![POWER Digest [September 2026]](https://www.powermag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/power-digest-word-art-300x225.png)
News briefs curated by POWER’s editors for September 2026, covering notable developments in data centers, gas turbines, nuclear, renewables, energy storage, and offshore wind.
Australia to Require Data Centers to Bring Clean, Firm Power and Pay Their Way. The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) urged the country’s energy ministers on Aug. 5 that large data centers connecting to the National Electricity Market should be required to bring their own clean, firmed energy, operate flexibly, and pay the full cost of network connections—part of a policy push that began when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on July 15 that Australia would legislate a requirement for large-scale data centres to become “net-generators, not net-users,” underwriting new power supply and matching consumption with new renewable generation and firming capacity. Under the AEMC’s four-part framework, data centers would surrender Renewable Electricity Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates to offset consumption, demonstrate their demand is backed by new firm capacity, register as formal market participants, and structure connection agreements to enable flexible, co-located operation. The Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council considered the advice on July 28 and agreed to progress the mandate; the AEMC’s proposed reforms would apply in stages based on a facility’s size and grid impact. Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen confirmed Aug. 5–6 that gas-only data centers would fail to meet the minimum national standard and could not register—though gas may still play a “firming” role alongside renewables—setting up a clash with Queensland and the Northern Territory, which have pushed gas-fired power for planned data center developments. Legislation is targeted for introduction to Parliament in early 2027.
McDermott Signs SMR Cooperation Agreement with ULC-Energy, MOU with Doosan Enerbility. McDermott International—a Houston-based engineering and construction firm operating in more than 30 countries—announced July 29 a cooperation agreement with ULC-Energy, an Amsterdam-based nuclear development company and the Dutch developer of the Rolls-Royce small modular reactor (SMR), to support development of Rolls-Royce SMR projects in the Netherlands, including integration of SMR-powered energy solutions into energy-intensive industrial processes. McDermott brings expertise in low-carbon hydrogen, ammonia, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and carbon capture and utilization (CCU); ULC-Energy contributes nuclear project development capabilities, joining a network of strategic partners that includes Siemens Energy, BAM, Mammoet, Bureau Veritas, Urenco, Orano, and Fugro. The two companies previously collaborated in 2023 on a study evaluating industrial-scale hydrogen production using a Rolls-Royce SMR plant coupled with a solid oxide electrolyzer (SOEC). Days later—on Aug. 4—McDermott signed a separate memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Doosan Enerbility, a South Korean supplier of gas turbines, steam turbines, and generators, establishing a framework to jointly evaluate power generation projects—including behind-the-meter generation for data centers—aimed at improving efficiency, shortening response times, and reducing project risk.
Baker Hughes, Dynamis Power Solutions Announce 1.3-GW Gas Turbine Order for Data Centers, Oil and Gas. Baker Hughes on July 29 announced that Dynamis Power Solutions, a Houston-based provider of rapidly deployable, utility-grade mobile power generation, has ordered 76 of Baker Hughes’ NovaLT 16 industrial gas turbines, packaged with gearboxes, generators powered by BRUSH Power Generation, and control systems. The order totals approximately 1.3 GW of capacity for hypermobile power generation supporting data center and oil and gas applications across North America. While the turbines were booked in the second quarter of 2026, the gearboxes and generators followed in the third quarter. Dynamis will integrate the equipment into its DT17 platform, a compact, hypermobile power solution built to deliver full-scale power plant capability with a smaller footprint, faster installation, and lower capital and operating costs than conventional builds. The DT17 is based on Dynamis’ flagship DT35 platform and is designed to bridge immediate power needs for large power consumers operating in constrained-grid environments.
Origis Energy’s Rockhound Complex Reaches 1-GW Milestone, Advancing Toward 2-GW-Plus Energy Hub. Origis Energy, a Miami-based developer and operator of solar and energy storage assets, announced July 30 the start of commercial operations for three additional phases of its Rockhound Solar complex in Ector County, Texas, bringing the site’s total operating capacity to nearly 1 GWdc. The newly completed phases add roughly 500 MWdc of solar capacity, marking a milestone in the buildout of one of the largest renewable energy infrastructure complexes in the country. The Rockhound complex—which includes the previously operational Swift Air Solar facilities—is backed by long-term contracts with Meta, Occidental, dsm-firmenich, and Bekaert. Origis expects the site to exceed 2 GW of combined solar and storage capacity by 2029; the next phase, representing approximately 1 GW of additional capacity, is currently being marketed for data center co-location opportunities and long-term corporate offtake structures. CEO Vikas Anand said the milestone demonstrates the platform’s ability to execute complex, multi-phase infrastructure at scale.
OWC, KLEM, and OEG Sign Tripartite MoU for Offshore Wind O&M Services in South Korea. Renewable energy consultancy OWC, Korea Leading Energy Management (KLEM), and offshore energy services provider OEG announced July 16 a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly deliver balance of plant (BoP) operations and maintenance (O&M) services for South Korea’s offshore wind sector—a market with roughly 25 GW of projects in the pipeline. Under the framework, KLEM will act as main contractor for BoP O&M services; OWC will provide technical assurance and asset management; and OEG will contribute marine, subsea, and offshore operational services, including underwater inspections and crew transfer vessel operations. The agreement was signed in Seoul and is designed to offer offshore wind farm operators a single-team approach to O&M delivery, with the partners also planning to jointly pursue project bids and expand collaboration into other Asia-Pacific markets. The MoU comes as South Korea advances its offshore wind buildout, including Korea Midland Power’s (KOMIPO) 390-MW Shinan-Ui project off Jeollanam-do—the country’s first large-scale offshore wind project financed entirely with domestic capital—which broke ground July 16 and secured 2.89 trillion won ($2.1 billion) in project financing in April, with commercial operation targeted for 2029.
TotalEnergies and Partners Commission Africa’s Largest Hybrid Renewable Project in South Africa. TotalEnergies, together with partners Hydra Storage Holding and Reatile Renewables, announced July 16 the inauguration of the Hydra project in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, billed as the largest hybrid renewable energy project on the continent. The facility combines a 216-MW solar photovoltaic plant with a 500-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), supplying 75 MW of dispatchable renewable electricity to the national grid continuously between 5:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Eskom. The arrangement delivers more than 400 GWh of electricity annually—enough to power roughly 200,000 South African households—and supports the country’s Just Energy Transition program. The project was developed by a consortium composed of TotalEnergies (35%), Hydra Storage Holding (35%), and Reatile Renewables (30%), under South Africa’s Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, launched by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. “This project reinforces our renewable production capacity in South Africa, the continent’s largest power market in terms of electricity consumption,” said Magali Pailhé, Managing Director of TotalEnergies Southern Africa.
—Sonal C. Patel is a senior editor for POWER.
