EUCI Blog

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Declines in hydropower output, caused by low stream flows in the Pacific Northwest, are forcing the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to buy more wholesale power leading to a projected $44 million loss. The agency had set a target of $70 million in revenues – so the gap between the…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer New York State is exploring how advanced nuclear power can be part of the state’s push to clean and dependable electricity and will develop a “master plan” for nuclear development, while exploring cost-sharing options with other states. Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state will also support the plan by…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer U.S. utility sector investment in electric, gas, and water projects are projected to rise to more than $780 billion between 2025 and 2028, according to a research report by consultant and market analyst S&P Global. Total U.S utility energy investments are projected to set a record at $202 billion…

1st molten salt nuclear reactor in 30 years gains historic permit from US Agency Sep 17, 2024 The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted Abilene Christian University (ACU) the construction permit for an advanced nuclear reactor called the Natura MSR-1. This is the first liquid salt-fueled reactor ever licensed by the NRC and the…

Palisades nuclear relaunch gets more subsidies in Michigan — and more backlash September 9, 2024 The Palisades Nuclear power plant restart effort has secured another round of public subsidies, with two rural electric cooperatives set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars to buy power from the facility. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday…

Promoters of clean-energy data centers in Virginia coal country unfazed by doubters September 10, 2024 Will Payne and Will Clear are all too aware of the skeptics. But those doubters only fuel the duo’s vision for Southwest Virginia. The former Virginia state energy office bureaucrats turned private-sector consultants have an ambitious plan to repurpose land…

Westinghouse fuel loaded into Loviisa reactor 02 September 2024 In November 2022, Finnish utility Fortum signed an agreement with Westinghouse for the design, approval and delivery of a new type of fuel to the Loviisa plant. The agreement built on the successful collaboration supplying fuel to Loviisa from 2001 to 2007, during which Westinghouse delivered…

Data centers driving Oklo’s nuclear project pipeline 8.15.2024 Advanced nuclear company Oklo now has non-binding letters of intent for about 1,350 MW of microreactor capacity, a 93% increase from its 700 MW project pipeline in July 2023, the company told investors in its Q2 earnings call this week. Of the 650 MW announced during the…

Controversy growing as Three Mile Island revival talks gain traction Aug 12, 2024 Discussions of possibly reopening the Three Mile Island nuclear generators are ramping up, with some government power players showing their excitement, while others their nervousness. It has been 45 years since Three Mile Island became ground zero of the worst nuclear disaster…

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant turns 50 with plans to continue operations August 6, 2024 Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Athens, Ala., the Tennessee Valley Authority’s largest electricity generating asset, is celebrating 50 years of service this month. The United States’ third largest nuclear power producer had the first units in the world capable of producing…

NextEra considers restarting Iowa nuclear plant amid rising demand for carbon-free energy Jul 24 2024 NextEra Energy is considering restarting a nuclear plant in Iowa as demand for carbon-free energy grows amid a historic surge in electricity consumption. The Duane Arnold Energy Center in Palo, Iowa ceased operations in 2020 after 45 years of service.…

Dominion, Virginia move forward in pursuing small modular reactor goals July 12, 2024 Virginia’s pursuit of nuclear power technology, though ambitious and not without resistance, continues to prove more than empty rhetoric, as representatives from Dominion Energy and the Youngkin administration gathered Wednesday at a company power station to share the next steps. Dominion had…