POWER October 2016 - 16

5. Double duty. An electrochemical cell developed by researchers at the Cornell Center
for Materials Research captures carbon dioxide emissions and converts them to a higher-value
carbon product. At the same time, it generates power. Courtesy: Cornell University
the two reactors.
Japanese Governor Asks for Temporary
Shutdown of Sendai Nuclear
Plants. Gov. Satoshi Mitazono of Japan's
Kagoshima Prefecture in late August urged
Kyushu Electric Power Co. to suspend
operation of its Sendai Nuclear Plants in
Satsumasendai City, claiming that safety
in the event of an earthquake had not
been fully determined. The Sendai units
were started up last year after clearing
safety examination by the Nuclear Regulatory
Authority. According to Kyushu,
Sendai Units 1 and 2 will be shut down in
October and December, respectively, for
periodic inspections. Experts note that
Japan's national government requires local
consent for restarting a nuclear power
plant for the first time following safety
checks, but it is unclear if local consent is
needed when a plant returns to operation
after suspension for a periodic inspection.
In related news, Shikoku Electric Power
Co. began operating its Ikata-3 reactor
on Aug. 15.
Fortum to Operate Tees Plant in the
battery systems, " suggested
the researchers.
It also generates superoxide
intermediates, which are formed when
the dioxide is reduced at the cathode.
The superoxide reacts with the CO2
,
a normally inert compound, forming
carbon-carbon oxalate, which is widely
used in many industries, including pharmaceutical,
fiber, and metal smelting.
" A process able to convert carbon
dioxide into a more reactive molecule
such as an oxalate that contains two
carbons opens up a cascade of reaction
processes that can be used to synthesize
a variety of products, " Archer said,
noting that the configuration of the
electrochemical cell will be dependent
on the product one chooses to make
from the oxalate.
However, the design has a drawback,
the researchers noted. Its electrolyte
is " extremely sensitive to water. " Work
continues to address the performance to
electrochemical systems and the use of
electrolytes that are less water-sensitive.
POWER Digest
Mexico to Launch Pilot Carbon Trade
Program. Mexico will launch a yearlong
simulation of a cap-and-trade program
this November. The pilot program will involve
up to 60 companies, allowing them
to adapt a system in which carbon dioxide
emitters will be required to offset
emissions with tradable certificates. The
16
move is in preparation for a national carbon
market, which could officially launch
in 2018. Mexico has yet to set a cap on
greenhouse gas emissions. As part of
the Paris climate agreement, the country
pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas
emissions by 22% by 2030.
UK Approves 1.8-GW Offshore
Wind Project. UK authorities on August
16 approved Hornsea Project Two, an offshore
wind farm proposed by Denmark's
DONG Energy that will put up 300 turbines
and have a nameplate capacity of
up to 1.8 GW. The project, proposed to
be located 89 kilometers off the Yorkshire
coast, is an extension of the 1.2GW
Hornsea Project One, which is being
developed by DONG Energy subsidiary
SMartWind. DONG Energy said that it
would now review the development consent
order approved by the secretary of
state for energy.
Ukraine Picks S. Korea to Complete
Construction of Two Nuclear
Reactors. South Korea's Korea Hydro
& Nuclear Power Corp. (KHNP) and
Ukraine's Energoatom on August
31
signed a memorandum of understanding
to continue construction of two reactors
at the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant.
Construction of Units 3 and 4 was halted
in 1990. KHNP and Energoatom will set
up a joint committee for the completion
of the two units. Ukraine in September
2015 renounced an earlier intergovernmental
agreement with Russia to finish
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UK. Finnish energy firm Fortum on August
17 said it signed a 10-year operation
and maintenance agreement with MGT
Teesside Ltd. in the UK. The agreement
covers operation and maintenance services
for a new 299-MW biomass-fired combined-heat-and-power
plant to be located
in northeast England. Construction of the
power plant is due to start immediately
and be completed by 2020.
GE Installs HVDC Converter Facilities
in Uruguay. General Electric
(GE) on Sept. 1 said it successfully commissioned
high-voltage direct-current
(HVDC) converter facilities as well as
extended and equipped existing substations
for Uruguay's Interconexiones
del Sur. The convertor facility in northeastern
Uruguay will allow the country
to get a third of its power from Brazil
via a 500-kV, 420-kilometer-long interconnection
transmission line. Uruguay's
power mix, like Brazil's, comprises
mostly hydro and wind. According to
GE, Uruguay estimates a potential annual
savings of $200 million if the line
is implemented. The ability to better use
renewable energy sources will also allow
both countries to reduce their carbon
emissions. Uruguay has an ambitious
pledge of a carbon emission cut of 88%
by 2017 (the nation has made a major
shift away from fuel oil toward wind and
biomass), whereas Brazil is aiming for a
reduction of 37% by 2025. ■
-Sonal Patel is a POWER associate
editor.
POWER | October 2016

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POWER October 2016

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