Black Veatch

Germany Invests Heavily In Solar Energy

It is now clear the utility business model is changing with the growth of distributed renewable energy sources, policies that support renewables, demand management technology and energy efficiency initiatives, but how these changes develop and how utilities adapt remain open questions. A new report from Black & Veatch sheds some light on these emerging trends.… Keep reading →

Statewide Drought Forces Californians To Take Drastic Measures For Water Conversation

Many U.S. water utilities don’t have the revenue to support sustainable operations. Much of the buzz in the utility world in the past week was around the proposed EPA rules to limit carbon emissions from existing power plants. Some utilities are lining up for a fight, while others already have enough trouble on their hands competing in… Keep reading →

Moorburg Power Plant Under Construction

A key indicator of global energy production and consumption growth is mega-project construction. Where are the world’s largest power plants, mining operations, oil & gas developments, utility-scale renewable energy projects or desalination plants being built? These mega-projects require a company to oversee the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) aspects of the capital intensive investments. It’s… Keep reading →

Europe's Biggest Coal-Burning Power Plant Begins Operation

The fortunes of natural gas will increasingly drive electricity pricing as it continues to displace coal, Black & Veatch forecasts in the latest Energy Market Perspective. Black & Veatch’s long-term forecast on electric power assumes a moderate economic rebound driving demand at a projected growth rate of 1.1% from 2013 through 2038. Growth in peak… Keep reading →

Surging Oil Industry Brings Opportunity To Rural California

The natural gas industry is optimistic about its own future, but safety – be it pipeline, environmental or cyber – continues to be a key concern, according to Black & Veatch’s second annual Strategic Directions in the North American Natural Gas Industry survey. The overwhelming majority of the survey’s 336 respondents expect the US natural gas industry to… Keep reading →

U.S. Trade Deficit Reaches All-Time High

The proposed 6 million ton per annum (mtpa) Jordan Cove LNG export facility in Coos Bay, Oregon has completed the front-end engineering and design and pre-construction phases, but if and when the project clears federal regulatory hurdles, it may still face political opposition at the state level. Infrastructure firm Black & Veatch and construction and… Keep reading →

This picture taken on July 24, 2012 show

Impending Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations governing utilities’ cooling water intake and discharge could force some power plants to close, according to Black & Veatch Energy Chief Executive Dean Oskvig. Electricity production accounts for 38% of US water usage. In many cases, cooling water is drawn directly from a source such as a river or… Keep reading →


Global natural gas demand is expected to steadily increase in the coming decades as developing economies continue growing and the West uses more of the fuel. Established energy trade patterns are also expected to shift eastward to emerging market demand centers as more gas is produced in the western hemisphere. Business activity at one of the world’s major engineering firms appears to be evolving in step with these emerging energy market trends.

“The best way to get $8 [natural] gas is to act like it’s going to be $3,” Dean Oskvig, President and CEO of Black & Veatch’s energy business recently told Breaking Energy. Increasing US unconventional gas reserves and output, which have kept US prices below historical norms, could in spur consumption and shift supply/demand fundamentals so that prices rapidly increase. The threat remains unrealized for now, with natural gas prices still near historic lows. Keep reading →

Indian passengers sit on the railway tracks near the platform of Sealdah train station waiting for the resumption of services during a power failure in Kolkata on July 31, 2012.

Even on a good day, millions of people in India are without access to electricity or deal with power outages on a fairly regular basis. However, the massive power failures that hit the country during the last days of July were striking in how widespread they were. Keep reading →


Across the country, and increasingly around the globe, information technology is playing a key role in the operations and organizational management of utility service providers. From customer-facing smart-metering technologies to administrative software tools that enhance automation and network monitoring, the revolution in interconnectivity has brought increased productivity and efficiencies, but also new areas of risk and vulnerability.

As a result, utility service providers must take a broad-spectrum approach to hardening their facilities, especially to cyber-criminals and hostile nation states that have the capability to cause harm and catastrophic impact to a system without ever approaching its physical structure. Keep reading →

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