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Digest

TVA moving ahead with Babcock & Wilcox mPower small modular reactor; Bechtel begins refueling and uprate work at Xcel's Monticello plant; NRG starts operations at 66-MW PV facility; NIST starts developing cybersecurity framework under presidential order; BPA to upgrade HVDC converter station; PacifiCorp working with CAISO to create real-time energy market; Cupertino Electric to install 230-kV line for 200-MW PV plant; plus contracts and announcements from Alstom, Siemens, Echelon, EPRI, Sempra, and others.
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Sandy and the Smart Grid

Disaster shows the need for grid modernization. Is technology up to the challenge?

With a road map for planning, utilities can realign organizations, integrate systems, and satisfy stakeholders. The destination: a more resilient grid

Byline: 

John D. McDonald

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Bottling the Genie

Why deregulation is easy and reregulation is hard.

Even with convincing evidence that deregulation has failed to deliver promised benefits, efforts to restore public oversight face tough resistance. The reasons involve policy inertia—and blind faith in free markets.

Byline: 

Douglas N. Jones

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Looking Beyond Transmission

FERC Order 1000 and the case for alternative solutions.

How FERC Order 1000 gives short shrift to NTAs (non-transmission alternatives) in regional system planning—while consumers pay the price.

Byline: 

Elizabeth Watson and Kenneth Colburn

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Build to Order

Engineers and constructors adapt to serve an industry in transition.

From gas pipelines to PV arrays, the nation’s contractors are seeing growth in utility infrastructure. Fortnightly talks with executives at engineering and construction firms to learn what kinds of projects are moving forward, where they’re located, and what lies over the horizon.

Byline: 

Michael T. Burr

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No Fuel, No Power

Lessons from New England on electric-gas market coordination.

Despite the hype about cheap gas, pipeline constraints are creating new risks. New England’s wholesale power prices ran three times as high this past February compared to the same month in 2012.
Byline: 

Bruce W. Radford

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Transactions (April 2013)

February was a quiet month for debt issues, with asset sales and equity issues dominating the market. Deals by NextEra, Sempra, SRP, Dominion, TransCanada, and others totaled at least $2.4 billion.
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People (April 2013)

Southern Company makes changes in operations and power subsidiaries; Michael Chesser to leave KCPL board; Dynegy names new e.v.p.; Rolando Pablos resigns from Texas PUC; In Memoriam: Kris R. Nielsen.
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Elevated Risk

In an open letter to directors, IBM’s energy security lead recommends appointing a senior executive with authority to effect cultural change.

Achieving security requires a new office in the C-suite. An open letter to utility directors.

Byline: 

Andy Bochman

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No Going Back

Free markets are not a fad.

Half-hearted deregulation hobbles the forces of supply and demand before they can get out of the gate.
Byline: 

By Michael T. Burr, Editor-in-Chief

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