POWERnews
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Solar
Ferrovial Developing 250-MW Solar Project in Texas
Global infrastructure group Ferrovial said the company is investing about $355 million to develop a new 250-MW solar photovoltaic (PV) facility in Milam County, Texas. Ferrovial will be responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the facility, which will deliver electricity to the Texas grid. “This project is a strong example of how infrastructure […]
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Solar
Renewable Properties Acquires Pennsylvania Solar Power Portfolio
California-headquartered Renewable Properties, a developer and investor in small-scale utility, community solar, energy storage, and electric vehicle infrastructure projects, announced it has acquired a portfolio of 10 net energy metered (NEM) ground-mounted projects from Prospect14, a Pennsylvania-based solar energy developer. The projects in the Goldenrod Portfolio are located in counties of Clearfield, Centre, Greene, Berks, […]
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Nuclear
Palisades Nuclear Plant Moved to Operations Status, Ready to Receive Fuel
Holtec International said the Palisades Power Plant, which was closed in 2022 and set for decommissioning, is now the first U.S. nuclear power plant to officially return to operations status. Holtec, which bought the Michigan-based plant to decommission it but instead decided the facility could be restarted, on August 25 said Palisades is now authorized […]
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Commentary
AI and the Grid: Smarter Paths to Renewable Integration and Grid Modernization
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, more than 70% of the nation’s grid transmission lines and transformers are more than 25 years old, straining under the pressures of rising electrification and renewable integration. As power producers, utilities, and grid operators push toward decarbonization targets, the need for more intelligent, responsive, and resilient grid infrastructure […]
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Hydrogen
Power Density, Not Just Cost, Will Define Next Generation of Hydrogen Fuel Cells
For decades, fuel cell innovation has been guided by two main benchmarks: cost per kilowatt and stack durability. These remain important, especially in applications driven almost entirely by project economics. However, in many of the sectors where fuel cells are poised to make the biggest impact—including aviation, long-haul mobility, and distributed energy—traditional metrics no longer […]
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Press Releases
Tigo Energy Initiates Manufacturing Partnership with EG4 Electronics
Tigo Energy, a provider of intelligent solar and energy software solutions, has announced a manufacturing and marketing partnership with EG4 Electronics, an American provider of innovative solar solutions. The agreement announced August 25 will see EG4 produce Tigo optimized inverters and Module Level Power Electronics (MLPE) together with EG4 solar inverters in the U.S. Solar […]
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Data Centers
Pacifico Energy Building Massive Gas, Energy Storage Project to Serve Texas Data Centers
An energy infrastructure company said it’s moving forward with the GW Ranch project, an off-grid complex in Texas that will combine natural gas-fired generation and battery energy storage to provide nearly 7 GW of power in Pecos County. The campus, sited on more than 8,000 acres, is designed “to support hyperscale data centers and the […]
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Workforce
600 Workers Take TVA Buyout as Utility Seeks to Cut $1 Billion in Spending
A spokesperson for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) confirmed that about 600 of the utility’s employees have taken buyouts. Some workers left the company starting in May, while others will exit by the end of September. The TVA on August 21 said the move is part of a plan to reduce costs as the federally owned utility tries to cut nearly $1 billion in spending by 2026.
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Nuclear
Vattenfall Narrows SMR Field to Two Finalists: GE Vernova’s BWRX-300 and Rolls-Royce SMR
Swedish utility Vattenfall has narrowed its small modular reactor (SMR) supplier selection to two finalists—GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s (GVH’s) BWRX-300 and the Rolls-Royce SMR—for potential construction of new nuclear capacity adjacent to its Ringhals plant site on Sweden’s Värö Peninsula. The announcement represents a critical step in what could become Sweden’s first new nuclear build project in more than 40 years. While the utility ultimately intends […]
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Nuclear
Debunking Nuclear Power’s Biggest Misconceptions and Why It’s Needed Today
Despite nuclear power’s unmatched ability to produce reliable, carbon-free energy at scale, it is often dismissed by clean energy advocates in favor of renewable resources like wind and solar. Cost arguments and public misconceptions around safety and radioactive waste have kept it out of many mainstream climate strategies. But as Tim Gregory argues in his […]
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Trends
Extra Effort: Filling the Gaps in Demand Response
The dual challenges of affordability and growing load demand are putting enormous stress on utilities, communities and households. Demand response, a key part of the solution, is falling short, but innovative payment plans can help fill the gap. Residential demand response (DR) is like the aerobic exercise of the electric utility industry. We all know […]
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Commentary
Why Grid Hardening Is No Longer Optional
In the past decade, we have seen “once in a century storms” almost every year, flash floods wiping out entire towns, and extreme heat that melts shoes on pavement. Our climate is becoming more extreme, and we need to be proactive in preparing our infrastructure for more to come. The annual average for U.S. billion-dollar […]
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O&M
From Static Maps to Smart Systems: How GIS, LiDAR and Geospatial AI are Reshaping Utility Inspections
Visual inspections of the power grid have traditionally relied on manual methods and reactive responses. These inspections, whether performed on foot, by helicopter or drone, often involve fragmented data systems and delayed reporting cycles. The approach worked for decades, but it is no longer sufficient. Utilities are now facing intensified pressure on several fronts. Infrastructure […]
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Energy Storage
Fullmark Energy Brings Another Energy Storage Project Online in California
A Midwest-based energy storage developer and independent power producer said it has brought the third project in a strategic collection of California energy storage facilities online. Fullmark Energy, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, on August 20 announced the start of commercial operation for the company’s 20-MW/40-MWh Ortega energy storage project in Lake Elsinore. Fullmark on Wednesday […]
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Data Centers
Aalo Atomics Secures Capital, Regulatory Backing for 2026 Modular Nuclear Project at INL, Eyes Potential First Data Center Pairing
Advanced nuclear firm Aalo Atomics has secured new capital and regulatory backing to complete construction of its 10-MWe Aalo-X reactor at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The project, recently selected under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) new Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, will demonstrate cold criticality by July 2026 in an unusually aggressive federal milestone for advanced […]
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Trends
AI and the Energy Transition: Building a Smarter, Decarbonized Energy System
Solar energy generation from a rooftop panel system can be monitored quickly and easily, an example of how artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools are empowering businesses to optimize energy use and contribute to a decentralized, decarbonized grid. The energy transition is accelerating. Electrification is surging, renewable power generation is expanding and energy consumption patterns […]
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Commentary
Powering the Data Center Future: Understanding the Resurgence of Nuclear
With billions of dollars pouring into the sector from power players like Google and Amazon, the data center industry is having a moment. But this surge in investment and interest has also brought up serious questions—particularly around how we are going to power these massive computing engines. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, data […]
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Renewables
Solar Farm Will Power Meta Data Center in South Carolina
A major solar farm owner and operator is partnering with an electric cooperative to build a 100-MW solar power facility that will serve Meta’s first data center in South Carolina. Meta, the parent of Facebook, Instagram, and other social media and communication platforms, is expanding its relationship with Silicon Ranch, a project developer and independent […]
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nuclear technology
TVA Inks First U.S. Utility PPA for Gen IV Nuclear Power in Landmark Three-Way Deal with Google, Kairos
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has signed a first-of-its-kind power purchase agreement (PPA) with advanced nuclear technology firm Kairos Power to buy power from the company’s planned Hermes 2, a molten salt nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The deal makes TVA the first U.S. utility to contract for electricity from a Gen-IV reactor. Under […]
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Hydrogen
Carbon Removal Company Closes on Major Investment
A California-based carbon removal company said it has completed a funding round in support of the company’s first 100-kilotonne carbon dioxide removal (CDR) commercial facility. Equatic, which is considered a pioneering company in combined carbon dioxide removal and green hydrogen production, on August 11 announced the successful closure of its Series A round, with Catalytic […]
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Renewables
Trump Administration Further Restricts Tax Credits for Solar and Wind Energy
The Trump administration has announced another policy that will likely harm the U.S. renewable energy industry. New guidance from the Treasury Department announced August 15 will make it even harder for wind and solar power projects to take advantage of federal tax credits, which already were under fire from the White House. Friday’s move is […]
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Hydrogen
Leading Hydrogen Producer May Abandon U.S. Projects Due to Trump’s Actions
A Germany-headquartered company involved in the global hydrogen industry said it plans to abandon some of its projects in the U.S. due to actions from the Trump administration. Werner Ponikwar, chief executive of Thyssenkrupp Nucera, on August 13 said the company has been in discussions with stakeholders in its U.S. hydrogen projects and would cancel […]
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Solar
Texas Solar Projects Move Forward Under New Leadership
OCI Energy and Sabanci Renewables jointly announced the successful closing of the sale of Project Lucky 7 Solar, a 100-MWac/130-MWdc installation located in Hopkins County, Texas, within the ERCOT-North market. The companies on August 15 said the project, which was developed by OCI Energy, will now move forward to construction and operation under the leadership […]
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POWERnews—Aug. 14, 2025
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store August 14, 2025 Building ChatGPT for the Power Industry: EPRI Leads the Way More than 100 of the world’s largest energy companies are betting that artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize how electricity gets made, moved, and managed. But they’re not waiting for […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Trump Names Democrat David Rosner as FERC Chairman
President Trump has appointed David Rosner as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), elevating the Democratic commissioner to lead the independent energy regulator after Republican Mark Christie stepped down from the position. Rosner has served as a FERC commissioner since June 2024 and officially assumed the chairman role on Aug. 13. The appointment […]
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Commentary
Transforming Energy Finance Through AI-Driven Processes
The power and utility sector underpins every part of modern life, from residential comfort to industrial productivity. Yet, as the global energy landscape evolves, so must the internal operations that keep these organizations running. COMMENTARY With total U.S. power use expected to reach around 4,189 billion kWh in 2025, and 4,278 billion kWh in 2026, […]
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Commentary
How Smarter Cooling Choices Can Cut AI’s Energy Use
Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving, and so is the demand for the infrastructure behind it. However, for those looking to build a sustainably conscious system, this growth raises a crucial question: What does an energy-efficient data center system look like? While rightfully, much of the attention has focused on controlling energy usage of bigger systems […]
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Renewables
Nextracker Supporting Major New Solar Power Projects in Brazil
One of Brazil’s largest renewable energy developers, mostly known for its wind power projects, is adding significant solar power generation capacity to its portfolio. Casa dos Ventos, which has developed one of every four wind power facilities in Brazil and has about 35 GW of renewable energy deployed in the country, will utilize equipment from […]
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Gas
New Gas-Fired Power Stations Planned for North and South Dakota
Regulators in North Dakota have given their approval for a 1,490-MW natural gas-fired power plant, a combined-cycle station that Basin Electric Power Cooperative officials said would provide the area with its first new baseload electric output in more than four decades. South Dakota utility commissioners, meanwhile, are set to consider an application for a smaller, […]
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Workforce
BP Cutting More Than 6,000 Jobs, and Thousands of Contractors, as Part of Cost Reductions
Global energy giant BP said it would cut thousands more jobs by the end of this year, as the company continues to reduce its renewable energy plans to focus more on its longtime core business of oil and gas production. UK-based BP, which has its U.S. headquarters in Houston, Texas, has said it plans to […]