Gas build-up led to deadly Connecticut plant blast

An industrial practice that involved the widespread release of natural gas at a Connecticut power plant shortly before it exploded is “inherently unsafe,” and should be curbed to prevent similar incidents, a federal safety investigator said February 24. Six people were killed in the February 7 explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems plant, where workers were cleaning pipes in a common procedure known as a “gas blow.” The 400,000 cubic feet of natural gas blown through the pipes was released into the air in tight quarters, creating an explosive mixture large enough to fill a professional basketball arena, said the lead investigator for the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. With the United States building more natural gas power plants, he said, it is important to develop standards and new methods - such as cleaning pipes with air, steam or other substances - to prevent similar accidents. Exactly what sparked the blast has not been determined, though the investigator said there were “several” potential ignition sources nearby. He would not say what they were, but said that in general, natural gas can be sparked by anything from welders’ tools and electrical devices to static electricity. He said the board is examining how the accident could have been prevented; determining exactly what ignited the gas at the Middletown plant is not a major focus of the its investigation.

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first published week of:   03/08/2010

GE Acquires Opal Software — Strengthens Smart Grid Software Portfolio
Opal Software Acquisition Reinforces GE's Commitment to Asia Pacific Region

GE expanded its smart grid software portfolio with the acquisition of data migration and SCADA simulation specialists Opal Software. The acquisition allows GE’s Digital Energy business to deliver greater operational and network productivity to utility customers and increase the development speed and delivery of new solutions—securing GE as a smart grid technology leader. In addition, the Australia-based Opal Software team will improve GE’s ability to support growth in the Asia Pacific region by providing increased local workforce and technology.

“GE’s acquisition of Opal Software formalizes an already strong relationship,” said Bill Tarlinton, chief executive officer for Opal Software. “We are proud to be a part of GE Energy, and look forward to offering smart grid solutions to the regional and global marketplace.”

Opal Software is a well-respected specialty software designer, supplying professional engineering services and SCADA and DMS software products to electricity, water and gas utilities. Opal Software’s data migration capabilities are able to switch quickly between multiple platforms, easily integrating GE software into non-GE systems to provide greater flexibility and more options for customers.

“Opal Software’s products and project management services are integral to the delivery of GE Energy projects,” said Matt McKenzie, general manager, Asia region for GE’s Digital Energy business. “By bringing Opal Software’ s proven technologies together with GE’s solution platforms, our talented teams will drive the next wave of software solutions. Opal Software will help secure GE as a smart grid technology leader and meet the needs of the fast-growing Asia Pacific region.

Opal Software’s employees will join GE’s Digital Energy business and the Asia Pacific team.

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first published week of:   10/18/2010

Georgia Power Seeks Cost Recovery of Investments in Cleaner Generation, Smart Grid and Environmental Controls

Georgia Power asked the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) for permission to increase its base rates approximately $615 million, or 8.2 percent of the company’s retail rates, to recover the costs of investments in cleaner generation sources, power lines, smart grid technologies, environmental controls and energy efficiency programs to meet current and future customer demand. The proposed change in rates would be effective Jan. 1, 2011.

“Georgia is the fourth-fastest growing state in the nation, and we have invested billions of dollars to serve that growth,” said Ann Daiss, Georgia Power vice president, comptroller and chief accounting officer. “We must continue to invest in our infrastructure to maintain the reliable, affordable electricity and high level of customer satisfaction that our customers deserve and expect.”

If the request is approved, the typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month would see an increase of about 10.1 percent, or $10.88. For business customers, the average increase would range from about 7.7 percent to 10.3 percent.

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first published week of:   07/05/2010

German nuclear plant to receive fog defenses

A system due for deployment at a German nuclear power station is designed to enclose the facility in a cloud of vapor as protection against a potential aircraft strike, Agence France-Presse reported July 20. A number of fog grenades could obscure the Philippsburg nuclear power plant from view within 40 seconds should a rogue aircraft enter the vicinity, according to regional officials. The Environment Ministry in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg indicated July 19 it had approved the plan. An experimental version of the system, already operating “decently” at another nuclear site, would launch the fog-dispersing devices through a number of firing units, a ministry spokeswoman said. Germany’s highest court played a role in prompting development of the defense measure when it ruled out the use of force against aircraft that have been hijacked, the official said. Skeptics of the system have warned, though, that aircraft instruments could locate a nuclear facility inside a vapor cloud

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first published week of:   07/26/2010

GIS: are utilities lost in the data?

Utilities have pioneered the integration of GIS with their business systems but the sheer amount of data has slowed progress, one GIS executive argues. Fully translating data into actionable intelligence via graphical dashboards will be “transformationa,” the executive said.  

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first published week of:   10/18/2010

Global Utilities as Grids Get Smarter

A study released by CSC found that business and IT executives at the top 20 utilities and retail energy providers worldwide are finding opportunities for growth as new smart utility and meter-to-cash advancements are unveiled. Participants of the 2010 Smart Utility and Meter-to-Cash Study reveal that there is optimism in the utilities sector about implementing new technologies to support the “smart grid,” but that the business processes to support them are just beginning to take shape.

The study, commissioned by CSC and conducted by leading analyst firm, IDC Energy Insights, in the winter of 2009-2010, queried business and IT executives from leading utilities from Australia, China, the United Kingdom and the United States about their major initiatives, objectives, expected payback, readiness and challenges. IDC Energy Insights is a division of International Data Corporation (IDC), the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.

Responses indicate that smart utility and meter-to-cash technologies are creating significant amounts of data and analytics for customer intelligence, which allows utilities to study consumer reaction to pricing, identify potential revenue leakage, forecast customers’ ability to pay and limit unbilled usage through move-in/move-out disconnections. Despite these advantages, less than half of the top 20 utilities are currently applying analytics to energy consumption, but utilities executives across all regions believe that with the proper planning, organizations can achieve desired profitability goals in a relatively short amount of time.

“Smart meters and a diversity of transmission and distribution grid sensors are generating volumes of data, and this has the potential to have a profound effect on the business,” said Jill Feblowitz, practice director, IDC Energy Insights. “Surprisingly, utilities executives indicated that they are not yet at a point where they’re making full use of this data.” The study also showed that utilities recognize that they must do more to adopt new meter-to-cash processes to drive the bottom line.

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first published week of:   04/26/2010

Volume 31

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