POWERnews

  • Oklo Breaks Ground on INL Nuclear Fast Reactor Project, Launches Private Fuel Recycling Facility

    Advanced nuclear technology firm Oklo has broken ground on its inaugural 75-MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor at an Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site. The project—one of three awarded to the company under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) newly established Reactor Pilot Program—is targeting operations between late 2027 and early 2028, though that timeline is contingent on […]

  • POWERnews—Sept. 18, 2025

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 18, 2025 FERC Acts on Four Reliability Standards, Probes AI and Data Center Load Forecasting The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Sept. 18 advanced four reliability measures for the U.S. bulk power system (BPS), formalizing frameworks around supply chain risk, […]

  • FERC Acts on Four Reliability Standards, Probes AI and Data Center Load Forecasting

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Sept. 18 advanced four reliability measures for the U.S. bulk power system (BPS), formalizing frameworks around supply chain risk, cloud computing and virtual infrastructure, cybersecurity, and extreme cold weather preparedness. The commission finalized a new supply chain risk management rule—effective in 60 days—that expands protections against vulnerabilities stemming […]

  • Laser Wireless Power Transmission Breakthrough Could Transform Remote Energy Delivery

    NTT Inc. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) conducted an optical wireless power transmission experiment using a laser beam to wirelessly transmit energy over a distance of one kilometer. By irradiating a laser beam with an optical power of 1 kW, the team succeeded in receiving 152 W of electric power. This marks the world’s […]

  • Energy Startups Receive Funding from Wells Fargo Technology Program

    The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2), a $55-million energy technology program funded by Wells Fargo & Company and co-administered by NREL, the U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory, has announced the selection of three startups for its next cohort in the Emerging Tech track. This cohort focuses on enhancing resiliency in the built environment through innovative technologies that strengthen building operations, heating and cooling systems, and grid reliability.

  • Soluna Breaks Ground on 166-MW Texas Wind-Powered Data Center for Crypto and AI

    Soluna Holdings, a developer of data centers powered by renewables, is set to break ground on Project Kati, a 166-MW wind-powered data center campus poised to support Bitcoin hosting and the rapidly growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure. The project, a partnership with EDF Renewables, Masdar, and Spring Lane Capital, […]

  • Energy Developer GridStor Acquires Major BESS Project in Arizona

    An Oregon-headquartered developer and operator of utility-scale battery energy storage systems said it has acquired a major project in Arizona that will serve customers of Arizona Public Service (APS). GridStor announced the acquisition of the 100-MW/400-MWh White Tank battery storage project from Strata Clean Energy, a solar power and energy storage developer based in Durham, North Carolina.

  • Tracks Moving Turbines: Delivering Clean Energy to North Carolina

    Transporting freight for the energy industry that weighs as much as a house and stretches longer than a city block leaves no room for error. Energy freight shipments, which are often referred to as specialized or dimensional freight, are usually oversized, overweight, and frequently irreplaceable loads that are essential to powering industries and communities. For […]

  • Blackstone Acquires Gas-Fired Plant in Pennsylvania in $1 Billion Deal

    Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, said its energy-focused private equity business has a deal to buy the 620-MW natural gas-fired Hill Top Energy Center in Pennsylvania. The agreement announced September 15 will see Blackstone Energy Transition Partners acquire the power station from Ardian, a global private investment firm. Blackstone officials said the purchase […]

  • Catalyze Adds Four New Community Solar Projects in New York

    Catalyze, an independent power producer and fully integrated developer of distributed renewable energy assets, said it has completed four community solar projects in central and western New York. The company said the installations were developed in partnership with CS Energy, a renewable energy company that develops, designs, and builds optimized solar, and energy storage. The […]

  • Chinese Officials Look at Converting Old Coal Plants to Nuclear Power Stations

    A Chinese state-owned energy infrastructure group has proposed a decarbonization plan that would increase the country’s use of nuclear power. The China Energy Engineering Group Co. (CEEC) is studying ways to convert retiring coal-fired power facilities into nuclear power plants, according to recent research reports.

  • Framatome Will Maintain, Modernize Bulgarian Nuclear Plant

    Framatome has signed a contract for the maintenance and modernization of electrical systems at the two VVER-1000 reactors of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant in Bulgaria. The maintenance work will be coordinated by Framatome EOOD, the Bulgarian subsidiary of Framatome.

  • Voith Completes Second Turbine Upgrade at New Zealand Hydropower Station

    A global technology company focused on the hydropower sector has completed another turbine upgrade at the Roxburgh Hydropower Station in New Zealand.

  • Enel Signs Company’s Largest-Ever PPA; Full Output from Three Texas Solar Farms

    Enel North America and Mars—a pet care, snacking and food company—announced the groups have completed a major power purchase agreement (PPA) transaction involving the full output of three solar plants in Texas. The deals represent Enel’s largest corporate PPA transaction worldwide. Combined, the agreements represent 851 MWac and are expected to yield 1.8 TWh of […]

  • Wildfires and Outages: How AI Can Fix Utility Vegetation Management

    Vegetation is a much-needed part of the natural world and is essential for life to thrive on Earth. Yet, when unmanaged, it’s also one of the greatest threats to the grid and a leading culprit for causing outages. Fallen branches topple powerlines, roots damage underground cables, and overgrown trees close to energized wires are known […]

  • Why Power Plants Need AI That Engineers Can Trust

    America’s power producers face growing pressure to do more with less. A rapidly evolving grid, increasing demand, aging infrastructure, and policy uncertainty have created a system where traditional approaches to reliability are no longer enough. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) recently issued its 2025 RISC report, highlighting the leading risks facing America’s power […]

  • EPA Streamlines Preconstruction Permitting to Accelerate Power Plants, Data Centers, and Manufacturing Reshoring

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new guidance under its New Source Review (NSR) preconstruction permitting program that could allow power plant developers to begin certain non-emissions‐related site work—such as installing concrete pads, grading, and utility trenching—before obtaining a Clean Air Act construction permit. The change, described in a sparse set of paragraphs […]

  • Consumers Energy to Sell 13 Michigan Hydro Dams for $1 Each

    Consumers Energy will sell its 13 hydroelectric dams along five Michigan rivers to Confluence Hydro, an affiliate of Hull Street Energy—for a price of $1 a piece. A Consumers Energy spokesperson confirmed the symbolic “technical sale” price of $1 for each dam, adding that the company has also entered into a 30-year agreement to purchase […]

  • Honeywell Introduces New BESS for C&I Applications

    Honeywell announced the company is supporting the commercial and industrial sector with the group’s Ionic Modular All-in-One, a compact, end-to-end battery energy storage system (BESS) designed for the commercial and industrial segments. The Ionic combines flexible battery storage with Honeywell’s advanced control system. The new BESS, announced September 10 and featured at the RE+ 2025 […]

  • Magnetar Investment Supports Torus’ Deployment of Modular Power Plants

    Torus, a full-stack energy platform offering storage, management, security, and generation solutions, on September 9 announced a $200-million investment by Magnetar, an alternative asset manager. The investment is expected to accelerate the deployment of Torus’ proprietary modular power plants for utilities, data centers, and commercial and industrial customers across the U.S. Torus builds small, inertia-based […]

  • AZZO Announces Launch of Standardized, Scalable Microgrid Solutions

    AZZO, a global leader in energy integration and management technologies, announced the launch of a new offering of standardized, scalable microgrid solutions for the U.S. commercial and industrial market. This initiative is supported by Schneider Electric, whose EcoStruxure Microgrid Flex platform forms the foundation of the solution. The offering, announced September 9 at the RE+ […]

  • Nextracker Acquires Origami Solar in $53 Million Deal

    Solar technology major Nextracker announced the company would expand into the solar power frame market with the acquisition of Origami Solar. Origami is a pioneer in roll-formed steel frame technology. The deal, announced September 8, is an all-cash transaction of about $53 million, including future contingent earnout consideration. “The shift from aluminum to steel is […]

  • Eaton Offers Solution to Detect AI-Related Load Spikes for Power

    Intelligent power management company Eaton said it has launched technology for identifying large fluctuations in energy demand from artificial intelligence (AI) computing infrastructure. The edge-based solution, available via a firmware update for its Eaton Power Xpert quality (PXQ) event analysis system, helps detect AI power bursts, including potential subsynchronous oscillations (SSO) in data centers. The […]

  • Baker Hughes, CTR Have Agreements for 500 MW of Geothermal in California

    Baker Hughes, an energy technology company, and Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) have entered into definitive agreements to collaborate on the development of up to 500 MW of baseload geothermal power at CTR’s Hell’s Kitchen project in Imperial County, California. The staged development, announced September 9, will deliver baseload geothermal energy at scale, providing reliable power […]

  • Sunraycer Renewables, ENGIE Execute Revenue Swaps for Texas BESS Projects

    Sunraycer Renewables LLC, a developer, owner, and operator of clean energy power sites, on September 9 the execution of two revenue swap agreements with ENGIE Energy Marketing North America (EEMNA), part of ENGIE North America, to support its Midpoint and Gaia battery energy storage projects in Texas. The agreements will facilitate construction and operations of […]

  • NRC Accepts COLA for Fermi America’s Behemoth Four-Unit AP1000 Nuclear Plant in Texas

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted for review initial portions of a combined license application (COLA) from Dallas-based Fermi America to build and operate four Westinghouse AP1000 reactors in Carson County, Texas. The proposed project—which will be called the “President Donald J. Trump Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus” (also known as Project Matador)—is slated […]

  • Sungrow Introduces New Solar, Energy Storage Products for North American Market

    A leading photovoltaic (PV) inverter and energy storage system (ESS) provider said it is bringing new products to the North American market. China-headquartered Sungrow on September 9 showcased the products at the RE+ 2025 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The lineup of new products includes a second-generation modular inverter for utility-scale PV projects; the next-generation […]

  • Horizontal Drilling Powering Zero-Carbon Baseload with Geothermal

    Advances in horizontal drilling, adapted from the oil and gas (O&G) sector, are opening up deep geothermal resources once considered inaccessible. As a result, geothermal is emerging as a viable source of zero-carbon baseload power capable of delivering round-the-clock energy to a grid increasingly reliant on intermittent renewables. In a decarbonizing economy, geothermal is no longer an afterthought. It’s becoming essential infrastructure.

  • Analytics Can Help Energy Storage Operators Find More Revenue

    Using modeling through analytics, battery energy storage system operators can determine exactly what size system they need for their site with advanced predictive software.

  • Behind-the-Meter DERs: A Practical Strategy to Offset Rising Grid Construction Costs

    With national electricity demand surging—driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and data center developments, widespread electrification, and challenging legislative and regulatory policy shifts—utilities are scrambling to keep pace. Add to that mounting supply chain strain and aging infrastructure, and it’s no wonder utilities are facing a costly balancing act.