How Advanced Monitoring and Early Warning Tools Are Revolutionizing Power Plant Cooling Water Intake Management
Thermal power plants, nuclear and fossil-fueled, rely on cooling water intake structures (CWIS) to withdraw water for rejecting waste heat. The CWIS serves as a critical interface between engineered systems…
Federal Grid Interventions Enter a Second Phase as DOE Extends Emergency Orders
The Trump administration’s unprecedented use of emergency grid authorities entered a second phase in August 2025, as the Department of Energy (DOE) extended three critical reliability orders. The measures signal…
Delays, Rollbacks, and Diverging Paths: The Global State of Power Plant Emissions Controls
In recent years, analysis of the world’s power plant emissions appears to have centered largely on carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), mainly because carbon dominates global accounting frameworks and climate…
Improving the Efficiency of Power Plant Cooling Ponds
As electricity demand soars during summer heat waves, many power plants find themselves constrained by their ability to cool water efficiently for reuse. Innovative floating cooling technology is enabling The…
Energy Allies: Communities and Utilities Building Resilience Together
Extreme weather and aging grid infrastructure are causing longer, more frequent power outages—making energy resilience a growing priority for utilities and communities. This new resource features a range of strategies…
EPA Extends Coal Ash Compliance Deadlines, Citing Utility, Contractor Strain
Citing a mounting compliance crunch in America’s coal-fired power sector, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized new rules extending key deadlines for coal ash cleanup and management, while…
PSC Greenlights Georgia Power Plan to Expand Coal, Gas, Nuclear, and Grid Infrastructure
The Georgia Public Service (PSC) Commission has unanimously approved Georgia Power’s 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), authorizing a massive energy expansion to accommodate what the utility calls “extraordinary” growth in…
North Dakota’s Largest Coal Plant Could Power Data Centers, Industrial Complex
County commissioners in North Dakota have signed off on a rezoning request from a local energy provider, a move that means a large coal-fired power plant could be used to…
Renewable Energy Surges, but Grid Crisis Looms as Demand Grows and Policies Shift
The U.S. electric power sector is experiencing a surge in renewable energy deployment, yet the grid faces mounting pressure from skyrocketing demand and shifting federal policies. As data centers and…
Unlocking Power Plant Efficiency: How AI Models Are Revolutionizing Heat Rate Optimization
Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a huge role in heat rate optimization. In some cases, AI-driven models have analyzed operational data to recommend control settings that reduce heat rates by…
