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Functional Area Gap Reviews

July 26, 2017

Good nuclear plant performance depends in large part on how well each of the individual functional areas are performing (operations, maintenance, engineering, etc.). When all functions are performing well, the plant will perform well. Good nuclear operators have learned that it is better to identify and address performance declines in individual functional areas early before they lead to a more systemic performance declines. In addition, a focus on functional area improvement may be an important strategy as a part of an overall plant improvement effort.


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Advancing Sustainability for Public Power

July 17, 2017

Floating Nuclear Power: A Resurfacing Concept

July 17, 2017

The concept of floating nuclear power plants recently resurfaced. It is under review in Siberia, led by Russia, and a potential fleet is under consideration for the South China Sea by China. Sounds like something from science fiction except that it was contemplated almost 50 years in the past. PSE&G contracted to have two nuclear power plants built at a shipyard in Florida and then floated up to the New Jersey coast. The project was cancelled in 1978 in part because the 1970s energy crisis caused local power demand to fall off.


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Fiber Networks as a Non-Traditional Utility Growth Opportunity

July 13, 2017

In what is now a sustained period of flat load growth, improving the top line has proven to be a challenge for many electric utilities. Without significant asset growth—a traditional driver of utility revenues—the future is not improving much.


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Outlook for U.S. Coal and Oil Electric Generation Industry with Exit out of the Paris Climate Accord

July 11, 2017

President Donald Trump, as expected, pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord negotiated and agreed to in late 2015. Does it matter? Will doing so have ramifications for the U.S. coal and/or oil electric generation industries?


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Combined Operating Licenses Provide Nuclear Options for the Future

July 10, 2017

Given recent significant challenges to the economics of the nuclear generation industry, it makes sense that development of new nuclear generation is extremely limited. However, that does not mean that utilities are not keeping their options open for future nuclear development. Combined Operating Licenses (COLs) issued by the NRC provide power companies the option to defer potential nuclear plant development into the future. The COLs provide an “option value” to utilities as they make bets on the future energy market.


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Chairman’s Takeaways: Finance & Accounting Shared Services Conference Recap

June 27, 2017

ScottMadden recently sponsored and presented at SSON’s Shared Services for Finance & Accounting event. This event offered a unique platform for attendees to gain the proper knowledge to evaluate the impact of intelligent automation, grow their shared services operations from a North American focus to global one, and transform their service delivery into the indispensable backbone of the business. Here, Brad DeMent served as chairman and reported the top takeaway’s
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Talent Struggles: Managing the Generational Gap

June 22, 2017

This article is the third article of a three-part series focused on managing talent struggles. To access additional articles in the series, please see below.


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Talent Struggles: How to Attract the Right Talent

June 22, 2017

This article is the second article of a three-part series focused on managing talent struggles. To access additional articles in the series, please see below.


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