News

As traditional utilities embrace decentralization, the journey requires more than just adopting new field technologies. According to McKinsey’s Global Energy Perspective 2024 report, the global energy transition is entering a new phase of rising costs, complexity, and increased technology challenges. This transition requires not only technological solutions, but also a comprehensive strategy. McKinsey notes that significant […]

Several members of the energy community recently provided POWER magazine with their insights on electrification, looking at the challenges for continuing adoption of technologies driving the transition.

Advanced reactor developer X-energy and global materials science company Dow have submitted a construction permit application (CPA) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a first-of-its-kind small modular reactor (SMR) project at Dow’s Union Carbide Corp. (UCC) Seadrift Operations in Calhoun County, Texas. The filing marks a major step forward for the much-watched commercial-scale […]

Seven major U.S. grid operators have raised a unified alarm about an impending capacity crunch, warning that the pace and scale of explosive demand—including from data centers, manufacturing, and electrification—pose a precarious misalignment with accelerating generator retirements and transmission constraints. At a March 25 hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, the […]

Siemens Gamesa has completed work on what to date is the world’s most powerful installed wind turbine. The final blades for the 21.5-MW prototype offshore turbine were installed April 2 at the Østerild test center in northern Denmark. Development of the turbine, the latest entrant in a global race to build ever-larger offshore wind turbines, […]

Japan’s largest onshore wind farm has entered commercial operation. GE Vernova’s Onshore Wind business, the turbine supplier for the project, on April 3 said the Abukuma wind farm has begun producing power, with the 147-MW wind farm utilizing 46 of GE Vernova’s 3.2 MW–103-meter onshore wind turbines. The Abukuma facility was designed by Fukushima Fukko […]

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has for many years been evaluating emerging nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors, as part of technology innovation efforts aimed at developing the energy system of the future. TVA—the largest public power provider in the U.S., serving more than 10 million people in parts of seven states—currently operates seven reactors […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the energy sector, helping power plant operators optimize efficiency, reduce emissions, and prevent costly equipment failures. By analyzing vast amounts of real-time data, AI models can identify anomalies in equipment behavior, optimize fuel consumption, and enhance overall plant performance. According to industry estimates, AI-driven analytics can reduce maintenance costs by […]

In January, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said U.S. wholesale electricity prices were less volatile in 2024 than they have been over the last few years. But that’s just one, limited perspective on the data. If we consider the macrotrends at play, it’s clear that U.S. markets won’t return any time soon—if ever—to the […]

Officials in Pennsylvania have announced the redevelopment of a former coal-fired power plant site into a $10-billion-plus data center campus that will be powered by natural gas, in what they call the largest capital investment project in that state’s history. Homer City Redevelopment (HCR) and Kiewit Power Constructors on April 2 said the former Homer […]

The last operating large coal-fired power plant in Finland has shut down, with the facility’s operator saying it now will use electricity, waste heat, and heat pumps—along with burning biomass—to provide power and heat to its customers. The Salmisaari plant, with a generation capacity of 175 MW of electricity along with its production of heat, […]

Gas power is experiencing a stunning resurgence, driven by soaring electricity demand. But as utilities scramble to secure new capacity, a turbine supply crunch is unfolding, forcing urgent procurement

China’s construction of coal-fired power plants reached nearly a 10-year high in the past year, even as the country also continues a massive expansion of renewable energy installations. A February report

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently reiterated his pledge to more than double his country’s current renewable energy capacity, telling delegates to the India Energy Week 2025 conference in New Delhi

A changing policy landscape presents challenges for moving away from fossil fuels. Executives say that may slow, but won’t halt, the momentum to electrify. Remember the slogan “electrify everything”? It

Europe’s ambitious push toward carbon neutrality is rapidly replacing fossil fuel–fired power generation with variable renewable resources (VRE), but this shift is exposing the region to a growing risk of

U.S. Withdraws from Global Clean Energy Partnership. The U.S. has withdrawn from the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), a 2021-launched financing cooperation mechanism, that seeks to help a selection

The U.S. is facing an energy emergency, as escalating electricity demand, unstable fossil fuel markets, and the rapid growth of energy-intensive infrastructure strain the nation’s energy systems. Shallow geothermal energy offers a groundbreaking solution to this crisis by stabilizing the grid, reducing emissions, and delivering cost-effective heating and cooling. This article explores the technological, economic, […]

The Port of Rotterdam (PoR) is working to future-proof operations, aiming to be a CO2 neutral port in 2050. These ambitions align with plans made by port tenants, such as Rhenus Logistics. They, and other companies like them, are committed to achieving net-zero emissions by transitioning to an all-electric port operation. New technologies and innovations […]

Power and energy construction projects face unique challenges that make effective risk allocation critical to their success. A well-crafted contract serves as the foundation for managing these risks, helping

In a 2023 report, McKinsey & Company projected 35 GW of new power will be needed for data centers in the U.S. by 2030. This forecast doubled the required power consumption from data servers, up from 17 GW in 2022. The explosive growth in data center infrastructure driven by investments in artificial intelligence (AI) is […]

Geothermal energy is the heat originating from beneath the Earth’s surface. It can be utilized for various purposes, such as electricity generation, heating, and cooling. Geothermal power plants harness this heat to produce electricity, with turbines playing a key role in converting thermal energy into mechanical energy, which is then transformed into electrical energy. Geothermal […]

Energy storage systems (ESS) are critical for grid stability as renewable energy adoption accelerates, but safety concerns have emerged due to fire hazards in lithium-ion batteries. Korea Electric Power

Does it really make sense to manufacture new batteries for energy storage systems when a much better alternative is already available? How second-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries can enhance energy

Geothermal power offers a stable, continuous source of renewable energy that could help power millions of homes while reducing dependence on fossil fuels. As governments worldwide pursue sustainability goals

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on March 27 that it will no longer defend its controversial rules requiring companies to disclose climate-related risks, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and governance practices. The decision, approved in a 3-2 vote along party lines, marks a significant shift in the agency’s approach to climate-related financial disclosures. […]

South African officials will allow some of the country’s coal-fired power plants to operate without the need to adhere to regulations on carbon and other emissions. The move comes as South Africa continues to struggle with producing enough electricity to power the country’s growing economy. South Africa, which relies on coal for more than 80% […]

Vestas said the company has secured a firm order for 68 of its model V236-15.0 MW wind turbines for Vattenfall’s Nordlicht 1 offshore wind project. The agreement announced March 31 is for the supply, installation, and commissioning of the turbines. The scope of the contract includes a comprehensive five-year service and warranty agreement followed by […]

One week after a catastrophic fire at the North Hyde electrical substation plunged the UK’s flagship Heathrow Airport into chaos, questions are mounting about what went wrong—and what the incident reveals about the vulnerabilities in Britain’s aging power infrastructure. A massive explosion and fire that erupted around 8:20 p.m., on Thursday, March 20, at the […]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has reissued a $900 million funding opportunity to accelerate deployment of Generation III+ small modular reactors (SMRs), removing community benefit requirements and shifting the focus solely to technical merit—a move that reflects the Trump administration’s revised energy and industrial priorities. The funding opportunity announcement (FOA)—officially designated DE-FOA-0003485—was first issued […]