Power
-
Technology
Quantum Computing Is Emerging as a Tool for Tomorrow’s Electrical Grids
Artificial intelligence and high-performance computing have helped electrical utilities modernize how they model, forecast, and manage grid operations. These tools already play a central role in maintaining reliability, balancing supply and demand, and planning new infrastructure. But as electrical grids become more distributed, data-intensive, and renewable-heavy, some of the most complex decision-making problems are becoming […]
-
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. […]
-
Commentary
America Needs a Fifth Nuclear Executive Order
President Trump’s four nuclear executive orders issued on May 23, 2025, represented a historic liftoff for American nuclear energy. COMMENTARY As electricity demand surges, geopolitical energy competition intensifies, and America’s power infrastructure faces mounting strain, the administration acted decisively. It recognized that American energy dominance—and leadership in the digital age—requires a resurgence of nuclear reactor […]
-
Commentary
Wildfire Liability Is Becoming a Data Problem, Not Just a Legal One
For years, utility wildfire liability was largely framed around a straightforward question: who caused the fire? That question still matters, but it is no longer the only one that matters.
-
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.
-
Data Centers
White paper: Measuring and monitoring emissions at data centers. A practical guide to compliance and performance
Sponsored by:Thermo Fisher ScientificAs data centers expand to meet growing AI, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure demands, many facilities are incorporating onsite power generation to support reliability and accelerate deployment. This shift creates new emissions monitoring, reporting, and compliance responsibilities. Download this white paper for a practical overview of emissions monitoring strategies for data centers with onsite […]
-
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 […]
-
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 […]
-
Commentary
Power Demand as Catalyst for Change
What was the biggest engineering achievement of the 20th century? The automobile? Space flight? The internet? According to the National Academy of Engineering, it was in fact the electric power grid—the one thing underpinning nearly all of them. Centralized electricity has literally powered the growth of the U.S. economy and quality of life for decades. […]
-
Commentary
The New Large-Load Compact
Why AI Data Centers Can No Longer Be Treated as Passive Customers For decades, even very large electric customers fit inside a familiar planning model. A factory, refinery, industrial campus, hospital complex, hospital system, or manufacturing facility requested service. The utility studied the load, identified required facilities, assigned costs, and folded the demand into its […]
-
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.
-
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, […]
-
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 […]
-
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.
-
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.
-
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 […]
-
Data Centers
The New Power Build Cycle for AI Data Centers
AI-driven load growth is putting significant strain on the grid, intensifying pressure on utilities and developers to secure firm capacity and meet increasingly compressed delivery timelines. While tools such as transmission optimization can deliver incremental gains, they do not address the core issue: the pace of AI data center expansion is forcing a shift from […]
-
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.
-
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.
-
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 […]
-
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.
-
Solar
ES Foundry Completes 2-GW Solar Cell Factory Expansion
South Carolina-based ES Foundry, a crystalline solar cell production company, said it has completed a 2-GW expansion of its factory in Greenwood, South Carolina. The company on July 7 said the first solar cell has come off the new production line at the site, and said its total annual solar cell manufacturing capacity is now 3 GW.
-
Fuel Cells
Brookfield, Bloom Energy Expand AI Infrastructure Partnership to $25 Billion
Fuel cell systems developer Bloom Energy and investment firm Brookfield said the companies are expanding their partnership agreement and increasing their project financing to $25 billion. The companies initially announced a $5-billion partnership deal in October of last year.
-
advanced nuclear
Aalo Atomics’ Test Reactor Reaches Criticality at INL, Fourth DOE-Authorized Advanced Reactor by July 4
Aalo Atomics’ Aalo-X Critical Test Reactor (CTR)—dubbed “Project First Light”—has reached criticality at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), marking the fourth Department of Energy (DOE)–authorized advanced reactor startup under the federal push to accelerate reactor testing and demonstration. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said July 6 that Aalo’s test reactor, which DOE referred to as […]
-
Power
SGE Bids to Build 14 BWRX-300 SMRs Across the UK in 4.2-GW Fleet Play
Warsaw-based small modular reactor (SMR) developer SGE has unveiled plans to deploy 14 GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) BWRX-300 units across three U.K. sites. The company says the 4.2-GW privately financed fleet could ultimately meet roughly 11% of UK power demand. The plan, announced by SGE on July 2, was submitted as an application under […]
-
Nuclear
AMPERA Produces First 3D-Printed Nuclear Reactor Module
Advanced energy technology group AMPERA announced the company has completed production of what it called the first full-scale, 3D-printed nuclear reactor module.
-
Nuclear
Centrus Signs $900M DOE Contract, Pivots Sole U.S. HALEU Cascade to Commercial Operation
Centrus Energy has finalized a $900 million task order with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that clears the way for the company to transition its pioneering high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) cascade in Piketon, Ohio, from a government-funded demonstration to private commercial operation. The Bethesda, Maryland-headquartered firm on July 1 announced that its wholly owned subsidiary American […]
-
Hydro
GERD: How Ethiopia’s Blue Nile Vision Became Africa’s Largest Hydropower Plant
After decades of ambition and 14 years of construction, Ethiopia’s 5.15-GW Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has become Africa’s largest hydropower project. The 13-unit plant gives Ethiopia a single
-
Energy Security
Modernizing the Plant That Powers 40% of Kyrgyzstan
GE Vernova modernized four hydro units at the plant that supplies roughly 40% of Kyrgyzstan’s electricity—without ever taking the plant fully offline. The project is a POWER Top Plant award finalist. When
-
History
Against the Wind: Inside the Completion of America’s Largest Offshore Wind Plant
A decade after Dominion Energy secured a federal lease off Virginia Beach, the 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project has cleared the full U.S. permitting stack, survived a federal stop-work