POWERnews
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Nuclear
GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy Supporting Deployment of SMR in Sweden
GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) said it has entered into a main services agreement with AFRY, a Sweden-headquartered engineering, project management, and advisory company, to support deployment of GVH’s BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) technology in that country.
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Geothermal
Fervo, Turboden Sign 1.7-GW Turbine Deal for Geothermal Power Plants
A subsidiary of Italy-headquartered Turboden has a turbine supply agreement with Texas-based Fervo Energy, a deal that will further support U.S. geothermal energy projects.
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Nuclear
Westinghouse Files to Update AP1000 Design Certification, Make Vogtle Expansion the U.S. Reference Plant
Westinghouse has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to renew and update the design certification for its AP1000 reactor, formally proposing Vogtle Unit 4’s as‑built configuration as the new standard reference plant for future AP1000 projects in the U.S. If accepted and docketed, the submittal—Revision 20 of the AP1000 Design Control Document (DCD)—would establish “a […]
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Nuclear
Antares Receives DOE Approval of Mark-0 Demonstration Reactor
California-headquartered Antares, an advanced nuclear energy company, said it has received U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) approval of the Documented Safety Analysis for the company’s Mark-0 reactor.
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Nuclear Recycling
Nuclear Recycling Has Reached a Prime Moment—and the U.S. May Be Running Out of Time
A new think tank assessment argues that economics, proliferation concerns, and waste management barriers have shifted enough to make commercial nuclear fuel recycling viable in the U.S.—but only if Washington acts before the window closes. A think tank has warned the Trump administration that it has a narrow window to make the U.S. the first […]
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Energy Security
Keeping the Lights On: How Cuba Is Fighting an Energy Crisis Under Tightened Sanctions
The current state of the national power grid in Cuba is a response to an exceptionally complex scenario, marked by the intensification of the U.S. embargo and its direct impact on fuel supplies. This was the message delivered by First Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines, Argelio Jesús Abad Vigoa, during his appearance on the […]
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Coal
Italy Ready to Restart Coal-Fired Plants, Postpone Total Coal Phaseout
Officials in Italy have said they are prepared to restart that country’s four remaining coal-fired power plants if supply issues for oil and natural gas persist due to the Iran war. The comments from Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin earlier this month came just days after government officials in an energy bill said they would […]
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Nuclear
NRC Extends Operating License for California’s Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved another 20-year operating license for California’s lone nuclear power plant.
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POWERnews—April 2, 2026
POWER Magazine Jobs White Papers Webinars Events Store April 2, 2026 Exclusive: Texas Opens $350M Advanced Nuclear Grant Programs to Spur Reactor Buildout, Supply Chain The State of Texas has opened applications for $350 million in advanced nuclear grants through the Texas Advanced Nuclear Development Fund (TANDF), making the nation’s […]
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Legal & Regulatory
DOE’s Section 202(c) Emergency Orders Since May 2025: 43 and Counting
Since May 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued more than 40 emergency orders and extensions under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act—more than in any comparable period in the past two decades. The orders have fallen into two broad categories: retirement deferrals, which compel utilities and grid operators to keep specific generating […]
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T&D
Southwest Power Pool Announces Expansion of Service Territory
The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) said it has successfully expanded its service territory. The SPP’s expanded operations took effect on April 1, and tThe regional transmission organization, or RTO, is now aligned with the Western Interconnection of the U.S. power grid.
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Legal & Regulatory
Energy Projects May Qualify for Millions in Refunds: Revisiting Project Costs After IEEPA Ruling
Renewable energy developers, independent power producers, utilities and investors have spent the past several years navigating a shifting trade environment affecting solar modules, batteries and wind components. Due to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, that now has changed for those who have utilized international supply chains to build their qualifying electric assets.
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Hybrid Power
Aggreko Signs PPA with Mining Group for Hybrid Power Facility in Australia
Aggreko has finalized a landmark power purchase agreement (PPA) with international mining company Harmony Gold for the Eva Copper Mine Project in Northwest Queensland, Australia. The PPA announced April 2 supports development of Australia’s largest off-grid renewable hybrid power facility.
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Energy Storage
Investment Group Acquires Stake in TotalEnergies’ German Energy Storage Portfolio
TotalEnergies has sold a 50% stake in an 800-MW portfolio of battery energy storage projects in Germany to Allianz Global Investors, a Germany-based group that has nearly $640 billion of assets under management.
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Energy Storage
FlexGen Acquires BESS Provider Clean Energy Services
FlexGen Power Systems, which provides battery energy storage software and services, said it has acquired Clean Energy Services (CES). The companies on April 2 said the acquisition “will create an integrated model that accelerates FlexGen’s project delivery, enhances system performance, and strengthens long-term asset reliability for customers.”
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Research and Development
The Genesis Mission: How AI Supercomputing Is About to Reshape American Science and Energy
Dr. Dario Gil, the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Under Secretary for Science, lays out a bold vision to double the productivity of U.S. research and development (R&D) within a decade—and explains why energy and artificial intelligence (AI) are two sides of the same coin. After 22 years at IBM, where he rose to senior vice […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Addressing Data Priorities as Severe Weather Season Looms
Though severe weather can happen at any time, April 1 is often considered the start of severe weather season—and now more than ever, utilities need reliable, accessible weather information to keep their staff safe and operations running smoothly.
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Nuclear
Exclusive: Texas Opens $350M Advanced Nuclear Grant Programs to Spur Reactor Buildout, Supply Chain
The State of Texas has opened applications for $350 million in advanced nuclear grants through the Texas Advanced Nuclear Development Fund (TANDF), making the nation’s largest state‑level nuclear package competitive for the first time across two programs aimed at reactor construction and supply chain development. In an exclusive interview with POWER, Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy […]
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Electrification
A Powerful Change Supporting Cleaner Energy
Electric utilities and energy consumers have discovered the benefits of electrification as a way to decarbonize operations and take advantage of more intelligent power systems. The push for decarbonization
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Renewables
Geothermal’s Rise a Hot Topic Worldwide
The global surge in energy demand is spurring investment in several sectors, and is bringing renewed interest in areas such as geothermal. The world’s literal hot spots—places such as Iceland, Indonesia, Kenya, and part of the U.S.—are seeing new projects, often as part of testing of advanced technologies such as enhanced geothermal systems (EGS).
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Energy Security
Europe’s Grid Is Already a Hybrid War Target—Most Utilities Aren’t Ready
European electricity infrastructure has become a target of sustained hybrid warfare, and a new report from Eurelectric, the region’s power sector trade group, finds that most of the continent’s utilities
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Renewables
The Hidden Idle Asset Trap: A New Era of BESS Optimization in Europe
Record battery deployments across Europe are masking a growing crisis: assets that are grid-connected but financially idle, stranded by saturated markets and outdated optimization strategies.
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Legal & Regulatory
Guidance for Optimizing Solar Power Project Tax Credits
Most commercial solar projects must now meet rigorous “physical work of a significant nature” requirements to establish federal tax credit eligibility.
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O&M
The Critical Role of Coatings in SMR Design
Electricity demand for data centers worldwide is projected to double by 2030. As a result, developers are looking at small modular reactors (SMRs) to add low‑carbon power generation capacity.
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Data Centers
Protecting the Grid in the Age of Data Center Growth
The rapid growth of data centers in recent years is increasingly causing angst among power operators. Power industry leaders want assurances that the electric grid is reliable, protected, and sustainable for businesses and the public alike.
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Gas
How Energas Turned an Environmental Concern into Cuba’s Cheapest Power
Energas is a company that stands as a successful example of foreign investment for over 20 years. Its partners include the Cuban state-owned companies Unión Eléctrica (UNE) and CubaPetróleo (CUPET), and its foreign partner is Sherritt International. With an installed capacity of 480 MW across three plants—Energas Boca de Jaruco (Figure 1), Energas Puerto Escondido, […]
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Renewables
Arevon Starts Construction of $600 Million Cormorant Energy Storage Project
An Arizona-headquartered developer, owner, and operator of renewable energy projects said construction of another major energy storage project is underway in California.
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Commentary
The Missing Intelligence Layer of the Smart Grid
Over the past two decades, utilities have invested billions of dollars building a smarter grid—deploying sensors, automated substations, and advanced analytics platforms capable of monitoring system performance in real time.
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Nuclear
FluxPoint Energy Enters Race to Build First New U.S. Uranium Conversion Plant in Nearly 70 Years
A new Texas-based startup has launched an effort to build what would be the first U.S. uranium conversion facility in more than seven decades to restore a domestic capability it says has become “an unacceptable chokepoint” in America’s nuclear fuel supply chain. FluxPoint Energy made its public debut this week at CERAWeek by S&P Global, […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Solar Power Satellites and Orbital Data Centers—International Space Law Implications
In 2011, I published an article in the Boston University Journal of Science & Technology Law examining space-based solar power (SBSP) and the issue of property rights in space, and more specifically, in geostationary orbit (GEO), under the current regime of international treaties and policies. Today, as the demand for computing power grows, that question […]