Thomas Klink has been named CFO of Pioneer Power Solutions, a Fort Lee, N.J., manufacturer of electric transmission, distribution and generation equipment. He takes the place of Andrew Minkow, who left to pursue other opportunities.
Klink was formerly president of Jefferson Electric, a Pioneer Power subsidiary in Franklin, Wis., that builds transformers.
“I plan to focus on our bank relationships, stringent financial controls throughout our organization and facilitating profitable growth by maintaining tight expense management processes already in place,” Klink said.
More: Pioneer Power Solutions
Dominion Virginia Earmarks $9.5 Billion in Improvements
Dominion Virginia Power says it will spend $9.5 billion in capital improvements through 2020, including $700 million in solar facilities. The company said it will spend $2.4 billion on its distribution system, $3.6 billion on transmission lines and substations and $3.5 billion on new generation.
That does not count what its parent company will spend on its share of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a $5 billion project it is working on with several other companies.
More: Reuters
Exelon Completes Uprate at Peach Bottom Plant
Exelon Nuclear announced it has completed its multiyear uprate of Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station Unit 3, which boosts the capacity of the Pennsylvania reactor to 1,355 MW from 1,180 MW.
The company replaced high-pressure turbines, feed pump turbines, condensate pumps and motors and steam dryers. Its low-pressure turbines had already been upgraded. Peach Bottom Site Vice President Mike Massaro said that as part of the uprate “almost every major component in the plant has been upgraded or replaced, which makes Peach Bottom an even safer and more efficient facility.”
Peach Bottom is on the banks of the Susquehanna River near Delta, Pa., upstream from Exelon Generation’s Conowingo Hydroelectric Power Station.
More: Exelon
Battery Maker Files to Join PJM
Battery maker Axion Power International has filed an interconnection application with PJM for a site in Sharon, Pa., where it seeks to develop a 12.5-MW energy storage system.
The project will be located in a former steel fabrication facility about 60 miles north of Pittsburgh.
Axion plans to use the system to participate in PJM’s frequency regulation market. Start-up is expected in mid-2017, pending regulatory approval.
More: Axion Power International
Akins was ‘Skeptical’ About Sierra Club Partnership
News that American Electric Power forged a settlement with the Sierra Club while lobbying for its proposed power purchase agreement in Ohio struck many as an unlikely alliance, including Nick Atkins, AEP’s chief executive.
“I have to admit, initially I was skeptical of ultimately what the value would be,” he told Columbus Business First. “But in retrospect the fact that it’s much of a national story that AEP, a major coal-fired utility, could come together with Sierra Club on a common solution — I don’t know of anybody that’s done that in this position.”
The Sierra Club signed on to the proposed agreement, which would allow AEP to gain guaranteed income for some of its generating facilities for eight years, after the company committed to developing 900 MW of renewable energy in Ohio. The settlement still must be approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
More: Columbus Business First
Exelon Generation’s Muddy Run Gets OK for Another 40 Years
FERC has given Exelon Generation’s Muddy Run Pumped Storage Facility on the banks of the Susquehanna River a 40-year license extension after the company promised a number of improvements to the site for recreation and to permit passage for American shad and American eels.
The company has committed to implement a shoreline management plan to control erosion and to manage debris. It also said it will implement improvements to allow eels to be trapped and transported upriver, to make conservation efforts for bald eagles, ospreys and bog turtles and to remove some small dams along its property.
More: Lancaster Online
Westar Adds 200 MW of Additional Wind Energy
Westar Energy has reached an agreement with an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources to purchase another 200 MW of Kansas wind energy.
The utility will purchase power produced from the Kingman Wind Energy Center west of Wichita when the facility goes into service in early 2017. As part of the transaction, Westar will be given the option to purchase one-half of the facility before “substantial completion.” The wind farm is expected to bring more than $400 million in investments and payments to the area.
With this addition, Westar’s wind generation will surpass 1,700 MW.
More: Westar Energy
Arkansas Cooperatives File for SPP Membership Change
The Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. has filed with the state’s Public Service Commission to change its SPP membership status from a non-transmission-owning member to transmission-owning member.
AECC said in its Jan. 13 filing that it seeks the commission’s approval “to transfer control of current and future eligible transmission facilities to SPP as a means to modify its current non-transmission owning membership to transmission owning membership.” AECC said it will continue to “own, operate and be responsible for maintaining any transmission facilities under SPP’s control,” but that SPP will direct the day-to-day operation of the transmission facilities.
The Little Rock alliance of cooperatives requested a final order by June 1 and anticipates $1.3 million in revenue from use of its eligible facilities.
More: Docket 16-002-U
Tree Clearing, Squirrel Guards Help Prevent PPL Outages
PPL Electric Utilities says its grid improvement projects prevented power outages for 410,000 customers last year.
It credited tree clearing, its smart grid system and the installation of more animal guards to keep squirrels from damaging lines.
Customers are experiencing 30% fewer outages than in 2007, the company said.
More: PPL
Apex Seeks to Build Tenn.’s Largest Wind Farm
Apex Clean Energy is expecting to develop Tennessee’s largest wind farm, to be located in Cumberland County.
The $100 million project will involve erecting 20 to 23 wind turbines that will produce 71 MW annually. It’s scheduled to be in operation by the end of next year.
Apex, of Charlottesville, Va., also operates the Volunteer Wind farm in Gibson County.
More: Crossville Chronicle
FirstEnergy’s Perry Nuclear Gets New Site Vice President
David B. Hamilton has been named site vice president at FirstEnergy’s Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Perry, Ohio, replacing Ernie Harkness, who is retiring. Frank Payne will move into Hamilton’s previous position of general plant manager.
Hamilton has more than 23 years of experience in nuclear operations, coming to FirstEnergy Nuclear in 2012 from Entergy’s Waterford Plant in Louisiana. Before that he was at Entergy’s Palisades nuclear station in Michigan. He also held positions at various Exelon Nuclear stations.
Payne came to FirstEnergy from Duke Energy, where he held a number of positions at the Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant in Southport, N.C.
More: FirstEnergy
Duke’s Asheville Plant Hearing Will Go Ahead as Planned
North Carolina regulators turned down a request to delay a hearing for Duke Energy’s plan to replace a coal-fired plant near Asheville with two 280-MW natural gas-fired plants. Duke’s plan, which it proposed in response to opposition to an alternative to build a two-state transmission line, was fast-tracked by the state legislature last year.
Opponents to the plan, including environmental group NC WARN, had sought to delay the hearing on the plant in order to have an evidentiary hearing on the overall plan. The commission ruled Friday that to delay its January hearing would “frustrate and contravene the specific intent” of the legislature. NC WARN has said the new plants are not needed.
More: Charlotte Observer
Duke, Piedmont Gas File for NCUC Approval
Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas on Friday formally sought approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission for Duke’s acquisition of the gas company. The companies also filed with the Tennessee Regulatory Authority for approval of change of control of the gas company.
Duke asked the commission for accelerated approval of its plan to raise $4.5 billion to finance the $4.9 billion acquisition. As part of the deal announced late last year, Duke will assume $2 billion in Piedmont debt. If approved, Duke will become the largest investor-owned utility in the U.S.
More: Duke; Charlotte Business Journal