Business

  • Entergy Louisiana Eyes 2.2 GW of New Gas-Fired Generation to Support Data Center Demand

    A filing with the Louisiana Public Service Commission shows that Entergy plans to build more than 2 GW of natural gas-fired power generation in the state, including a 1,500-MW facility in northeast Louisiana that would provide power for a large Meta data center operation in an area off Interstate 20 in Holly Ridge (Figure 1). […]

  • Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant Cuts Nation’s Reliance on Natural Gas-Fired Electricity Generation

    In a strategic move to reduce its heavy dependence on Russian natural gas, Belarus has successfully completed its first nuclear power plant (NPP). The Belarusian NPP, featuring two VVER-1200 reactors, now

  • Artificial Intelligence Has Entered the Nuclear Industry and Its Early Benefits Are Just the Tip of the Iceberg

    A collaboration between startup Atomic Canyon and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory allowed construction of a sentence-embedding model using 53 million pages of Nuclear Regulatory Commission documents

  • Financing the Nuclear Renaissance

    At the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, last December, 25 countries underlined the role of nuclear energy in their climate strategies by issuing a

  • Mobility, Flexibility, Scalability: SMRs Forging Nuclear’s Future

    The need for emissions-free power generation, along with the ability to provide more power when and where it’s needed, is driving research and development of smaller nuclear reactors. Energy industry

  • Can Nuclear’s Big Recent Wins Propel a True Global Revival?

    While the past year has marked stunning triumphs for nuclear energy, experts caution that high costs, regulatory bottlenecks, and the need for market alignment remain major hurdles on the path to a true

  • Tear It Down or Start It Back Up? Plant Owners Weigh Options Around Retired Reactors

    Nuclear power plants are still being dismantled, and the business of decommissioning remains strong, but the need for more baseload power and emissions-free generation has some companies ready to restart idled

  • Nuclear Fuel: The Unseen Barrier Ahead

    As global nuclear ambitions surge, the industry’s fuel supply chain faces critical gaps. Can advanced fuels like HALEU (high-assay low-enriched uranium) and TRISO (TRi-structural ISOtropic particle fuel)

  • Idaho Digital Twin Project Trailblazing for Nuclear

    In 2023, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Idaho State University unveiled the industry’s first near real-time digital twin of a nuclear reactor. The virtual replica of the 5-Wth AGN-201 research reactor

  • How Nuclear O&M Is Evolving for the Emerging Power Paradigm

    In its quest to drive down costs while boosting safety, the nuclear industry has ramped up efforts to streamline operations and maintenance (O&M). New approaches target efficiency and resilience. If there

  • Continued Excellent Nuclear Power Plant Performance Bodes Well for Future Prospects

    The carbon-free attributes and consistently high fleet performance have led to increasing momentum behind nuclear power. With ambitious plans to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050, the nuclear industry is

  • SRP and EDP Renewables Announce New Energy Storage System to Support Increasing Energy Demand

    Salt River Project (SRP) and Flatland Storage LLC, a subsidiary of EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA), have entered into an agreement to provide 200 MW of new energy storage to Arizona’s grid. The Flatland Energy Storage Project will be a 200-MW/800-MWh battery energy storage system located near Coolidge, Arizona. The project will utilize […]

  • Group Has Contract to Build Two New CANDU Reactors in Romania

    Canada’s AtkinsRéalis Group announced it has an agreement to build two new CANDU nuclear reactors in Romania, which would be the first new reactors of that type built since 2007. The Montreal-based company on Nov. 15 said the Romanian project is a joint venture with Fluor Corp., Ansaldo Nucleare, and Sargent & Lundy. The contract […]

  • Abraxas Power, EDF Group Plan 3-GW Green Hydrogen Project in Canada

    Abraxas Power Corp. and French energy giant EDF Group have announced the companies will collaborate on development of a 3-GW power-to-X (P2X) project in Newfoundland, Canada. Abraxas and EDF on Nov. 18 said the project would use wind energy to power electrolyzers and produce green hydrogen and ammonia, with output of as much as 200,000 […]

  • New Blade Adapter Trailer Eases Transport of 80-Meter-Long Wind Turbine Blades

    Collett & Sons Ltd., a global transport logistics company, has successfully completed the delivery of 90 wind turbine components to the Cushaling Wind Farm in Ireland. “This milestone project is a significant addition to our renewables portfolio, and we are proud to have contributed to Ireland’s renewable energy goals,” the company said. The delivered components […]

  • Oregon Customers Benefit as PGE’s Eastern Montana Wind Farm Helps Set Records

    In its first 10 months serving Portland General Electric (PGE) customers, the Clearwater Wind Energy Center contributed to new records for PGE wind generation, including helping the company produce 1 GW of power from wind sources alone—a new milestone. 1 GW (or 1,000 MW) is enough electricity to power the equivalent of 830,000 homes, or about half […]

  • Cable Delivery Begins for Massive German Transmission System Project

    After more than two years of meticulous planning and preparation, on behalf of its client Prysmian, deugro has started the first cable drum deliveries for SuedOstLink. SuedOstLink is operated by the transmission system operator TenneT TSO GmbH. It is considered a central component of the energy transition and is primarily intended to bring electricity from […]

  • Solar Leader Enphase Energy Cutting 500 Jobs

    California-based Enphase Energy, a company known for its solar power and electric vehicle (EV) charging technology, announced it is laying off about 500 workers. The company in a Nov. 8 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said a challenging economy for the solar power industry requires reduced spending. The cuts come less […]

  • Vistra in Talks to Expand Power for Data Centers Through Nuclear, Gas Options

    Vistra is pursuing deals with data center developers in Texas and the PJM region to address the industry’s energy needs at multiple sites, executives revealed during the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Nov. 7. The Texas-based competitive generator has entered discussions with some of the largest, unnamed data center operators to increase output at its […]

  • Power Shift: Trump’s Energy Agenda Sparks Cautious Optimism, Climate Concerns

    Tuesday’s election, which will return Donald Trump to the White House and grant the U.S. Senate a Republican majority, could have sizeable implications for the power industry. In reactions sent to POWER, industry groups expressed a combination of cautious optimism, resilience, and preparedness for potential changes. Industry leaders are bracing for a pro-fossil fuel agenda […]

  • Cable Deal Supports French Transmission System Upgrades and Expansion

    NKT will deliver high-voltage power cable solutions to RTE to enable its long-term strategy to renew, adapt, and develop France’s electricity grid. As one of Europe’s largest exporters of electricity, the upgrade of France’s grid is essential for the power supply of the continent. RTE, France’s transmission system operator (TSO), has awarded NKT the extension […]

  • Takeaways from 2024’s Biggest Outage Events

    In an era when utilities and power generators rely on digital information technology (IT) infrastructure to help manage oversight of plant operations, ensuring uptime has never been more essential. Unfortunately, severe weather events can strike at any time—ranging from heavy snowfalls to scorching heat and hurricane winds—causing power outages that could bring production to a […]

  • FERC Blocks PJM Proposal to Expand Amazon Data Center Load at Susquehanna Nuclear Plant

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has rejected an amended interconnection agreement that would have supported expanded co-located load at an Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center connected to the 2,520–MWe Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, citing grid reliability and cost fairness concerns. FERC on Nov. 1 voted 2–1, with Commissioners Mark Christie and […]

  • Why Data Center Developers Should Think ‘Power First’

    You don’t need me to tell you how artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting the power grid; you can just ask AI. Claude, an AI assistant created by Anthropic, told POWER, “AI training and inference are driving unprecedented demand for data center capacity, particularly due to large language models and other compute-intensive AI workloads.” It also […]

  • Power and Data Center Sectors Join Forces to Resolve Mounting Electricity Demand Uncertainties

    The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has launched an ambitious new initiative alongside power companies, grid operators, and several tech giants to establish five to 10 “flexibility hubs” that will demonstrate how data centers can be leveraged as flexible grid resources starting in the first half of 2025. EPRI’s three-year Data Center Flexible Load Initiative […]

  • Major Microreactor Developer Enters Bankruptcy Amid Nuclear Industry Surge

    Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC), a developer of much-watched microreactor technology and advanced nuclear fuel, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The move signals a critical restructuring phase through which the company will seek to secure new ownership while ensuring uninterrupted operations. The company’s Oct. 29 filings at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District […]

  • Bill Gates’ Energy Group, Former Google CEO Investing in Pacific Fusion Startup

    A fusion energy company that counts executives such as Eric Schmidt and Bill Gates among its backers has emerged from stealth, announcing $900 million in pledged funding. Pacific Fusion, whose technology builds on recent fusion advances at two U.S. national labs, is the latest U.S.-based group to join a growing list of companies working on […]

  • A Breakdown of Cuba’s Grid Collapse and Recovery Efforts

    Cuba is in the throes of a severe energy crisis, driven by fuel supply disruptions and compounded by obstacles in securing vital technologies and supplies needed to modernize and operate its aging power plants. The situation, exacerbated by U.S. sanctions, has left the nation’s energy system teetering. At the same time, the island nation is […]

  • AEP Ohio Proposes New Utility Tariff for Data Centers to Offset Infrastructure Costs

    American Electric Power (AEP) subsidiary AEP Ohio filed a settlement agreement with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) and key stakeholders on Oct. 23 to address the costs of power infrastructure improvements required for Ohio’s rapidly expanding data center industry. The agreement, which is subject to review and approval by PUCO, sets a precedent […]

  • Simple Cycle, Combined Cycle, or a Hybrid Approach?

    Simple cycle gas turbines provide efficiency levels of around 35% to 40%. Combined cycle units boost efficiency to 60% and beyond. But another option is emerging that combines the attributes of simple and combined cycle designs. This hybrid configuration uses a single power turbine expander and recycles exhaust heat back to the combustor to combine […]