POWERnews

  • Five Years After Winter Storm Uri, a Texas Co-op Shares Its Lessons Learned

    Rayburn Electric Cooperative faced three years of power costs in five days during the 2021 storm. The experience transformed the organization’s approach to risk, generation assets, and long-term planning. When Winter Storm Uri swept across Texas in February 2021, Rayburn Electric Cooperative found itself staring down a crisis that would reshape the organization’s entire operational […]

  • NKT Secures €2 Billion in Contracts for Scottish HVDC Transmission Links

    NKT has finalized contracts with SSEN Transmission for two high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission links in Scotland, the company announced January 19. The projects, valued at approximately €2 billion combined, represent the largest contract award in SSEN Transmission’s history. The Danish cable manufacturer will deliver turnkey 525-kV HVDC power cable systems for the Western Isles and […]

  • Constellation Completes Acquisition of Calpine; Groups Have 55 GW of Generation Capacity

    Major U.S. utility Constellation said it has completed its acquisition of Calpine Corp. from Energy Capital Partners (ECP), creating the nation’s largest producer of electricity. The companies on January 7 noted that the transaction, first announced as a $16.4-billion deal a year ago, unites Constellation’s nuclear power fleet with Calpine’s natural gas-fired and geothermal generation. […]

  • Why 2026 Is the Year the Energy Transition Finally Accelerates

    This year will be a pivotal period for the global energy transition. The International Energy Agency’s recent revision to its net-zero roadmap reveals a changing narrative: we are no longer waiting on breakthrough technologies. Sixty-five percent of the emissions reductions we need are achievable with tools sitting on the shelf today. So, the debate is no […]

  • Power System Protection with Digital Overcurrent Relays

    Power systems today operate in an environment where reliability and safety must be maintained despite rising loads, expanding interconnections, and increasing dependence on distributed energy resources. One of the most important technologies that supports this stability is the digital overcurrent relay.

  • Evolving Technologies, Outdated Regulations Impact Mid-Atlantic Generation Permitting

    Energy-generation permitting in the Mid-Atlantic continues to evolve in 2026 not through wholesale deregulation or uniform acceleration, but through procedural and permitting reform and the potential allocation of generation development authority to public utilities. States are enacting these changes to meet the reality of reliability concerns, transmission constraints, large load-growth, and to address frequent obstruction of energy projects by local government.

  • POWERnews—Jan. 15, 2026

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   January 15, 2026 Meta Locks In Up to 6.6 GW of Nuclear Power Through Deals with Vistra, Oklo, and TerraPower In-Depth: Meta's suite of three landmark agreements is poised to provide the financial certainty to extend aging plants, accelerate first-of-a-kind advanced reactor […]

  • PJM Dials Back Near-Term Load Outlook but Maintains Steep Long-Term Growth Trajectory

    PJM Interconnection has trimmed its near-term peak-demand projections in its updated 20-year load forecast, citing tighter vetting of large-load adjustment requests and revised electric-vehicle (EV) and economic assumptions. The grid operator, however, reaffirmed expectations for significant long-term growth driven by data centers and broader electrification. In its 2026 Long-Term Load Forecast, issued on Jan. 14, PJM […]

  • Apex Clean Energy Closes $2.79 Billion in Financing for Three Renewable Energy Projects

    Apex Clean Energy said the company has successfully financed three utility-scale renewable energy assets across Texas, Ohio, and Illinois. The Virginia-based company on January 12 announced the deals, saying it marked “a significant year-end milestone and reinforcing the company’s ability to execute at scale.” The financings comprise Coles Wind, a MISO wind project and Apex’s […]

  • Idled California Biomass Power Plant to Be Rebuilt as Carbon-Negative AI Factory

    A startup specializing in carbon-negative artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure powered by renewable energy systems has acquired the idled Buena Vista Biomass Power facility in Ione, California, and plans to convert the legacy wood-burning plant into a 41-MW “carbon-negative AI factory.” The redevelopment announced on Jan. 14, which New York-based NewYork GreenCloud (NYGC) is executing with […]

  • Elevate Renewables Acquires Major Battery Storage Project in PJM

    A Massachusetts-based energy group that owns and operates energy storage and hybrid power generation assets said it has acquired the largest standalone battery storage project in the PJM Interconnection.

  • Data Center Developer, Major Investment Group Plan Gigawatts of New Capacity

    A data center development company led by former executives with Amazon Web Services (AWS) has joined with a leading investment group to launch a platform for hyperscale data centers in North America.

  • Bank Consortium Closes $160M Financing for Spanish Wind, Solar Portfolio

    NORD/LB, Rabobank, and Siemens Bank have announced a combined €135 million ($160 million) financing package for a 199-MW portfolio of three wind and two solar farms in Aragón, Spain. The projects have been acquired by ENCAVIS, a leading pan-European independent power producer.

  • How AI’s Energy Challenge Is Becoming Its Innovation Engine

    As artificial intelligence (AI) models and workloads continue to scale in size and sophistication, their hunger for processing power—and the energy that fuels it—is accelerating faster than any previous wave of digital innovation.

  • Qatar Plans Massive Gas-Fired Generation Project; Plant Will Support Desalination Efforts

    The main energy and water group in Qatar said it has awarded contracts for equipment and construction of a major natural gas-fired power plant that will support both power generation and the country’s efforts for desalinated water.

  • The Nuclear Industry’s Race Against the Clock: EPRI Experts on Fleet Optimization, SMRs, and What’s Next

    The electricity sector faces a timing problem that’s becoming impossible to ignore. Data centers, artificial intelligence (AI) deployment, industrial reshoring, and broader electrification are driving load growth at rates not seen in decades—and much of that new demand wants carbon-free, firm power. Nuclear checks those boxes. But can the industry deliver capacity fast enough? POWER […]

  • Vistra to Bolster Gas-Fired Fleet by 5.5 GW with $4B Cogentrix Acquisition

    Vistra Corp. has executed definitive agreements to acquire Cogentrix Energy, a portfolio company of Quantum Capital Group, in a $4 billion transaction that will expand its generation footprint across the PJM Interconnection, ISO New England, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Announced on Jan. 5, 2026, the acquisition includes 10 modern natural gas […]

  • Nuclear Waste Disposal Group Completes DOE-Funded Research Project

    Deep Isolation Nuclear, an innovator in nuclear waste disposal technology, on January 13 said the company has successfully completed its Project SAVANT (Sequential Advancement of Technology for Deep Borehole Disposal), a two-year research initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E).

  • Kiewit Chosen as EPC for New 1,425-MW Gas-Fired Power Plant in Georgia

    A major southeastern U.S. electric cooperative said it has chosen Kiewit Corp. to serve as the lead contractor for a new natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant it has planned in Monroe County, Georgia.

  • Why America’s Nuclear Future Depends on Its Fuel Supply Chain

    For much of the 20th century, the U.S. set the global standard for civilian nuclear energy. American innovation shaped reactor design, safety culture, and regulatory practice worldwide. Yet today, as nuclear power regains prominence amid concerns over climate, energy security, and industrial competitiveness, America faces a quieter but more consequential challenge: the erosion of its nuclear fuel supply chain.

  • Iberdrola Group Energizes Massive Transmission Line Project in Brazil

    A subsidiary of Spanish energy giant Iberdrola said it has energized a major transmission line project in Brazil.

    Neoenergia on January 10 said the company has completed the final section of the Alto Paranaíba Project. The group said the installation is Iberdrola’s largest transmission project in Brazil, and one of that country’s biggest electricity delivery initiatives. The 1,600-kilometer (994 miles) transmission line features 3,250 towers, and has six substations along its route.

  • Meta Locks In Up to 6.6 GW of Nuclear Power Through Deals with Vistra, Oklo, and TerraPower

    In-Depth: Meta’s suite of three landmark agreements is poised to provide the financial certainty to extend aging plants, accelerate first-of-a-kind advanced reactor deployments, and relieve PJM’s tightening capacity constraints while establishing the hyperscaler as an anchor customer for a 6.6-GW corporate-backed nuclear fleet. In a stunning move that reinforces Big Tech’s growing role in underwriting […]

  • The Next Blackout Won’t Be Caused by a Storm—It Will Be Sparked by a Talent War

    Imagine a city going dark, not from a hurricane or a cyberattack, but because there weren’t enough skilled workers to restore power after a routine failure. While utilities scramble to fill critical roles, hyperscale data centers are hiring the same talent at premium salaries. The grid’s biggest vulnerability isn’t hardware; it’s a talent war that utilities are losing.

  • Understanding Cable Rejuvenation: A Modern Approach to Grid Reliability

    For more than 60 years, polyethylene (PE) and ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) underground cables have powered communities, industries, and progress. The hope was these cables could last decades before needing to be replaced, but due to water treeing—microscopic moisture-induced formations that degrade insulation and threaten reliability, they’re aging more rapidly than expected. With traditional replacement being costly and labor-intensive, it was time for a new solution.

  • Exus Renewables North America Closes $400-Million Credit Facility for Solar, Wind, Storage Projects

    Exus Renewables North America (Exus), a leading independent owner, developer and operator of utility-scale renewable energy projects, announced the closing of a $400-million senior secured corporate credit facility. The facility will fund the development and expansion of the company’s growing wind, solar and battery portfolio.

  • Eavor’s First-of-Its-Kind Closed-Loop Geothermal Project Produces Grid Power in Germany

    Eavor’s Geretsried project marks the first time a closed-loop geothermal system has delivered electricity to a commercial power grid, demonstrating a new pathway for advanced geothermal deployment. Calgary-based Eavor Technologies on Dec. 4, 2025, became the first company to deliver electricity to a commercial power grid at its Geretsried facility in Bavaria, Germany, using a fully […]

  • Wyoming Approves Data Center Campus That Includes 2.7 GW of New Natural Gas-Fired Generation

    A major data center complex that would be served by 2.7 GW of new natural gas-fired generation has been given the go-ahead by county commissioners in Wyoming.

  • Building a Fusion-Ready Workforce: Why STEM and Trades Education Are Key to America’s Energy Future

    Recent breakthroughs at U.S. fusion labs, along with new public-private partnerships, are bringing us closer than ever to realizing fusion energy’s limitless potential. However, the U.S. has a major gap to fill in fusion research and development (R&D), and workforce development.

  • Renewable Properties Secures Additional $40 Million From AB CarVal

    California-based Renewable Properties, a developer and investor in small-scale utility, community solar, energy storage, and EV charging infrastructure projects, announced that it has increased its existing corporate capital facility with funds managed by AB CarVal by $40 million to a total of $120 million. The funds will be used to secure new project opportunities and […]

  • Software: Batteries’ Unsung Hero

    Global demand for power is increasing. In order to meet that demand, we need fast, dependable options. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are the fastest path to new capacity, thanks to their agile deployment and ability to support flexible interconnections.