Nuclear Power

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...

Senior Russian officials questioned the viability of U.S. proposals to build a nuclear plant in Armenia, as a sign that Moscow is concerned about losing out on a lucrative deal for energy in a nation it considers part of its sphere. On a recent visit to Armenia, U.S. vice president JD Vance signed an agreement which could pave the path for the construction of the plant and open "a new chapter" in the growing partnership between Armenians and Americans. Sergei Shoigu said that the Soviet technology allowed Armenia's nuclear plant to survive a devastating earthquake in 1988. He said that...

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...

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...

Duke Energy announced on Tuesday that it had increased its five-year investment?plan for power infrastructure to $100 billion. This is an 18% increase from the previous?iteration. It has now become the largest capital spending plan?for any U.S. regulated utility. U.S. energy companies are increasing their spending plans at record levels, as power demand forecasts in the United States rise after years of stagnation. The growth is driven by the proliferation and energy-intensive data centres of the tech industry. U.S. energy demand is expected to hit Record highs The U.S. Energy Information Administration has stated that the U.S. will reach a...

Duke Energy, a utility company, forecast higher profits for the current year on Tuesday due to strong power demand. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the rapid expansion of AI data centres?and accelerating energy consumption in homes and businesses will drive U.S. electricity demand to new highs by 2026. As part of its long-term plan to?meet the sharply increasing electricity demand in the Carolinas, the utility firm also considered adding large nuclear reactors and extending life of certain?coal plant. In a recent statement, CEO Harry Sideris stated that "We are well-positioned for 5% to 7 % EPS growth by...

The U.S. Nuclear Power Regulator said on Wednesday that it was undergoing a restructuring in order to meet President Donald Trump's goals of speeding up the licensing of nuclear reactors. In a press release, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it would appoint leaders to oversee the reactor safety program. The staff will also develop a new management plan and organizational chart within 60 days. The NRC stated that it will try to implement the plan by the end of September. Trump is looking to quadruple the U.S. nuclear capacity?to 400 gigawatts?by 2050, as electricity demand increases for the first...

The U.S. announced on Wednesday that it is requesting input from U.S. state governments on their interest in hosting a site for the development of nuclear fuel lifecycles, including storing nuclear wastes and spent fuel reprocessing. The U.S. Energy Department calls these sites Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses. They could provide federal funding for the deployment of advanced reactors as well as co-located computer centers. Campuses could be used to enrich uranium. By April 1, the department is seeking input from all states. Donald Trump is looking to quadruple the U.S. nuclear power capacity to 400 gigawatts in 2050, as electricity...

The?U.S. The Department of Energy is seeking interest from U.S. States as early as this week on the storage of nuclear waste as a reward for incentives to build reactors. The Trump administration wants to quadruple the U.S. nuclear capacity to 400 gigawatts in 2050, as electricity demand increases for the first decade due to data centers and cryptocurrency. The new strategy represents a major shift in policy aimed at solving an old problem that has plagued the U.S. Nuclear Industry for decades: how to dispose of its radioactive waste. The administration believes that overcoming local opposition to waste disposal...

On?Friday, the United States and Slovakia signed an agreement to further cooperation in the country's nuclear energy program. They said that this would reduce Slovakia's reliance on Russian designed reactors. The agreement calls for the construction of a 1,200 megawatt state-owned nuclear unit, designed in the U.S. Since?last year, Slovakia has been in talks with Washington to build a large nuclear plant with Westinghouse, a nuclear developer. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said at an event held at the headquarters of the agency in Washington, "Today's Civil Nuclear Agreement reflects our shared dedication to strengthening European energy sovereignty and security for...

The White House reported that regional fears about a U.S. strike on Iran were eased when President Donald Trump stated that Tehran assured him protesters wouldn't be executed. However, he still has "all his options" on the table. Israel and the United States carried out their last major strike on Iran in June, targeting mainly key nuclear facilities. Which nuclear sites were hit? The three uranium enrichment plants in Iran - two at Natanz, and one hidden inside a mountain near Fordow – as well as the sprawling Isfahan complex that includes a number of?facilities?that are part of the nuclear...

The companies confirmed that Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear power company, has released Siemens Energy from its contract to?help build Paks II in Hungary. This confirms an earlier report on the news website Politico. Rosatom informed?that it had terminated the contract with the firm?at the?end of 2025 because its?inability? to meet its contractual obligations. Siemens Energy stated that there were no sanctions in place at the time of termination, and that it fulfilled its contractual obligations in compliance with all national and international laws. It said that "at the time when the fulfillment would have made sense, the customer had...

Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Energy in Ukraine, said that senior Ukrainian officials agreed on Wednesday to increase air defence capabilities around the capital Kyiv. This is to counter any possible future Russian air attacks against energy infrastructure. The 'fresh' preparations follow the attacks in Kyiv, where officials are scrambling to repair damages to heating and electricity networks that has left thousands of people in darkness and cold. "Most information will not be made public." In the context of?potential further Russian attacks?, we discussed strengthening Kyiv?s active air defense, especially for?energy facilities?, Shmyhal wrote after a military staff meeting on Telegram....

The head of Ukraine's nuclear power company said that the largest nuclear plant in Europe, which was seized by Russian forces during the initial days of the invasion of Ukraine, could only be restarted safely if the facility is returned to Ukrainian control. Since Russian forces seized the area, the six reactors of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant were shut down. Moscow announced in 2013 that it aimed to restart one reactor. The plant's Russian appointed boss stated it could start producing energy as early as 2027. Pavlo Kovtoniuk is the head of Ukrainian nuclear company Energoatom. He said that...

Hungarian Foreign Ministry Peter 'Szijjarto' said that the first concrete pour at Hungary’s Russian-built nuclear plant Paks 2 was on Thursday. This officially made it a.nuclear facility under construction. Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear energy company, will build two new reactors under an agreement signed in 2014 between Budapest and Moscow. Hungary wants to expand Paks by adding two Russian VVER reactors. Each VVER has a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts. The 12.5 billion Euro project, which was awarded to Rosatom without a tender, is often cited as proof of the warm relationship between Russian President Vladimir Putin and?Hungarian Premier Viktor...

The?government announced on Thursday that Vietnam's PM Pham Minh Chinh wanted talks with Russia about building a nuclear plant to be completed?this month. He also urged officials to seek out new?partners, after Japan pulled its support from a second project. Vietnam restarted its nuclear energy programme in 2017 after it was suspended in 2016. Hanoi has negotiated agreements with Russia and Japan for the construction of two power plants, each with a combined capacity between 4 and 6.4 gigawatts. The aim is to sign the agreements with Russia in September and the agreement with Japan by the end last year....

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, president of Ukraine, said that the U.S.-Ukrainian negotiators would revisit the most problematic issues in the peace talks to end Russia’s war, including the question of the fate of the nuclear power plant occupied by the Russians. Kyiv faces 'U.S. Kyiv is under?U.S. The delegations have gathered in Paris to discuss peace and security assurances for Ukraine, in the event of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Russia has not been supportive of the U.S.-backed initiative. Zelenskiy announced on X that a third meeting with the U.S. delegation would take place in just two days. He said that...

The Russian operators of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine have confirmed that a second external powerline has been restored. The plant, Europe's biggest with six reactors, was taken by Russian troops during the first few weeks of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia and Ukraine accuse each of other's military actions which compromise nuclear safety. The plant does not produce electricity at the moment, but it needs external power in order to cool down the nuclear fuels and prevent the possibility of a meltdown. In a statement cited by Russian news agencies the station's Russian operators...

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, will host five leaders from Central Asian countries at the White House this Thursday. The U.S. is seeking to gain influence in the region that has been dominated for decades by Russia but increasingly courted and influenced by China. The talks are taking place as the competition for Central Asia’s mineral resources intensifies. Western nations want to diversify their supply chains and move away from Moscow or Beijing. The U.S., in particular, is seeking new partnerships to secure vital minerals, energy supplies and overland trading routes that circumvent geopolitical competitors. The C5+1 platform, which was...

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry condemned on Friday what they called Russian attacks on critical substations that supply external power to Ukraine's nuclear reactors. A ministry statement released late Friday stated that Russia had carried out "targeted attacks" on these substations. It added that "Deliberate attacks on civilian energy installations which directly affect the safe operations of nuclear facilities bear the hallmarks and are a grave breach of international humanitarian laws." The ministry referred back to a Thursday statement by the U.N. nuclear monitor, the International Atomic Energy Agency. It reported that military activity had "caused damage to critical substations for...

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine has been reconnected to external power by engineers who repaired a damaged line of high voltage, the station's Russian-installed managers announced on Thursday. In the first weeks after the Ukraine war, Russian troops seized the plant, Europe's biggest with six reactors. The plant currently does not produce electricity but it needs external power in order to cool down the nuclear fuel, avoiding the possibility of a meltdown. The International Atomic Energy Agency, U.N. nuclear watchdog, has prioritized the safety of this site, given the nearby fighting. Russia and Ukraine have often accused each...

Officials said that a new Russian attack in the border region of Chernihiv, Ukraine, on Monday knocked power out to large areas of the northern part of the country. This included the main town near the decommissioned Chornobyl Nuclear Power Station. Chernihivoblenergo (the local power company) in the area said that the latest attack targeted an energy site but refused to identify it. Yuri Fomichev said that a part of Slavutych in Kyiv Region, located 45 km (28miles) west of Chernobyl, had lost electricity in the incident. The water supply system of the town was switched to reserve power, and...

The Kremlin announced on Monday that Russia is ready to expand its cooperation with Iran across all fields. Moscow maintains close ties with Tehran. It has condemned the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iranian nuclear sites in early this year, which were conducted with the stated goal of preventing Tehran acquiring a nuke bomb. Iran denies building a nuclear weapon. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesman, was asked by reporters to comment on how Russia viewed events surrounding Iran's nuclear program and whether Moscow would strengthen ties with Tehran. "Russia is ready to expand its cooperation with Iran across all fields." "Iran is...