News
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Data Centers
Aalo, Crusoe Plan 2027 INL Demonstration Pairing Nuclear Power and AI Data Center Load
Advanced nuclear firm Aalo Atomics has formed a strategic partnership with energy-first AI infrastructure company Crusoe to develop a nuclear-powered “AI Factory” data center in a project that will combine Aalo’s advanced reactor development program at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) with Crusoe’s modular AI data center platform. The companies said on July 30 that under […]
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Trends
Holtec Targets 2036 for 1.36-GW SMR-300 Project at Oyster Creek
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved the License Termination Plan (LTP) for the Oyster Creek Generating Station in New Jersey, a regulatory milestone that clears the final phase of decommissioning and sets the stage for Holtec International to pursue construction of four SMR-300 small modular reactor units at the Lacey Township, New Jersey, […]
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Fusion
Commonwealth Fusion Systems Raises Another $1 Billion as Work on Commercial Power Plant Continues
A varied group of investors has provided Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) with another $1 billion in equity financing, with the company on July 30 saying the funding supports the group’s continuing work toward operating a commercial fusion energy power plant.
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Data Centers
Brookfield, NextEra to Develop $100B Data Center Campus at DOE’s Paducah Site, Paired With 4.6 GW of Dedicated Generation
A coalition led by Brookfield and NextEra Energy has unveiled plans to build a $100 billion, privately funded artificial intelligence (AI) data center campus at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Paducah Site in Western Kentucky, paired with up to 4.6 GW of dedicated new power generation that will be built and paid for solely to serve […]
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Nuclear
Microsoft’s $60 Million Genesis Mission Commitment Puts Nuclear AI at the Center
Last week, Microsoft announced a $60 million, multiyear commitment to the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Genesis Mission, the national initiative to embed artificial intelligence (AI) across the country’s 17 national laboratories. The company’s stated goal, echoing DOE’s own framing, is to help “double the productivity and impact of American research and innovation within a decade.” […]
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Energy Storage
Viridi BESS Installed at Oak Ridge Lab as Part of Grid Technology Research
Battery storage developer Viridi has announced a strategic partnership with the Dept. of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee to support research into next-generation utility grid technologies that advance grid resilience and reliability.
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Press Releases
Energy Vault Breaks Ground on AI Campus in Texas for Crusoe Spark Modular Data Centers
Energy Vault, a global energy infrastructure company that supports power grid reliability and next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing infrastructure, on July 27 announced that construction has commenced at its powered AI infrastructure campus in Snyder, Texas, for Crusoe Cloud.
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Gas
Strategic Value Partners Takes Stake in 1.2-GW Ohio Gas-Fired Power Plant
Global investment firm Strategic Value Partners (SVP) said its SVP Funds group is acquiring a minority equity interest in the 1,182-MW South Field Energy natural gas-fired power plant in Columbiana County, Ohio.
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Data Centers
White House Expands Data Center Ratepayer Pledge as Congress Moves to Codify Protections
Congress and the White House advanced parallel tracks this week to keep large data centers from shifting their grid costs onto electricity customers, reflecting a concern that has gathered momentum among state regulators, consumer advocates, and members of both parties. On July 21, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 52-0 to advance the Ratepayer Protection […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Federal Court Upholds NRC’s Generic Severe-Accident Review for Nuclear Plant License Renewals
A federal appeals court has upheld the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) use of a generic environmental analysis for nuclear plant license renewals, rejecting claims that the agency failed to adequately consider how aging components and climate change could affect the risk of severe reactor accidents. The July 21 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals […]
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Business
IHI Power Services Rebrands After Acquisition by Japan’s Kyuden
A major operator of power plants in the U.S. has a new name. IHI Power Services Corp. (IPSC) will now be known as Kyuden Energy Partners Corp. after the company finalized its acquisition by Japan-headquartered Kyuden International.
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Solar
Caelux Signs Partnership Deals With Leading India Solar Module Makers
A California-based solar power equipment group said it has signed two separate five-year, 5-GW commercialization partnerships with a pair of India’s leading solar module manufacturers.
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Research and Development
AI Is Usually Cast as a Grid Burden. The Genesis Mission Is Betting It’s a Grid Tool.
The explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) computing is, for most utilities, a problem to be absorbed: gigawatts of new data-center demand arriving faster than transmission can be planned or built. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Genesis Mission does not dispute that framing. But buried in the national research portfolio it unveiled July 22 is […]
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Renewables
Avantus Brings Aratina 1 Solar-Plus-Storage Online in California
Renewable energy developer Avantus said its Aratina 1 solar-plus-storage project has entered commercial operation in California. The 200-MW/500-MWh installation in Kern County has long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), a pair of community choice aggregators.
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O&M
Severe Service Control Valves for Power Plants: Reducing Cavitation, Noise, and Maintenance Costs
Power industry severe service applications can be difficult, but new advanced trim designs and external noise reduction devices have created higher-performing and more cost-effective alternatives. Power industry applications practically define the phrase “severe service.” Elevated temperatures and pressures, cavitation, erosive solids, and high noise all conspire to push control valve technology to its very limits. […]
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Nuclear
Terra Innovatum, Waiken ILW Will Deploy Microreactors for Data Center Infrastructure
A micro-modular nuclear reactor developer with global headquarters in Italy and a U.S. corporate office in Pennsylvania said it has been selected to deploy its equipment for data center infrastructure in Latin America and Brazil.
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Legal & Regulatory
FERC Orders Mandatory NERC Reliability Standards for Data Center and Other Computational Loads
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has directed the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to file one or more new or modified mandatory reliability standards governing the integration of computational loads—a category defined broadly enough to cover generative-AI data centers, cryptocurrency mines, and other information-technology facilities—by Dec. 31, 2026. FERC’s order, issued on July […]
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Fusion
Pacific Fusion Says Pulsed-Power Prototype Hits Milestone at National Lab
California-headquartered Pacific Fusion announced that a pulsed-power prototype designed and built at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has surpassed 3,000 shots under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the company. Pacific Fusion on July 16 said this marks a key milestone in the development of high-gain fusion, and provides a practical example of government-industry […]
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Business
Siemens Energy Will Shed the Siemens Name, Rebrand as Omterra
The Siemens name is coming off one of the power industry’s largest equipment and service suppliers. Siemens Energy announced July 14 that it has begun preparing the transition to an independent corporate brand, with Siemens Energy and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy to be united under a single new name: Omterra. The rebranding process is scheduled […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Mainspring Looks to Make Linear Generators Mainstream
Tom Linebarger, the new CEO at Mainspring Energy who spent 30 years at Cummins, where he also served as CEO, provides POWER with insight about Mainspring and why the time is right for adoption of Mainspring’s linear generator technology.
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Press Releases
Qcells Announces Equipment Deliveries for Major Arizona Solar-Plus-Storage Project
Qcells, a provider of complete energy solutions and in the U.S. solar manufacturing market, said the company has taken a lead role in delivering the Atlas V (237 MWdc) and Atlas VI (135 MWdc) solar projects in La Paz County, Arizona. These two phases, totaling 372 MWdc, are part of the broader Atlas Energy Park, […]
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Press Releases
Argo Infrastructure Partners Acquires Solar Portfolio from NuGen
Argo Infrastructure Partners LP, an independent mid-market infrastructure investment manager, said it has acquired a commercial and industrial (C&I) solar portfolio from NuGen Capital Management, LLC. The deal announced July 9 includes a portfolio consisting of eight sites, with six in Massachusetts and two in New Jersey. The acquisition of this established, operational solar portfolio […]
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Renewables
LRE Celebrates $1.5-Billion Investment in 725-MW Oklahoma Solar Fleet
Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE), a major U.S. renewable energy developer, provided details about its 725-MW solar power fleet in Oklahoma during a recent celebration, including the company’s support of Google’s operations in the state.
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Renewables
Avantus Secures $525 Million to Support Major California Solar-Plus-Storage Project
Renewable energy developer Avantus said the company has secured more than $525 million in construction financing for the Aratina 2 Solar and Storage Project in California.
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T&D
DOE Closes $3.26 Billion Transmission Loan to AEP Texas
The U.S. Department of Energy has closed a loan of up to $3.26 billion to AEP Texas to finance a portfolio of nearly 100 transmission projects, the agency’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) said on July 8. The financing will fund the rebuilding, reconductoring, and new construction of roughly 2,800 miles of transmission lines across […]
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Gas
New Gas-Fired Power Plant in Alberta Will Serve Data Center Development
A Canada-based consortium is moving forward with plans for a major natural gas-fired power plant project in Alberta. The Greenlight Electricity Centre (GLEC) is a proposed $3.2-billion 932-MW gas-fired combined cycle power generation facility that will serve a major data center development.
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Legal & Regulatory
NRC Targets Faster Nuclear Licensing With NEPA Streamlining Proposal
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has proposed a major rewrite of its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rules, opening yet another front in the agency’s fast-moving campaign to modernize as directed by a series of recent executive orders, statutory NEPA amendments, and a Supreme Court precedent. The rule proposed on July 7, “Implementation of the […]
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Gas
APS Will Convert Retired Coal Units to Burn Natural Gas at Cholla Site
Arizona Public Service (APS) said it plans to convert two closed coal-fired units at its Cholla Power Plant to burn natural gas. The utility this month said construction on the conversion would begin in 2028, with the new units—designed to generate 380 MW of electricity—coming online the following year.
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Press Releases
WeaveGrid, GM Advance Grid-Integrated EV Charging and Home Energy Programs
WeaveGrid, a grid-edge orchestration software provider for electric utilities, is collaborating with GM Energy to support access to utility programs across the country. The collaboration is aligned with General Motors’ vehicle-to-grid (V2G) efforts and is designed to help eligible Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac EV drivers participate in utility programs that can help support a more […]
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Fusion
Google Invests in $468-Million Funding Round for German Fusion Group
Proxima Fusion, a Munich, Germany-based group that is considered among the leading European companies working on fusion energy, said it completed a €411 million ($468 million) funding round. Proxima on July 7 said investors included technology giant Google along with global energy company RWE.