The POWER Podcast

After 22 years at IBM, where he rose to senior vice president and director of IBM Research, Dr. Dario Gil now leads one of the most ambitious science and technology initiatives in a generation. As the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Under Secretary for Science and director of the Genesis Mission, Gil is orchestrating a convergence of high-performance computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computing aimed at transforming how America does science and engineering. The Genesis Mission rests on a straightforward premise: a computing revolution is underway, and the U.S. should harness it to double the productivity of its trillion-dollar-a-year research and development engine within a decade. The initiative is built on three pillars: a platform for accelerating discovery anchored in high-performance computing, AI supercomputing, and quantum computing; a portfolio of national challenges in energy, physical sciences, and national security; and a university engagement effort to rethink how future scientists and engineers are educated in the age of AI. Gil offered fusion energy as a prime example of how AI can compress timelines. By training neural networks on validated simulation data, researchers can build surrogate models that run thousands to tens of thousands of times faster, allowing engineers to iterate on reactor designs in hours rather than months. AI is also being applied to real-time plasma control through collaborative work involving Google DeepMind and Commonwealth Fusion Systems. On the grid, Gil shared two striking examples. The DOE's Office of Electricity is developing AI agents to help developers fix deficient interconnection applications—which account for 80% to 90% of submissions—potentially accelerating studies by up to a year. Meanwhile, Brookhaven National Laboratory's Grid FM emulator can speed power flow calculations by 100x, compressing what would be 20 years of conventional analysis of the Texas transmission grid into roughly two months. Gil was candid about the tension between AI as an energy solution and AI as a source of surging electricity demand, noting that planned data centers now reach gigawatt scale. The path forward, he said, involves optimizing the existing grid, accelerating nuclear energy, investing in fusion, and driving major efficiency gains in AI hardware. New supercomputing infrastructure is already being built through the Genesis Consortium, a partnership of 27 industrial players. Argonne and Oak Ridge National Laboratories are each standing up large GPU clusters this year, with a 100,000-GPU system planned for Argonne in 2027—the largest science-oriented cluster in the world. Asked what success looks like, Gil pointed to the AlphaFold story: 50 years of work produced 200,000 protein structures, then AI predicted 200 million in two years. Success, he said, will mean 50 to 100 comparable breakthroughs across all domains of science within three to five years.

With federal tax credits under threat and regulatory stability in short supply, Bala Nagarajan, managing director of the energy investments team at S2G Investments, explained what he looks for in a company. "Is the product or the solution sold by this business cheaper, faster, better than the incumbent solution?" he asked. If so, it's worth considering. If not, the investment may not be a fit. His team heavily discounts any business case that depends on policy incentives. The message for entrepreneurs: build something that wins on its own economics first, and treat incentives as upside rather than a foundation. Speaking as a guest on The POWER Podcast, Nagarajan introduced the concept of "anti-fragile businesses"—companies whose value propositions can withstand geopolitical shocks, policy reversals, and economic downturns. His showcase example was Aerones, a portfolio company that uses robots to repair wind turbine blades. The thesis: there is an enormous existing fleet that needs maintenance, qualified technicians are scarce and expensive, and the work is dangerous. A robotic solution that is cheaper, faster, and safer represents exactly the kind of durable opportunity S2G seeks. For most of Nagarajan's 17-year career in energy, demand growth was gradual, tied to long-horizon electrification trends in homes, transportation, and manufacturing. AI data centers have compressed that timeline dramatically. The demand for new electrons "is knocking on our doors today," he said. This surge, combined with constrained supply, has created a dynamic that many believe will keep power prices high for a long time. S2G prefers skepticism. "What if things change?" Nagarajan asked. "How well will our underwrite hold up in the midst of potential changes?" Where is investor enthusiasm strongest? Grid-enhancing technologies. Rather than building new generation capacity, the market wants solutions that make the existing grid better—advanced conductors, grid-enhancing software, and solid-state transformers. Conversely, the "power-to-X" sector—green hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel, and similar products relying on cheap clean electricity—is struggling as rising power prices undermine their economics. The gap between well-capitalized developers and smaller players is also widening. Only developers with deep balance sheets can afford to "Safe Harbor" equipment—purchasing materials early to lock in expiring tax credit incentives. Smaller developers are being forced to sell projects or abandon them, driving capital toward established brands. Nagarajan also suggested natural gas is no longer a bridge fuel. Given demand for gas turbines from hyperscalers and the signals from manufacturers like GE Vernova and Siemens Energy, gas is firmly embedded in the energy mix. The consequence, he argued, is that emissions will rise, driving significant demand for high-integrity carbon credits—a space he is personally bullish on. His overarching message is one of disciplined optimism. The energy sector is experiencing a rare convergence of rising demand, constrained supply, and deep pools of capital. But the winners will be those who resist underwriting to today's enthusiasm and instead back businesses that can thrive regardless of which way the policy winds blow.

The power industry's workforce crisis is well documented — an aging labor force, too few new recruits, and a surge of infrastructure investment that's only widening the gap. But on this episode of The POWER Podcast, two guests offer a practical blueprint for closing it. Derek O'Connor, Workforce Development Manager in the Office for Research and Innovation at Stony Brook University, and Rosalie Drago, Vice President for External Affairs and Strategic Engagement at Haugland Group, discuss the suite of workforce programs they've built together — from a paid summer experience for high school students called Taste of the Trades, to drone piloting certification, HVDC power systems training, an energy cybersecurity program, and EmpowerHER, a program designed to bring young women into the construction trades. Their model is built on a simple but powerful insight: many high school students need to earn income over the summer, which steers them toward retail and food-service jobs instead of career-building experiences. By braiding together government youth employment funding, industry sponsorship, and university research expertise, the Stony Brook–Haugland partnership pays students to explore energy and infrastructure careers — and then offers them a clear pathway from that first exposure all the way through college and into the workforce. O'Connor and Drago share real student success stories, explain how they've adapted their curriculum to a shifting energy landscape, and make the case that every community in the country already has the building blocks to replicate what they've done. They also discuss why investing in teacher training and community education delivers returns that go well beyond filling open positions.

S&P Global Energy's Global Power Markets Conference will be held April 13–15, 2026, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Learn more and register at: bit.ly/POWERPOD. Use the code POWERPOD at checkout to get a 10% discount on registration. The event returns at a pivotal moment for the energy sector. With national energy policy undergoing rapid transformation, federal incentives shifting, and geopolitical pressures reshaping global trade, the stakes for market participants have never been higher. From new tax structures to tariffs and a renewed emphasis on baseload generation, decision-makers are navigating profound changes that will impact the U.S. and global power markets. Join many of the industry's top experts in Las Vegas to network with energy executives from around the world and discuss the challenging volatility of the global financial markets, the opportunities available in transformative technologies, and all the latest topics impacting businesses. Get actionable insight from industry leaders, including: • Changing investor strategies as growing power demand transforms regional markets • Opportunities and advances in key technologies: new nuclear, renewables, battery storage, and carbon sequestration • Innovative financing models, M&A outlook, and public-private partnerships • New directions and critical changes in policy, impacting every energy industry. Be a part of the conversations shaping the future of power markets. Learn more and register at: https://bit.ly/POWERPOD. Use the code POWERPOD at checkout to get a 10% discount on registration.

Operators of aging F-class units face a narrowing window to plan for rotor life extensions as supply chains tighten and demand surges. The late 1990s and early 2000s marked a frenetic period in American power generation. Deregulation opened the floodgates for independent power producers racing to bring quick-build gas turbine plants online. GE’s 7FA and 7EA units became go‑to resources for this expansion, with the manufacturer more than tripling its annual heavy‑duty gas turbine production capacity to meet surging demand. Now, a quarter-century later, those turbines are approaching critical end-of-life thresholds—just as an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven surge in electricity demand is pushing them harder than ever. Industry experts warn that operators who fail to plan for rotor life extensions could find themselves in serious trouble. “If you’re not thinking two to three years down the road on your rotor, then you’re already behind, because that’s how long it’s going to take to manufacture those wheels,” Jason Wheeler, General Manager of Gas Turbine Rotor Repairs at MD&A, said as a guest on The POWER Podcast. A Perfect Storm of Constraints The urgency stems from a confluence of factors that have compressed the window for action. The 7FA fleet, which was deployed en masse during what industry veterans call “the bubble,” is now reaching the hour and cycle limits that the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) established for critical rotor components. At the same time, the power generation sector is experiencing a demand renaissance driven by data center construction and electrification. Dave Fernandes, MD&A’s Gas Turbine Program Manager, experienced the original boom firsthand as a GE field engineer specializing in 7F and 9F units from 1996 to 2001. He sees important differences between then and now. “There seems to be a lot more concrete reasons and a much stronger foundation for this current bubble than the previous one that took place two and a half decades ago,” Fernandes said. “There are a lot of things that are all stacking up at the same time that put more of an emphasis on getting out in front of extending the life of your current assets now, probably more than ever.” Supply chains have become particularly challenging. The specialized superalloy forgings required for turbine wheels are produced by a limited number of facilities worldwide, and those forging houses are simultaneously serving aerospace, military, and new power generation equipment markets. “You’re going to be competing with those new unit sales across various industries in an attempt to get in line with what is perceived from some angles as higher priorities,” Fernandes explained. “That further complicates the scenario that the customer base is facing when they’re trying to extend the rotor life of their existing assets.”

Rayburn Electric Cooperative faced three years of power costs in five days during the 2021 storm. The experience transformed the organization’s approach to risk, generation assets, and long-term planning. When Winter Storm Uri swept across Texas in February 2021, Rayburn Electric Cooperative found itself staring down a crisis that would reshape the organization’s entire operational philosophy. The generation and transmission cooperative, which serves approximately 625,000 Texans across 16 counties northeast of Dallas, incurred three years’ worth of power costs in just five days. “Bankruptcy was certainly one of the options on the table,” David Naylor, president and CEO of Rayburn Electric Cooperative, said as a guest on The POWER Podcast. “We were thankful we didn’t have to go that route. We were able to come up with a solution where we paid everything we owed—and then we took a hard look in the mirror and asked ourselves what we needed to do differently.” That self-evaluation led to strategic decisions that fundamentally shifted Rayburn’s power supply operations, transforming the cooperative from an organization with minimal owned generation resources into one that now owns and operates a major power plant—with another under construction. From Crisis to Acquisition Within two years of Uri, Rayburn acquired the Panda Sherman Power Plant, a 758-MW natural gas–fired combined cycle facility located just outside the cooperative’s service territory. The acquisition doubled Rayburn’s balance sheet, but Naylor said the plant checked critical boxes that emerged from the cooperative’s post-Uri analysis. “When we looked at who benefited from Uri—or at least came out of it in a solid situation—it was the people who owned generation assets, and whose units ran,” Naylor explained. “The Panda Sherman plant performed great during Winter Storm Uri. It had room for additional capacity if we wanted to expand in the future. And for someone that was staring bankruptcy in the face a couple years earlier, winning that auction over several private equity companies was a tremendous success.” Building for Growth One concern Rayburn had when acquiring the Panda Sherman plant—now called Rayburn Energy Station (RES)—was its size. Leadership initially projected the cooperative wouldn’t grow into the plant’s capacity until 2030 or later. That timeline proved wildly optimistic. “We’re projecting 25% growth over the next 10 years, and that’s not counting any data centers or large loads—just normal organic growth,” Naylor said. “We grew into Rayburn Energy Station a lot faster than we anticipated.” That rapid growth prompted Rayburn to begin construction on a second gas plant at the same site. The cooperative secured turbines and transformers under contract in late 2024, with a commercial operation date targeted for June 2028. According to Naylor, the timing proved fortuitous: suppliers indicated that waiting just a couple more months would have resulted in significantly higher costs and delivery dates pushed out by three to four years. The project is supported in part by the Texas Energy Fund, a $10 billion pool of low-cost loans created by the Texas Legislature after Uri to incentivize new dispatchable generation. Of more than 125 initial applicants, only 17 were selected to advance—and Rayburn is the only cooperative among them.

As electricity demand from data centers continues to surge, a persistent question has dogged the industry: Are residential ratepayers footing the bill for massive tech infrastructure? According to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and an independent study it commissioned, the answer is a definitive no. As a guest on The POWER Podcast, Mandy Ulrich, senior manager of energy and water for Americas East at AWS, outlined the company’s energy strategy and discussed findings from a study by Energy and Environmental Economics Inc. (E3) that examined how Amazon data centers impact local power systems. Study Finds Data Centers Generate Surplus Revenue The E3 study evaluated Amazon data centers across a diverse set of utility territories, including large investor-owned utilities such as Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and Dominion Energy, mid-size utilities like Entergy, and cooperatives such as Umatilla Electric Cooperative in the Pacific Northwest. “The simple answer is that Amazon data centers are not being subsidized by other utility customers,” Ulrich said. The study projects that Amazon’s data centers will generate $33,500/MW of surplus value in 2025, increasing to $60,650/MW by 2030. For a typical 100-MW Amazon data center, that translates to $3.4 million in surplus revenues in 2025 and approximately $6.1 million by 2030. These surplus funds—revenues above the utility’s regulated rate of return—can be used by utilities to modernize grid infrastructure, improving reliability for all customers. Grid Investment Benefits All Customers The study found that Amazon data centers are driving investments in grid infrastructure that support not just their own operations but also local residential and commercial growth. Ulrich pointed to Entergy Mississippi as a prime example, where the utility is using investments from Amazon and other large customers to fund a $300 million “Superpower Mississippi” grid reliability campaign—at no cost to residential customers—targeting a 50% reduction in outages within five years. Innovative Rate Structures Prevent Cost-Shifting While the E3 study validates that existing rate policies have been effective in preventing cross-subsidization, Ulrich emphasized that AWS continues to work with utilities on innovative approaches to ensure large industrial customers pay their fair share. She highlighted a Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) project as a “groundbreaking model.” Under this first-of-its-kind agreement, Amazon is investing in 3 GW of electrical capacity, with 2.4 GW dedicated to data center operations and 600 MW reserved specifically to support grid reliability for all NIPSCO customers. The structure creates a separate generation company (GenCo) that operates under a “commercial contract term,” Ulrich explained. By operating as a separate entity, GenCo isolates the cost of new growth to data centers. “The data center companies that drive new demand for electricity will fund the generation and transmission infrastructure they require, ensuring that regular customers don’t shoulder those costs, even if the customer leaves before contract completion,” NIPSCO said in a Nov. 24 press release. “NIPSCO’s existing customers will have no financial responsibility for powering Amazon data centers,” Ulrich said. NIPSCO said, “This structure is expected to provide value to customers by generating approximately $1 billion in cost savings that will be returned to current NIPSCO customers as credits on monthly electric bills over the project’s 15-year duration.”

As the global demand for clean energy intensifies, nuclear power is enjoying a resurgence not seen in decades. However, this renewed interest has exposed a critical vulnerability in the U.S. energy sector: a massive disconnect between uranium consumption and domestic production. As a guest on The POWER Podcast, Thomas Lamb, president and CEO of Myriad Uranium, discussed some of the complexities of the nuclear fuel cycle and how junior exploration companies are racing to secure America’s energy future. The Great American Supply Deficit To understand the urgency of the current uranium market, one must first grasp the sheer scale of consumption. A single large-scale nuclear reactor consumes approximately 400,000 to 500,000 pounds of uranium oxide concentrate (U3O8) annually, depending on design, capacity, and operating efficiency. The U.S. operates 94 commercial reactors today, resulting in a national consumption of roughly 37 million to 47 million pounds of U3O8 per year. The domestic production figures, however, paint a starkly contrasting picture. “The United States consumes, for very round numbers, 50 million pounds of uranium per year, and produces a million pounds of uranium per year,” Lamb explained. To be more specific, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that domestic production of U3O8 was 677,000 pounds in 2024, and it’s been much lower than that in the not-too-distant past. This imbalance creates a precarious reliance on foreign imports. Lamb noted that Kazakhstan alone produces more than 40% of the world’s uranium. More concerning for U.S. national security is the country’s reliance on Russia, where a surprisingly high percentage of U.S. reactor fuel bundles are sourced. “You have a worldwide supply deficit, and then you have an enormous domestic production deficit in the United States relative to consumption. That makes the U.S. vulnerable,” Lamb said. “What if Kazakhstan, China, [and] Russia kind of work together? What if they cut off the United States? What if some other things happen? The U.S. could be short of uranium.” Revitalizing History: The Copper Mountain Project Myriad Uranium is positioning itself to fill this gap by revitalizing past assets rather than starting from scratch. The company’s flagship asset, the Copper Mountain Uranium Project in Wyoming, was a focal point of Union Pacific’s energy subsidiary in the 1970s. Union Pacific invested approximately CA$117 million (in 2024 dollars, US$84.7 million) into the site, planning a large-scale mine to fuel reactors in Southern California that were ultimately never built due to the post-1979 nuclear freeze. Because the project was abandoned due to external market forces rather than a lack of resources, it represents a “brownfield” opportunity. “In our case, we already know it’s there because a lot of the work was done,” Lamb said. “Now, we just have to … bring the information current,” he added.

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 how the company is helping the industry navigate this transformative period. With 20 years at Emerson across various roles, Harris brings a comprehensive perspective on the evolving needs of power generation facilities. The Data Center Effect The conversation around power generation has fundamentally shifted. Data centers are forcing utilities to rethink everything. “I’m focused on the power markets, but I can’t tell you the last time I was able to have a conversation about power without somehow referencing the data center aspect of it,” Harris said. This demand is affecting multiple stakeholders simultaneously. Manufacturers of turbines, heat recovery steam generators, control systems, valves, and instruments are all facing unprecedented orders. The challenge extends beyond simply meeting demand. Companies must rapidly scale up manufacturing capabilities and engineering resources that have been stagnant for years. Extending Plant Lifespans Among the things that must be rethought are decisions on existing plant operations. In some cases, power plants that were previously scheduled for retirement are now being extended. “The ability to deliver power as quickly as possible is certainly top of mind as this kind of race to deliver on the technology promises coming from AI and the various use cases for data centers has really put those existing assets in a place where they have to focus on driving the most efficiency and reliability they possibly can,” said Harris. However, many owners haven’t been investing in these plants beyond the necessities, which means upgrades are often needed to keep the plants operating efficiently. “The technology has come a long way since those facilities were originally built,” Harris explained. Furthermore, operational expectations are changing. Rather than operating as baseload units, these legacy facilities may now only be called on to provide peaking or backup power, which means control systems may need upgrades to accommodate for that as well. Harris said retrofitting existing plants “has been a bit of a boom from an Emerson standpoint.”

Energy security represents one of Taiwan’s most pressing challenges. With virtually no domestic fossil fuel resources and limited renewable energy potential relative to its needs, the island imports approximately 98% of its energy. The semiconductor fabrication plants that drive the economy are particularly energy-intensive, requiring uninterrupted power supplies to maintain their precision manufacturing processes. Any disruption in electricity can halt production lines worth billions of dollars, making grid stability and efficient power generation not merely infrastructure concerns but fundamental pillars of Taiwan’s economic competitiveness. This reality has driven the island to pursue cutting-edge power generation technologies, including advanced combined cycle plants that can deliver maximum efficiency from imported natural gas. One such plant, the Sun Ba II facility, entered commercial operation in May 2025. It was recently recognized as a 2025 POWER Top Plant award winner. “That this project got recognized with your power plant award, I think this is really a nice story and a nice finish I would never have expected when I came here,” Thomas Ringmann, director of Business Development with Siemens Energy, said as a guest on The POWER Podcast. Sun Ba II is a 2 x 1 multi-shaft configuration, which means there are two gas turbines and two heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) serving one steam turbine. The gas turbines and the steam turbine each have their own generators. “We have used in this project our latest and biggest gas turbine—the SGT-9000HL,” Ringmann explained. “The steam turbine is a SST-5000, so that’s a triple-pressure steam turbine with a combined HP [high-pressure] and IP [intermediate-pressure] turbine, and a dual-flow LP [low-pressure] turbine. Also, we had an air-cooled condenser, condensing the steam from that steam turbine, and we had a three-pressure reheat HRSG, which was of Benson-type technology.” The project began at the peak of the COVID pandemic, which presented a large challenge. “Every project meeting, every design meeting, every coordination meeting were all done online,” Andy Chang, project manager with Siemens Energy, said. “Everything was done online, because nobody can travel. We just had to figure this out.” Effective collaboration among project partners was a key to success. “The collaboration is not only with our consortium partner—CTCI, an EPC [engineering, procurement, and construction] company—but actually with also the customer, Sun Ba Power,” Ewen Chi, sales manager with Siemens Energy, said. “Everybody has the same target, which is to bring power on grid as soon as possible. So, with this same-boat mentality—everybody sitting in the same boat and rowing toward the target—actually helped the project to be successful and to overcome many challenges.” Chang agreed that on-time completion was only possible with all parties maintaining a collaborative spirit. “This power plant right now is predominantly running on baseload operation,” Ringmann reported. “So, given that high grade of operations along with a high gas price, the efficiency of our turbines actually is a key contributor to an economic value of the customer.” Meanwhile, the lessons learned from this first deployment of HL technology in Taiwan are being applied to a new project. Siemens Energy and CTCI are now collaborating on the Kuo Kuang II power plant, which is under construction in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan. “Because we have this momentum and this mentality from Sun Ba II execution, now each side, they decided that they will keep their core team member from both sides, and they will continue to cherish this partnership with the next project,” Chang reported.

Public power utilities are community-owned, not-for-profit electric utilities that deliver reliable, low-cost electricity to about 2,000 communities serving more than 55 million Americans. Among the cities served by public power utilities are Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Los Angeles, California; Jacksonville, Florida; and Seattle, Washington. The Large Public Power Council (LPPC) is the voice of large public power in Washington, D.C. It advocates for policies that enable members to build critical energy infrastructure, power the growth of the economy, and provide affordable and reliable electricity to millions of Americans. The LPPC’s members are 29 of the largest public power systems in the nation. Together, they serve 30.5 million consumers across 23 states and territories. Tom Falcone, president of the LPPC, noted that all power companies, whether publicly owned, cooperatives, or investor-owned utilities (IOUs), are in the same business, that is, to reliably deliver electricity to customers. The big difference is that public power companies are accountable at home. “We’re publicly owned. We are not-for-profit. We are community oriented. We’re mission oriented. And so, our real goal, and only goal in life, is reliable, affordable power—sustainable power—back home at the least cost to customers,” Falcone said as a guest on The POWER Podcast. “So, we’re not necessarily looking to grow loads or grow earnings, unless that’s favorable to our community, unless we’re meeting the needs of our community or lowering costs for them.” Public power companies face many of the same concerns as co-ops and IOUs. One of the biggest challenges today is rapid load growth, driven by data centers, artificial intelligence (AI), and the increasing electrification of manufacturing and transportation. “The biggest thing is that the load is arriving faster and lumpier, and in a more concentrated fashion, than it has in the past,” explained Falcone. “Historically, when somebody new came to town, they wanted, you know, 5 MW, or maybe they were really large and they wanted 100 MW,” said Falcone. “But what we have today is folks who come to town and they want a GW, which is enough to power probably 600,000 homes, depending on what part of the country you’re in.” Falcone said about half of LPPC’s members are seeing this very, very rapid growth. “They could double over the next 10 years,” he said. While the demand for the energy is very immediate, utilities’ ability to build infrastructure is not. “We have to go through the same permitting and public processes, and construction and supply chain, and it just doesn’t allow us to build quite that fast,” Falcone reported.

Despite nuclear power’s unmatched ability to produce reliable, carbon-free energy at scale, it is often dismissed by clean energy advocates in favor of renewable resources like wind and solar. Cost arguments and public misconceptions around safety and radioactive waste have kept it out of many mainstream climate strategies. But as Tim Gregory argues in his new book Going Nuclear: How Atomic Energy Will Save the World, this exclusion may be the greatest obstacle to achieving net zero goals. In fact, Gregory says in his book “net zero is impossible without nuclear power.” “Claiming renewables on their own are enough to replace fossil fuels is underestimating the challenge of achieving net zero,” Gregory said as a guest on The POWER Podcast. “Fossil fuels have basically defined the world order for the last couple of centuries, and to think that we can replace them with wind power and solar power, which are fundamentally tied to the whims of the weather, and the rotation of the planet in the case of solar, is really underestimating the scale of the challenge,” he said. “We need power that comes in enormous quantities exactly where we need it and when we need it,” Gregory continued. “I don’t want to live in a world without solar panels or wind turbines, but to think that they can do it on their own, I think, is honestly naive. We need something that’s reliable to compensate for the intermittence of renewables, and nuclear power would be absolutely perfect for that.” Notably, innovative companies and many government leaders around the world are backing nuclear power projects. “Big tech in North America has really cottoned on to these small modular reactors,” said Gregory. “Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are all going to be using small modular reactors to power their data centers. … This isn’t just a pipe dream—this is actually happening now in real time. … It’s been very, very encouraging watching that unfold.” Public perceptions on nuclear power are also trending in a positive direction, and the movement seems to be bipartisan. “It’s very, very encouraging that more than half of people in the UK either strongly support or tend to support nuclear power. Strong opposition to nuclear power, according to the latest poll, is actually below 10%,” Gregory reported. “As such, the two major political parties in the UK—that’s the Labor Party, which is kind of our left leaning party, and the Conservative Party, which is our right leaning party—they both support the massive expansion of nuclear power, which is really, really nice actually. It’s maybe something that both sides of the political spectrum can agree on.” The same is true in the U.S., where both Democrats and Republicans have gotten behind nuclear power. A case in point is the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act, which was signed into law in July 2024. It passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate with a vote of 88–2, and in the House of Representatives with a vote of 393–13. “If your politics has you more concerned with environmental stewardship, and climate change, and phasing out fossil fuels, and getting rid of oil from the energy system, then nuclear power is for you. But then at the same time, if your politics has you perhaps more leaning towards economic growth, and the economy, and prosperity, and all that kind of thing, then nuclear power is for you as well, because it provides the energy that enables that economic growth,” Gregory said. “And so, it’s actually very, very encouraging to see that, at least in most countries, nuclear power is not a partisan issue, which is all too rare in the world these days.”

More than 100 of the world’s largest energy companies are betting that artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize how electricity gets made, moved, and managed. But they’re not waiting for Silicon Valley to build it for them—they’ve taken matters into their own hands through an EPRI-led consortium. That initiative is the Open Power AI Consortium, which EPRI launched in March 2025 to drive the development and deployment of an open AI model tailored for the power sector. According to its mission statement, the Open Power AI Consortium “aims to evolve the electric sector by leveraging advanced AI technologies to innovate the way electricity is made, moved, and used by customers. By fostering collaboration among industry leaders, researchers, and technology providers, the consortium will drive the development and deployment of cutting-edge AI solutions tailored to enhance operational efficiencies, increase resiliency and reliability, deploy emerging and sustainable technologies, and reduce costs while improving the customer experience.” “We’re really looking at building an ecosystem to accelerate the development and deployment, and recognizing that, while AI is advancing rapidly, the energy industry has its own unique needs, especially around reliability, safety, regulatory compliance, and so forth. So, the consortium provides a collaborative platform to develop and maintain domain-specific AI models—think a ChatGPT tailored to the energy industry—as well as sharing best practices, testing innovative solutions in a secure environment, and long term, we believe this will help modernize the grid, improve customer experiences, and support global safe, affordable, and reliable energy for everyone,” Jeremy Renshaw, executive director for AI and Quantum with EPRI, said as a guest on The POWER Podcast. Among the consortium’s members are some of the largest energy companies in the world, including Constellation, Con Edison, Duke Energy, EDF, Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), New York Power Authority (NYPA), Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), Saudi Electricity Co., Southern Company, Southern California Edison, Taiwan Power Co., and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). It also includes entities like Amazon Web Servies (AWS), Burns and McDonnell, GE Vernova, Google, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Interconnection Authority, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP), Khalifa University, Microsoft, Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), PJM, Rolls-Royce SMR, and Westinghouse Electric Co. “For many years, the power industry has been somewhat siloed, and there were not many touch points or communication between global utilities, technology companies, universities, and so forth. So, this consortium aims to facilitate making new connections between these important and impactful organizations to increase collaboration and information sharing that will benefit everyone,” Renshaw explained. EPRI, together with Articul8 and NVIDIA, has already developed the first set of domain-specific generative AI models for electric and power systems aimed at advancing the energy transformation. Although the technology has not been released publicly, it will be made available soon as an NVIDIA NIM microservice for early access. This development sets the foundation for more to come.

In a special edition of The POWER Podcast, released in collaboration with the McCrary Institute’s Cyber Focus podcast, POWER’s executive editor, Aaron Larson, and Frank Cilluffo, director of the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security and Professor of Practice at Auburn University, discuss the evolving power grid and cybersecurity challenges. Specifically, they highlight the shift taking place from centralized power stations to more distributed energy resources, including solar farms and wind turbines. The conversation touches on the importance of a reliable power grid and the need to protect critical infrastructure. “From a national security standpoint, from an economic standpoint, from a public safety standpoint, if you don’t have power, all these other systems are somewhat irrelevant,” Cilluffo said. “There’s no infrastructure more critical than power.” Cilluffo noted that artificial intelligence (AI) is requiring increasingly more power, which can’t be ignored. “If we want to be AI dominant, we can’t do that if we’re not energy dominant,” said Cilluffo. “The two are in inextricably interwoven—hand in glove. And if you start looking at where the country wants to be technologically, if we want to lead, we really need to continue to double down, triple down, and look at all sorts of sources of energy as well.” While renewables are clearly leading when it comes to new generation being added to the grid today, emerging technologies including small modular reactors, fusion power, deep dry-rock geothermal, and space-based solar power, are on the horizon, promising potentially game-changing energy options. “And not to put a fine point on it, but you mentioned so many different forms of energy, and I’m reminded of the old test, the A, B, C, or D, all of the above. This sounds like it is clearly an all of the above,” Cilluffo proposed. Meanwhile, the enormous energy buildout in China was discussed. China is not just leading, but truly dominating the world in the construction of wind, solar, nuclear, coal, and energy storage projects in 2025, both in terms of capacity and projects under development. This leadership is evident across all five sectors, frequently accounting for the majority, or at least a plurality, of new global construction and installation. “China is a primary focus of a lot of our [Cyber Focus] podcast discussion, but it’s a race we cannot afford to lose, whether it’s around AI, quantum. And, I think you’re spot on; to get there, they recognize the need to really quadruple down on energy,” said Cilluffo. “I still think that we [the U.S.] want to be at the vanguard driving all of this.” And while it’s widely known that cybersecurity is critically important to energy systems, it’s often not prioritized the way it should be. “Everyone needs to be cyber aware, cyber informed,” Cilluffo said. “These are issues that we have to invest in. It can’t be an afterthought. It has to be something that everyone thinks through. And the reality is, don’t think it’s someone else’s problem: a) it’s all of our problems, and b) don’t think that it can be looked at after the balloon goes up—you need to be thinking all of this well in advance.”

The name Mike Richter is well-known among hockey fans. Richter spent 15 years in the National Hockey League as a goalie for the New York Rangers, including in 1994 when he was a fixture in the net during the team’s Stanley Cup winning season. Richter was also recognized as the most valuable player for the U.S.’s 1996 gold medal winning World Cup team, as well as a member of three U.S. Olympic teams, including in 2002 when the team won the silver medal. Richter was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008. But what is likely lesser known is that Richter is the current president of Brightcore Energy, a leading provider of integrated, end-to-end clean energy solutions to the commercial, institutional, and government markets. The Armonk, New York–headquartered company’s services include high-efficiency geothermal-based heating and cooling systems for both new construction and existing building retrofits, among other things. Brightcore’s turnkey, single-point solution encompasses all project development phases including preliminary modeling, feasibility and design, incentive and policy guidance, construction and implementation, and system performance monitoring. As a guest on The POWER Podcast, Richter noted that heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems for commercial, industrial, and municipal buildings consume an enormous amount of energy in a place like New York City. Furthermore, the emissions associated with these systems can be significant. “If you can address that, you’re doing something important, and that’s really where our focus has been, particularly the last few years,” he said. Geothermal Heating and Cooling Systems Traditional geothermal often requires significant open space for the geothermal borefield and can have material time implications in project development. Brightcore says its exclusive UrbanGeo solution combines proprietary geothermal drilling technology and techniques that increase the feasibility of geothermal heating and cooling applicability while reducing construction development timelines. “We typically go between 500 and 1,000 feet down,” Richter explained. “The ambient temperature of the ground about four feet down below our feet here in New York is 55 degrees [Fahrenheit] year-round.” The constant and stable underground temperature is the key to geothermal heating and cooling systems. Even when the air above ground is extremely hot or freezing cold, the earth’s steady temperature provides a valuable heating or cooling resource. A geothermal system has pipes buried underground that fluid is circulated through, and a heat pump inside the building. In winter, the fluid in the pipes absorbs warmth from the earth and brings it inside. There, the heat pump “compresses” this heat, raising its temperature so it can warm the building air comfortably—even when it’s icy cold outside. In summer, the system works in reverse. The heat pump pulls heat out of the building’s air, sending it through the same underground pipes. Since the earth is cooler than the hot summer air, it acts like a giant heat sponge, soaking up unwanted heat from the building. This process cools the living space easily and efficiently, using a lot less energy than a regular air conditioner because the ground is always cooler than the hot outdoor air. So, whether it’s heating or cooling, a geothermal system can keep buildings comfortable by moving heat between the building and the earth. “[It’s] pretty straightforward and very, very efficient and effective, particularly—and this is key—at the extremes,” said Richter. “Air source heat pumps are excellent and they continue to get better,” he added.

In the proverbial shadow of the Naughton Power Plant, a station in Kemmerer, Wyoming, that will stop burning coal at the end of this year, TerraPower is constructing what it calls “the only advanced, non-light-water reactor in the Western Hemisphere being built today.” The project represents more than just a new power source—it’s a symbolic passing of the torch from fossil fuels to next-generation nuclear technology. “We call it the Natrium reactor because it is in a class of reactors we call sodium fast reactors,” Eric Williams, Chief Operating Officer for TerraPower, said as a guest on The POWER Podcast. The Natrium design is a Generation IV reactor type, which is the most advanced class of reactors being developed today. “These designs have a greatly increased level of safety, performance, and economics,” Williams explained. Williams said the use of liquid metal coolant enhances safety. “Liquid metals are so excellent at transferring heat away from the reactor, both to exchange that heat into other systems to go generate the electricity or to remove the heat in an emergency situation,” he said. “For the Natrium reactor, we can do that heat removal directly to air if we want to, so that provides a very robust safety case for the reactor.” The design is also safer because it can run at low pressure. “The primary system is at atmospheric pressure; whereas, current pressurized water reactors have to pressurize the system to keep the liquid from boiling—to keep it in a liquid state,” Williams explained. “Liquid metal sodium doesn’t boil until about 800 to 900 degrees Celsius, and the reactor operates down at 500 degrees Celsius, so that can remain a liquid and still be at a very high temperature without having to pressurize it.” The liquid metal coolant also provides performance benefits. “One of those is the ability to store the energy in the form of molten salt heat coming out of the nuclear island,” said Williams. “That is really giving us the ability to provide basically a grid-scale energy storage solution, and it really matches up well with the current needs of the modern electricity grid.” Meanwhile, the energy storage aspect also allows decoupling the electricity generation side of the plant—the energy island—from the reactor side of the plant, that is, the nuclear island. That allows the energy island to be classified as “non-safety-related” in the eyes of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). “That side of the plant has nothing to do with keeping the reactor safe, and that means the NRC oversight doesn’t have to apply to the energy island side of the plant, so all of that equipment can be built to lower cost and different codes and standards,” Williams explained. Notably, this also permits the grid operator to dispatch electricity without changing anything on the nuclear island. “That allows a different kind of integrating with the grid for a nuclear plant that hasn’t been achieved yet in the U.S.,” Williams said. “We’re very excited about that—the safety, the performance, and economics—and it really gives us the ability to have a predictable schedule, and construction will be complete in 2030.” While there is clearly a lot that needs to be done, and first-of-a-kind projects rarely go off without a hitch, Williams seemed pleased with how the project was progressing. “We’re really excited to be working in the state of Wyoming. It is just an outstanding state for developing any kind of energy project, including nuclear energy. The people in the community are really welcoming to us. The state legislators are always looking for ways to remove any obstacles and just explain to us how to get the permits we need and everything. So, the project has been going really well from that standpoint,” he said. In the end, Williams appeared confident that TerraPower would hit its current target for completion in 2030.

The world’s electricity grids are facing unprecedented strain as demand surges from electrification, data centers, and renewable energy integration, while aging infrastructure struggles to keep pace. Traditional approaches to grid expansion—building new transmission lines and substations—face mounting challenges including sometimes decade-long permitting processes, escalating costs that can reach billions per project, and growing public resistance to new infrastructure. This mounting pressure has created an urgent need for innovative solutions that can unlock the hidden capacity already embedded within existing transmission networks. What Are GETs and What Do They Do? Grid enhancing technologies (GETs) represent a transformative approach to this challenge, offering utilities the ability to safely increase power flows on existing transmission lines by up to 40% in some cases without the need for new construction. These advanced technologies—including dynamic line ratings (DLR) that adjust capacity based on real-time weather conditions, high-temperature advanced conductors that can carry significantly more current, and sophisticated power flow controllers that optimize electricity routing—work by maximizing the utilization of current infrastructure. Rather than building around bottlenecks, GETs eliminate them through smarter, more responsive grid management. On an episode of The POWER Podcast, Anna Lafoyiannis, program lead for the integration of renewables and co-lead of the GET SET (Grid Enhancing Technologies for a Smart Energy Transition) initiative with EPRI, explained that GETs can be either hardware or software solutions. “Their purpose is to increase the capacity, efficiency, reliability, or safety of transmission lines. So, think of these as adders to your transmission lines to make them even better,” Lafoyiannis said. “Typically, they reduce congestion costs. They improve the integration of renewables. They increase capacity. They can provide grid service applications. So, they’re really multifaceted—very helpful for the grid,” she said. “At EPRI, we think of them as kind of like a tool in a toolbox.” The economic and environmental implications are profound. Deploying GETs can defer or eliminate the need for costly new transmission projects while accelerating the integration of renewable energy resources that are often stranded due to transmission constraints. As utilities worldwide grapple with the dual pressures of modernizing their grids and meeting ambitious clean energy targets, GETs offer a compelling path forward that leverages innovation over infrastructure expansion to create a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable electricity system.

As the world transitions toward renewable energy sources, geothermal power has emerged as one of the most promising, yet underutilized, options in the clean energy portfolio. Unlike solar and wind, geothermal offers consistent baseload power generation capacity without intermittency challenges, making it an increasingly attractive component in the renewable energy mix. The geothermal sector has shown increasing potential in recent years, with technological innovations expanding its possible applications beyond traditional volcanic regions. These advances are creating opportunities to tap into moderate-temperature resources that were previously considered uneconomical, potentially unlocking gigawatts of clean, renewable power across the globe. It's within this expanding landscape that companies like Gradient Geothermal are pioneering new approaches. As a guest on The POWER Podcast, Ben Burke, CEO of Gradient Geothermal, outlined his company’s innovative approach to geothermal energy extraction that could transform how we think about energy recovery from oil and gas operations. Modular and Mobile Geothermal Solutions Gradient Geothermal differentiates itself in the geothermal marketplace through its focus on modular, portable equipment designed specifically for oil field operations, geothermal operators, and potentially data centers. Unlike traditional geothermal installations that require permanent infrastructure, Gradient’s equipment can be moved every six to 18 months as needed, allowing clients to adjust their thermal capacity by adding or removing units as requirements change. “The advantage of mobility and modularity is really important to oil and gas operators,” Burke said. The company’s solution consists of two main components: an off-the-shelf organic Rankine cycle (ORC) unit and a primary heat exchanger loop. This system can handle various ratios of oil, gas, and water—even “dirty” water containing sand, brines, and minerals—and convert that heat into usable power. One of the most compelling aspects of Gradient’s technology is its ease of installation. “Installation takes one day,” Burke explained. “It’s two pipes and three wires, and it’s able to sit on a gravel pad or sit on trailers.” This quick setup contrasts sharply with traditional geothermal plants that can take years to construct. The units come in three sizes: 75 kW, 150 kW, and 300 kW. The modular nature allows for flexible configurations, with units able to be connected in series or parallel to handle varying water volumes and temperatures.

U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn into office for the second time on Jan. 20, 2025. That means April 30 marks his 100th day back in office. A lot has happened during that relatively short period of time. The Trump administration has implemented sweeping changes to U.S. energy policy, primarily focused on promoting fossil fuels while curtailing renewable energy development. The administration declared a “national energy emergency” to expedite approvals for fossil fuel infrastructure and lifted regulations on coal plants, exempting nearly 70 facilities from toxic pollutant rules. Coal was officially designated a “critical mineral,” with the Department of Justice directed to investigate regulatory bias against the industry. Additionally, the administration ended the Biden-era pause on approvals for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities, signaling strong support for natural gas expansion. On the environmental front, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced 31 deregulatory actions designed in part to “unleash American energy.” The administration is also challenging the 2009 EPA finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health—a foundational element of climate regulation. President Trump announced the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, effective in early 2026, and terminated involvement in all climate-related international agreements, effectively eliminating previous emissions reduction commitments. Renewable energy has faced significant obstacles under the new administration. A six-month pause was imposed on offshore wind lease sales and permitting in federal waters, with specific projects targeted for cancellation. The administration issued a temporary freeze on certain Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds designated for clean energy projects. Policies were implemented to weaken federal clean car standards, potentially eliminate electric vehicle (EV) tax credits, and halt funding for EV charging networks—indirectly affecting power generation by potentially reducing electricity demand from EVs. Yet, the administration’s tariff policy may end up impacting the power industry more than anything else it has done. “One thing in particular that I think would be hard to argue is not the most impactful, and that’s the current status of tariffs and a potential trade war,” Greg Lavigne, a partner with the global law firm Sidley Austin, said as a guest on The POWER Podcast. In April, President Trump declared a national emergency to address trade deficits, imposing a 10% tariff on all countries and higher tariffs on nations with large trade deficits with the U.S. These tariffs particularly affect solar panels and components from China, potentially increasing costs for renewable energy projects and disrupting supply chains. Meanwhile, the offshore wind energy industry has also taken a hard hit under the Trump administration. “My second-biggest impact in the first 100 days would certainly be the proclamations pausing evaluation of permitting of renewable projects, but particularly wind projects, on federal lands,” said Lavigne. “That is having real-world impacts today on the offshore wind market off the eastern seaboard of the United States.” Despite the focus on traditional energy sources, the Trump administration has expressed support for nuclear energy as a tool for energy dominance and global competitiveness against Russian and Chinese nuclear exports. Key appointees, including Energy Secretary Chris Wright, have signaled a favorable stance toward nuclear power development, including small modular reactors. All these actions remain subject to ongoing legal and political developments, with their full impact on the power generation industry yet to unfold.

The power industry supply chain is facing unprecedented strain as utilities race to upgrade aging infrastructure against a backdrop of lengthening lead times and increasing project complexity. This supply chain gridlock arrives precisely when utilities face mounting pressure to modernize systems. As the industry confronts this growing crisis, innovations in procurement, manufacturing, and strategic planning are essential. “Utilities can optimize their supply chain for grid modernization projects by taking a collaborative approach between the services themselves and how they can support the projects, as well as having a partner to be able to leverage their sourcing capabilities and have the relationships with the right manufacturers,” Ian Rice, senior director of Programs and Services for Grid Services at Wesco, explained as a guest on The POWER Podcast. “At the end of the day, it’s how can the logistical needs be accounted for and taken care of by the partnered firm to minimize the overall delays that are going to naturally come and mitigate the risks,” he said. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wesco is a leading global supply chain solutions provider. Rice explained that through Wesco, utilities gain access to a one-stop solution for program services, project site services, and asset management. The company claims its tailored approach “ensures cost reduction, risk mitigation, and operational efficiencies, allowing utilities to deliver better outcomes for their customers.” “We take a really comprehensive approach to this,” said Rice. “In the utility market, we believe pricing should be very transparent.” To promote a high level of transparency, Wesco builds out special recovery models for its clients. “What this looks like is: we take a complete cradle-to-grave approach on the lifecycle of the said project or program, and typically, it could be up to nine figures—very, very large programs,” Rice explained. “It all starts with building that model and understanding the complexity. What are the inputs, what are the outputs, and what constraints are there in the short term as well as the long term? And, really, what’s the goal of that overall program?” The answers to those questions are accounted for in the construction of the model. “It all starts with demand management, which closely leads to a sourcing and procurement strategy,” Rice said. “From there, we can incorporate inventory control, and set up SOPs [standard operating procedures] of how we want to deal with the contractors and all the other stakeholders within that program or project. And that really ties into what’s going to be the project management approach, as well in setting up all the different processes, or even the returns and reclamation program. We’re really covering everything minute to minute, day to day, the entire duration of that project, and tying that into a singular model.” But that’s not all. Rice said another thing that sets Wesco apart from others in the market is when it takes this program or project approach, depending on the scale of it, the company remains agnostic when it comes to suppliers. “We’re doing procurement on behalf of our customers,” he said. “So, if they have direct relationships, we can facilitate that. If they’re working with other distributors, we can also manage that. The whole idea here is: what’s in the best interest of the customer to provide the most value.”