Business
-
Trends
Microsoft Commits to Full Electricity Cost Recovery in Data Center Communities
Microsoft has committed to “paying its way” to ensure its data centers will not ramp up residential utility rates, becoming the first major hyperscaler to publicly commit to a comprehensive framework that ties artificial intelligence (AI) data center growth to cost-recovery rate design. The hyperscaler also pledged to advance utility coordination, directly fund grid infrastructure, […]
-
Renewables
Former Smelter Site Future Home to 1.2-GW Pumped Storage Hydro Project
Developers of a new pumped storage hydropower installation in Washington state said the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued an operating license for the project. Rye Development, a U.S.-based developer of pumped storage hydropower, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), on behalf of its Flagship Fund CI V, on January 22 said FERC gave the […]
-
Press Releases
ERMCO Expands Transformer Manufacturing West with New Arizona Facility
The distribution transformer manufacturer’s first plant west of the Mississippi River will add three-phase production capacity to address ongoing supply constraints. Distribution transformer manufacturer ERMCO announced Jan. 21 it will open a new manufacturing facility in Maricopa County, Arizona—the company’s first expansion west of the Mississippi River. The 566,121-square-foot plant in Waddell, approximately 30 miles […]
-
Engineering
Solving Problems, Not Chasing Technology
In recent years, the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape has shifted from quiet curiosity to relentless noise. Conference taglines, vendor solicitations, and slide decks all seem to begin with the same question: What can AI do for you? And too often the answer comes in the form of a catalog of hundreds of “use cases,” neatly […]
-
Press Releases
Switched Source Expands Grid-Enhancing Technology Deployments by 60%
Chicago-based Switched Source reported a 60% increase in deployments of its Phase-EQ grid-enhancing technology (Figure 1) over the past year, with units now operating across more than 10 utility service areas from Alaska to Florida. The company’s Phase-EQ device dynamically balances power between phases on distribution circuits, addressing load imbalances that limit how much capacity […]
-
Management
Five Years After Winter Storm Uri, a Texas Co-op Shares Its Lessons Learned
Rayburn Electric Cooperative faced three years of power costs in five days during the 2021 storm. The experience transformed the organization’s approach to risk, generation assets, and long-term planning. When Winter Storm Uri swept across Texas in February 2021, Rayburn Electric Cooperative found itself staring down a crisis that would reshape the organization’s entire operational […]
-
Press Releases
NKT Secures €2 Billion in Contracts for Scottish HVDC Transmission Links
NKT has finalized contracts with SSEN Transmission for two high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission links in Scotland, the company announced January 19. The projects, valued at approximately €2 billion combined, represent the largest contract award in SSEN Transmission’s history. The Danish cable manufacturer will deliver turnkey 525-kV HVDC power cable systems for the Western Isles and […]
-
Business
Constellation Completes Acquisition of Calpine; Groups Have 55 GW of Generation Capacity
Major U.S. utility Constellation said it has completed its acquisition of Calpine Corp. from Energy Capital Partners (ECP), creating the nation’s largest producer of electricity. The companies on January 7 noted that the transaction, first announced as a $16.4-billion deal a year ago, unites Constellation’s nuclear power fleet with Calpine’s natural gas-fired and geothermal generation. […]
-
Trends
PJM Dials Back Near-Term Load Outlook but Maintains Steep Long-Term Growth Trajectory
PJM Interconnection has trimmed its near-term peak-demand projections in its updated 20-year load forecast, citing tighter vetting of large-load adjustment requests and revised electric-vehicle (EV) and economic assumptions. The grid operator, however, reaffirmed expectations for significant long-term growth driven by data centers and broader electrification. In its 2026 Long-Term Load Forecast, issued on Jan. 14, PJM […]
-
Gas
Gas Turbine Supply Chain Bottlenecks Could Reshape the Generation Mix in 2030 and Beyond
The gas turbine industry is facing its most significant supply chain challenge in decades, with backlogs extending years into the future and utilities scrambling to secure dispatchable capacity. To better understand the scope of the problem and what options utilities have, POWER spoke with John Shingledecker, principal technical executive with EPRI, and Bobby Noble, senior […]
-
Data Centers
Data Center Developer, Major Investment Group Plan Gigawatts of New Capacity
A data center development company led by former executives with Amazon Web Services (AWS) has joined with a leading investment group to launch a platform for hyperscale data centers in North America.
-
Renewables
Bank Consortium Closes $160M Financing for Spanish Wind, Solar Portfolio
NORD/LB, Rabobank, and Siemens Bank have announced a combined €135 million ($160 million) financing package for a 199-MW portfolio of three wind and two solar farms in Aragón, Spain. The projects have been acquired by ENCAVIS, a leading pan-European independent power producer.
-
Trends
Vistra to Bolster Gas-Fired Fleet by 5.5 GW with $4B Cogentrix Acquisition
Vistra Corp. has executed definitive agreements to acquire Cogentrix Energy, a portfolio company of Quantum Capital Group, in a $4 billion transaction that will expand its generation footprint across the PJM Interconnection, ISO New England, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Announced on Jan. 5, 2026, the acquisition includes 10 modern natural gas […]
-
Gas
Kiewit Chosen as EPC for New 1,425-MW Gas-Fired Power Plant in Georgia
A major southeastern U.S. electric cooperative said it has chosen Kiewit Corp. to serve as the lead contractor for a new natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant it has planned in Monroe County, Georgia.
-
Nuclear
Meta Locks In Up to 6.6 GW of Nuclear Power Through Deals with Vistra, Oklo, and TerraPower
In-Depth: Meta’s suite of three landmark agreements is poised to provide the financial certainty to extend aging plants, accelerate first-of-a-kind advanced reactor deployments, and relieve PJM’s tightening capacity constraints while establishing the hyperscaler as an anchor customer for a 6.6-GW corporate-backed nuclear fleet. In a stunning move that reinforces Big Tech’s growing role in underwriting […]
-
Press Releases
Exus Renewables North America Closes $400-Million Credit Facility for Solar, Wind, Storage Projects
Exus Renewables North America (Exus), a leading independent owner, developer and operator of utility-scale renewable energy projects, announced the closing of a $400-million senior secured corporate credit facility. The facility will fund the development and expansion of the company’s growing wind, solar and battery portfolio.
-
Technology
Eavor’s First-of-Its-Kind Closed-Loop Geothermal Project Produces Grid Power in Germany
Eavor’s Geretsried project marks the first time a closed-loop geothermal system has delivered electricity to a commercial power grid, demonstrating a new pathway for advanced geothermal deployment. Calgary-based Eavor Technologies on Dec. 4, 2025, became the first company to deliver electricity to a commercial power grid at its Geretsried facility in Bavaria, Germany, using a fully […]
-
Renewables
Renewable Properties Secures Additional $40 Million From AB CarVal
California-based Renewable Properties, a developer and investor in small-scale utility, community solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure projects, announced that it has increased its existing corporate capital facility with funds managed by AB CarVal by $40 million to a total of $120 million. The funds will be used to secure new project opportunities and […]
-
Interview
The POWER Interview: Investing in Energy Solutions for the Data Center Boom
The race to lead when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more about securing the power necessary for data centers and other AI infrastructure. In this POWER Interview, Andrejka Bernatova, founder, chairman, and CEO of Dynamix Capital Partners, discusses Dynamix’s belief that the energy and infrastructure industry is in the early phases of a decades-long transition to a low-carbon, sustainable future.
-
Press Releases
HASI, Sunrun Expand Business with $500 Million Joint Venture
HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital (HASI), a leading investor in sustainable infrastructure assets, and Sunrun, a provider of home battery storage, solar, and home-to-grid power plants, announced the closing of an innovative joint venture to finance distributed energy assets. The partnership announced January 6 is expected to ultimately finance more than 300 MW of capacity across […]
-
Legal & Regulatory
DOE Issues $2.7B Orders to Scale Domestic Nuclear LEU and HALEU Enrichment
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued its first production-scale task orders under a $2.7-billion uranium enrichment program launched in 2024, awarding $900 million each to Centrus Energy Corp., General Matter, and Orano Federal Services to expand domestic capacity for conventional low-enriched uranium (LEU) and high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) over the next decade. The […]
-
Data Centers
Liberty Energy Will Develop Gas-Fired Power for Data Center Group
Two Colorado-based groups are partnering to develop power generation solutions for data centers. Liberty Energy, the Denver-based oil and gas company founded by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Vantage Data Centers (also headquartered in Denver) on January 5 announced a partnership to “develop and deliver utility-scale, high-efficiency power solutions,” presumably natural gas-fired units, for Vantage’s continued expansion of its North American portfolio.
-
Supply Chains
Transformers in 2026: Shortage, Scramble, or Self-Inflicted Crisis?
Analysts still see multi-year deficits in U.S. transformer supply, even as equipment manufacturers invest billions in new factories and advanced manufacturing processes. But some brokers suggest there is no
-
Trends
The Age of Electricity and 5 Other Forces Reshaping the Global Energy Outlook
The world has firmly crossed into the “Age of Electricity.” That is a unifying finding in the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) 2025 edition of the World Energy Outlook (WEO), which shows a global
-
Trends
Meeting the Moment: Industry Leaders Chart the Course for Power in 2026
From artificial intelligence-driven efficiency to transmission bottlenecks, power industry insiders share their perspectives on the opportunities and obstacles shaping 2026 and beyond. The power generation
-
Gas
Germany Cuts New Gas-Fired Generation as Country Works on Energy Strategy
Officials in Germany are scaling back their plans to develop more natural gas–fired power plants, as the government wants to continue its path toward decarbonization while also recognizing the need to back
-
Interview
How Remote Operations Centers Are Reshaping Power Plant Operations
Centralized remote monitoring is reshaping power plant operations, enabling specialized teams to oversee multiple facilities from a single location. This discussion examines the technology, benefits, and
-
O&M
New Products [January 2026]
Chicken Switch Hitter CBS ArcSafe, a leading manufacturer of remote racking and switching solutions for low- and medium-voltage switchgear, introduced the RSK-CSH-W Chicken Switch Hitter (Figure 1), a wireless
-
Legal & Regulatory
Despite Federal Support, Economic Forces Are Driving the Future of Coal
The Trump administration during both its terms has prioritized its efforts on reviving the coal industry by introducing a series of policy changes and executive actions intended to boost coal leasing and production on federal lands. Yet, despite these political moves, coal’s trajectory in the U.S. energy market has followed a different path.
-
Distributed Energy
Grid Edge DERMS: The Ultimate Enabler of the Decentralized Grid
Electricity management is undergoing a fundamental shift. The traditional model of one-way power flows is giving way to a dynamic system shaped by distributed assets and active consumer participation. Renewables are proliferating, distributed energy resource (DER) adoption is accelerating and assets are emerging at the grid edge.