was also responsible for the company’s growth and grew megawatts installed 300% from 2013 to 2015.
In 2014, Barnard founded GivePower while at SolarCity. GivePower is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that develops clean water and energy systems in underserved communities in developing countries. GivePower has developed water and energy systems in 17 countries, including communities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
In 2016, Barnard left SolarCity and took on the role of chairman and CEO of Loanpal. Loanpal is a financial technology platform that provides financing for clean energy products, by connecting solar installers, homeowners, and banks. A year after launching, it was financing 21% of all residential solar installs.
In 2018, Barnard’s non-profit organization built a solar-powered desalination system in Kiunga, Kenya that produces 19,800 gallons of fresh drinking water a day. The organization also assisted the Sioux Nation in North Dakota in developing a 300-kilowatt solar farm in North Dakota, the first solar farm in the state.
In 2020, Barnard started an asset management fund, GoodFinch.


Contact Energy

Contact Energy Limited is a New Zealand electricity generator, natural gas wholesaler and electricity, natural gas, broadband and LPG retailer.
The company is the second-largest electricity generator in New Zealand (after Meridian Energy), generating 23% of all electricity in 2014, and has the second-largest market share (22%) of electricity retailers (after Genesis Energy). Contact owns and operates twelve power stations in New Zealand with a generation portfolio made up of geothermal, hydro and natural gas assets. Contact Energy's power stations consist of three gas turbine facilities in Hamilton, Hawkes Bay and Taranaki; five geothermal stations north of Taupo; and two hydroelectric dams on the Clutha River.
Contact originated with the partitioning of the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand in 1996, and publicly listed in 1999.
History.
Contact was incorporated on 8 November 1995 and became a state owned enterprise on 18 November 1995. Contact commenced operations on 1 February 1996, acquiring assets from ECNZ with a payment of $1.6 billion. As the founding chief executive, Paul Anthony was instrumental in establishing the corporation distinct from ECNZ.
In 1999, the company was sold, with 40% purchased by Edison Mission Energy (EME) as cornerstone shareholder for $5 per share. The remaining 60% was sold in a public offering of shares for $3.10 per share. EME subsequently increased its shareholding to 51%.
As part of the 1999 electricity sector reforms, local electricity companies were split into lines and retail, with most selling the retail part off. Contact Energy acquired the retail bases of Top Energy, Counties Power, Eastland Network (Gisborne area), Unison (Hawke's Bay area), Electra, Network Tasman, MainPower, Alpine Energy, Aurora Energy (Dunedin area), The Power Company and Electricity Invercargill.
Following financial difficulties elsewhere in its business, EME sold its shareholding to Origin Energy in 2004.
During the 2008 financial crisis, Contact decided to increase prices by up to 12% while doubling its directors' fees. As a result, it lost more than 40,000 customers in six months − 10% of the total. Its profit was halved. Contact calls this the worst blow to its reputation in the company's history.
Following financial difficulties elsewhere in its business, Origin sold its 53% shareholding to the market in 2015.
Power stations.
Contact owns and operates (unless otherwise stated) the following power stations:
Decommissioned stations.
In 2001, Contact decommissioned the FT4 twinpac open cycle power stations on the Stratford and Whirinaki sites, and sold the generating equipment offshore.
In June 2013, previously decommissioned New Plymouth Power Station was sold to Port Taranaki and Methanex New Zealand.
In 2016, Contact sold the Otahuhu Power Station. This was the site of Otahuhu A power station (diesel fueled open cycle gas turbines, commissioned in 1968) and Otahuhu B power station (380MW gas fueled combined cycle plant, commissioned in 2000).
Developments.
Other developments.
In 2001 and 2002, Contact and Edison Mission Energy developed the Valley Power Peaking Facility near Traralgon in Australia. This plant was sold in 2005.
In 2006, Contact and Genesis Energy set up a joint venture project called Gasbridge to import LNG. Their proposed terminal at Port Taranaki was highly controversial, and the plan was shelved in favour of an offshore terminal plan in mid 2009.
Contact and Origin Energy have developed a gas storage facility at the depleted Ahuroa reservoir in Taranaki.
In 2012, Contact announced it would not proceed with hydro developments on the Clutha River, at Queensbury, Luggate, Tuapeka and Beaumont. Development of hydro generation on Lake Hawea was due to be completed in 2017.
In June 2013, the Taheke joint venture (Taheke 8C Incorporated and Contact Energy) made the decision to delay the development of the Taheke Geothermal field due to market conditions.
In August 2013, Contact announced its decision to exit the Hauāurumā raki wind generation development on the Waikato coast.
In 2016, Contact allowed its consent for the Waitahora Wind Farm near Dannevirke in the Tararua district to lapse, which means the farm will not be built.
In 2021, Contact announced the decision to proceed with development of the $580m Tauhara geothermal project.


Universal Energy Corporation

Universal Energy Corporation is a Canadian electric utility and natural gas retailer headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with offices throughout North America. It focuses on long-term sales of residential, commercial, and industrial natural gas in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Universal Energy Group.
History.
In January 2009, the Ontario Energy Board announced that it intended to fine Universal Energy Corporation $200,000CA for making "false, misleading or deceptive statements to consumers." The announcement was the first such announcement since June 2003.
Canadian Billionaire Mark Silver is the company's founder and CEO.
Ontario MPP Frank Klees sits on its board. Klees also received the single biggest contribution to his campaign to run as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario from OPTUS Capital Corporation owned by Silver.


Polyphase system

A polyphase system is a means of distributing alternating-current (AC) electrical power where the power transfer is constant during each electrical cycle. AC phase refers to the phase offset value (in degrees) between AC in multiple conducting wires; "phases" may also refer to the corresponding terminals and conductors, as in color codes. Polyphase systems have three or more energized electrical conductors carrying alternating currents with a defined phase between the voltage waves in each conductor; for three-phase voltage, the phase angle is 120° or 2π/3 radians. Polyphase systems are particularly useful for transmitting power to electric motors which rely on alternating current to rotate. The most common example is the three-phase power system used for industrial applications and for power transmission. Compared to a single-phase, two-wire system, a three-phase three-wire system transmits three times as much power for the same conductor size and voltage.
Systems with more than three phases are often used for rectifier and power conversion systems, and have been studied for power transmission.
Number of phases.
In the very early days of commercial electric power, some installations used two-phase four-wire systems for motors. The chief advantage of these was that the winding configuration was the same as for a single-phase capacitor-start motor and, by using a four-wire system, conceptually the phases were independent and easy to analyse with mathematical tools available at the time.
Two-phase systems can also be implemented using three wires (two "hot" plus a common neutral). However this introduces asymmetry; the voltage drop in the neutral makes the phases not exactly 90 degrees apart.
Two-phase systems have been replaced with three-phase systems. A two-phase supply with 90 degrees between phases can be derived from a three-phase system using a Scott-connected transformer.
A polyphase system must provide a defined direction of phase rotation, so that mirror image voltages do not count towards the phase order. A 3-wire system with two phase conductors 180 degrees apart is still only single phase. Such systems are sometimes described as split-phase.
Motors.
Polyphase power is particularly useful in AC motors, such as the induction motor, where it generates a rotating magnetic field. When a three-or-more-phase supply completes one full cycle, the magnetic field of a two-poles-per-phase motor has rotated through 360° in physical space; motors with more than two poles per phase require more power supply cycles to complete one physical revolution of the magnetic field and so these motors run slower. Induction motors using a rotating magnetic field were independently invented by Galileo Ferraris and Nikola Tesla and developed in a three-phase form by Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky in 1889. Previously all commercial motors were DC, with expensive commutators, high-maintenance brushes and characteristics unsuitable for operation on an alternating current network. Polyphase motors are simple to construct, are self-starting and have little vibration compared with single-phase motors.
Higher phase order.
Once polyphase power is available, it may be converted to any desired number of phases with a suitable arrangement of transformers. Thus, the need for more than three phases is unusual, but higher phase numbers than three have been used.
Between 1992 and 1995, New York State Electric & Gas operated a 1.5 mile converted from a double-circuit 3-phase 115KV transmission line to a 93KV 6-phase transmission line. The primary result was that it is economically favorable to operate an existing double-circuit 115KV 3-phase line as a 6-phase line for distances greater than 23–28 miles.
Multi-phase power generation designs with 5, 7, 9, 12, and 15 phases in conjunction with multi-phase induction generators (MPIGs) driven by wind turbines have been proposed. An induction generator produces electrical power when its rotor is turned faster than the "synchronous speed". A multi-phase induction generator has more poles, and therefore a lower synchronous speed. Since the rotation speed of a wind turbine may be too slow for a substantial portion of its operation to generate single-phase or even three-phase AC power, higher phase orders allow the system to capture a larger portion of the rotational energy as electric power.
High-phase-order (HPO) power transmission has been frequently proposed as a way to increase transmission capacity within a limited-width right of way. The required conductor spacing is determined by the phase-to-phase voltages, and six-phase power has the same voltage between adjacent phases as between phase and neutral. However voltages between non-adjacent phase conductors increases as the difference increases between phase angles of the conductors. Conductors can be arranged so that non-adjacent phases are spaced farther apart than adjacent phases.
This lets an existing double-circuit transmission line carry more power with minimal change to the existing cable plant. This is particularly economical when the alternative is upgrading an existing extra high voltage (EHV, more than 345 kV phase-to-phase) transmission line to ultra-high voltage (UHV, more than 800 kV) standards.
By contrast, three-phase power has phase-to-phase voltages equal to = 1.732 times the phase-to-neutral voltage.


New York Public Service Commission

The New York Public Service Commission is the public utilities commission of the New York state government that regulates and oversees the electric, gas, water, and telecommunication industries in New York as part of the Department of Public Service. The department's regulations are compiled in title 16 of the "New York Codes, Rules and Regulations". The current chairman of the Commission and chief executive of the Department is John B. Rhodes. His term began on June 21, 2017 and runs through February 1, 2021.
Organization.
The Public Service Commission consist of five members, each appointed by the Governor of New York with the advice and consent of the New York State Senate for a term of six years or to complete an unexpired term of a member. A commissioner is designated as chairman by the Governor to serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the Governor or until their term as commissioner expires. No more than three commissioners may be members of the same political party. The Public Service Commission is within the Department of Public Service, and the chairman is the chief executive officer of the Department.
In 2017, the Public Service Commission and the Department of Public Service were appropriated $101.4 million from the state budget and employed 556 people. The payroll totaled $44,195,996 and a commissioner was not listed among the top 25 salary earners. Engineering staff who are licensed professional engineers do not produce stamped engineering plans. The commission has employed and been influenced by an array of interesting personnel: a former Weather Underground member, political insiders, and industry insiders - including an at least one industry insider whose parent was an employee of the commission.
History.
The Public Service Commission was established in 1907. Notable former employees include
Nora Stanton Blatch Deforest Barney and Delos Franklin Wilcox.
Reforming the Energy Vision.
In 2014 the Commission and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo initiated Reforming the Energy Vision. Reforming the Energy Vision (commonly abbreviated as REV) is a set of multi-year regulatory proceedings and policy initiatives. The end goals of REV include reducing carbon emissions from the electric sector and opening up new markets in New York state for emerging energy technologies. The affected utilities in the state of New York include Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation, Consolidated Edison Company of New York, National Grid, New York State Electric & Gas Corporation, and Orange and Rockland Utilities. In addition to the core project of utility restructuring, the REV initiative also encompasses a number of other energy programs, some of which were launched before REV itself. These include K-Solar, NY Prize, NY-Sun, BuildSmart NY and the state's Green Bank. Although the state regulates the siting process of utility-scale (25 MW or greater) electric generation in New York via the Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment, much of the planning process for utility-scale electric generation is undertaken by the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), an organization regulated under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The NYISO maintains an interconnection queue where it may be possible to calculate the success rate of utility-scale electric generation and merchant transmission proposals.
In 2016, the Public Service Commission adopted a Clean Energy Standard, to assist in achieving the state's target of obtaining 50% of its electricity from renewable and nuclear sources by 2030, which will see customer bills increase to support these sources. A particular aim was to support three nuclear plants, Ginna, James A. FitzPatrick and Nine Mile Point that had become uneconomic; the support for nuclear is expected to cost $1 billion in the first two years.
Rate cases.
The commission's regulatory oversight extends to the approval of retail consumer rate increase (or decrease) requests from the electric, water, steam, and local natural gas distribution utilities it regulates. The commission approves (or denies) these rate requests because each utility operates as a monopoly service provider in its retail region. This is a process which offers the public an opportunity to comment. Utilities determine when they wish to file for a new case. The commission uses a standard of reasonability - or how a reasonable person would judge - to assess the public need for proposed levels of capital expenditures, operating expenditures and other spending. Regulated utilities are publicly-traded companies, and must also provide returns for shareholders. These returns are argued for in these rate cases, and a return on equity of around 10 percent is normal.
Electric power facilities siting.
Transmission facilities siting.
For the incumbent electric utility companies and the merchant transmission developers that it regulates, the commission must issue a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need prior to the operation and construction of an electric transmission line - a "major utility transmission facility" - in the state. This is pursuant to Article VII of the Public Service Law. The process provides for public notification and participation. This certificate provides detail on the final routing of a transmission line, the public need for the line, the probable environmental impact of the line, among other details. After this certificate is granted, the utility or developer then files an Environmental Management and Construction Plan that the commission also must approve prior to construction. It may require many years for a project, depending upon the level of controversy, to proceed through the Article VII siting process, although it may take only 6 months to construct. The certification process can take even longer if routing occurs through municipalities that are charged with managing a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4). Final state certification requires approval from the local MS4 municipality in accordance with its MS4 plan.
Part 102 siting.
There are some instances when electric transmission lines can be built without going through the Article VII transmission facilities siting process. The Public Service Law defines a "major utility transmission facility" as an electric transmission line operating at greater than 125-kilovolts (kV) and longer than 1-mile in length, or an electric transmission line operating at greater than 100-kV (and less than 125-kV) and greater than 10 miles in length. It does not extend this definition to transmission facilities located wholly underground in cities with a population of greater than 125,000 people or to facilities approved in relation to FERC-certified hydroelectric facilities. Notably, Part 102 of the Public Service Law, for example, allows for the 60-day review of a 115-kV transmission line with a length of less than 10 miles, without a formal response from the commission. Part 102 filing has enabled certain utilities to maintain their infrastructure without being burdened with the financial and time constraints of Article VII filings.
Generation facilities siting.
Electric generation facilities siting in New York is the responsibility of a multi-agency board called the Siting Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment. It reviews and certifies projects with proposed capabilities of 25 MWs or greater. Its board members are the heads of the Public Service Commission, the Department of Health, the Department of Environmental Conservation, NYSERDA, and the Empire State Development Corporation. The generation siting process in New York is still fairly young - the Article 10 statutes passed into law in 2011 by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Prior to the Article 10 regulations, Public Service Law Section 68 acted as a gap regulation after the expiration of the Article X - not "10" - process in the early 2000s.
Local community response and participation.
The local community response to proposed electric facilities siting depends largely upon the notification process to local land owners. The Article VII and Article 10 regulations call for fairly wide notification. The Article 10 process, notably, invites local community members to serve as Siting Board members. Many of the comments posted by local community members reflect NIMBY positions or appeals to a perceived health threat from low-frequency electric and magnetic fields. As of 2018, a large number of proposed wind turbine facilities located in Western and Upstate New York are being processed under the Article 10 regulations, and the impacts of astroturfing and the rate at which the commission staff can process the amount of these projects has yet to be determined.
Service disruptions.
The commission is empowered with various tools to monitor and investigate utility service disruptions. Their response to events that cause or have the potential to cause service disruptions has historically depended upon media coverage, administrative agendas, the number of customers impacted, and the severity to which customers are impacted. Prior to large storms and other weather disturbances, the commission will send staff to the State Office of Emergency Management bunker located in the New York State Police headquarters to report on electric outage numbers during the event. This bunker is usually staffed 24 hours a day for the duration of an event, and utility company staff may also be present. The GIS software that commission staff uses to report outage information to SOEM staff aggregates freely available outage numbers from each utility website in real-time.


CNP-600

The CNP-600 is a pressurized water nuclear reactor developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).
The reactor has a gross electrical capacity of 650 MW and incorporates two primary cooling loops. It is a generation II reactor based on China's first commercial nuclear reactor design, the CNP-300, and on the M310 reactor design used in Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant.
The first CNP-600 unit began operation at Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in 2002, with other 3 units coming online between 2004 and 2011. There have been built two further CNP-600 reactors at Changjiang Nuclear Power Plant, which went into regular operation in 2015 and 2016.
A larger version of the design, the CNP-1000 with three loops, has been developed by the CNNC. The new design will have improved safety systems and an extended design life of 60 years.


List of HVDC projects

This is a list of notable high-voltage direct-current power transmission projects.
HVDC projects for long-distance transmission have two (or rarely, more) converter stations and a transmission line interconnecting them. Generally overhead lines are used for interconnection, but an important class of HVDC projects use submarine power cables. A back-to-back station has no transmission line and connects two AC grids at different frequencies or phase counts. Historical HVDC systems used the Thury system of motor-generators but these have all been made obsolete by later developments such as mercury-arc valves (now also obsolete), thyristors, and IGBT power transistors.
Legend.
Line type:
Line status:
Europe.
2 As of 9 December 2015, LitPol Link started trial operations.
3 Caithness Moray HVDC serves a number of renewable energy sources in the north of Scotland - see map
4 Contracts due to be placed in 2016.
5 Elia says construction expected to start in late 2017.
6 Date is that quoted to support the Shetland Wind Farm that SSE is a part investor in.
7 Decision on project expected in 2017 following consultation - see SSE PD reference.


Franklin Glacier Complex

The Franklin Glacier Complex is a deeply eroded volcano in the Waddington Range of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Located about northeast of Kingcome, this sketchily known complex resides at Franklin Glacier near Mount Waddington. It is over in elevation and because of its considerable overall altitude, a large proportion of the complex is covered by glacial ice.
Magmatic activity of the Franklin Glacier Complex spanned roughly four million years from the Late Miocene to the Early Pleistocene, with the most recently identified volcanic eruption having taken place around 2.2 million years ago. The existence of thermal springs near the complex implies that magmatic heat is still present. It has therefore been of interest to geothermal exploration.
Geography.
The area lies in one of British Columbia's many territorial divisions called the Range 2 Coast Land District. Local relief exceeds with the long valley-filling Franklin Glacier originating from an icefield below the west face of Mount Waddington. It is part of the Waddington Range, a subrange of the Pacific Ranges which in turn are a subdivision of the Coast Mountains.
The Franklin Glacier Complex was covered by the Cordilleran Ice Sheet until its retreat about 13,000 years ago. Franklin Glacier has since undergone glacial retreat and expansion throughout the Holocene. It appears to have retreated significantly during the early Holocene warm period, followed by advancements 6,300, 5,400, 4,600, 4,100, 3,100, 2,400, 1,500, 800 and 600 years ago. The timing of expansions corresponded with cool summer temperatures, generally moist conditions and increased precipitation.
Geology.
Minimal geologic studies have been conducted at the Franklin Glacier Complex and its geology is therefore poorly known. It measures wide and long, covering a northwesterly elliptical area of . Volcanic rocks of the Franklin Glacier Complex consist predominantly of dacite breccia, minor dacite flows and a few hornblende andesite remnants. An absence of pumice, glassy blocks or bombs in the breccia suggests that it may be of epiclastic origin, possibly formed during collapse and infilling of a caldera. The complex has therefore been described as a caldera or a cauldron subsidence. Heavy erosion of the volcanic rocks has exposed a series of biotite-quartz-porphyry, biotite quartz-feldspar-porphyry and quartz monzonite subvolcanic plutons and dike swarms. They intrude through fractured and hydrothermally altered Mesozoic to early Tertiary granitic and metamorphic rocks of the Coast Plutonic Complex.
The complex lies on the overlapping trend of the Garibaldi and Pemberton volcanic belts, which were formed as a result of subduction zone magmatism along the Cascade Volcanic Arc in the last 29 million years. Two separate stages of magmatic activity have been identified at the Franklin Glacier Complex. The first magmatic stage about 6.8 million years ago involved the central emplacement of an elongated quartz monzonite stock. At least five porphyry and transitional vein-type mineral occurrences were deposited during this period. A series of smaller intrusions were emplaced during the second magmatic stage 2.2 to 3.9 million years ago, at least some of which appear to have been feeders for the overlying volcanic pile. The Franklin Glacier Complex is substantially older than the neighbouring Silverthrone Caldera to the northwest.
Immediately west of the Franklin Glacier Complex are a series of hot springs confined in valleys. At Canyon Lake, a hot spring feeds a small stream that flows into the southeastern end of that lake. A single temperature of has been obtained from this spring while the Hoodoo Creek and Pinter spring temperatures remain unknown. The existence of these hot springs has made the Franklin Glacier Complex a target for geothermal exploration but little work has been conducted due to its remote location. The only performed exploration has been moderate geologic mapping. A 50 megawatt binary plant has been proposed at Canyon Lake.
History.
Mineral exploration at the Franklin Glacier Complex has occurred sporadically since at least the 1960s. The earliest recorded work was done by Kennco Exploration Limited with the staking of claims in a zone of copper-molybdenum mineralization associated with the quartz monzonite stock. This was followed by geological mapping, silt and soil geochemical sampling and of diamond drilling in seven short boreholes. Kennco conducted no further work which led to the eventual lapse of their mineral claims in 1976. The area was restaked later that year by United Mineral Services Limited who would conduct reconnaissance mapping and regional research. In 1987–1988, United Pacific Gold Limited performed trenching, mapping, geophysics, geochemical sampling and of diamond drilling in nine boreholes. Mineral claims were staked once again in 1996 by F. Onucki and J. R. Deighton for the purpose of locating reported high-grade silver mineralization.
Franklin Glacier was skied by Canadian mountaineers Don and Phyllis Munday on July 22, 1930 while exploring and mapping glaciers of the Waddington Range. Don Munday named the glacier in 1927 for its association with the Franklin River which in turn was named after a Benjamin Franklin at Tatla Lake.


Jeju Smart Grid Demonstration Project in Korea

The most noticeable plan in South Korea’s smart grid project is the construction of a Smart Grid Testbed on Jeju Island. The South Korean government selected Jeju, in June 2009, as the Smart Grid Test-bed, and broke ground in August 2009. Testbed is the very proof of a Smart Grid, the basis for a low carbon, green growth strategy. Therefore, this project demonstrates Korea’s aspiration for green growth. Jeju Smart Grid Test-bed will become the world’s largest Smart Grid community that allows the testing of the most advanced Smart Grid technologies and R&D results, as well as the development of business models. This Test-bed
will also serve as the foundation for the commercialization and industrial export of Smart Grid technologies. It is expected to greatly contribute to strengthening Korea’s position as a leader in the global Smart Grid industry.This project is conducted with the participation of the Korean government, Korea Smart Grid Institute (KSGI), KEPCO, the Jeju Special Autonomous Province, companies joining the complex, Korea Smart Grid Association, research institutes, and academia. A total of 64.5 billion won will be injected between 2009 and 2013.
About 10 consortiums in five areas will participate in testing technologies and developing business models. The three strategic directions stated in the vision and goals of the Jeju Smart Grid Test-bed initiative clearly show the nature of a green-growth
strategy embedded in this project. From the national standpoint, this project aims to raise energy efficiency and implement green-energy infrastructure by building eco-friendly infrastructure that reduces CO2 emissions. From the industrial standpoint, this project seeks to secure a new growth engine that will drive Korea in the age of green growth. And from an individual standpoint, this project is headed for low carbon and green life by enhancing quality of
life through experiences of and participation in a low carbon, green life.
Test-bed background.
The Korean government announced its CO2 reduction target for 2020. Among the three options it had considered, Seoul chose the most stringent goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 4% from 2005 levels. The target represents a 30% reduction from the estimated level of 2020. This goal is deemed very challenging since Korean industry had doubled its greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2005, the fastest growth in the OECD. Korea has voluntarily set its 2020 emission reduction target. With this pledge, Seoul seeks to be a model for other countries including China and India who are categorized as developing countries under the Kyoto Protocol; the two countries thus have no binding obligation but to announce its reduction target by 2030.
Korea is also pursuing sustainable development while dealing with climate change. At the same time, it is shifting toward a low carbon economy and a society capable of recovering from climate change. As part of these efforts, Korea launched a Smart Grid national project to achieve green growth in a transparent, comprehensive, effective, and efficient way. This project envisions laying the foundation for a low carbon, green-growth economy by building a Smart Grid. Thus, it can serve as a yardstick to evaluate the future of Korea’s green-growth economy. In light of this, Korea came up with a proactive and ambitious plan to build a Smart Grid Test-bed on Jeju Island to prove its determination in the low carbon, green-growth strategy.
Progress of Jeju Test-bed.
Dec. 2004
Set out comprehensive measures for electric power IT
Jun. 2009
Select Jeju as the Smart Grid Test-bed
Aug. 2009
Break ground for the Jeju Smart Grid Test-bed project
Nov. 2009
Select lead organizations for the Jeju Smart Grid Test-bed project
Dec. 2009
Sign an agreement for the Smart Grid Test-bed and build the Test-bed


PowerSeraya

YTL PowerSeraya Pte. Limited is an electricity producer in Singapore, generating about 30% of the country’s energy needs. The company also offers oil trading and storage services. Its core business with a licensed generating capacity of 3,100MW is situated on Jurong Island. YTL PowerSeraya sells electricity to customers through its retail arm, Seraya Energy, and manages fuel purchases through its oil trading arm, PetroSeraya. Its corporate office is located at Alexandra Road.
Originally part of Singapore Power, the company was part of Temasek Holdings from 2001. On 6 March 2009, the company was divested from Temasek Holdings to become a wholly owned subsidiary of YTL Power International Berhad. The legal name is YTL PowerSeraya Pte. Limited.


GenOn Energy Holdings

GenOn Energy Holdings, formerly Mirant Corporation, was a subsidiary of GenOn Energy, and is now a part of NRG Energy.
The company was spun off from its former parent, Southern Company, on April 2, 2001. The company was merged into GenOn Energy on 3 December 2010. The company then became part of NRG Energy in December 2012.
Mirant operated 13 plants in the states of California, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and Virginia and has the capacity to generate approximately 10,300 MW of electricity.
History.
Southern beginnings and spinoff.
Mirant began its corporate existence in 1981 as Southern Electric International (SEI), a small consulting division of Southern Company that provided engineering and technical services to industrial companies, domestic and international utilities. With the Energy Policy Act of 1992 deregulation arrived in the US electric power sector, and SEI ventured into global markets with the acquisition of a 50% stake in Freeport Power, a Bahamian utility. In the years to come, other acquisitions followed, notably the acquisition of a British distribution utility - South Western Electricity Board later renamed SWEB (now known as Western Power Distribution); a controlling interest in Hong Kong based Consolidated Electric Power of Asia (CEPA), a stake in a German utility BEWAG, controlling interest in Empresa Electrica del Norte Grande, S. A. (EDELNOR) in Chile, and a hydroelectric generating facility in Argentina known as Hydroelectrica Alicura; giving it worldwide business interests in the Caribbean, Asian, South American and European energy markets. On the domestic front the company forged a joint venture in 1999 with Houston-based Vastar Energy to create Southern Company Energy Marketing, an electricity and gas trading company. That same year the company also acquired power generation facilities in New England (Canal station, Martha's Vineyard Diesels, Kendall Station), New York (Lovett and Bowline stations), California (Pittsburg, Potrero and Contra Costa stations). That same year SEI was renamed Southern Energy, in keeping with the broader theme of the products and markets that it pursued. Soon afterwards, its biggest domestic acquisition till date came in December 2000 with the purchase of the Morgantown, Chalk Point, Dickerson and Potomac River power generating assets from Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO). After an initial public offering of Southern Energy common stock in the fall of 2000, parent Southern Company completely spun off its interests in Southern Energy in April 2001 and a new publicly listed entity named Mirant Corporation began trading on the New York Stock exchange with the ticker symbol MIR. Between 2000 and 2003, the company continued its expansion in the U.S. markets with the acquisition or greenfield development of various gas-fired power plants in markets like Nevada, Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida.
2003 bankruptcy.
Following the disruption to the independent power industry precipitated by the bankruptcy of Enron, on July 14, 2003, after months of attempting to restructure its debt, the company sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The Mirant bankruptcy proceedings were unusual in that the court agreed to the appointment of a committee of equity holders. The usual reasoning is that if there is any positive equity in a company, the company should not be in Chapter 11—and if there isn't, there is no reason for a committee of people without such an interest. But the judge did find it sufficiently likely in Mirant that there would be equity interest after re-organization to create such a committee.
In January 2006, Mirant emerged from bankruptcy and the company was relisted to the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MIR. The equity holders from the pre-bankruptcy Mirant did retain a portion of the equity of the re-organized entity.
Prior to the bankruptcy filing, Mirant had attempted to expand the Potrero plant, but neighborhood and community activists fought the proposal for five years and on March 2, 2006, the California Public Utilities Commission announced its rejection of Mirant's expansion plans. The plant was scheduled to be shut down sometime in 2007 in preparation for constructing a more modern replacement, but subsequently plans were scaled back and now call for the existing plant to simply be upgraded.
In 2007, Mirant sold some gas-fired generating plants and its overseas power plants in the Philippines and in the Caribbean.
2010 Merger.
On Sunday, April 11, 2010 Mirant announced it was merging with RRI Energy, a company formerly known as Reliant Energy. The merger, which was completed on December 3, 2010, resulted in a company known as GenOn Energy.
Controversy.
Environmental record.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst identified Mirant as the 63rd-largest corporate producer of Air pollution in the United States, based on 2002 data, with roughly 19 million pounds of toxic chemicals released annually into the air. Major pollutants indicated by the study include [[sulfuric acid]], [[hydrochloric acid]], and [[chromium]] compounds.
Chesapeake Climate Action Network blockade of Dickerson Power Plant.
On November 10, 2004, a group of [[Chesapeake Climate Action Network]] activists, students, farmers, and religious officials held a protest against the coal-fired Dickerson Power Plant in Montgomery County, Maryland. During the protest, six people were arrested for trespassing on private property. The protestors called on the plant's owner, the Mirant Corporation, to stop opposing state and federal legislation against power plant pollution.
Tax issues.
Mirant, which owns and operates two power plants in the [[Hudson Valley]] Region of New York State, failed to pay its property taxes in a dispute with tax authorities, claiming over-assessments by the Towns of [[Stony Point, New York|Stony Point]] and [[Haverstraw (town), New York|Haverstraw]] New York, as well as the North Rockland School District. Under the terms of bankruptcy, Mirant held payment in excess of $180 million due this last several years while a settlement could be reached. This case, which has caused local residents to themselves file bankruptcy, cost the average taxpayer over $2000 in increased property taxes.
The higher than average assessments paid to the local municipalities were part of a strategy used by the [[Consolidated Edison]] and [[Consolidated Edison|Orange and Rockland Utilities]], whose plants Mirant assumed after deregulation, to site their plants in the Hudson River Valley Area.
Following proceedings in state court, a settlement was reached between Mirant and the towns in December 2006, with taxes based on lower assessed values of the two power plants.
Federal Court Cases.
Local 369 of the [[Utility Workers Union of America]] (UWUA) recently succeeded in enforcing an [[arbitration]] award in the [[United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts]]. The court determined that Mirant did not have just cause to discharge two workers for viewing pornographic materials on a computer. Federal Judge Douglas P. Woodlock denied Mirant’s [[motion to vacate]] the award, and the union’s motion for judgment was granted.
External links.
[[Category:Electric power companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Companies based in Atlanta]]
[[Category:Energy companies established in 2001]]
[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2003]]
[[Category:2012 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]


Hokkaido Electric Power Company

The (), or for short, is the monopoly electric company of Hokkaidō, Japan. It is also known as Dōden and HEPCO. The company is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (first section), Osaka Securities Exchange (first section), and Sapporo Securities Exchange.
According to the company profile, during fiscal 2011 (i.e. 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011), 26% of the electricity generated was from nuclear, 31% from coal, 15% from hydro, 8% from oil and 2% from 'new energy' sources.
Hokkaido only has one nuclear power station, the Tomari Nuclear Power Plant.
Facilities.
Others;