The POWER Interview: Advantages of Geothermal Deployment
Geothermal energy delivers continuous, baseload power that sidesteps the intermittency of wind and solar, making it attractive for utilities and data‑center operators. Advances from the oil‑and‑gas sector—such as directional drilling and reservoir modeling—have lowered development risk and expanded the geographic reach of projects. Bureau Veritas offers end‑to‑end testing, inspection and certification to ensure technical rigor from development through operation. Federal Investment and Production Tax Credits, plus state incentives, further improve project economics for developers and builders.
Reprocessing Gamble Could Drain Nuclear Waste Fund, Raise Electricity Prices
The Department of Energy’s push to bundle spent‑fuel reprocessing with broader nuclear‑lifecycle initiatives threatens to siphon the $47 billion Nuclear Waste Fund. Reprocessing, which aims to extract plutonium and uranium, has repeatedly proven costly, technically fragile, and generates new waste streams...
Electric Cooperative Leaders Advocate for Federal Policies Essential to Maintaining Affordable, Reliable Power
Around 1,500 electric cooperative leaders will convene in Washington, D.C., to press federal lawmakers for policies that safeguard affordable, reliable power. Representing utilities that serve 42 million customers across more than half of the nation’s land, they warn that grid reliability...
China Restarting Massive Coal-to-Gas Project After Decade-Long Pause
Chinese state‑owned China Datang Corp. is restarting its $3.7 billion Fuxin coal‑to‑gas project, originally halted in 2014, with a planned online date in October 2026. The revival is driven by a surplus of domestic coal and recent disruptions to Middle‑East gas...
Japanese Group Proposes $2-Billion Gas-Fired Power Plant for Hawaii
Japan’s largest power generator JERA announced a $2 billion proposal to build a 500‑MW combined‑cycle natural‑gas plant on Oahu. The project would replace aging oil‑fired units, cut electricity costs by about 20 % and be supported by offshore LNG infrastructure, including a...
Making Solar Truly Sustainable: The Case for Recycling End of Life Panels
Corporate sustainability drives rapid solar adoption, but a looming wave of end‑of‑life panels threatens waste management. The EPA estimates 0.17‑1 million metric tons of PV waste by 2030, rising to 10 million tons by 2050, with about 1.7 million tons of recoverable aluminum....
FERC Sets June Deadline to Rewrite Large-Load Grid Rules for AI-Era Power Demand
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) set a June 2026 deadline to rewrite rules governing the interconnection of large loads—defined as 20 MW or more—to the U.S. interstate transmission system. The move follows a Department of Energy advance notice that highlights the...
Rural Co-Ops Navigate a New Era of Load Growth, Rising Costs, and Policy Pressure
Rural electric cooperatives, which power 42 million customers across more than half of the United States, are confronting an unprecedented surge in electricity demand driven by heat‑pump adoption, electric‑vehicle charging, and AI‑powered data centers. At the same time, supply‑chain bottlenecks and...
High-Density AI Is Forcing a Power Reckoning at the Rack
Artificial intelligence workloads are pushing data‑center rack power densities toward 300 kW, exposing the inefficiency of traditional AC‑to‑DC conversion at the rack. Converting high‑voltage AC to low‑voltage DC creates measurable losses—about 4 % at 100 kW, translating into extra heat and cooling costs....
Electron Beam Welding: Unlocking a New Era for Heavy Section Nuclear Components
Electron beam welding (EBW) for heavy‑section nuclear components has moved from a research concept to a production‑ready technology. Recent demonstrations show full‑girth welds on 1.8‑meter‑diameter shells completed in under an hour, a dramatic drop from the week‑long arcs previously required....
Project Glasswing: What Power Companies and Grid Operators Need to Know
On April 7, Anthropic unveiled Project Glasswing, a coalition of 12 technology leaders deploying the Claude Mythos Preview AI model to automatically discover and patch software vulnerabilities. The model has already identified thousands of zero‑day flaws, including a 27‑year‑old bug in OpenBSD and chained...
Renewables Reenvisioned: How Linea Energy Built a 7-GW Renewable Pipeline in Under Two Years
Linea Energy, founded by veteran developer Cassidy DeLine, has assembled a renewable pipeline exceeding 7 GW in under two years. The company leverages proprietary data simulations to front‑load site analysis, acquires mid‑stage projects, and advances projects without early PPAs, reducing risk....
Inside AMPERA’s Bet on Subcritical Thorium Microreactors
Florida startup AMPERA is developing a factory‑built, subcritical thorium microreactor that fits in a 40‑foot shipping container and can run for 30 years without refueling. The design uses an external neutron generator to keep the core subcritical, TRISO‑encapsulated thorium fuel, and...
Framatome Joins Four Utilities to Advance VVER 440 Nuclear Fuel Design
Framatome and four European utilities—ČEZ, Fortum, MVM Paks NPP, and Slovenské elektrárne—have signed a contract to develop a 100% European VVER 440 fuel design called VERA‑440. The first phase focuses on fuel‑assembly design and transport containers, followed by a Lead Test Assembly program to...
Rehlko, INNIO Have Deal For 1.25 GW of Gas Engine Capacity
Rehlko has signed a multi‑year strategic framework with INNIO Group to secure roughly 1.25 GW of gas‑engine capacity over the next three years. The agreement, executed through Rehlko’s Clarke Energy platform, is aimed at powering hyperscale, colocation and enterprise data‑center projects...
TikTok Investing $1.16 Billion for Second Data Center in Finland
TikTok announced a €1 billion ($1.16 billion) investment to build a second data center in Lahti, Finland, with an initial 50 MW capacity that can scale to 128 MW. The project is part of ByteDance’s broader €12 billion ($14.02 billion) European data‑sovereignty initiative aimed at keeping...
New ‘Universal Shock Absorber’ Is Stabilizing Force for Tomorrow’s Grid
Ramboll unveiled the Universal Damping STATCOM (UD‑STATCOM), a patent‑pending upgrade to conventional STATCOMs that automatically absorbs harmful grid oscillations while preserving normal voltage support. The device monitors voltage waveforms, injects proportional current to damp disturbances, and returns the absorbed energy...
When the Levee Breaks: Managing Cybersecurity Threats During Natural Disasters
Utility firms face a surge in cyber threats when natural disasters strain resources and distract staff. Experts recommend year‑round phishing awareness, a unified monitoring dashboard, and automated behavioral alerts to keep attackers at bay. Robust incident and disaster response plans,...
Taiwan Joins Others in Asia Restarting Coal-Fired Units Due to Iran War
Taiwan Power Co. will restart two coal‑fired units at the Mailiao plant, delivering roughly 1 GW of capacity for at least three months starting in May. The move responds to heightened electricity demand and recent disruptions to LNG supplies caused by...
BWXT Initiates NRC Pre-Application Process for HEU Enrichment Facility in Erwin, Tennessee
BWX Technologies (BWXT) has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of its intent to seek a license for a new highly enriched uranium (HEU) enrichment facility in Erwin, Tennessee. The plant is part of a $1.5 billion Department of Energy contract to...
Enverus Launches AI-Based Platform to Support Energy Industry
Enverus unveiled Enverus ONE, an AI‑driven execution platform for the energy sector. The system combines frontier AI models with Enverus’s proprietary Astra energy model to automate workflows across utilities, generators, and developers. It launches with four ready‑to‑use Flows—AFE Evaluation, Current...
GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy Supporting Deployment of SMR in Sweden
GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) has signed a main services agreement with Sweden‑based engineering firm AFRY to support the deployment of its BWRX‑300 small modular reactor (SMR) in Europe. The non‑exclusive collaboration leverages AFRY’s regional expertise to deliver engineering,...
Fervo, Turboden Sign 1.7-GW Turbine Deal for Geothermal Power Plants
Fervo Energy and Turboden America have signed a framework agreement to supply organic Rankine cycle (ORC) turbines for up to 35 GeoBlocks, delivering roughly 1.75 GW of capacity. The deal builds on a prior contract for three 50‑MW units at the...
Westinghouse Files to Update AP1000 Design Certification, Make Vogtle Expansion the U.S. Reference Plant
Westinghouse has submitted Revision 20 of the AP1000 Design Control Document to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, proposing the as‑built Vogtle Unit 4 as the new reference plant for all future AP1000 projects. The filing, targeted for NRC approval by 2026, would create...
Antares Receives DOE Approval of Mark-0 Demonstration Reactor
Antares, a California‑based advanced nuclear firm, received U.S. Department of Energy approval for the Documented Safety Analysis of its Mark‑0 micro‑reactor, confirming the final design and safety case. The approval follows a preliminary safety review earlier this year and triggers...
Nuclear Recycling Has Reached a Prime Moment—And the U.S. May Be Running Out of Time
The Energy Innovation Reform Project (EIRP) released a new assessment urging the United States to adopt a national policy that supports commercial nuclear fuel recycling, citing shifts in economics, waste‑management costs, and proliferation concerns. The report calls for a White...
Keeping the Lights On: How Cuba Is Fighting an Energy Crisis Under Tightened Sanctions
Cuba’s power sector is confronting its deepest crisis in decades as a new U.S. executive order has halted all fuel shipments, leaving more than 1,400 MW of capacity idle. The shortage creates daytime deficits of 1,400 MW and night peaks up to...
Scaling Advanced Nuclear Power: Picking Winners Now
Across the United States more than 60 advanced reactor developers are competing for billions in public and private capital, yet the nation still lacks a clear path to scale nuclear output. The Department of Energy announced in August 2025 that...
Southwest Power Pool Announces Expansion of Service Territory
Southwest Power Pool (SPP) officially expanded its service territory on April 1, 2026, becoming the first regional transmission organization to operate across both the Eastern and Western Interconnections. The expansion now covers roughly 732,000 square miles in 17 states, serving about...
Investment Group Acquires Stake in TotalEnergies’ German Energy Storage Portfolio
TotalEnergies has sold a 50 % stake in its 800‑MW German battery storage portfolio to Allianz Global Investors for about €500 million (≈$577 million). The portfolio comprises 11 projects under construction, delivering 1,628 MWh of capacity and slated for commercial operation within two years....
The Genesis Mission: How AI Supercomputing Is About to Reshape American Science and Energy
The Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, led by Dr. Dario Gil, aims to double U.S. R&D productivity within ten years by merging high‑performance computing, AI supercomputing, and quantum computing. The initiative deploys massive AI‑focused supercomputer clusters at Argonne and Oak...
The POWER Interview: Addressing Data Priorities as Severe Weather Season Looms
Severe‑weather season begins April 1, prompting utilities to seek better weather intelligence. Synoptic Data offers a platform that aggregates high‑resolution, real‑time and historical weather data from multiple networks into a single source. Melanie Scott, Synoptic’s meteorologist, stresses that utilities must access...
Exclusive: Texas Opens $350M Advanced Nuclear Grant Programs to Spur Reactor Buildout, Supply Chain
Texas has launched a $350 million advanced nuclear grant program, split between a $70 million project‑development fund and a $280 million construction fund, to accelerate reactor build‑out and supply‑chain capacity. Applications are due April 23 for intent and May 14 for full proposals, with awards...
Chernobyl at 40: The World’s Worst Nuclear Power Accident and Where It Stands Now
The 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster highlights that the site remains an active decommissioning complex rather than a static memorial. Ukraine is transferring spent fuel to the world’s largest dry storage facility and preparing to dismantle the original sarcophagus...
Cracking the Power Supply Chain Code
The power sector is grappling with multi‑year lead times for essential hardware such as large transformers, high‑voltage switchgear, and gas‑turbine components. Rotor forgings and hot‑section blades have emerged as the most acute bottlenecks, while rising demand from data‑center expansions intensifies...
Europe’s Grid Is Already a Hybrid War Target—Most Utilities Aren’t Ready
A February 2026 Eurelectric report warns that Europe’s electricity grid is already a hybrid‑war target, combining physical sabotage, cyber‑attacks and maritime threats, yet most utilities remain under‑prepared. The study cites over 1,000 attacks on Ukrainian energy assets, costly subsea cable cuts...
Every Fifth Pole: Ameren’s Staggered Strategy for Grid Hardening
Ameren Illinois and Missouri are hardening their grid by installing fiber‑reinforced polymer (FRP) composite poles every fifth pole on high‑risk lines. The staggered mix of wood and TridentStrong FRP poles, now over 10,000 in service, has withstood more than a...
How Energas Turned an Environmental Concern Into Cuba’s Cheapest Power
Energas, a Cuban‑Canadian joint venture with Sherritt International, operates three combined‑cycle plants totaling 480 MW, supplying roughly 8‑10% of Cuba’s electricity and the cheapest baseload power in the country. The plants convert associated natural gas from oil wells into electricity and...
The Missing Intelligence Layer of the Smart Grid
Utilities have poured billions into smart‑grid sensors, communications and analytics, yet the digital representation of the physical distribution assets remains rudimentary. Traditional asset databases rely on periodic inspections, causing records to drift from reality and limiting engineers’ ability to assess...
FluxPoint Energy Enters Race to Build First New U.S. Uranium Conversion Plant in Nearly 70 Years
FluxPoint Energy, a Houston‑based startup, announced plans at CERAWeek to build the first U.S. uranium conversion plant in nearly seven decades. The modular facility in Texas would initially convert about 2,500 metric tonnes of uranium to UF₆ per year using...
Investing in Energy’s ‘Anti-Fragile’ Future
S2G Investments, led by managing director Bala Nagarajan, is targeting "anti‑fragile" energy companies that succeed on pure economics rather than relying on federal tax credits. The firm highlighted Aerones, a robot‑based wind‑turbine blade repair startup, as a model of cost‑effective,...
CPUC Backs Renewable Natural Gas Contract From Anaergia Facility
The California Public Utilities Commission has conditionally approved Anaergia’s SoCal Biomethane facility as the first renewable natural gas (RNG) supplier under Senate Bill 1440. The project co‑digests organic waste and municipal wastewater, converting up to 104,000 tons of waste per year...
DOE Has Issued More Than 40 Section 202(c) Emergency Orders Since May 2025. Here’s an Updated Log.
Since May 2025 the U.S. Department of Energy has issued more than 40 emergency orders under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, the highest volume in two decades. The orders fall into retirement‑deferral and active‑dispatch categories, keeping roughly 4.4 GW of...
Fervo Energy Secures More Funding for Cape Station Geothermal Project
Fervo Energy has closed a $421 million non‑recourse debt package to fund the first phase of its Cape Station enhanced geothermal project in Utah. The financing includes a $309 million term loan, a $61 million tax‑credit bridge, and a $51 million letter of credit,...
Constellation to Sell 4.4 GW of PJM Gas Power Assets to LS Power for $5B in Regulatory Divestiture
Constellation Energy agreed to sell five PJM gas‑fired plants totaling 4.4 GW to LS Power for about $5 billion, the largest divestiture required to clear antitrust concerns from its $26.6 billion acquisition of Calpine. The assets—Bethlehem, Hay Road, York 1, York 2 and Edge Moor—are priced at...
How a University and Industry Partner Are Building Tomorrow’s Power Workforce
The power sector faces a looming workforce crisis as an aging labor pool retires faster than new talent arrives, even as billions flow into energy infrastructure. A partnership between Stony Brook University and Haugland Group has created a multi‑tiered training...
GE Vernova, IHI Achieve 100% Ammonia Combustion in F-Class Gas Turbine Test
GE Vernova and Japan’s IHI Corp. successfully demonstrated full‑scale combustor components for GE’s F‑class gas turbines operating on 100 % ammonia at full load, marking the first such test at IHI’s Large‑Scale Combustion Test facility. The joint effort aims to commercialize...
The Frog Is Dead: North America’s Power Grid Faces Its Biggest Reckoning in a Generation
North America’s power grid is confronting a rapid demand surge, driven by a data‑center boom, reshoring of manufacturing, and broader electrification, pushing load growth to 2‑3% annually. Utilities are scrambling to replace retiring baseload plants while adding intermittent renewables, creating...
Speed-to-Power: Energy Strategy in the Age of AI
AlphaSense’s 2026 Energy & Industrials Outlook highlights a "dirty pivot" toward speed‑to‑power as AI‑driven compute loads outpace traditional build timelines. With large‑frame gas turbines backlogged until 2027‑2028, utilities and hyperscalers are favoring modular gas solutions—solid‑oxide fuel cells, reciprocating engines, and...
Resource Plans Drive Clean Energy Value Creation for Investors
Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) are becoming a key lever for utilities to create long‑term shareholder value by building clean energy assets such as renewables, storage, and nuclear. Because regulated utilities earn a regulated return of 9‑11% while their true cost...