TVA Submitted the Nation’s First Construction Permit Application to the NRC for a new Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Plant

TVA.com: Scott Fiedler

TVA-Clinch-River-GE-SMR
Image: TVA.com Clinch River, GE SMR

TVA announced it was “the first utility in the U.S. to submit a construction permit application (CPA) for the GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) small modular reactor (SMR) BWRX-300 technology to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission – the agency that issues licenses for constructing, operating and decommissioning nuclear power plants.

This CPA is TVA’s next step in pursuing an SMR at its Clinch River site, near Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and establishing America’s energy dominance to power artificial intelligence, quantum computing and advanced manufacturing.

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TVA Adds Another 500-Megawatts to Its Bottom Line

TVA.com: Scott Fiedler, Jennifer Thelen

TVA-Adds-500MW
Image: TVA.com (Johnsonville CT Plant)

TVA recently announced “that it has added 500 additional megawatts of electricity to their power grid – enough energy to power almost 300,000 homes.

With the completion of the 10 new aeroderivative gas turbines at Johnsonville Combustion Turbine Plant, west of Nashville, the Johnsonville site can now provide more than 1,200 megawatts to TVA’s grid, which provides electricity to more than 10 million people across seven states.”

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Google Signs Agreement for New Renewable Energy to Power AI Facilities

FoxNews.com: Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report

Google-Nuclear-Fusion-Power-Deal
Image: FoxNews.com: Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson

Google recently signed its first ever energy power contract for nuclear fusion technology with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) in taking the next step forward in renewable clean energy. “CFS is an MIT spin-out working to build one of the world’s first commercial fusion reactors. This Google fusion deal marks a pivotal moment for the tech giant as it looks to secure reliable, carbon-free power for its growing AI operations.”

Google plans to purchase up to “200 megawatts of power from CFS’s planned ARC fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia, which will help power Google’s expanding network of AI data centers.”

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Could Advanced Conductors Like AECC Technology Replace ACSR Transmission and Distribution Lines for Power Grid Improvements?

EnergyCentral.com: Jason Huang & T&DWorld.com: Gene Wolf

OH-TL-&-DL-Reliability
Image: T&DWorld.com: Gene Wolf

Since aluminum conductor steel reinforced (ACSR) technology took over nearly all of power utilities’ transmission lines and overhead distribution lines, there has not been many advancements in newer and more feasible power delivery conductors. The ACSR technology has been around for over a century, but a new conductor technology is shaping up as an optimal replacement.

“AECC (Aluminum Encapsulated Carbon Core) technology represents a natural evolution that combines advanced conductor performance with traditional conductor safety and reliability. The design uses a pre-tensioned carbon fiber core protected by a seamless aluminum encapsulation layer, paired with annealed aluminum trapezoidal outer strands.”

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“Advanced conductor technologies are gaining acceptance with utilities and grid operators. Reconductoring with advanced conductors can put a huge dent in the transmission capacity shortage”

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Public Power Regulators Grant AEP’s Request for Data Center Owners to Fund Infrastructure Improvements

DailyEnergyInsider.com: Kim Riley

Data-Centers-to-Fund-Elec-Grid-Improvements
Image: DailyEnergyInsider.com: Shutterstock

“The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO)” recently awarded AEP of Ohio to partner with data center owners for “establishing financial obligations” to support electrical grid infrastructure improvements that directly accommodate them.

The ruling provides a huge win for AEP, reducing the need for other AEP rate payers to be partially expensed through gradual rate increases to fund AEP’s required energy grid upgrades for bringing new data centers online. New data center owners will be “required to pay a minimum of 85% of AEP’s energy they are subscribed to use to help cover the costs of bringing power to those facilities.”

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How Will Solar and Wind Energy Continue to Thrive with Tax Credits Being Phased Out?

EnergyLiveNews.com

Solar-and-Wind-Struggle-Less-Tax-Credits
EnergyLiveNews.com: Shutterstock

Recent changes in U.S. policy and approved “legislation are slashing federal support for both wind and solar renewable projects.” As the tax credits and clean energy incentive benefits for constructing new green power plants are hastily eliminated, how much will the wind and solar markets decline?

This change in American policy “is likely to throw fresh uncertainty over renewable energy investments, especially as the sector struggles to keep pace with surging electricity demands across the U.S.”

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