Full Coverage
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Trends
PJM Capacity Auction Prices Surge Over Nine-Fold, Signal Urgent Need for New Power Generation
Prices at PJM Interconnection’s 2025/2026 base residual auction (BRA) spiked to $269.92/MW-day for most resources in the wholesale power market, pointing to a tightening supply-demand balance that could have significant implications for the regional transmission organization (RTO). The 2025/2026 BRA—a competitive capacity auction that procures power supply resources in advance of the delivery year to […]
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Commentary
It’s Time for the U.S. to Get Smart on Critical Minerals to Advance Clean Energy Goals
As governments adapt to ongoing clean energy goals, such as the Paris Agreement, green technologies have become more important than ever. The U.S. government has confirmed such goals, striving to implement 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. We are further seeing demand for critical minerals for these green technologies grow, as copper, zinc, […]
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Nuclear
Another Fourth-Generation Nuclear Reactor Begins Construction in the U.S.
Construction of Hermes, Kairos Power’s 35-MWth iterative non-power demonstration molten salt nuclear reactor, has officially kicked off in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The effort marks another major step for the burgeoning advanced nuclear industry, which celebrated the groundbreaking of TerraPower’s Kemmerer 1, a pioneering sodium-cooled fast reactor demonstration, in June. Site work and excavation for the Hermes […]
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Commentary
Governor Youngkin Has Set the Precedent for Nuclear Energy in America
This month, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Commonwealth’s largest utility, Dominion Energy, announced a request for proposal (RFP) for the development and construction of an advanced nuclear small modular reactor (SMR), and the governor signed Senate Bill 454 designed to facilitate the research, design, construction, and deployment of what will be America’s first commercial […]
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Commentary
Let’s Get the Lights Back On, Then Act on Beryl’s Lessons to Harden Houston’s Power Grid
After Hurricane Beryl laid a path of destruction through the greater Houston area, the storm’s impact on the local power grid is having an outsized effect on the ongoing debate about the future of Texas’ energy and electrical infrastructure. The lessons we take from this incident, which left 2.5 million people without power at the height […]
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Commentary
Powering the Future: How Smart Energy Storage Will Transform Our Power Grid
The urgency for an energy transition has never been more critical. Climate change, air pollution, resilience, and national security concerns make it clear that minor adjustments to our energy system are no longer sufficient. We must revolutionize the 150-year-old electrical grid, transforming it into a robust energy ecosystem capable of meeting today’s demands and the […]
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Hydrogen
California, Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hubs Secure First Tranche of $7B Federal Awards
The California Hydrogen Hub and the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub have garnered a combined $57.5 million in the first tranche of funding under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) $7 billion Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) program. H2Hubs, managed by DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), is backed by funding from the Infrastructure Investment and […]
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Gas
Landrieu: Natural Gas Is ‘Not the Enemy, It Is Part of the Solution’ to Achieving Climate Goals
Former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who is now a senior policy advisor for the law firm Van Ness Feldman and co-chair of the Natural Allies Leadership Council, is keen on natural gas and believes it is part of the solution to reaching both domestic and global climate goals. “Natural gas in America is not […]
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Hydrogen
Large-Scale ‘Clean Hydrogen’ Project Moves Forward in Germany
Siemens Energy has been awarded a contract by German utility EWE to supply a 280-MW electrolysis system. The plant in the German city of Emden is expected to go into operation in 2027 and will provide up to 26,000 tons of green hydrogen annually for various industrial applications in the region. If this green hydrogen […]
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Energy Security
Risks Associated with Geomagnetic Storms
In May 2024, stargazers and smartphone photographers witnessed a spectacular moment in time over the course of two nights. Social media and news outlets were dazzled by incandescent light plays from around the world—magenta skies gleamed over the city of Vienna, rainbow hues illuminated a lighthouse in England, emerald displays lit up the lakes of […]
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Nuclear
Kairos Power Gets NRC Green Light for Second Molten Salt Nuclear Facility
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has wrapped up its final safety evaluation for Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 “low power” advanced test facility, comprising two 35-MWth test molten salt reactors—similar to the Hermes 1 “non-power” demonstration reactor for which the regulatory body issued a construction permit in December 2023. The NRC’s action, announced on July 22, […]
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Trends
Nuclear Cogeneration Gains Momentum in Wyoming with New Microreactor Partnership
Engineering giant Burns & McDonnell has entered into an agreement with nuclear technology specialist BWXT Technologies to advance the design and development of the BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor (BANR). The microreactor project is an integral part of a contract with the Wyoming Energy Authority (WEA), which is assessing the viability of deploying small-scale nuclear reactors […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Federal Court Rejects Stay on EPA’s Carbon Pollution Standards in Setback for Power Industry
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has denied motions to stay a suite of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that champion carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology as a key pathway for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from fossil fuel-fired power plants. The rules face legal challenges from 24 states, eight […]
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Trends
Industry Giants, German TSOs Team to Revolutionize HVDC Grid With Multi-Terminal Hubs
Three major high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology giants—GE Vernova, Siemens Energy, and Hitachi Energy—will join forces with four German transmission system operators—50Hertz, Amprion, TenneT and TransnetBW—to develop multiterminal hubs with direct current circuit breakers. The initiative is the latest development in ongoing European collaboration to enhance the interoperability of HVDC systems, facilitate the integration of […]
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Legal & Regulatory
South Africa Extends Koeberg Unit 1’s Lifespan, Stands Firm on Nuclear Expansion Plans
South African state-owned utility Eskom has garnered the National Nuclear Regulator’s (NNR’s) approval to continue operating Unit 1 of the 1,860-MW Koeberg Nuclear Power Station for another 20 years, until July 21, 2044. The nuclear regulator’s approval effectively extends the lifetime of the 930-MW unit to 60 years. The unit’s current 40-year license was set […]
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Gas
Shifting from Coal to Gas: One Co-op’s Award-Winning Journey
In 2018, Cooperative Energy, a generation and transmission co-op headquartered in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, had an issue to deal with. Several years earlier, it had joined the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), giving the power provider access to a competitive market. However, Cooperative Energy’s R.D. Morrow Sr. Generating Station, a 400-MW two-unit coal-fired facility that had […]
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Connected Plant
A Blueprint for Quantum-Safe Utility Communications
Managing risk is nothing new to utilities. Providing the safe utility services like electricity, water, sewer, and wastewater management that everyone relies upon is hard work. Critical infrastructure assets are prime targets for bad actors looking to use cyberattacks to cause high-impact disruptions. As utilities adopt software-centric, data-driven operations, they will continue to work diligently […]
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Commentary
How to Stay in the Renewables Stone Age
In approving the development of a 2,800-acre wind farm across prime agricultural land in the east of England, the UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, has confirmed what those who understand renewable market dynamics have known all along: That the UK’s energy transition policymaking has been flawed and riven […]
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Renewables
GOP-Held Congressional Districts Cash in on Clean Energy Projects
More than $106.5 billion in large-scale clean energy project investments have been announced in Republican-held congressional districts in the U.S. during the period from August 2022 through June 2024. The figure was released by E2, a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors, and professionals from every sector of the economy who advocate for “smart […]
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Commentary
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 […]
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Nuclear
Analyst Says Nuclear Industry Is ‘Totally Irrelevant’ in the Market for New Power Capacity
Nuclear power has consistently provided about 19% to 20% of total annual U.S. electricity generation since 1990. It provides significant amounts of electricity in many other countries as well. According to data from The World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR), a total of 414 reactors were operating in 32 countries, as of July 1, 2024. […]
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Renewables
Nearly 5 GW of New Offshore Wind Power Approved for the U.S. Northeast
Over the past week, the offshore wind power sector in the U.S. received two major federal approvals that could add nearly 5 GW to the grid. On July 1, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved a construction and operations plan (COP) for Avangrid’s 791-MW New England Wind 1 project and 1,080-MW New England Wind […]
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Renewables
Sedimentary Geothermal Resources Offer a Bright Future for Geothermal Energy
Next-generation, or “next-gen,” geothermal resources have the potential to increase geothermal power generation in the U.S. by twenty-fold by 2050. Next-gen geothermal concepts use technologies developed by the oil and gas industry to engineer reservoirs for geothermal energy generation, vastly expanding the available resource base. Typically, the term next-gen geothermal refers to enhanced geothermal systems […]
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Courts
The Chevron Deference Is Dead. What Does It Mean for the Power Sector?
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 28 overturned the Chevron doctrine—a forty-year-old precedent—significantly curtailing the power of federal agencies to interpret ambiguous statutory provisions, even in areas of agency expertise. The landmark 6–3 decision could have far-reaching effects on the power industry, with specific impact on sweeping energy regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) […]
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Supply Chains
U.S. Seeks Bids for Domestic Low-Enriched Uranium to Counter Russian Influence
In a strategic move to jumpstart domestic uranium enrichment capacity in the U.S., the Department of Energy (DOE) has launched a request for proposals (RFP) to buy low-enriched uranium (LEU) from domestic suppliers. The RFP will seek LEU through procurement contracts for indefinite quantity and indefinite delivery (IDIQ). It could result in awards of “two […]
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Nuclear
Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 Win POWER’s Plant of the Year Award
Adding new reactors to the U.S.’s fleet of nuclear power plants doesn’t happen every day. In fact, prior to the addition of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, it hadn’t been done from scratch in decades
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Top Plant
Epasa Breakthrough Transforms Heavy Fuel Oil Sludge into Resource Stream
Brazilian independent power generator Epasa faced significant environmental and operational challenges with heavy fuel oil sludge. Through innovative engineering and problem-solving, the company developed a
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Trends
Energy Evolution: What Technologies Are Leading the Way Today
It’s not uncommon to hear people talk about the energy transition. Yet, throughout its history, the power industry has almost always been transitioning in one way or another. There are constantly new
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Wind
Measuring the Prospects for Wind Energy in 2024 and Beyond
The wind energy industry has been on an exponential growth curve for more than a decade. POWER looks at the drivers behind the growth and predictions for the future. Nearly 200 countries made major collective
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Combined Heat and Power
The Heating Sector: A CO2 Headache or a Hidden Treasure?
The combination of combined heat and power plants with thermal energy storage and industrial heat pumps provides a sustainable and efficient heating sector option. In recent years there has been a growing