POWER Magazine

Project Pele, the Department of War's (DOW's) first-of-its-kind transportable nuclear microreactor prototype, has received its tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), where formal system testing is slated to begin as early as 2027. The fuel-manufactured by BWXT Technologies (BWXT) and shipped from its Lynchburg, Virginia, facility-represents the first TRISO microreactor fuel [...]The post A First for Military Nuclear Power: TRISO Fuel Arrives at Project Pele appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has selected the five commercial teams that will potentially demonstrate advanced applications-including data center integration-at its much-watched Microreactor Application Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) platform, an 85-kWth/20-kWe liquid-metal-cooled test bed currently under construction at the lab. The initial selections, unveiled on Dec. 4, mark the first potential end users for MARVEL," [...]The post INL Taps AWS, GE Vernova, Oil Majors for First MARVEL Microreactor Experiments appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Framatome said it has been awarded a contract to upgrade several digital control systems at Energy Northwest's Columbia Generating Station. The scope of the project includes system design, engineering, manufacturing, testing and installation for new digital feedwater level control and feedwater heater vents and drains systems. The upgrades announced December 4 are part of Energy [...]The post Framatome Selected to Deliver Critical Digital Control Upgrades at Columbia Generating Station appeared first on POWER Magazine.

SmartestEnergy US, part of a global energy company helping businesses navigate the energy transition, has selected GridBeyond, a global smart energy company, as its technology partner to optimize battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market. The strategic partnership will leverage GridBeyond's advanced price forecasting, bid optimization, and trading [...]The post SmartestEnergy US Partners with GridBeyond to Optimize Three Energy Storage Resources in ERCOT Totalling 29.7 MW appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Global renewable energy contractor INTEC Energy Solutions has been selected by a leading European renewable energy investment group to lead construction of a 50-MW solar power plant in Lachendorf, Germany. INTEC on December 3 said it has been commissioned by AUKERA as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the project. The solar farm [...]The post INTEC Chosen to Build 50-MW Solar Power Facility in Germany appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Antares, an advanced nuclear energy startup, announced the close of its $96-million Series B funding round, which was led by Shine Capital with participation from Alt Capital, Caffeinated, FiftyThree Stations, Industrious, and other investors.The post Antares Raises $96 Million in Series B Funding to Accelerate Nuclear Microreactor Development appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said the agency has selected the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Holtec Government Services to support early deployments of advanced light-water small modular reactors (SMRs) in the U.S. The DOE on December 2 said project teams with the two groups will receive up to $800 million in "federal cost-shared funding" targeted for projects in Tennessee and Michigan.The post DOE Selects TVA, Holtec to Receive $800 Million to Advance SMR Deployment appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The dawn of electric semitrucks and other medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles has arrived, and if the technology is going to be widely adopted, we have to come to grips with what this means for our electrical infrastructure.The post Getting the Grid and Charging Infrastructure Ready for Heavy-Duty Electric Trucks appeared first on POWER Magazine.

POWER breaks down the top insights from Data Center POWER eXchange, its unique one-day summit curated by POWER's editorial team and convened to examine the collision between accelerating data center load and tightening grid constraints. The rise of artificial intelligence is poised to create the fastest, largest, and most concentrated surge of electricity demand in [...]The post Data Centers and the Grid: Key Insights from POWER's Inaugural Data Center POWER eXchange Summit appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The power industry is experiencing unprecedented demand growth, driven largely by data centers and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. This surge is creating both opportunities and challenges for utilities, equipment manufacturers, and the broader power generation ecosystem. As a guest on The POWER Podcast, Seth Harris, growth director for Emerson's Power business in North America, discussed [...]The post Emerson Addresses Power Industry's AI-Driven Demand Surge appeared first on POWER Magazine.

China's Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in November reported it had achieved thorium-to-uranium fuel conversion inside an operating molten salt reactor (MSR). The milestone provides the firstThe post China's Molten Salt Reactor Reaches Thorium-Uranium Conversion Milestone appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Flamanville 3 synchronized to the French grid in December 2024 after a prolonged, hard-fought build-an achievement that reflects years of technical recovery, regulatory rigor, and lessons now shapingThe post Flamanville 3: Europe's Hard-Won Nuclear Milestone appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Lubricants used outside their design working conditions can bite you in unexpectedly painful ways. The morning of Monday, December 1, found Marnie Surfaceblow, vice president of Surfaceblow and AssociatesThe post Marnie Surfaceblow: Vicious Viscosity appeared first on POWER Magazine.

For years, some folks have considered coal-fired power plants relics of a bygone era, overshadowed by the rise of natural gas and renewables. Yet, in an unexpected twist, coal is finding its way back into theThe post How AI Is Breathing New Life into Aging Coal-Fired Power Assets appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Power company leaders face mounting challenges in asset management-keeping aging equipment reliable, integrating diverse assets from renewables to baseload units, and meeting strict reliability standardsThe post A Guide to Asset Management Software Solutions for Power Industry Leaders appeared first on POWER Magazine.

By retrofitting aging turbines with modern control systems, power generation companies are extending equipment lifespans, enhancing operational efficiency, and tapping into robust global supportThe post Old Turbines, New Tricks: How Retrofits Drive Efficiency and Extend Lifespans in Power Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

While the wind sector battles bearing failures and blade damage, a quieter revolution is unfolding at the heart of the nacelle. Fibre optic rotary joints are replacing electrical slip rings, promising toThe post Future-Proofing Wind Turbine Communications: Why Fibre Optic Rotary Joints Are the Next Frontier appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The UK's battery storage capacity is set to triple by 2030 and could reach 50 GW by mid-century-a transformation that will reshape how the nation powers itself. This explosive growth isn't just aboutThe post BESS: Storing Potential for the UK's Energy Future appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The limitations of lithium-ion batteries are prompting a search for longer-duration solutions. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) and other emerging technologies are gaining traction as safer, scalableThe post Finding a Longer-Duration Alternative to Battery Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens Energy develops conventional islands for small modular reactors. When Rolls-Royce SMR began developing its small modular reactor (SMR)-using a unique factory-built approach to proven pressurizedThe post On the Steam Side of Nuclear Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Unit 2 reactor at the Shimane nuclear power station resumed operation in January 2025, more than a decade after it, and all other reactors in Japan, were taken offline. Japanese officials want restarted nuclear units to help supply needed power and lower the cost of energy across the country.The post Shimane 2 Highlights Progress in Japan's Nuclear Restart Program appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Negotiating contracts is a process that requires preparation and communication, as all parties work toward a mutually beneficial relationship. It's particularly true for electric utilities, groups with multiple stakeholders in their projects. That includes the utilities themselves, their shareholders or other investors, and of course their customers.The post The POWER Interview: Negotiating the Details of Power Project Contracts appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Energy (DOE) extended its run of federal grid interventions into winter over the past week, issuing a Section 202(c) emergency order on Nov. 18 for Consumers Energy's 1,420-MW J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan and another on Nov. 25 for Constellation's 760-MW Eddystone Units 3 and 4 in southeastern Pennsylvania in a [...]The post Winter Reliability Concerns Spur Fresh DOE Intervention for PJM, MISO appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In its recently releasedWinter Reliability Assessment, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) found that while resources are adequate for normal winter peak demand, large swaths of North America face an elevated risk of electricity shortfalls during prolonged, wide-area cold snaps. Noting that four severe Arctic storms have swept across much of the continent since [...]The post NERC: Winter Grid Reliability at Risk Amid Soaring Demand, Fuel Supply Gaps appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The UK has confirmed that Wylfa on the island of Anglesey, North Wales, will host three Rolls-Royce small modular reactors (SMRs) that could deliver first power in the mid-2030s-launching a state-backed, fleet-based nuclear deployment through publicly owned entity Great British Energy-Nuclear (GBE-N). The UK government has framed the SMR project, which is underpinned by more [...]The post UK Confirms Wylfa as Launch Site for First Nuclear SMR Fleet appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The demand for distributed generation (DG) solar has never been higher, yet many projects are getting stuck before they even break ground. The problem is utility interconnection. For community or net metered solar systems in the 1 MW to 5 MW range, in particular, the utility's review of whether the grid can handle new power [...]The post Why Smarter Interconnection Must Power the Next Phase of Solar Growth appeared first on POWER Magazine.

When I was a kid, I used to watch thunderstorms roll in from the porch, tracing lightning across the sky and marveling at how energy moved between clouds. We build infrastructures now that try to do the same thing-collect, store, and dispatch power on demand. But as energy storage scales (Figure 1), it's not the [...]The post Safer by Design Beats Safer by Procedure appeared first on POWER Magazine.

NRG Energy is the latest Texas-based utility to receive a loan agreement from the Texas Energy Fund (TxEF). The company plans to use the funding to support construction of a 455-MW natural gas-fired station at the site of the group's current Greens Bayou Generating Station in Harris County, near Houston.The post NRG Energy Will Build New 455-MW Gas-Fired Plant Near Houston appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Keith Kotimko is the U.S. Decommissioning and Demolition Leader for WSP, a full-service solution provider that offers comprehensive facility decommissioning and demolition services. Kotimko provided POWER with insight into the process of permanently shutting down a power generation facility. He emphasized that decommissioning is a separate activity from demolition.The post The POWER Interview: Ensuring Successful Power Plant Decommissioning appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Energy developer, owner and operator Arevon Energy has started construction of a $200-million solar farm in Illinois. The 124-MW Big Muddy Solar installation in Jackson County is the company's first utility-scale solar project in that state.The post Arevon's Big Muddy Solar Project Moves Forward in Illinois appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Lenders and investors are scrutinizing data center projects closely. Identifying and mitigating risks early helps attract investors and reduce financing costs. Clear documentation and realistic timelines are essential to securing financing. Land Control-The Foundation of Success: Land remains the cornerstone of any data center development. Verifying land control ensures the project's legal and physical foundation [...]The post Early-Stage Risk Mitigation-Essential Element for Data Center Financing appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Westinghouse has partnered with Google Cloud to develop a custom AI-powered platform using specialized models from both Google and Westinghouse-itself a leader in AI for energy production-that helps optimize and accelerate reactor construction.The post Power Play: Takeaways from Westinghouse, Google AI Partnership appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Vertiv, a global critical digital infrastructure group, and power systems leader Caterpillar announced the signing of a strategic undertaking to collaborate on advanced energy optimization solutions for data centers. The initiative unveiled November 18 will integrate Vertiv's power distribution and cooling portfolio with Caterpillar's, and its subsidiary Solar Turbines', product and expertise in power generation and CCHP (combined cooling, heat, and power) to deliver pre-designed architectures that simplify deployment, accelerate time-to-power and optimize performance for data center operations.The post Vertiv, Caterpillar Collaborate to Expand Power and Cooling Offerings for Data Centers appeared first on POWER Magazine.

For decades, U.S. electricity demand was steady, allowing utilities to plan gradual growth and maintain the grid with modest upgrades. That era is over. The convergence of electric vehicles (EVs), data centers, technology advancements, and population growth and shifting is driving an unprecedented surge in electricity demand. According to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), [...]The post Transmission Lines Will Determine America's Power Future appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An energy research group said U.S. power generation capacity will be led by solar power in the short term, natural gas in the mid term, and nuclear power in the long term as coal-fired units continue to be retired.The post Research Group: U.S. Exits Coal by 2040 as Solar, Nuclear, Natural Gas Surge appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Valmet is to deliver an automation system to Seongnam City's incineration facility currently under construction in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The order was placed by GS E&C Corp., the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the facility. By leveraging intelligent automation, the plant will optimize energy production, minimize emissions, and deliver efficient, consistent performance [...]The post Valmet's Automation Solution for Improved Waste Management and Resource Efficiency at the New South Korean Incineration Facility appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Global partnership agreement combines Samsung C&T's EPC expertise with Siemens' leading capabilities in digitalization, electrification, and automation Collaboration to focus initially on six landmark infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Canada Joint efforts to deliver differentiated, customer-centric solutions in airports, hospitals, buildings and data centers The partnership enables a unified ONE Tech Company" [...]The post Siemens and Samsung C&T Partner to Drive Next-Generation Infrastructure Projects appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has signed off on NRG Energy's plan to acquire nearly 13 GW of natural gas-fired power generation. The agency on November 13 said it supports Houston, Texas-based NRG's $12-billion deal with New York-based LS Power for capacity in the PJM market territory.The post FERC Approves NRG Energy Plan to Buy 12.9 GW of Gas-Fired Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Global investment group and asset manager Blackstone said it will support construction of a 600-MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired power plant in West Virginia. The Wolf Summit Energy facility, which will feature GE Vernova equipment, is affiliated with Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, which serves about 1.5 million customers across three states.The post Blackstone Investing $1.2 Billion for 600-MW Gas-Fired Plant in West Virginia appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. residential solar industry has entered a new era. With the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) phasing out at the end of 2025, the market faces a moment of recalibration. This will likely mean a short-term decline, but it's far from a death knell for the industry. After all, while incentives may fade, energy [...]The post Solar's Next Chapter: Beyond Incentives appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Air Liquide announced the successful start-up of the world's first industrial-scale ammonia cracking pilot unit with a 30-tons-per-day ammonia-to-hydrogen conversion capacity at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium. This groundbreaking innovation, announced November 13, demonstrates a key missing technology brick to a viable pathway for converting ammonia into hydrogen, and unlocks challenges of transportation of hydrogen. [...]The post Air Liquide Technology Converts Ammonia Into Hydrogen at Industrial Scale appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Opponents of a planned methane gas power plant on a floating barge off the coast of Louisiana were successful in moving Entergy Louisiana to cancel the project. Earthjustice in a news release sent to POWER said the group represented the Alliance for Affordable Energy in opposition to the proposed 112-MW Bayou Power Station.The post Entergy Ends Plan for Floating Methane Gas Power Plant in Louisiana appeared first on POWER Magazine.

GOSSEN METRAWATT presents a new generation of multifunctional process calibrators for field use. The METRACAL CM series combines a calibrator and precise multimeter in a compact handheld device. Users can simultaneously simulate galvanically isolated sensor signals and measure output signals up to 30 VDC without time-consuming switching. The device measures and displays electrical quantities such [...]The post Two-in-One Multimeter and Calibrator appeared first on POWER Magazine.

ThePublic Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has executed its first agreementunder the TexasEnergy Fund (TxEF) CompletionBonus Grant (CBG) Program,awarding theLower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)up to $22.56 million forits 188-MW Timmerman PowerPlant Unit 1, a new natural gas-fired plant in Caldwell County, Texas. Theagreement marksthe operationallaunch of Texas's performance-contingent funding mechanism, which is designed to accelerate [...]The post Texas Issues First Performance-Based Grant Under Energy Fund for LCRA's New 188-MW RICE Peaker appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ammonia-to-power solutions provider Amogy will join with South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries in a multi-year strategic contract manufacturing partnership. The companies on November 12 said SHI plans to establish a dedicated facility in South Korea to produce and test Amogy's ammonia-to-power systems.The post Amogy, Samsung Heavy Industries Partner on Ammonia-to-Power Systems appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Securing a reliable supply of electricity requires plenty of research to balance the risks and rewards of striking a deal.The post Procuring Power: Experts Discuss Contract Complexities appeared first on POWER Magazine.

What's driving a fundamental shift in engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracting? Equipment lead times. Workforce shortages. Data center timelines. POWER examines how the traditional EPCThe post Ready, Go, Set: How Disruptions Are Flipping EPC Contracting appeared first on POWER Magazine.

From financial dashboards to factory-based assembly, utilities and their contractors are deploying new tools and processes to improve project cost performance. In decades past, the decision to pursue a majorThe post Beyond Traditional Controls: Managing Power Project Schedule and Cost Overruns appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Traditional owner-EPC relationships relied on sequenced approvals and risk allocation tied to project maturity. Today's interdependent infrastructure, including for the grid, generation, storage, andThe post The EPC Partnership Paradigm: How Smart Collaboration and Digital Tools Are Driving New Delivery Models appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The retirement of older thermal power generation facilities, driven by a transition to cleaner forms of energy, has increased in recent years as utilities and other power generators mothball plants that are uneconomic or simply no longer needed.The post Successfully Closing a Power Plant? It's All in the Details appeared first on POWER Magazine.