News
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Trends
Scalable, Grid-Ready Storage: How Connector Design Is Shaping the Next Generation of Energy Systems
As utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) scale from megawatts to gigawatts, the engineering complexity grows exponentially. Higher-voltage architectures and denser rack configurations are pushing the limits of conventional component design and exposing gaps that can compromise system performance and site safety. For the electrical engineers and systems integrators building these projects, the cells, fire […]
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Data Centers
Is the Power Project Crunch Upending the Owner—EPC Model?
Developers and contractors at a recent event described how the generation buildout is forcing earlier engineering, procurement, and construction contractor involvement; deeper supply-chain tracking; repeatable
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Gas
Rayburn Energy Station: A Cooperative’s Answer to Texas-Sized Risk
For Rayburn Electric Cooperative, ownership of the 758-MW combined cycle plant in Sherman, Texas, means stable rates, hardened reliability through heat waves and winter storms, and a hedge against the
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O&M
From 18 Forced Outages to Zero Missed Starts: How CPS Energy’s Arthur von Rosenberg Plant Rebuilt Its Reliability
A deliberate shift from reactive maintenance to a reliability-centered operating culture cut the 500-MW combined cycle plant’s forced outage rate by 90%—and delivered perfect availability through Texas’s
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Gas
Innovation Powers a Country’s Energy Transition
Vietnam’s growing economy and need for more electricity is being served by the country’s first power plant to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The Nhon Trach 3 and 4 expansion project is a finalist for a POWER Top Plant award for gas-fired generation.
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Distributed Energy
Seatrium’s Floating, Remote-Controlled DER Platform Sends First Electrons to Singapore’s Grid
Seatrium Limited, the Singapore-based offshore, marine, and energy engineering group formed in 2023 from the merger of Sembcorp Marine and Keppel Offshore & Marine, delivered its first electrons from its
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Energy Security
World’s Largest Energy Lender Steers Federal Financing Toward Baseload, Transmission, and Nuclear
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) closed a loan of up to $3.26 billion to American Electric Power (AEP) Texas on July 8, the office’s third utility
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Electrification
Safety at Speed: Modern Grids Demand a Different Approach
At 4:30 a.m., before the sun is up, a lineworker steps onto a site that did not exist six months ago. By mid-morning, crews from three different contractors will be working in parallel: civil teams finishing trenching, electricians pulling cable, another crew preparing for energization. The schedule is tight. The handoffs are constant. On paper, […]
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Waste to Energy
Unlocking Waste-to-Energy for Energy Security and Regional Growth
Waste-to-energy technologies, long viewed mainly for waste management, are finding renewed relevance.
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Nuclear
The Two-Component Future: Fast Reactors Step Out of the Shadows at FR26
Nuclear power is experiencing yet another boom. This time it may genuinely lead to a sharp expansion of the global reactor fleet. Several drivers are at work: decarbonization requirements, growing energy
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Technology
Rediscovering Digital Twins for a New Power Era
Modern power challenges—from renewables and microgrids to artificial intelligence factories—are driving renewed adoption of digital twins as flexible, high-fidelity environments for zero-risk
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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 […]