Calpine is purchasing the U.S. energy business of commodity trader Noble Group, the companies announced Monday.

The companies said Calpine will pay $800 million plus working capital for Noble Americas Energy Solutions, which claims to be the nation’s largest independent supplier of power to commercial and industrial retail customers. Calpine said the working capital totals $100 million; Noble put it at $248 million.

“In addition to expanding our retail customer sales channels and product offerings, we will more than double the volume of retail load we are capable of serving across the country from our complementary wholesale power generation fleet,” Calpine CEO Thad Hill said in a statement. The sale will help Noble reduce debt.

More: Bloomberg; The Wall Street Journal; Calpine

Mission Solar Energy Ends Solar Cell Production

Mission Solar Energy will now use solar cells from Asia to make its solar power modules.

The company announced plans to end its solar cell production line in San Antonio, Texas, because of competition from Chinese manufacturers.

The decision to buy solar cells instead of making them is part of a restructuring strategy that allows the company to focus on its main products, reduce prices and stay competitive, Laura Waldrum, a company spokeswoman said.

More: San Antonio Business Journal

Korsnick Elected President of NEI

Maria Korsnick was elected president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, effective Jan. 1, 2017. She succeeds Marvin Fertel, who retires on Dec. 31.

Since May 2015, Korsnick has served as NEI’s chief operating officer as a loaned executive from Exelon Generation and Constellation Energy Nuclear Group.

“The NEI Executive Committee is confident that Maria will enable NEI to increase recognition of nuclear energy’s value, further empower the nuclear industry’s commitment to efficiency and reliability, and facilitate the development of next-generation reactors,” said Don Brandt, chairman of NEI’s board and CEO of Pinnacle West Capital.

More: Nuclear Energy Institute

Mississippi Power’s Lignite Plant Adds to Delay, Cost Overruns

Mississippi Power’s Kemper County plant has delayed running on lignite by one month, adding another $33 million in cost overruns to a project that is more than two years behind schedule.

The delay, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 30, raised the total estimated cost of the project to about $6.9 billion.

The new delay is necessary to prepare both of the plant’s gasifiers to use syngas and to integrate systems so that both of the plant’s combustion turbines will operate simultaneously, Mississippi Power spokesman Jeff Shepard said.

More: Mississippi Today

Apex Plans Wind Park In Texas Panhandle

Apex Clean Energy has purchased the up-to 360-MW Novus IV wind project in Texas from Novus Windpower and plans to construct a wind park in the north Texas Panhandle.

Construction could begin as early as 2017, according to Apex.

More: SeeNews Renewables

GE, Southern California Edison Plan World’s First Hybrid System

General Electric and Southern California Edison announced last week a plan to install the world’s first battery storage and gas turbine hybrid in response to the energy crisis in California’s Aliso Canyon earlier this year.

By the end of 2016, SCE plans to install a battery energy storage system from Current, powered by GE, and then integrate the system with a gas turbine in 2017.

The hybrid system will be deployed at two SCE sites.

More: General Electric

PSEG Plans to Close Two Coal-Burning NJ Plants

PSEG Power plans to close two of its New Jersey coal-burning power plants effective June 1, 2017, citing the cost of modernization as its reason.

The plants, located in Jersey City and near Trenton, would need to be upgraded to comply with new rules imposed by PJM to ensure reliability, PSEG President Bill Levis said.

“The sustained low prices of natural gas have put economic pressure on these plants for some time,” Levis said. “In that context, we could not justify the significant investment required to upgrade these plants.”

More: The Record

Duke Plans to Recycle Coal Ash from Salisbury, NC, Basins

Duke Energy last week announced plans to remove coal ash from three basins at the Buck Steam Station in Salisbury, N.C., and recycle the material for concrete.

North Carolina’s coal ash law requires Duke to install three recycling units across the state.

Duke said it is still evaluating locations for the second and third units.

More: Duke Energy

Xcel Completes Transmission Line Across New Mexico, Texas

Xcel Energy has completed a 115-kV transmission line spanning more than 37 miles across the New Mexico-Texas state line.

Xcel built the line, which cost approximately $38 million, after a SPP study identified a need for a stronger transmission link in the area.

The transmission line is part of Xcel’s multibillion-dollar Power for the Plains grid improvement initiative.

More: Xcel Energy

Dynegy Names New COO, Executive Vice President

Dynegy has promoted Martin Daley, who previously served as vice president in charge of the power company’s natural gas-fired fleet, to chief operating officer. It is the first time the company has appointed a COO in nearly four years.

The company also promoted Carolyn Burke to executive vice president of strategy. Burke previously was the executive in charge of business operations.

More: FuelFix

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