Final containment vessel ring placed for Vogtle Unit 4
The final containment vessel ring has been placed for Georgia Power's nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia. This marks the sixth and last containment vessel ring to be placed for the Vogtle 3 & 4 project.
Weighing more than a jumbo jet, with a diameter of 130 feet and standing approximately 38 feet high, the ring is a key structural part of the Unit 4 high-integrity steel containment vessel that houses critical plant components, including the reactor vessel.
Significant progress continues at the site, with recent milestones including the placement of both the final reinforced concrete portion of the Unit 4 shield building and the upper inner casing for the Unit 3 high-pressure turbine. The latter signifies the completion of the centerline alignment, which ensures minimal vibration and less stress on the rotors during operations, resulting in more efficient power generation.
For more information, visit www.georgiapower.com or call (888) 660-5890.
End-use energy consumption increasingly shifting to electricity
In its International Energy Outlook 2019 (IEO2019), EIA projects world energy consumption will grow by nearly 50 percent by 2050. EIA expects most of this growth to come from regions where th e consumption of energy is driven by strong economic growth.
Significant findings of IEO2019 include that end-use consumption is increasingly shifting toward electricity and that falling generation costs, energy consumption growth and policy work together to shift the electricity generation mix.
EIA's IEO2019 predicts electricity generation is to increase 79 percent by 2050 as a result of increased electricity consumption in all end-use sectors. Electricity will remain the main source of energy consumed in buildings, with electricity use increasing as populations rise and standards of living increase.
For more information, visit www.eia.gov/ieo or call (202) 586-8800.
FERC approves first compliance filings on landmark storage rule
FERC recently approved the first two orders implementing Order No. 841, the landmark storage rulemaking aimed at breaking down market barriers to electricity storage. The Order No. 841 compliance filings were from the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and PJM Interconnection (PJM). FERC found the two market operators generally complied with the rule and therefore largely accepted their filings.
FERC found both SPP's and PJM's proposals generally enable electric storage resources to provide all services they are capable of providing, allow electric storage resources to be compensated for those services in the same manner as other resources, and appropriately recognize the unique physical and operational characteristics of electric storage resources.
For more information, visit www.ferc.gov or call (202) 502-8680.
EPRI, GCCIA to collaborate on cybersecurity in electric sector
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) have entered into a three-year memorandum of understanding to conduct collaborative R&D about artificial intelligence, blockchain technology and cybersecurity issues in the electric power sector.
"Working together, we can address challenges arising from cyber threats and bring more resources and perspectives to bear in pursuing solutions through emerging technologies," said Arshad Mansoor, senior vice president, R&D, EPRI.
For more information, visit www.epri.com or www.gccia.com.sa.
Energy mix needs nuclear to meet climate goals
Nuclear power has a major role to play in decarbonizing the energy sector to achieve global climate goals but will need enabling policies including a fair allocation of system costs to reach its full potential, according to Mikhail Chudakov, deputy director-general and head of the Department of Nuclear Energy at the International Atomic Energy Agency. Nuclear power provides 10 percent of global electricity and one-third of all low-carbon electricity.
"Taking into account the expected growth in world population and energy demand ⦠in order to decarbonize the energy sector, nuclear power has a significant role to play," Chudakov said.
Innovation is needed to continue to enable the safe, reliable and cost-competitive long-term operation of existing nuclear power plants, Chudakov added, and construction times and costs of new nuclear installations can be reduced by rebuilding supply chains. Effective engagement with the public is also needed, he said, including providing a factual and understandable nuclear power narrative and addressing misconceptions.
For more information, visit www.iaea.org or call (212) 963-6010.