Finance

  • Cost Makes Adding New Nuclear Power Plants Unthinkable

    On Friday, May 31, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm flew to Georgia to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Plant Vogtle, the first set of nuclear reactors built in the U.S. in nearly 30 years, where she called for another 198 large-scale reactors to follow. There is a lot I don’t understand in […]

  • True Permitting Reform Requires Congressional Action

    James Carville famously advised Bill Clinton that regarding elections, “it’s the economy, stupid.” This message has resonated with all presidential candidates since. So, it is no surprise that as the 2024 election approaches, President Biden appears to be banking on $1.6 trillion in new spending—much of it infrastructure spending—to stimulate economic growth. These funds have […]

  • Congress Approves Ban on Imports of Enriched Uranium From Russia

    The U.S. Senate on April 30 passed—by unanimous consent—a bill to ban imports of unirradiated low-enriched uranium (LEU) produced in Russia. The bill now heads to the president’s desk for signature into law. The Senate passed the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act (H.R. 1042), which the House of Representatives passed (also by unanimous consent) by […]

  • Planning for ‘Flip Dates’ in Tax Equity Partnerships

    The U.S. government offers certain benefits to renewable energy projects, primarily in the form of tax credits and depreciation. But the reality is that a growing number of tax-equity partnerships are reaching the end of their lifespan, and the sponsors and tax-equity investors in these projects need to be preparing for the future. In fact, […]

  • Balancing Essential Utility Infrastructure Investment with Customer Affordability

    Electric utilities are entering an era of growing investment opportunities following a decade of low load growth. However, there is increasing evidence that regulators are growing more concerned about the

  • Community Solar Projects Bring Renewable Energy to the Masses

    The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) explains that community solar, also known as shared solar or solar gardens, is a distributed solar energy deployment model that allows customers to buy or lease part of a larger, off-site shared solar photovoltaic (PV) system. It says community solar arrangements allow customers to enjoy advantages of solar energy […]

  • What Does the Nuclear Industry Need to Do to Scale Production Toward Net-Zero Goals?

    The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) proved to be a historic moment for nuclear energy, with more than 20 countries including the U.S., France, Japan, and the UK pledging to triple global

  • How PG&E Almost Became the Nation’s Largest Cooperative

    The history of electric cooperatives is one of individuals striving to improve their local communities. Perhaps the most inspiring electric cooperative formation was initiated by Peggi Timm. Timm, whose accomplishments would fill a library, helped to create one of Oregon’s largest cooperatives, called Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative (OTEC). In 1987, OTEC’s service territory was controlled […]

  • How Renewable Energy Companies Can Address Increasing Foreign Exchange Challenges

    Following a difficult period for the renewable energy industry, firms must begin prioritising foreign exchange (FX) risk management against the rising threat of currency movements. It has been a tough year for the renewable energy industry. The post-COVID inflationary pressures that have gripped the global economy over the last two years are weighing heavily on […]

  • Three Key Transmission Links Get $1.3B Boost With Federal Capacity Contracts

    Three interregional transmission lines connecting six U.S. states will receive the first $1.3 billion tranche of $2.5 billion in federal funding designated under the Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP), a revolving fund enacted by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Deployment Office’s (GDO’s) first picks under the TFP, unveiled on […]

  • NuScale Power Comments on Inaccurate Short-Seller Report

    PORTLAND, Ore. – NuScale Power Corporation (NuScale or the Company) (NYSE: SMR) today issued the following statement in response to a misleading short-seller report on October 19, 2023 (the Report). The inaccurate and deceptive “research” is riddled with speculative statements with no basis in fact and demonstrates a limited understanding of small modular nuclear reactors […]

  • U.S. Unveils Seven Regional Hydrogen Hubs, Awards $7B to Kickstart National Hydrogen Network

    Seven regional hydrogen hubs spanning Appalachia, California, the Midwest, the Gulf Coast, the American heartland, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Pacific Northwest are poised to receive $7 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program (H2Hubs). The selections, unveiled by the Biden administration on […]

  • Bipartisan Support Makes Backing Nuclear Power an Administration-Proof Investment

    Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the policy organization of the nuclear technologies industry, suggested a bipartisan majority in Congress recognizes the importance of nuclear energy and has supported the industry with unprecedented levels of funding. As an example, Korsnick pointed to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided a $6 […]

  • Decommissioning Dilemmas: Navigating the End-of-Life Challenges in Clean Energy Sources

    Planning, building, operating, or overhauling power plants has long been an emphasis in the power sector—and an important one, given that the creation of new power capacity plays an outsized role in

  • Clean Energy Transition Continues Despite Reliability, Supply Chain, and Financial Uncertainty

    Although there is a risk of energy shortfalls in parts of the U.S. if extreme summer temperatures materialize, there is no stopping the clean energy transition that is sweeping the nation. Energy storage

  • Fusion Energy Projects Get Boost from DOE Funding

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the first round of awardees of the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program. The program is the latest in a series of efforts designed to align public and private sectors toward fusion commercialization. “The Biden administration obviously sees enormous potential in fusion—harnessing the power of the sun and the stars […]

  • Global Commitments Bolster Romanian NuScale Nuclear Project

    A project to deploy the first NuScale 462-MWe VOYGR-6 nuclear power plant in Romania by 2029 has garnered a $275 million public-private funding commitment from the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of a global infrastructure partnership. The Romanian project may be bolstered by an additional $4 billion outlined […]

  • Emerging Opportunities for Nuclear in the Energy Transition

    Nuclear has re-invented itself as a compelling pathway to achieving net-zero. It is said that everything is cyclical—where there are periods of expansions and contractions. Could this be true of nuclear energy? Can the benefits outweigh the fears and flip the switch from decommissioning to accelerated growth? In the late 1960s, federal nuclear energy programs […]

  • DOE Offers $3B Conditional Loan Guarantee to Virtual Power Plant Initiative

    Sunnova Energy Corp., an energy-as-a-service (EaaS) provider, has snagged a first-of-its-kind conditional federal loan guarantee commitment of up to $3 billion for a project that could further future virtual power plant (VPP) deployment. The Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) on April 20 said it would provide a partial loan guarantee for up […]

  • Entergy, RWE Partner to Assess Offshore Wind Prospects in Gulf of Mexico

    U.S. utility Entergy and global power giant RWE are partnering to jointly assess the best means to develop an offshore wind market in the Gulf of Mexico. The two companies on March 30 unveiled a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which they will analyze the Gulf of Mexico offshore wind market and define an optimal […]

  • Last Energy Secures PPAs for 34 SMR Nuclear Power Plants in Poland and the UK

    Last Energy, a U.S.-based micro modular nuclear technology firm and project developer, has secured power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 34 PWR-20 small modular reactor (SMR) units with four industrial partners in the UK and Poland. The deals, which represent a combined $18.9 in power sales, mark “the largest pipeline of new nuclear power plants under […]

  • Understanding How Securitization Can Help with Power Plant Retirements

    Power companies across the nation are being pressured to retire fossil-fueled power plants and transition to cleaner energy resources. But many existing fossil plants have not been completely paid off or

  • Siemens Gamesa Posts Nearly $1 Billion Quarterly Loss

    Siemens Gamesa chief executive Jochen Eickholt acknowledged equipment failures in both the company’s onshore and offshore wind turbines, leading to higher warranty provisions, contributed to a nearly $1 billion net loss for the company in the last three months of 2022. Eickholt on Feb. 2 said the company’s October to December—the group’s fiscal first quarter—loss […]

  • 10 Near-Term Global Power Sector Trends

    While 2021 provided its own share of extraordinary energy debacles, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 cascaded into full-blown energy turmoil. This year will begin with the world “in the midst of

  • Risk Mitigation: An Essential Prerequisite for Inflation Reduction Act Funding

    The groundbreaking Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will put hundreds of billions of dollars toward renewables. As the most comprehensive energy policy in recent years, the IRA is already having a profound impact

  • GE Hitachi Formally Enters BWRX-300 SMR in UK Race for New Nuclear 

    GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) has submitted a Generic Design Assessment (GDA) entry application for its BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) to UK authorities, kicking off a key regulatory process that could give the advanced nuclear technology a competitive edge as the country races to potentially triple its nuclear capacity to up to 24 GW by […]

  • Investment Bank ‘Mobilizing’ up to $115 Billion for Renewables, Energy Storage and More in EU

    The European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group) said it will support an initial investment of €30 billion ($30.2 billion) in loans and equity financing to move the European Union (EU) away from fossil fuels and toward cleaner forms of energy over the next five years. The EIB board of directors on Oct. 26 said a […]

  • Risks and Opportunities: It’s an Interesting Time to Be in the Power Industry

    War rages in Europe. Natural gas prices are through the roof. Drought threatens hydro production. Weather extremes are becoming commonplace. Supply chains are strained. Demand for electricity is headed

  • DOE Launches $2.5B Fund to Upgrade and Build New Transmission Lines

    The Biden administration has launched efforts to shape the $2.5 billion Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP), a key Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) initiative dedicated to building out critical new transmission lines and related facilities across the country. The Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office on May 10 issued a joint notice of information (NOI) […]

  • Goldman Sachs Stake in Fortress Underscores Supply Chain Cybersecurity Priority

    A Goldman Sachs private equity business is taking a stake in critical industry cybersecurity firm Fortress Information Security. The $125 million investment underscores a heightened awareness of supply chain vulnerabilities within the investor community. Fortress, which announced the investment from Goldman Sachs Asset Management Private Equity on April 19, said it also highlights a wider […]