Power Engineering

A new analysis from the National Hydropower Association says mandatory licensing conditions for U.S. hydropower projects have increased roughly tenfold since 1980, just as electricity demand enters a period of rapid growth. The finding comes from an NHA review of more than 5,000 mandatory conditions across 4,819 licensing documents filed between 1980 and 2026 in 46 states.

Basin Electric leaders present the Untarnished Turbine Award to Antelope Valley Station employees in recognition of their outstanding performance and commitment to reliability. Source: Basin Electric Cooperative. The Untarnished Turbine Award was first introduced in 2023. And so far, the trophy hasn’t traveled very far. Leland Olds Station Unit 1 apparently got comfortable with the trophy after winning it during its first two years.

Image by Kevin Clark via Chat GPT. The U.S. power grid weathered Winter Storms Fern and Gianna without a significant reliability failure, but federal regulators aren’t cheering and calling it a victory lap. The 2026 Arctic cold period delivered a warning: The grid held, but extreme weather is getting harder to manage as demand rises and power and natural gas systems become increasingly intertwined.

Tennessee just strengthened its relationship with a nuclear partner separated by thousands of miles and an ocean. The State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the United Kingdom announced a “strengthened” partnership meant to accelerate the commercial deployment of fusion energy, focusing on supply chains, workforce development, and regulatory pathways that support “safe and rapid” commercial scale-up.

FILE - This aerial photo shows Hamaoka nuclear power plant, owned by the Cubu Electric Power Co., in Omaezaki, central Japan, March 26, 2025.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to formally repeal rules aimed at limiting emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants, people familiar with the matter have told Bloomberg News and other outlets. The rollback, expected as soon as Monday, would coincide with a Group of 20 energy ministers’ meeting in Houston, sources told Bloomberg. This isn’t entirely unexpected from President Trump’s EPA, which first proposed repealing the rules last year.

Image art by Paul Gerke via Gemini. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wants to build a whole lot of solar. He also wants to build the gas turbines needed to keep the lights on while he does it. Musk is pushing his companies into power generation, solar manufacturing and the infrastructure needed to feed an AI industry that is, quite literally, hungry for electricity.

Being a journalist is never boring. There’s always another story to chase, another question to ask, and inevitably, another can of caffeine involved. I love the stimulation of piecing together facts, quotes, and context to bring a story to life. Curiosity is the fuel that keeps my storytelling fire burning — and there’s something deeply meaningful about being trusted to share stories that inform, engage, and sometimes even surprise an audience.

Credit: David J / Creative Commons PowerTransitions, a power producer specializing in redeveloping legacy power and industrial facilities, expanded its operating generation portfolio in New York this week. The firm announced Tuesday that its acquisition of the 1,242 MW Roseton Generating Facility in Newburgh bumps PowerTransitions’ portfolio to 1.8 GW across eight power stations.

Horseshoe Lake Power Plant (Credit: OGE Energy Corp) Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company (OG&E) announced that its Horseshoe Lake Unit 11 gas turbine has passed all contractual performance tests and is expected to enter service next month, six months ahead of schedule. Units 11 and 12 are the two newest simple-cycle combustion turbine units being added to OG&E’s Horseshoe Lake Power Plant, with Unit 11 coming first.