Business

The Biden administration has finalized a $15 billion loan guarantee to California utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), in the biggest outlay to a single group in the history of the Dept. of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO). The Jan. 17 announcement comes one day after the outgoing administration said it would provide nearly […]

Advanced nuclear technology firm Oklo is partnering with Texas-based prime and backup solutions company RPower to roll out an innovative “phased energy model” that will combine natural gas and nuclear to offer a scalable and sustainable turnkey solution for data centers. The companies on Jan. 17 said they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to […]

Sweden has broken ground on its final repository for spent nuclear fuel (SNF)—a milestone reached after 40 years of research and development—making it the world’s second deep geological repository (DGR) now under construction. Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (SKB), a nuclear fuel and waste management company owned by Sweden’s nuclear operators, officially announced the start of construction […]

UK energy giant BP said it will cut more than 5% of its global workforce, as the company continues a plan to reduce costs as it transitions to more operations outside of its oil and gas business. The London-based multinational group on Jan. 16 said it would lay off about 4,700 workers, and also cut […]

As a significant final move before the incoming Trump administration takes office, the Biden administration has announced conditional loan commitments totaling $22.92 billion to support projects by eight utility companies across the U.S. The investments will seek to modernize infrastructure, expand clean energy generation, and improve grid reliability, impacting millions of customers, the Department of […]

Global electrical technology company ABB said it has acquired Lumin, a U.S.-based group that provides responsive energy management systems, to expand its home energy management capabilities in the North American residential sector. The acquisition announced Jan. 14 follows a strategic minority investment by ABB into Lumin in 2023. Financial terms of the transaction were not […]

Competitive generation giant Constellation has agreed to acquire Calpine Corp. in a $16.4 billion deal that is set to create the largest producer of clean and reliable energy in the U.S. with an asset portfolio of more than 60 GW. The definitive agreement, announced on Jan. 10, includes a cash and stock transaction valued at […]

Doosan Škoda Power has successfully completed the Rayong project in Thailand (Figure 1). The company delivered a 20-MW steam turbine, including a generator, condenser, and other accessories, to the newly built combined cycle power plant in Rayong Province, near the famous tourist resort of Pattaya. This project is a significant milestone as it is the […]

Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) reported that its B&W Thermal business segment has been awarded a contract valued at approximately $13 million to retrofit boiler cleaning equipment for a power plant in Southeast Asia. B&W Thermal’s scope includes equipment design and supply, installation, integration, and commissioning of its Diamond Power boiler cleaning equipment, including retractable and standard […]

Deals involving the data center sector are occurring regularly, as tech companies make moves to ensure they have a reliable supply of power for their energy-intensive operations. Several generation types, both thermal and renewable, are being touted and pursued by groups involved with artificial intelligence (AI), data management, and cloud computing. Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web […]

Among the elements of America’s carbon-based industries and infrastructure being impacted by electrification, transportation exhibits, first, widespread economic and environmental impacts (private highway vehicles) driven by emerging technology, public policy, growing climate and health concerns, government stimuli and private collaboratives, and investment or management opportunities. Second it shows the more muted reassessments by freight and […]

Colorado-based Liberty Energy and California-based DC Grid announced a memorandum of understanding to deliver advanced power solutions that would support the growing energy demands of industries such as commercial fleet electric vehicle (EV) hubs and data centers. The companies on Jan. 7 said the collaboration leverages Liberty’s power solutions and operational expertise alongside DC Grid’s […]

Transmission congestion currently affects approximately 70% of the U.S. grid. Bottlenecks delay the interconnection of cost-effective clean energy sources, limit the transfer of electricity between regions, and raise operational and consumer costs. Dynamic line rating (DLR) technology mitigates these challenges with valuable newfound transmission capacity. DLR allows operators to utilize the maximum capacity of existing […]

Compared to recent years, which have been characterized by chronic energy shortages and price volatility, the world appears to be trundling toward a new energy market context, defined by an unprecedented

The new year always provides a great opportunity to take a look back to see what POWER got right (or wrong) in our previous industry forecast. More importantly, it gives us a chance to look ahead. Some things

Through a cutting-edge heat exchange system, the Museum of Bavarian History in Regensburg, Germany, efficiently heats and cools its building, showcasing a promising solution for urban decarbonization and clean

The electric power sector is undergoing a digital transformation with mobile applications playing a crucial role by enabling real-time data sharing and more efficient grid management. Innovative technology is

Saudi Arabia energy major ACWA Power announced it is developing more than 1 GW of renewable energy projects in China. The company in reports published Dec. 31 said the portfolio includes solar and wind power installations that would be owned jointly by ACWA Power and Chinese renewable energy developers. ACWA Power in a statement to […]

The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) issued a construction license to Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) for Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit 5 (C-5), on Dec. 26. PAEC applied for the construction license in April this year, along with the preliminary safety assessment report (PSAR) and other licensing submissions covering design and operational aspects of […]

San Miguel Electric Cooperative Inc. (SMECI), a not-for-profit generation and transmission rural electric cooperative located in Atascosa County, Texas, was awarded more than $1.4 billion through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. With the money, SMECI, which operates a mine-mouth lignite-fired power plant, said it will convert its lignite […]

Boiler systems play a crucial role across industrial, institutional, commercial, and other large-scale facilities. The systems are often complex and require meticulous oversight to ensure optimal performance and safety. This is where supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are vital in supporting the management of boiler rooms. SCADA platforms are advanced systems used to […]

GE Vernova said it has been chosen through its joint venture, KAPES, by Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) to deliver its advanced high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) system, based on line commutated converter (LCC) technology, for the 500-kV Donghaean #2 to Dong-Seoul HVDC converter station project (EP2). This project, part of a larger 4-GW HVDC transmission link, […]

The Nuclear Company, which plans to deploy 6 GW of fleet-scale nuclear power across America, on Dec. 19 announced the issuance of a solicitation of interest to contractors in engineering, procurement and construction to support its first fleet. Contractors of all sizes and capabilities are encouraged to request invitations to the formal process. ‍The Nuclear […]

Well over half of North America faces a potential shortage of electricity supplies in the coming years, compounded by surging demand growth, accelerating generator retirements, and delays in resource development, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has warned in its latest 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment (LTRA). The designated electric reliability organization’s (ERO’s) annual 10-year […]

Fine grain Optical Transport Network (fgOTN) technology is optimal for future electric power communication networks. Developed under highly regarded international standards, fgOTN addresses limitations in traditional communication network systems by efficiently handling small-bandwidth services while providing high reliability and low latency. The global electric power industry is undergoing a remarkable transformation through the deployment of […]

Most POWER readers are probably familiar with levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and levelized value of energy (LVOE) as metrics used to help evaluate potential power plant investment options. LCOE measures the average net present cost of electricity generation over a facility’s lifetime. It includes capital costs, fuel costs, operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, financing […]

Historically, the mass production of green hydrogen has not been viewed as a viable alternative energy solution for our climate crisis. But recent technological advancements in proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers offer new avenues for long-term viability and present an intriguing opportunity for manufacturers. Experts have long deemed electrolyzers as a central technology for meeting […]

Primergy Solar, a developer, owner, and operator of utility-scale solar and energy storage projects, on Dec. 18 said the company’s 100-MWac solar project in Ashley County, Arkansas is fully operational. The Amazon Solar Farm Arkansas—Prairie Mist has begun sending power to the grid. It is the second Primergy project to enter commercial operation this year. […]

Advanced nuclear firm Oklo has partnered with Switch, a Las Vegas-based data center designer, builder, and operator, to deploy 12 GW of Aurora powerhouses through 2044 in a  historic deal hailed as “one of the largest corporate clean power agreements ever signed.” The two companies announced a groundbreaking Master Power Agreement on Dec. 18 to […]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has advanced three potential National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs) into Phase 3 of its designation process, focusing on areas with critical transmission constraints to enhance grid reliability and reduce consumer costs. The measure is historic—given no NIETCs currently exist despite a decades-long effort to establish them—and it marks […]