Electric Utilities








Asia

Malaysia's Khazanah Nasional Fund reports higher profit and 5.2% investment returns in 2025

Malaysian sovereign fund Khazanah Nasional reported Tuesday higher operating profits. Its investment portfolio is expected to return 5.2% by 2025 despite uncertainties caused by U.S. Tariffs and geopolitical risk. Khazanah is a major shareholder of some of Malaysia’s largest companies. These include CIMB Group (the country's second-largest bank), Tenaga Nasional, the power utility, and Malaysia Aviation Group – the nation’s national airline. According to its website, it invests in energy, healthcare information technology, and real estate. Khazanah, which is owned by the Finance Ministry, has reported an operating profit of 5.6 billion Ringgit ($1.43billion) in 2018, up from 5.1billion ringgit...

North America

Nuclear Power

Constellation Energy's profits soar on the back of robust data centers-driven demand

Constellation Energy, a major U.S. energy company, beat Wall Street estimates for its fourth-quarter adjusted profits on Tuesday. The rise in electricity demand from data centers helped to send shares up by 4% during morning trading. The Energy Information Administration stated in its short-term energy outlook last month that the U.S. is expecting to increase power consumption through 2027, after having set a record for a second consecutive year in 2025. The rapid construction of AI and crypto data centers, as well as the shift by households and businesses to electric heating and transport, are driving much of the demand....

Electric Utilities

Xcel Energy will power a new Google datacenter in Minnesota

Xcel Energy announced on 'Tuesday that it had partnered with Google in order to 'power the tech giant’s new data centre in Pine Island, Minnesota. while contributing 1,900 Megawatts a new - clean energy to the grid. The U.S. is expecting its power consumption to rise rapidly in the coming years, mainly due to the rapid expansion of data centers, which are used for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. Utility companies have invested billions of dollars to upgrade the electric grid in order to meet this demand. However, this has led some customers to worry about their?bills increasing. Xcel stated that...

Electric Utilities

NRG Energy beats quarterly profit estimates on strong power demand

NRG Energy's?fourth quarter profit surpassed Wall Street expectations on Tuesday as the utility was aided by rising?demand for power. This sent?its shares up 1.7% in premarket trading. The U.S. demand for power reached record levels in 2025, and it is expected to continue growing as major tech companies expand their data centers. Some of these use as much energy as an entire city. NRG will 'benefit from the surge of power demand in Texas. It is one of the largest data center markets across the country. CEO Larry 'Coben stated that the company has doubled its footprint in terms of...

Electric Utilities

AES Corp signs a 20-year power supply agreement with Google

AES Corp. announced on Tuesday that it had signed a?20-year agreement with Google to?supply energy to the U.S. technology giant's Wilbarger County data center. AES has said that it also signed deals with energy generators which will be located?co-located to the new data centers and allow?Google?to expand its operations in order to meet the demand for 'its core services. The shares of the utility rose by 1.2% during premarket trading. U.S. ?utilities are racing to sign supply ?deals with data-center operators ?as the artificial-intelligence boom sparks a surge in power demand. However, the demand has stoked fears about rising power...

Nuclear Power

Constellation Energy exceeds profit expectations on strong demand for power

Constellation Energy, a major U.S. energy company, beat Wall Street expectations for its fourth-quarter adjusted profit on Tuesday. This was due to the rising demand for electricity from data centers. In premarket trading, shares of the company increased by 1.4%. The Energy Information Administration's Short-Term Energy Outlook said that the U.S. is likely to increase its power consumption this year and next after setting a new record in 2025. The rapid expansion of data centers to support artificial intelligence services and cryptocurrency is a major factor in the surge of demand. Other factors include a move by businesses and homes...

Electric Utilities

Japan's top business lobby cancels private meeting with activist Fund Elliott

Keidanren has postponed a meeting with activist investor, Elliott Investment Management, scheduled for next month, a spokesman from the lobby group announced?on Tuesday. Last month, it was reported that the meeting planned for March 5 would be an opportunity to have an Elliott portfolio manager responsible for Japanese equity investments outline their investment strategy and how they engage with companies. This would then be followed by a "frank exchange" of views. Keidanren's official declined to elaborate on the reasons for postponing the meeting. Elliott didn't respond to our request for comment. Elliott is a major player in Japan. It has...

Electric Utilities

Dominion Energy's forecasted annual profit is below expectations, and the company has raised its spending plan

Dominion Energy's annual profit forecast was below Wall Street expectations on Monday. However, the utility increased its capital spending plan for five years by almost 30% to meet a soaring electricity demand. U.S. utilities are adding billions to their capital budgets due to extreme weather conditions, and the demand for more power from data centers that use artificial intelligence?and cryptocurrency. Dominion Energy, based in Richmond, Virginia, said that it had contracted for nearly 48,5?gigawatts (GW) of data center capacities as of December. This is an increase of 1.4 GW since September. Customers include Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft and Equinix as well...

Electric Utilities

US Ambassador urges Portugal to purchase F-35s and join the top-tier air force

The U.S. Ambassador to Portugal has called on Lisbon to replace its F-16 fighter planes with Lockheed Martin's F-35. He said that the stealth aircraft would allow for interoperability between Europe's "top-tier" air forces. John Arrigo, the U.S. ambassador to Portugal, told CNN Portugal on Sunday evening that he would use his business expertise to help Portugal increase its defence spending from 2% to NATO's target 5% by 2035. Arrigo said, "F-35 fighters are the best - they're fifth-generation stealth aircraft that will get them (the Portuguese Air Force), into the Champions League in the EU," Nuno Melo, the Portuguese...

Electric Utilities

Alliant Energy beats quarterly profit estimates on strong power demand

Alliant Energy, a U.S. utility company, beat Wall Street estimates for its fourth-quarter profit on Thursday. The success was due to a robust 'power demand' and strong performance in the 'electric and gas segment. U.S. electricity consumption reached record levels last year, and it is expected to continue to increase in 2026 as AI and crypto data centers expand. Alliant's revenue from its electric utility business grew to $870 millions in the quarter that ended on December 31. This is up from $793 million one year earlier. The quarterly gas segment revenue increased by 11%, to $159 millions. The company...

Power Markets

Consolidated Edison's quarter profit misses estimates due to higher operating and interest costs

Consolidated Edison, hurt by higher operating and interest costs, missed Wall Street's expectations for the?fourth quarter profit? on Thursday. Interest rates that are higher for longer can increase borrowing costs. Operating expenses for the company rose to $3.51 billion in the third quarter, up from $3.16 billion a year ago. Interest?expenses rose from $304 to $313 millions, up from $304 millions a year earlier. According to LSEG, the 'New York-based utility' posted an adjusted profit per?share of 89 cents for the three months ended December 31. This compares with analysts' average estimates of 95 cents. The company anticipates capital investments...

Power Markets

Southern Co increases its spending plan by 7 percent as the demand for data center electricity grows

Southern?Co increased its five-year budget by 7%, as the U.S. South's largest electric and gas utility sells more electricity. U.S. utilities have invested heavily in upgrading electric grids as a result of extreme weather, the growing demand for power from data centers dedicated AI and cryptocurrency and a shift among homes and businesses to electric heating and transportation. Southern Co CEO Chris Womack told investors that the country and the energy industry are at a "watershed moment". Southern Co plans to spend $81 billion between 2026 and 2030, up from its previous five-year budget of $76 billion. About half of...

Power Markets

Southern Co's forecasted annual profit is below estimate, and it raises its spending plan

Southern Co on Thursday forecast an annual profit that was below the?estimates of analysts, and increased its five-year budget plan to prepare for a?unprecedented power demand from large-load customers such as data centers and industries. U.S. utilities are investing heavily in upgrading their electric grids to cope with extreme weather, the demand for power from data centers dedicated to AI/cryptocurrency and the shift of homes and businesses to electric heating and transportation. Southern Co. expects to spend $81 billion between 2026 and 2030, compared to its previous five-year plan of $76 billion. The utility announced that it had signed contracts...

Europe

Coal

The cartel office warns that the growing power of top suppliers could pose a threat to German electricity market.

The cartel office of Germany said that changes in Germany's energy market have increased RWE's, LEAG's and EnBW's clout, which has led to a greater reliance on imports, as well as an increase in supply risks. According to the Bundeskartellamt annual report, which is based on data between May 2024 and April 2025, Germany's move away from flexible energy sources, such as coal, nuclear, and hydroelectric, has made remaining plants more important for meeting demand. The country temporarily activated reserve?stations to meet the energy needs of the crisis caused by Russia's conflict in Ukraine. However, from early 2024 onwards it...

Energy Markets

Ukraine reduces power imports when weather becomes less cold

Analyst DixiGroup said late on Tuesday that Ukraine decreased electricity imports last week by 3% to around 311 gigawatt-hours due to milder weather. This is the?first?decrease in weekly import volume in the last five week. In a report, it stated that electricity exports had remained zero for the past three months. In early February, temperatures in certain parts of Ukraine reached minus 30 degrees Celsius (-22degF), just as Russian attacks knocked down large portions of?the electricity network. DixiGroup said that the gradual rise in temperatures had improved the situation as the warmer weather decreased network load, and reduced the capacity...

Natural Gas Utilities

Naturgy extends the chief's term to 2030, and changes board

As it restructured its board, the Spanish power utility Naturgy announced on Wednesday that it would "propose to shareholders" that Executive Chairman Francisco Reynes remain at the helm of?the company through 2030. These moves follow recent ownership changes at Spain's biggest gas company. This included an increase of free float after a buyback, and its return to the MSCI Indexes in November. IFM, the Australian investment fund, will have a third member on its board, bringing it up to parity with Naturgy, whose largest shareholder is Spanish holding firm Criteria. Both have stakes of approximately 15.5% and 26%. BlackRock's stake...

Western Europe

East Asia

Electric Utilities

MORNING BID EUROPE - Trump fumes at the world after his tariffs fall short

Is this the Art of the Deal, Gregor Stuart Hunter? U.S. president Donald Trump warned that trade partners should not "play games" and back out of recently agreed trade agreements after the Supreme Court ruled against his 'emergency tariffs. Some foreign governments want to check if they still have the same terms that were originally negotiated. Trump will "come out smokin'" in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday, after the tariff setback. He may even take aim at the Supreme Court Justices who are seated there. However, governments in Asia still have concerns. Japan wants to know if...

Electric Utilities

Rare Earths prices rise above the MP Materials price floor

Prices for two rare earths that are crucial to making super-strong magnets used in EVs or defence equipment have risen on the back of a?firm supply and a?firm demand. This is above an unprecedented price floor set by the U.S. As long as the price of MP Materials' neodymium & praseodymium remains above $110 per kilogram, the U.S. Government will not be required to subsidise the company. The price increase to $123 per kg, which is the highest level since July 2022 will also help other rare earth companies that Western governments are hoping will be able reduce their reliance...

Mineral Resources

Trump announces a $12 billion stockpile of minerals to boost US manufacturing and counter China

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...

Energy Markets

Tepco will sell Kandenko shares up to 26 million as part of its restructuring

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...

Electric Utilities

Winter storm in the U.S. cancels thousands of flights

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...

Electric Utilities

TEPCO restarts nuclear reactor for the first time since Fukushima

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...

Energy Markets

NHK reports that TEPCO will delay the restart of Kashiwazaki - Kariwa nuclear power station.

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...

Nuclear Power

Japan regulator to suspend Chubu Electric Nuclear Power Plant Review pending Report

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,...

Electric Utilities

M&A boom unlikely to be disrupted by Japan's increased oversight of foreign investment

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...

Nuclear Power

EU investigates Czech State Support for Two New Nuclear Units

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...

Energy Markets

China will start commercial operation of the first small modular reactor in 2026

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...

Electric Utilities

Namibia's second desalination facility to be built by Chinese uranium mining company

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...