POWER Magazine

POWER is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2026 POWER Awards, recognizing the projects, people, and organizations setting the pace for the global power industry. Winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony at Experience POWER in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, at 5 p.m. New this year: the Plant of the [...]The post POWER Reveals 2026 Awards Finalists; Readers to Choose Plant of the Year appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Transmission corridors can be difficult to inspect, sometimes requiring helicopters and boots on the ground. A Daytona Beach, Florida, company is using drones to improve the process-at roughly a quarter ofThe post 77 Miles, One Drone: Rewriting the Rules of Infrastructure Inspection appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Solar canopies are unlocking clean energy potential in some of the built environment's most underutilized spaces, but success depends on getting the details right. Solar canopy projects above parkingThe post A Blueprint for Successful Solar Canopy Projects appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As artificial intelligence (AI) training reshapes data center power system design, early adopters using battery energy storage systems (BESS), microgrid control, and unified automation are positioningThe post The Power Problem Behind AI-and a Path to Fix It appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Why megawatts, siting, firm generation, and power-aware design are becoming the real inner loop of the artificial intelligence (AI) race. We are knocking on the door of these incredible capabilities. The ability to build basically machines out of sand." Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, used that phrase at Davos this January to describe how silicon [...]The post AI Data Center Growth Is Now a Power Infrastructure Problem appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A power paradox is emerging in the hyperscale era: while computing demand is accelerating, power availability is increasingly becoming the constraint that determines where data centers are built, how quickly they can be energized, and how large they can become. In this age of hyperscale data centers, campuses using 300-600 MW of electrical capacity, equivalent [...]The post Data Centers and the Grid: How Hyperscale Computing Is Reshaping Power Infrastructure appeared first on POWER Magazine.

On April 7, the Maine House voted 82-62 to advance Legislative Document (LD) 307, a bill sponsored by Rep. Melanie Sachs, D-Freeport, that would impose a moratorium on artificial intelligence (AI) dataThe post Data Centers and Communities: Why the Conversation Demands More Nuance appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Industry analysts say faster construction timelines, along with lower energy costs, are fueling consistent growth in a solar power sector increasingly constrained by regulators.The post Policy Problems Aside, Solar Continues to Shine appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Operators are trying to coax more output from aging fleets, with fewer experienced people, under increasingly unforgiving reliability expectations. In that environment, preventive maintenance has become anThe post Fewer People, Older Assets, Higher Stakes: How the Power Sector Is Rethinking Preventive Maintenance appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Europe is a top market for deployments of energy storage, as companies expand investment for the technology. A recent report from Wood Mackenzie said Europe's utility-scale pipeline for energy storage exceeds 130 GW, with more 3,000 projects across at least 37 countries.The post Europe Embraces Energy Storage to Enhance Power Flexibility appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A Houston-based nuclear technology startup is advancing a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) design that targets outlet temperatures of 950C (1,742F)-well beyond the range of most advanced reactorThe post ZettaJoule Pursues a Second Act for Japan's High-Temperature Nuclear Reactor appeared first on POWER Magazine.

After the encouraging developments from last year and the news from fusion startups receiving funding, a familiar pattern is emerging across energy policy discussions in emerging and developing economiesThe post Fusion Won't Replace Energy Policy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Modern predictive maintenance depends on sensors and data streams that double as attack surfaces. Protecting the grid now means treating cybersecurity as a reliability discipline. In the interconnected age ofThe post Securing the Grid from the Sensor Up: Why Predictive Maintenance and Cybersecurity Are Inseparable appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As the first generation of wind turbines ages out of manufacturer service agreements, operators are discovering that the smarter path forward isn't wholesale replacement-it's re-engineering components toThe post Don't Replace the Turbine, Re-Engineer It appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Powering data centers is receiving significant attention at the federal level with the Department of Energy's Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or ANOPR, on large-load interconnections, and with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gathering input on the proposal.The post Power, Policy, and Scale: Inside the State Regulatory Response to Data Center Expansion appeared first on POWER Magazine.

By installing optimal components, finetuning utility processes, and partnering with the right suppliers, hyperscalers are improving data center cooling loop performance, which is increasing operational uptime, equipment safety, facility reliability, sustainability, and profitability. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes an increasing staple in daily routines, data centers today are undergoing significant architectural shifts. Driven by the [...]The post How to Reduce Energy Consumption with Improved Data Center Cooling Efficiency appeared first on POWER Magazine.

PJM Interconnection's first interconnection cycle" under its revamped, clustered review process has attracted 811 new generation projects representing roughly 220 GW of nameplate capacity. The effort now moves to a validation phase, under which the grid operator will confirm that applicants have met baseline technical and financial requirements-including site control and readiness commitments-before advancing qualified [...]The post PJM's First Reformed Queue Cycle Draws 811 Projects, 220 GW appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Westinghouse Electric Company has made Dan Sumner's interim role permanent, appointing him president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. Sumner has served as Westinghouse's interim CEO for the past 12 months and previously held senior executive roles overseeing the company's finance and operating-plant businesses. According to Westinghouse, Sumner brings nearly 25 years of global experience [...]The post Westinghouse Confirms Dan Sumner as CEO appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Two days after naming its first four participants, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) on April 29 issued a request for applications (RFA) for its Nuclear Energy Launch Pad, formally opening the program to a broader pool of advanced nuclear developers and setting a July 8, 2026, deadline for initial [...]The post DOE Opens Nuclear Energy Launch Pad and DOME Test Bed to Industry Applicants, Sets July 8 Deadline appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Nuclear Energy and the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) have announced the first four developers selected for the freshly launched Nuclear Energy Launch Pad-a restructured deployment-support initiative that succeeds the DOE's Reactor Pilot Program and Fuel Line Pilot Program and broadens federal assistance to cover the full nuclear [...]The post From Pilot to Launch: DOE Names First Four Nuclear Energy Launch Pad Developers appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A U.S.-based fusion energy company has become the first such group to apply to join a major power grid operator. Massachusetts-based Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) on April 28 said it has submitted a connection request to PJM Interconnection, the nation's largest wholesale electricity market, as part of its development plan for a commercial-scale fusion energy power plant.The post Fusion Energy Group Seeks PJM Connection for First Commercial Power Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has proposed a sweeping new licensing framework designed to push microreactors out of the lab and onto the grid at unprecedented speed. The proposed rule, called Part 57, is paired with a broader agency overhaul that earlier this year created the Office of Advanced Reactors (OAR), headed by longtime [...]The post NRC Unveils Part 57: A Streamlined Path for High-Volume Microreactor Licensing appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Dept. of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy has spelled out several areas that present challenges to domestic and global development of nuclear power. Chief among those issues is building a process that enables fuel development on a repeatable, industrial scale, so that projects can move beyond the demonstration phase to commercial operation.The post The POWER Interview: Solving the Problem of Fuel for Nuclear Reactors appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Many utilities have been slow to embrace distributed energy resources (DERs) and, in some cases, have reshaped rate structures and compensation mechanisms to limit their growth. This is not simply resistance to change. It is a rational response to incentive structures that favor building infrastructure over technology advancement and energy optimization and efficiency.The post Rethinking Utility Incentives and Business Models in the Age of Distributed Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The utilities best positioned to limit outages, liability, and regulatory scrutiny as they mitigate wildfire risk will manage vegetation as an integrated risk intelligence system, directly connected to their network model, enterprise data strategy, and field execution platforms.The post After the L.A. Wildfires: Why Vegetation Management Can't Afford to Stay on a Fixed Cycle appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Fusion's first challenge is scientific: can we make it work at scale? Its second, far tougher test is economic: can we make it cheap enough to matter? Global private investment has passed$10 billion, governments are launching new programs, and regulators are beginning to streamline pathways for advanced fusion machines. But one question will determine whether [...]The post Fusion Energy: The $50/MWh Target appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Lucy Darago, chief commercial officer with XGS Energy, shares her insight about the advancements in geothermal, including how new systems are being supported by technology from oil and gas exploration. XGS is utilizing those innovations to enhance its geothermal systems.The post The POWER Interview: How the Oil and Gas Industry Is Advancing Geothermal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Corporate America has become one of the most consequential forces shaping the U.S. electricity system. Speaking as a guest on The POWER Podcast, Rich Powell, CEO of the Corporate Energy Buyers Association (CEBA), explained how the country's largest energy buyers are responding to unprecedented demand growth, betting on a widening mix of clean technologies, and [...]The post How Corporate Energy Buyers Are Reshaping the U.S. Grid: CEBA CEO Rich Powell on Data Centers, Nuclear, and Permitting Reform appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved a subsequent license renewal (SLR) for Duke Energy's Robinson Nuclear Plant, clearing the 54-year-old reactor to continue generating electricity in the Pee Dee region through 2050. The decision, announced on Thursday, comes roughly a year after Duke Energy filed its renewal application in April 2025. It extends Robinson's [...]The post Duke Energy's Robinson Nuclear Plant Gets NRC Approval to Operate Until 2050 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

TerraPower's Natrium reactor at Kemmerer, Wyoming, reached official construction start on April 23, 2026. Here's a full timeline from ARDP selection to construction start. TerraPower on April 23, 2026, officially started construction on Kemmerer Unit 1, its flagship Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming-a milestone that marks the most consequential step yet in [...]The post TerraPower's Kemmerer 1 Enters Construction: Timeline of the Natrium Project's Road to First Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The race to bring new power online has intensified with data centers and other large loads pushing electricity demand to levels never seen before. Utilities are signing power purchase agreements, independent power producers (IPPs) are scrambling to interconnect new generation, and distributed power providers are stepping in where the grid cannot move fast enough. Amid the fight for electrons, a source of clean, reliable electricity is being systematically overlooked.The post Rethinking Load Growth: New Partnerships Between Power Developers and Midstream Natural Gas Companies appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Air Force's ANPI program has tapped Radiant, Antares, and Westinghouse to develop firstofakind nuclear microreactors at Buckley, Malmstrom, and Joint Base San Antonio, with initial deployments targeted as early as 2028. The Department of the Air Force (DAF) has named three microreactor vendors-Radiant Industries, Westinghouse Government Services, and Antares Nuclear-to develop and operate contractor-owned [...]The post Air Force ANPI Picks Put Radiant, Antares, Westinghouse on Track for First OnBase Microreactors by 2028 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Cuban state-owned Cuba Petroleo (Cupet) announced in April 2026, via its Facebook page, that Cuba's first biomethane plant, located in the municipality of Marti, Matanzas province, has progressed to its final assembly and production phase. Edrey Rocha Gonzalez, Cupet's general director, supervised the work on this facility, designed to produce biomethane to fuel buses [...]The post Cuba's First Biomethane Plant: Renewable Fuel for Buses and Electricity appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A catastrophic boiler explosion at Vedanta Limited's Chhattisgarh Thermal Power Plant (VLCTPP) in eastcentral India has left scores of workers dead and injured, prompting questions over boiler safety enforcement and operator oversight at privately owned coal plants in the country. The explosion, which occurred on April 14, has triggered parallel criminal, technical, and administrative investigations [...]The post Death Toll From Boiler Explosion at Vedanta's India Coal Power Plant Rises to 24, Triggers Probes appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The largest private energy company in Ukraine said it will invest 1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) for construction of the 650-MW Poltavska wind farm in that country.The post DTEK Will Build $1.4-Billion, 650-MW Wind Farm in Ukraine appeared first on POWER Magazine.

I have spent my entire career working at the intersection of infrastructure and power. Collaborating with colleagues in the utility industry has been an enormous part of my job for almost three decades. So much so, that I have been humbled by how many familiar faces have come up to me at recent power-focused conferences [...]The post The Blueprint for Meeting the Power Needs of AI appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Geothermal offers a variety of benefits when compared with other renewable energy resources.The post The POWER Interview: Advantages of Geothermal Deployment appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Electricity bills keep climbing, with Americans paying on average 32% more than five years ago. One of the key dynamics contributing to higher prices is electricity supply is not keeping up with surging demand. Demand growth is a positive marker of American economic expansion and innovation, but consumers can't keep footing rising costs. The U.S. [...]The post Reprocessing Gamble Could Drain Nuclear Waste Fund, Raise Electricity Prices appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Solx, a U.S.-based solar manufacturer, and Caelux, a U.S.-based leader in perovskite solar technology, announced a five-year, 3-GW strategic partnership and unveiled their breakthrough U.S.-made high-performance solar module.The post Solx, Caelux Partner to Scale Solar Energy Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ultra-long duration energy storage group Noon Energy announced an agreement with technology company Meta Platforms to reserve up to 1 GW/100 GWh of energy storage capacity. Noon on April 21 said the initial phase of the deal will be for a 25-MW/2.5-GWh project, set for completion by 2028.The post Meta Secures Power From Noon Energy to Serve Data Centers appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Next week, roughly 1,500 electric cooperative leaders will gather in Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers and federal agencies at a pivotal moment for the nation's energy future. They represent not-for-profit utilities that power 42 million Americans-many in rural communities-and they are coming with a clear message: smart energy policies are urgently needed to address [...]The post Electric Cooperative Leaders Advocate for Federal Policies Essential to Maintaining Affordable, Reliable Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Chinese officials have said they will revive a multibillion-dollar coal gasification project, in part due to global gas supply disruptions caused by the U.S. and Isreal's war with Iran.The post China Restarting Massive Coal-to-Gas Project After Decade-Long Pause appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Japan's largest power generation company has made a proposal to invest $2 billion for construction of a 500-MW combined-cycle and simple-cycle natural gas-fired power plant on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.The post Japanese Group Proposes $2-Billion Gas-Fired Power Plant for Hawaii appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Leading corporations are advancing their sustainability goals by investing in renewable energy, particularly through community solar credits that support both environmental and social impact. This trend follows the ever-growing solar market, driven by new production contracted by these large companies and utilities, businesses, and residential solar panel users. But to be sustainable, there's more to [...]The post Making Solar Truly Sustainable: The Case for Recycling End of Life Panels appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has set a June 2026 deadline to act in a high-stakes rulemaking that could redefine how massive new power users-including AI-driven data centers-connect to the U.S. interstate transmission system. In an April 16 order in its Interconnection of Large Loads to the Interstate Transmission System" docket (RM26-4-000), the commission [...]The post FERC Sets June Deadline to Rewrite Large-Load Grid Rules for AI-Era Power Demand appeared first on POWER Magazine.

After decades of relatively flat electricity demand, the U.S. power sector is suddenly racing to keep up-and rural electric cooperatives, which serve 42 million people across 54% of the nation's land mass, are feeling the squeeze as acutely as anyone. As a guest on The POWER Podcast, Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric [...]The post Rural Co-ops Navigate a New Era of Load Growth, Rising Costs, and Policy Pressure appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The White House has launched a coordinated federal initiative to deploy nuclear reactors in space, directing NASA and the Department of War (DOW) to run parallel design competitions for fission systems that could power lunar bases and in-space missions by the end of the decade, and tasking the Department of Energy (DOE) to support fuel [...]The post White House Launches Space Nuclear Initiative, Sets Timeline for Lunar Reactors appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The data center industry is having a power problem. The problem is at the rack. Artificial intelligence (AI) is driving rack power into ranges where conversion losses are no longer background noise. Every piece of equipment in a data center rack-graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), storage-runs on direct-current (DC) power. Most facilities [...]The post High-Density AI Is Forcing a Power Reckoning at the Rack appeared first on POWER Magazine.

For more than a decade, EPRI has been collaborating across the global supply chain to mature a technology that has the potential to fundamentally change how large nuclear components are manufactured. With the release of EPRI's Quick Insights: Electron Beam Welding for Heavy Section Components, we now have a clear picture of how far electron [...]The post Electron Beam Welding: Unlocking a New Era for Heavy Section Nuclear Components appeared first on POWER Magazine.

On April 7, Anthropic announced Project Glasswing, a coalition of 12 major technology companies marshaling a new frontier artificial intelligence (AI) model to find and fix critical software vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. While the announcement is framed around technology infrastructure broadly, the implications for the power sector are immediate and serious. Partner posts [...]The post Project Glasswing: What Power Companies and Grid Operators Need to Know appeared first on POWER Magazine.