Dive Brief: Declaring an emergency in parts of the PJM Interconnection’s footprint, the U.S. Department of Energy on Friday ordered Constellation Energy and PJM to continue operating 760 MW of oil- and gas-fired peaking capacity in Pennsylvania that Constellation had planned to deactivate the next day. The emergency order directs Constellation to keep operating two units at its Eddystone power plant near Philadelphia until Aug. 28. The order can be extended. PJM supports DOE’s order. “The department’s order is a prudent, term-limited step that will retain the covered generators for a 90-day period,” the grid operator said Saturday. “This will allow DOE, Constellation Energy and PJM to undertake further analysis regarding the longer-term need and viability of these generators.” Dive Insight: The Federal Power Act’s section 202(c) gives the DOE secretary the authority to temporarily order power plants to operate during wars and emergencies. It has been used 17 times since August 2020, according to DOE. DOE partly based its order on a May 9 report from PJM that said the grid operator had enough power supplies for this summer under normal conditions, but that under extreme conditions featuring record-setting demand it could have to call on demand response resources to avoid power outages. In determining that PJM faces an emergency, DOE also cited a PJM report from February 2023 indicating the grid operator faced tightening supply-demand conditions this decade. In addition, PJM in December asked FERC to approve a fast-track interconnection process for some planned power supplies to address potential reliability concerns, DOE said. FERC approved the plan in February. “The potential shortage of electric energy, shortage of facilities for the generation of electric energy, and other causes in the region support the need for the Eddystone Units to contribute to system reliability,” DOE said. DOE issued a similar

Dive Brief: Holtec International’s efforts to restart the 800-MW Palisades nuclear power plant pose “no significant impact” to the human environment, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said on Friday. The official notice of NRC’s finding removes a potential roadblock to what is expected to be the first recommissioning of a retired nuclear reactor in the United States later this year. NRC issued a draft finding of no significant impact, or FONSI, for the western Michigan plant in January, prompting a challenge from local and national anti-nuclear groups. “Pending all federal reviews and approvals, our restart project is on track and on budget to bring Palisades back online by the fourth quarter of the year,” Nick Culp, Holtec’s senior manager of government affairs and communications, said in an email. Dive Insight: The FONSI is a “major milestone on our regulatory path to reauthorize plant operations,” Culp added. NRC continues to review other aspects of the Palisades restart process, including a request to approve Holtec’s method for repairing an onsite steam generator system that NRC said last year showed wear that “far exceeded estimates based on previous operating history.” The wear may have been caused by shutdown crews not following protocol while laying up the plant in 2022, Holtec spokesperson Pat O’Brien told Reuters in October. NRC’s review timeline has slipped since March, when the commission said it would rule on outstanding licensing matters by July 31. Its website now shows an estimated completion date of Sept. 30 for the steam generator review, the last item on its docket.  But Holtec’s own estimates of when Palisades could power back up have not changed significantly from the October 2025 target O’Brien gave Utility Dive last September. Unlike many clean energy projects that received financial commitments from the Biden administration, the Palisades restart appears to

Dive Brief: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved NuScale Power’s design for a 462-MW small modular reactor power plant, the U.S. nuclear regulator said on Thursday. NRC completed its technical review of NuScale’s US460 in less than two years, ahead of schedule and under budget, it said. The US460 is based on NuScale’s 12-module, 600-MW US600 design, which NRC approved in 2020 after more than three and a half years of review. The newly-approved design’s larger modules will help NuScale power plants more effectively serve hyperscale data center customers, CEO John Hopkins told investors in November. Data centers represent a key segment for the company as it looks to lock down its first U.S. customer this year. Dive Insight: The NRC approval came earlier than expected, according to estimated completion timelines provided by NRC and reiterated by Hopkins on several recent investor calls. NuScale had anticipated a final decision by July, Hopkins said on May 12. The approval could be crucial as NuScale moves through “advanced commercial dialogue with major technology and industrial companies, utilities and national and local governments,” Hopkins said in March. “Once we get finalization” for the 77-MWe design, “we’re off to the races,” Hopkins said. NuScale has not announced a binding customer deal. But in its first-quarter investor presentation, the company said it expected a “firm customer order” by the end of this year.  NuScale manufacturing partner Doosan has 12 modules in production now at its South Korea foundry and could deliver up to 20 per year in the near term, Hopkins said on May 12. Its first power plant could be operational by the end of 2030 if it gets a finalized deal soon, he added. For now, NuScale is acting as the nuclear technology subcontractor to Fluor Corp. on a 462-MW power plant

Rahul Chaturvedi is the CEO of VIE Technologies. The United States’ electric grid is entering a period of unprecedented stress. Aging infrastructure, rising energy demand and global supply-chain constraints are converging to create a dangerous vulnerability: a critical shortage of functioning power transformers. These silent workhorses of the grid, numbering between 60 and 80 million nationwide, are increasingly at risk of failure. And when they do fail, replacing them can take years, not months. Lead times for new transformer deliveries now stretch from 80 to 210 weeks, according to an April 2024 report by Wood Mackenzie. This is a staggering increase in wait times, driven by raw material shortages, manufacturing bottlenecks and now tariffs. That means a single failed transformer today could leave entire communities in the dark for months. In the wake of natural disasters or targeted attacks, the consequences could be catastrophic. Transformer failure isn’t just a maintenance issue — it’s a security risk Transformers aren’t just aging — many are operating well beyond their intended lifespan. Over one-third of U.S. units are more than 40 years old, and many are serving load profiles they were never designed for. The rise of electric vehicles, grid-scale batteries, renewable generation and energy-hungry data centers is creating dynamic, high-stress operating conditions that strain these aging assets to the breaking point. Add to that the growing threat of sabotage and climate disasters: In December 2022, coordinated gunfire attacks on two substations in North Carolina left 45,000 people without power for days; In early 2025, a man was convicted for plotting attacks on Baltimore-area substations, a plan that could have caused massive regional disruption; and, In September 2024, Hurricane Helene damaged transformers at 360 substations across North Carolina, leading to over 4 million outages, some lasting weeks. These events underscore a stark reality:

U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter Cheniere Energy Inc., through Cheniere Marketing LLC, has signed a long-term Integrated Production Marketing (IPM) gas supply agreement with Canadian Natural Resources Limited. Under the IPM agreement, a subsidiary of Canadian Natural has agreed to sell 140,000 MMBtu per day of natural gas to Cheniere Marketing for 15 years, which is expected to commence in 2030, Cheniere said in a media release. Canadian Natural is guarantor of the IPM agreement, Cheniere said. LNG associated with this gas supply, approximately 0.85 million tonnes per annum (MMtpa), will be marketed by Cheniere Marketing. Cheniere added that its unit will pay an LNG-linked price for the natural gas, based on the Platts Japan Korea Marker (JKM). The IPM agreement is subject to Cheniere making a positive Final Investment Decision on the Sabine Pass Liquefaction (SPL) Expansion Project. The SPL Expansion Project is being developed with an expected total production capacity of up to approximately 20 MMtpa, inclusive of estimated debottlenecking opportunities. Cheniere currently operates six liquefaction units, or trains, at the Sabine Pass LNG project, each capable of producing 5 MMtpa of LNG. In February 2024, Sabine Pass filed an application with the FERC for authorization to site, construct, and operate the Sabine Pass Stage 5 Expansion Project. The expansion would include two trains with a nameplate capacity of approximately 7 MMtpa and a maximum production capacity of approximately 8.43 MMtpa, a boil-off gas reliquefaction unit with a maximum capacity of approximately 0.90 MMtpa, and two full-containment, above-ground 220,000 cubic-meter (7.7 million cubic feet) LNG storage tanks with loading capabilities, Cheniere said.  To contact the author, email [email protected] WHAT DO YOU THINK? Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate

ADNOC Drilling Company PJSC announced, in a release sent to Rigzone on Thursday, that it has signed an agreement to acquire a 70 percent stake in SLB’s land drilling rigs business in Kuwait and Oman. ADNOC outlined in the release that the business comprises “eight fully operational land rigs under contract with the respective national oil companies (NOCs) of both countries”. The company noted that, through this partnership, it will gain immediate access to earnings, cashflow, and returns through two operating land drilling rigs in Kuwait and six in Oman, “accelerating its expansion into key GCC geographies”. “This acquisition will enhance the company’s ability to deploy cutting-edge technologies, integrated drilling services, digital solutions and AI-driven efficiencies – optimizing performance, reducing environmental impact, and driving value for customers across the region,” ADNOC highlighted in the release. The company went on to state that formation of the joint venture and the acquisition of a 70 percent stake, along with the completion of this transaction, are subject to necessary and customary regulatory approvals, expected in Q1 2026. “Upon closing, and subject to final assessment by the company’s auditor, ADNOC Drilling expects to fully consolidate the newly acquired business in its financial reporting from 2026,” the company revealed. In the release, ADNOC Drilling CEO Abdulrahman Abdulla Al Seiari, said, “this acquisition is a natural next step in ADNOC Drilling’s growth journey and reinforces our position as one of the leading companies in drilling and integrated services”. “Our partnership with SLB will provide ADNOC Drilling with a solid operational and financial platform to further expand in the region,” Al Seiari added. “This business is well-established, profitable and operating with long-term contracts, making this a highly complementary and value-accretive addition to our portfolio. Our focus is on disciplined expansion that drives performance, returns and growth,” the