The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on March 4 authorized staff to issue a construction permit for TerraPower’s Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1 in Kemmerer, Wyoming—the first commercial reactor the agency has approved for construction in nearly a decade, and the first approval for a commercial non–light water reactor design in more than 40 years. The […] The post A Historic First: NRC Clears TerraPower’s Natrium […]
Building Now For What Comes Later: How Nuclear Fits Into the Grid’s Next Decade
Ten years ago, utilities could plan for new 100-megawatt (MW) load requests. That size of energy load fit inside existing forecasts: it could be absorbed, modeled and planned around. Today, load requests have increased to one, two even three gigawatts (GW) at a time. This results in utilities fielding individual load requests that rival full […] The post Building Now For What Comes Later: How […]
Google Data Center in Minnesota Would Be Powered by Wind, Energy Storage
Minnesota Power has signed an electric service agreement (ESA) with Google for the energy needed to power a 700-MW data center project in the state. The companies on March 3 said the installation in Hermantown would operate under an existing regulated rate structure. The post Google Data Center in Minnesota Would Be Powered by Wind, Energy Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine.
Reimagining the U.S. Grid: Why VPPs Could Be the Bridge to a More Reliable Future
America’s power grid is aging into obsolescence. Much of the infrastructure that keeps the lights on today was constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, long before the digital and electrified demands of the 21st century took shape. The consequences are increasingly visible: mounting reliability issues, rising costs, and a growing need to modernize a system never designed for the challenges of climate volatility or the […]
THE BIG PICTURE (Infographic): Blackouts in 2025
Major power outage events in 2025 reveal a broad spectrum of reliability risks, spanning voltage instability and protection failures to extreme weather and heat-related transmission stress. Compared with recent years, which were largely characterized by weather-driven disruptions and resource-adequacy events, 2025 incidents more clearly highlight vulnerabilities in interconnected system operations, including voltage management, reactive power […] The post THE BIG PICTURE (Infographic): Blackouts in 2025 […]
Powered Remotely: Microgrids Connect Rural Communities with Sustainable Energy Security
Microgrids are bringing greater energy independence to rural and remote communities. ABB’s microgrids experts outline how today’s smart localized power generation and distribution systems lessen far-flung homes and businesses’ reliance on costly fossil fuels and fragile national grid infrastructures. Protecting Remote Communities from Energy Insecurity It’s easy for town and city dwellers to take the […] The post Powered Remotely: Microgrids Connect Rural Communities with […]
The POWER Interview: Supporting C&I Power Systems in New York City
The commercial and industrial (C&I) sector has been a major contributor to the growth of solar power, as business owners look for ways to generate more of their own power, and do it in a sustainable way. Industries interested in decarbonizing their operations are adopting cleaner forms of energy; the effort has spread to the commercial housing sector, particularly in areas with dense populations. The […]
Blackstone Brings 694-MW Gas-Fired Plant Online in Louisiana
A major U.S. energy investment group announced the start of commercial operations for a 694-MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired power plant in Louisiana. Blackstone said the Magnolia Power Generating Station is supported by private equity funds managed by Blackstone Energy Transition Partners. The post Blackstone Brings 694-MW Gas-Fired Plant Online in Louisiana appeared first on POWER Magazine.
From Bottleneck to Breakthrough: Why Procurement Is the Utility Industry’s Critical Capacity Builder
With electricity demand projected to rise 25% by 2030 and 78% by 2050 from 2023 levels, utilities are facing a perfect storm—aging infrastructure, climate-driven disruptions, and escalating expectations for reliability and resilience. Meeting this moment will require more than incremental improvement; it demands entirely new sources of capacity, and a fundamental rethink of how the […] The post From Bottleneck to Breakthrough: Why Procurement Is […]
Russia’s Rosatom Will Continue Foreign Nuclear Power Plant Projects Despite UK Sanctions
Russia’s state-owned nuclear power group said it will move forward with its power plant projects in foreign countries despite new sanctions from the UK government against Russian companies. The post Russia’s Rosatom Will Continue Foreign Nuclear Power Plant Projects Despite UK Sanctions appeared first on POWER Magazine.