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Author: Deanna

Event | 11.02.21

Greentown Labs Climatetech Summit 2021 is empowering the technology of tomorrow. Climatetech entrepreneurs are developing the solutions that are the core of global decarbonization and they need the support, cooperation, and collaboration to scale their technologies. Greentown Labs Climatetech Summit is a day of hands-on exploration with world-changing startups and their climatetech solutions; keynotes and sessions featuring leaders across climatetech, finance, policy, and justice; and networking with key climate action pioneers.

Representing CAMS at the summit will be Mona Johnson, president of CAMS eSPARC and senior vice president of  Environmental, Health, Safety and Regulatory, Li Doyle, vice president of business development, and Marium Nisa, Business Development Associate.

Greentown Labs Climatetech Summit

Event Date: Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021

Location: Greentown Houston

For further event details, click here.

For more information on CAMS Environmental Consulting Services, including ESG Program Development, click here.

Articles | 11.01.21

HOUSTON – Consolidated Asset Management Services (CAMS), an industry leading asset management and operations and maintenance (O&M) services provider, recently announced the Laredo Energy Center (LEC), which is operated by CAMS, recently celebrated 15 years without a lost time accident or recordable injury.

LEC is a two-unit, simple-cycle natural gas fired power plant located in Laredo, Texas, and owned by Talen Energy. The plant consists of nine full-time employees who, to date, have safely operated 5,502 days incident free. As a token of appreciation to the employees, they were awarded a celebratory lunch and provided backpacks with gloves, safety glasses, ear plugs, and other safety related items to utilize both at home and work.

Congratulations to the Laredo Energy Center team on its huge achievement and continue the wonderful work!

About CAMS

CAMS is a privately held company providing a full range of services in the energy sector. These services include lifecycle management of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues for all facility and industry types. Our founding principle is to add value through superior management and operation of our clients’ energy infrastructure assets. To this end, we empower our employees to pursue creative and sustainable business practices in the field and at our corporate office that contribute to operational excellence, financial performance, a safe workplace, and a better community and environment.  We do not take this responsibility lightly: We treat the assets with which we are entrusted as our own. For additional information, visit www.camstex.com.

About Talen Energy

Talen Energy is one of the largest competitive power generation and infrastructure companies in North America. TES owns and/or controls approximately 13,000 megawatts of generating capacity in wholesale U.S. power markets, principally in the Mid-Atlantic, Texas and Montana.

Through its subsidiary, Cumulus Growth, Talen is developing a large-scale portfolio of renewable energy, battery storage, and digital infrastructure assets across its expansive footprint. For more information, visit www.talenenergy.com/esg-focused-future.

Press Release | 10.25.21

HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE) – Consolidated Asset Management Services (CAMS), an industry leading asset management and operations and maintenance (O&M) services provider, announced today that it has been awarded two contracts by Broad Reach Power (Broad Reach) to provide O&M services at two battery energy storage sites.

Located in Texas, the projects CAMS will support include 100 megawatts (MW) at Bat Cave Energy Storage in Mason County and an additional 100 MW at North Fork Energy Storage in Williamson County.

The addition of the projects solidifies CAMS as one of the largest third-party battery O&M providers in the country, now delivering O&M at 12 sites totaling 300 MW.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Broad Reach by supporting Bat Cave and North Fork which are among the most advanced and largest energy storage projects in North America,” said Brian Ivany, Co-President of CAMS Renewable Services. “These projects will provide greater reliability to the grid which continues to experience increased volatility from renewable penetration and severe weather events.”

CAMS was named the O&M operator following a competitive bidding process.

“This partnership is a fantastic recognition of the strength of CAMS’ service offering and further grows our renewables footprint,” said Rick Knauth, Co-President of CAMS Renewable Services. “It also supports our commitment to the transition of energy generation toward renewable sources and ESG-focused business practices.”

“As our Broad Reach portfolio of standalone energy storage assets continues to grow in megawatt scale, we look forward to furthering our relationship with CAMS to support the operational performance, reliability and safety of our critical infrastructure,” said Doug Moorehead, Managing Partner & Chief Technology Officer of Broad Reach Power.

About CAMS

CAMS is a privately held company providing Operations and Maintenance (O&M), Asset Management, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), and Optimization services for energy and infrastructure assets. We add value through superior management and operation of our clients’ assets located throughout the U.S. and internationally. To this end, we empower our employees to pursue creative and sustainable business practices in the field and at our corporate office that contribute to operational excellence, financial performance, a safe workplace, and a better community and environment.  For additional information, visit www.camstex.com.

About Broad Reach Power

Broad Reach Power is the leading utility-scale storage independent power producer in the United States. Based in Houston, Broad Reach Power is backed by leading energy investors EnCap Investments L.P., Yorktown Partners and Mercuria Energy. The company owns a 13-gigawatt portfolio of utility-scale solar and energy storage power projects in Montana, California, Wyoming, Utah and Texas which give utilities, generators and customers access to technological insight and tools for managing merchant power risk so they can better match supply and demand. Broad Reach is led by a team comprised of solar, wind and storage experts who have delivered more than four gigawatts of projects and have a combined 80 years of experience in the field. For more information about the company, visit www.broadreachpower.com.

Event | 10.15.21

Experience POWER is a live event in 2021 covering the full energy value chain for the power industry. It provides tactics to implement immediately to make facilities and infrastructure more resilient, more reliable, and more profitable.

Representing CAMS at the conference will be Nicholas Kemper, Business Development Manager, and Tom Kanno, Manager of Asset Management.

Experience POWER

Event Date: Monday-Wednesday, October 18-21, 2021

Location: San Antonio, Texas

Co-Located Events: Distributed Energy Conference, HydrogeNext

For further event details, click here.

 

Event | 09.20.21

Leading the energy transition is the theme at this year’s summit and Mona Johnson, president of CAMS eSPARC and senior vice president of  Environmental, Health, Safety and Regulatory and Li Doyle, vice president of business development will be representing CAMS at the event.

They will be joining 200 leading women across all aspects of energy production, generation and innovation, from oil & gas to renewable energy and energy and grid technology. Leading executives and investors will discuss issues around leadership, ESG+R and innovation.

Kayo Energy Transition Summit

Event Date: Tuesday-Wednesday, September 21-22, 2021

Location: The Houstonian, Houston

For further event details, click here.

 

 

Articles | 08.26.21

Hamakua Energy (Hamakua), a 60-MW combined-cycle power generation facility located on the island of Hawai’i in Honoka’a, Hawaii, provides 22 percent of Hawai’i Island’s generating capacity. CAMS has managed and operated the plant since 2011.

The facility’s primary fuel is naphtha. Prior to October 2019, low sulfur and ultra-low sulfur diesel were used for start-ups and to supplement the naphtha. Naphtha is a cost-effective fuel but is typically procured as either a byproduct of other refining operations in Hawai’i or is procured from the naphtha markets in Asia.

In 2019, CAMS supported the owner, Hamakua Energy, LLC, a Pacific Current company, in securing a biodiesel supply contract with Pacific Biodiesel Technologies (Pacific Biodiesel). Pacific Biodiesel owns a refinery at the Shipman Industrial Park in Keaau that utilizes state-of-the art distillation technology to produce the nation’s highest quality biodiesel. Much of the fuel is manufactured through the recycling of waste cooking oils from restaurants statewide.

The use of the Pacific Biodiesel fuel represents a sustainable business practice for Hamakua. The consumption of the locally-sourced renewable fuel that is transported to the facility via biodiesel-fueled trucks supports a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This is done through a decreased reliance on imported fossil fuels both at the plant and in the supply chain, while upholding the State’s energy independence and energy security initiatives.

At CAMS, our founding principle is to add value through superior management and operation of our clients’ energy infrastructure assets. We know what it takes to run a sustainable business. Since 2007, CAMS has managed energy assets that provide reliable fuel, transportation, and power to grids throughout the U.S. and Europe. Whether you’re seeking a partner to develop a full Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) management program, or looking for guidance on how to achieve a sustainable, value-driven work culture, our experienced team can help you achieve your goals. Connect with one of our experts today.

Articles | 08.20.21

Calhoun Power Company, LLC is a 688-MW dual-fuel simple-cycle generation facility located in Eastaboga, Ala. The plant’s four GE 7FA gas turbine engines generate enough electricity to power over 500,000 homes in the region. The plant is owned by Harbert Power Fund V, LLC and has been operated by CAMS since 2016.

Awarding College Scholarships

Calhoun Power takes community involvement seriously. Through the Anniston Community Education Foundation (ACEF), Calhoun Power offers three $2,000 scholarships annually, divided between the fall and spring semesters, to graduating seniors planning a degree in electrical, electronic or engineering related majors. In additional to demonstrated academic success, all high school senior scholarship recipients have contributed at least 20 hours to community service. The scholarships are renewable one time and returning applicants must serve at least 40 community service hours over the previous year.

Pictured above are recent recipients of ACEF scholarships, including six Calhoun Power Scholars. The Calhoun Power Scholars include are attending Jacksonville State University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Auburn University. Their academic interests include computer science, environmental science, biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering.

Vocational Education Tours

Each year, Calhoun Power sponsors local vocational education students to tour the plant to learn about careers in the power generation field.

Pictured below are Anniston High School Career and Technical Education students.

Pictured below are Cleburne County High Schools students.

Articles | 08.11.21

HOUSTON – Consolidated Asset Management Services (CAMS) supported Houston area families and students as part of the YMCA of Greater Houston’s 17th annual Operation Backpack, a drive that provides backpacks and school supplies for students in need.

CAMS employees organized a collection and filled new backpacks with the supplies to make a difference in the local community. The investment made by CAMS employees provides children the opportunity to return to learning with the tools to be successful.

“Many of us have kids of our own and know the importance of having the necessary supplies to excel in the classroom,” said Mona Johnson, CAMS Senior Vice President of Environmental, Health, Safety and Regulatory. “This drive directly addresses the needs of our local community, and it was wonderful to see our employees take the initiative to coordinate it.”

According to the YMCA of Greater Houston, 28.8 percent of Houston students age 17 and younger live below the poverty line. By distributing necessary school supplies, YMCA Operation Backpack’s mission is to fill students with hope for a brighter future as they start the school year. The YMCA’s goal is to reach 30,000 Houston area youth.

CAMS values and aims to enrich the communities in which we live and work.

Limit Risk, Increase Efficiency and Improve Your Bottom Line

eTRAC is a CAMS proprietary software platform that provides real-time financial intelligence for energy generation assets. It is a reliable guide to help asset owners navigate market performance.

eTRAC provides an elegantly simple view of real-time, relevant pricing data, energy output and financial instrument performance in a mobile-friendly format.

Our optimization service increases returns and limits risk, making it the best choice to maximize efficiency and profitably.

Complete the form to download.

Whitepaper

Fill out the form to download our white paper

CAMS built eTRAC after observing that our clients who were asset owners did not have access to succinct and real-time information on the financial and operational performance of individual assets. eTRAC addresses that deficiency by combining information including market pricing and other data, an asset’s contractual structure, and operational performance to create easily digestible views.

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    Articles | 07.14.21

    By Matthew Pacobit, Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs

    After posting the article Cybersecurity in Power Plants – Is my facility vulnerable? we received additional questions asking how OT or Operational Technology is different from IT business networks. This article will explain some of those differences and why they are important when considering cybersecurity.

    Operational vs. Business Networks

    Let’s first consider the structure of business networks because that is what most people are familiar with. Business networks are typically a collection of independent systems (computers) all running software from either Windows or Linux. Each computer is able to communicate with other computers through the business network, and each computer controls who it is talking to. For example, when you browse the internet you type in a web address which instructs your computer to initiate a request for information from a server. There are some exceptions to this generalized description of the structure of business networks, but for the purpose of this analysis they are not essential (even though I know there are some IT professional pulling out their hair in frustration with this oversimplification). One of the key characteristics of this structure is that it allows for enterprise-type solutions for virus protection and patching because all the machines on the business network run the same operating system. However, what happens if all the machines are not independent systems and do not run the same operating system?

    This brings us to Operational Technology, which again will be discussed very generically as there are countless types in existence. Operational networks do not just use the Windows PC that you see in the control room, but instead interface with field devices and field networks running a variety of proprietary software and/or operating systems. These could include systems from companies such as Emerson, GE, Siemens, Mitsubishi, Allen Bradley, and Bently Nevada to name a few. Even within these vendors there can be different systems such as Emerson’s Ovation system and Emerson’s heart communication implementation on their Rosemount transmitters. Normally, these different systems are run by a central controller. They are not designed for their own independent reliability, but for the overall reliability of the plant or system that they are operating. In practice, this means that if the central controller detects something is wrong, it will fail to the backup controller. What causes this to happen varies widely by system design and manufacturer.

    Due to the differences in the way business and operational networks are setup and function, we must take different approaches to how we secure these systems. For example, you can run a network detect tool on a business network with minimal risk of causing any issues, but if you run that same tool on an operations network you could bring down the entire network and the plant with it. While this may not happen every time, there is a much greater risk on the operational networks due to the differences in structure. Another good example is patching. There are several Windows patches that cannot be loaded onto certain operational networks because they will cause significant issues to the network.

    Therefore, it is crucial when you are looking at securing your operational networks to make sure you are using someone with knowledge and experience with OT and who understands why and how they are different from business networks.

    For help and information about protecting your operational or business network and data systems, contact one of our experts.