Electric Utilities

Eversource Energy reported a higher fourth-quarter profit Thursday. This was largely due to stronger results in its gas business and the absence of large one-time charges which had weighed down on previous year's earnings. The U.S. electricity consumption hit "record" highs in 2025, and it is expected to continue rising in 2026 as AI and crypto-data centers expand, and more homes and business use electricity for heating and transportation. Eversource's results for the year before were severely affected by large one-time charges, including about 298 million dollars in after-tax losses tied to its then-pending sale?of Aquarion water and substantial losses...

Companies like American Electric Power, Exelon and others have announced their expanded investment plans and answered questions about rising power bills. Utilities add power?lines to the grid and other components as data centers -- needed for Big Tech's expansion in artificial intelligence technologies that drive this growth -- help lift U.S. consumption of electricity out of two decades flat demand. This demand has prompted electricity prices to rise across the country, and fierce competition among power companies in order to capture this long-awaited growth. Some regulated utilities in the Mid-Atlantic PJM Interconnection are trying to change state law to be...

Entergy, a U.S.-based electric utility, raised its long-term capital expenditure plan by $2 billion on Thursday as power producers scramble to meet the growing demand for AI-driven data centers. In afternoon trading, shares of the company rose 1.7%. The U.S. utility sector is supported by a steady demand for electricity from consumers and small to mid-sized businesses. However, high regulatory, financing, and operating costs continue the pressure on this sector. As data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and other technologies expand and customers electrify heating systems and transportation, power consumption will also rise. According to the company, current data...

Nuclearelectrica, a state-owned Romanian nuclear power company, announced on Thursday that it had made a decision to invest in a small modular plant. This could be the first project in Europe using this technology. The project in central Romania, Doicesti, is to have six reactors with a capacity total of 460MW. It will be using technology from the U.S. NuScale Power. Romanian Nuclearelectrica holds a 50% stake in the joint-venture. The first reactor is the final investment decision, and the other five are dependent on the success of the technology. The original deadline of 2029 for the finalization of the...

Exelon, a U.S. utility, forecast a profit for the full year that was largely higher than analysts' estimates after beating fourth-quarter earnings expectations. This was due to rising electricity rates and increasing power demand. In afternoon trading, shares of the Chicago-based firm rose 8.8%, to $48.24. This is the highest price since October 2025. U.S. utilities have raised prices and increased capital expenditures to improve infrastructure to keep up with the'surge in demand for power from tech giants who are building data centers as they race to support 'advanced artificial intelligence related tasks. Exelon, a company that serves over 10.9...

Executives with American Electric Power said on Thursday that the company's five-year capital expenditure plan will exceed $72 billion, as it doubles the number of power contracts signed with data centers. U.S. electric demand is increasing at an unprecedented rate. Utilities are investing more to meet the growing demand from Big Tech, as they build data centers for complex AI-related tasks. AEP claims that 80% of AEP's growth is driven by hyperscalers such as?Alphabet’s Google, Amazon.com, and Meta. AEP shares reached a new record high, and last traded at $127.38 per share. AEP has now signed agreements for 56 gigawatts...

Exelon, a U.S. utility company, forecast a full-year adjusted profit that was largely higher than analysts' expectations. This came after the company surpassed fourth-quarter earnings predictions. The increase in electricity rates and increased?power consumption were to blame. U.S. utilities have raised their prices and increased capital expenditures to improve infrastructure to keep up with the surge of power demand by tech giants who are building data centers in a race to support "advanced artificial intelligence tasks". Exelon has projected a capital expenditure of $41.3 billion over the next four-year period, up from $38 billion. "With a $41.3bn?four-year?capital plan and 7.9%...

PG&E, the utility company, tightened its profit forecast for full year?on Thursday. It raised its lower end as it expects to see strong?power demand?driven?by data _centers and broader %load growth. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the combination of AI data centers in the technology industry and the accelerating electrification at home and business will push U.S. energy demand to new records by?2026. The?utility announced last year that it would spend $73 billion on transmission upgrades by 2030 to keep up with the surge in demand for electricity caused by data centers. Since its third-quarter update the company has...

American Electric Power exceeded Wall Street expectations of fourth-quarter profits?on Thursday and announced that it would increase its?five year capital expenditure plan to $72 billion in order to meet the surge in?demand for electricity. U.S. electric?demand? is increasing at an?unprecedented rate, as utilities increase investments to meet the growing demand from Big Tech to set up data centres to support AI-related complex tasks. AEP has been one of the main beneficiaries of this demand surge, with 80% of its growth driven by large hyperscalers such as Alphabet’s Google, Amazon.com, and Meta. AEP's share price rose by 1.7% during premarket trading....

Entergy, the U.S. electric company, forecast earnings for 2026 below Wall Street expectations on Thursday after it missed estimates for its 'fourth quarter profit. The demand for electricity has increased due to the large industrial consumers and new high-load users. However, higher operating costs, financing?costs, and capital requirements have weighed on utilities' margins and short-term profits. Entergy’s operating and maintenance costs grew 8.6% on an annual basis in the fourth quarter, to $26.67 a megawatt-hour (MWh). Full-year O&M expenses and nuclear refueling expenses rose 1.2%. In 2025, the company's debt level increased by nearly 7% on an annual basis to...

The Trump administration's impending repeal of an Obama-era finding that greenhouse gasses pose a threat to public health could lead to a new avenue for filing suits against power-plant operators, among other companies. Legal experts warned that the policy reversal could lead to an increase in "public nuisance" lawsuits, which were previously blocked by the Supreme Court's 2011 ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency should regulate greenhouse gas emissions instead of courts. Legal experts say that now that the EPA has abandoned this regulatory effort, it is likely that the legal shield created in 2011 will unravel. Robert Percival is...

The U.S. Transportation Department announced on Tuesday that it is proposing to increase the 'American content' of federally-funded electric vehicle charging stations from a minimum of?55% up to a maximum percentage, and to require their production in the United States. This could present significant obstacles to the use the funds. In 2023, the Biden administration agreed to waive certain "Buy America' requirements for the $5 Billion government-funded program that aims to expand electric vehicle charging stations. Once the changes are finalized, the proposal would go into effect immediately. The Department of Energy believes that manufacturers are able to manufacture EV...

A Trump administration official who is familiar with the plan revealed that President Donald Trump will launch a?strategic critical minerals stockpile? with $12 billion of seed money from the U.S. Export-Import Bank. The investment is a 'last ditch effort by Washington to counter what they perceive as Chinese price manipulation for minerals such as lithium, nickel, and rare earths, which are vital to items like electric vehicles, high-tech weapons, and many other products. Bloomberg News reported that the project, Project Vault will combine private financing with a $10 Billion loan from the EXIM Bank in order to stockpile minerals for...

Tokyo Electric -Power announced on Thursday that its subsidiary TEPCO Power grid will "sell" up to 26 million shares of its Kandenko affiliate as part restructuring efforts to improve the financial health of its company and pursue growth. The sale of shares, which is valued at approximately 150 billion yen (979 million dollars) based on Kandenko’s closing price on Thursday, forms part of Tepco’s plan, announced on Monday, to raise?about?200 billion yen by selling assets over the next three-year period. Tepco stated that the proceeds will be used to?capital invest in order to maintain a stable supply of electricity and...

On Saturday, almost 4,000 flights in the U.S. were cancelled ahead of a monster storm that already has?cut off power to thousands utility customers as far as Texas? and threatens to paralyze east states with heavy snowfall. Forecasters predicted that a monster winter storm, which has already 'cut power to thousands of utility customers as far west as Texas,' and threatened to paralyze eastern states with heavy snowfall, will sweep across the eastern two thirds of the country on Sunday, and continue into next week. Donald Trump, who called the storms historic, approved federal disaster declarations on Saturday in South...

Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), after completing inspections, will restart a reactor on Wednesday at the?Kashiwazaki - Kariwa?nuclear plant. This is its first move of this kind since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. TEPCO announced that it would bring online the 1,36 gigawatt reactor (GW) No. 6 after 7 pm (1000 GMT). The reactor No. 6, which is one of seven in Kashiwazaki-Kariwa's nuclear power plant, can produce 8.2 GW at full capacity. TEPCO investigated an alarm malfunction. TEPCO reported that the equipment was working normally as of early Wednesday morning. Reactor No. Reactor No. Reactor No. Reactor No. 7...

NHK, the public broadcaster, reported Monday that Tokyo Electric Power has delayed its'restart of Kashiwazaki and Kariwa nuclear power plants, which was originally scheduled for 'January 20th. TEPCO would have had to restart its reactors for the first time since Fukushima Daiichi was struck by a powerful tsunami in 2011. The company planned to restart Unit No.6 in Kashiwazaki Kariwa on January 20th and Unit No. The company had planned to restart Unit No.6 at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa on Jan 20 and Unit?No. NHK, citing its sources, stated that the delay was caused by an alarm malfunction which occurred during equipment tests...

The nuclear watchdog in Japan said that it will order Chubu Electric Power on Wednesday to submit a report detailing?falsified data? and pause the review of its utility's application?to restart?its only atomic power plant. The Nuclear Regulation Authority in Japan (NRA) warned that it would take a harsh action against Chubu Electric after discovering the utility had manipulated data used for the reviews of its No. The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan had?previously?warned against a severe response towards Chubu Electric, including scrapping the review altogether after it was revealed that data used in the reviews of reactors No. Hamaoka,...

Experts say that the Japanese plan to grant authorities the authority to order foreign investors retroactively to divest acquisitions aims to protect major companies and supply chains. However, it is unlikely to curb increased M&A activity, they add. Japan proposed Wednesday amendments to its foreign investment screening laws that would give authorities the option to force foreigners into selling investments they deem to be a risk to national or economic security. The proposals are part of a push by the Japanese government to reduce risks associated with a?an?inflow?of foreign money into Japan's economy and to maintain control over its key...

The European Commission announced on Monday that it had opened an investigation to determine whether the public support that Czech Republic plans to provide for?the construction and operation of two new nucleonic units is in compliance with EU State Aid rules. After EDF France's appeals were rejected, the Czech Republic's Competition Authority in April cleared the path for the signing of contracts with South Korea for two units in Dukovany worth at least $400 billion Czech crowns ($19.30billion) after they?rejected their appeals. In a press release, the Commission stated that it had "doubts" about the 'appropriateness' and 'proportionality? of the...

An official from the China National Nuclear Corporation's (CNNC) research arm said that China would begin commercial operation of the Linglong One small modular reactor in the first half of 2026. The APC100 reactor, also known as APC100 was the first SMR approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2016. The first project to use the Linglong One technology, CNNC's project on China's island of Hainan began in 2021. Wang Zhenqing of the China Institute for 'Nuclear Industrial Strategy', spoke at an international energy conference in Beijing. SMRs can be built faster and smaller than traditional reactors, and...

Swakop Uranium is a subsidiary owned by the China General Nuclear Power Group. It has entered into a joint venture agreement with Namibia’s water utility, NamWater to build Namibia's second desalination plant near Swakopmund. The plant is only the second one of its kind in Africa. It will help to bolster water supply to the country's biggest uranium mining operation, Husab. In a joint statement released on Tuesday, partners of the joint venture said that negotiations had ended successfully. The project implementation phase will now begin. Swakop Uranium holds 70% of the stake, and NamWater has the rest. According to...

U.S. utilities are racing to sign supply deals with data-center operators as the artificial-intelligence boom sparks a surge in power demand, setting the stage for higher profits in the coming quarters. Goldman Sachs reported in May that data centers will account for 8% (compared to 3%) of the electricity generated in the U.S. in 2030. Here are some of the deals that utilities have announced for 2024 and 2025. NextEra Energy has expanded its partnership to Alphabet’s Google Cloud in order to increase data center capacity across the U.S. by multiple gigawatts, and improve energy infrastructure. Meta Platforms has signed...

Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki stated on Friday that the restart of Hokkaido Electric Power Co.'s Tomari Nuclear Power Plant in northern Japan was considered a real option at this time. Suzuki said he would take a final decision about the restart of the project after completing on-site inspections, and collecting feedback from the surrounding communities. The Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan approved a safety assessment for Tomari's 912-megawatt reactor No. The final step in the 12-year-long process of restarting Tomari's reactor No. Suzuki stated that, given the regulatory approvals, the new emergency response plan of the government, and the expectation...