Portland General Electric announced Thursday it has brought a trio of battery projects online totaling 475 MW/1.9 GWh to maintain reliability and limit price volatility in the metropolitan area. The three projects bring PGE’s large-scale battery storage capacity to 492 MW, representing a significant expansion. Energy storage plays “an important role in helping PGE build a more flexible, reliable and diverse generation portfolio,” Darrington Outama, PGE’s senior director of energy supply, said in a statement. Along with providing energy during hours of grid stress, batteries “enhance our ability to respond to sudden changes in the grid and help keep energy supply and demand balanced,” he said. The four-hour batteries are “strategically located at key substations” in North Portland, Troutdale and Hillsboro, Oregon, PGE said. They will reduce the utility’s need for expensive short-term electricity purchases and support the integration of intermittent sources like wind and solar, the utility said. The projects include: The 200-MW Seaside project, located in North Portland and developed for the utility by Eolian under a fixed-cost build-transfer agreement. The project began commercial operations in July. The 200-MW Sundial project in Troutdale, developed by Eolian and operated by NextEra Energy Resources under a 20-year storage capacity agreement with PGE. Sundial came online in December. The 75-MW Constable facility in Hillsboro, which was constructed for PGE under an engineering, procurement and construction agreement with Mortenson. The facility achieved commercial operation in December. Eolian won the Seaside and Sundial projects as part of an all-source request for proposals PGE held in 2021. “Battery energy storage systems sited at major substations radically improve the use of existing high voltage transmission lines, avoiding expensive or challenging new grid upgrades and providing a low-cost load growth solution through existing infrastructure,” Eolian CEO Aaron Zubot said in a statement. PGE also has a 17 MW Coffee

The text of the following statement was released by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. Begin Text: President Trump has made it clear that the United States will not accept any international environmental agreement that unduly or unfairly burdens the United States or harms the interests of the American people. This October, members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are poised to consider the adoption of a so-called “Net-Zero Framework,” aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions from the international shipping sector. Whatever its stated goals, the proposed framework is effectively a global carbon tax on Americans levied by an unaccountable UN organization. These fuel standards would conveniently benefit China by requiring the use of expensive fuels unavailable at global scale. These standards would also preclude the use of proven technologies that fuel global shipping fleets, including lower emissions options where U.S. industry leads such as liquified natural gas (LNG) and biofuels. Under this framework, ships will have to pay fees for failing to meet unattainable fuel standards and emissions targets. These fees will drive up energy and transportation and leisure cruise costs. Even small vessels would incur millions of dollars in fees, directly driving up costs for American consumers. The Trump Administration unequivocally rejects this proposal before the IMO and will not tolerate any action that increases costs for our citizens, energy providers, shipping companies and their customers, or tourists. We will fight hard to protect the American people and their economic interests. Our fellow IMO members should be on notice that we will look for their support against this action and not hesitate to retaliate or explore remedies for our citizens should this endeavor fail. End Text.

NRG Energy will develop two gas units totaling 456 MW of capacity at its existing TH Wharton Generating Station in Houston, using a low-interest loan from the Texas Energy Fund that voters approved in 2023, state regulators announced on Aug. 4. The loan agreement between the Public Utility Commission of Texas and NRG is the second finalized under the TEF’s In-ERCOT Generation Loan Program, designed to incentivize development of new gas plants in the Electric Reliablility Council of Texas market. ERCOT, the grid operator for most of Texas, is anticipating about 152 GW of new load by 2030. “Demand for electricity across Texas is surging, and we’re working quickly to supply new dispatchable natural gas generation to the grid,” NRG Executive Vice President Robert Gaudette said in a statement. The new units are expected to begin generating next summer, NRG said. Last year, the commission selected 17 gas-fired generation projects totaling almost 10 GW to potentially receive state-backed loans. About a third of that capacity has been canceled or withdrawn amid escalating project costs and supply chain challenges, however. Under the loan agreement with NRG, total project costs are estimated to be less than $360 million, and the commission is providing a 20-year TEF loan up to $216 million, or 60% of total cost, at a 3% interest rate. The loan term runs through July 30, 2045. “This new power plant marks another major investment in Texas and in the ERCOT grid, helping prepare our state’s power supply to meet the demands of the future,” PUCT Chairman Thomas Gleeson said in a statement. “The Texas Energy Fund is accomplishing exactly what the Governor and the Texas Legislature envisioned — securing reliable, on-demand power to fuel Texas’ rapid growth and continued success.” The commission announced the first TEF loan in June

Multidirectional flows of power and information are the grid’s future | Utility Dive Skip to main content An article from Deep Dive In the frenzy to meet rising energy demand, utilities and others often overlook the value of power system innovations, industry participants say. Published Aug. 12, 2025 Attendees listen to lab presentations as part of a workshop on advanced distribution management systems at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s campus in Golden, Colorado, on Dec. 12, 2024. Retrieved from Gregory Cooper/National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The 20th century grid’s one-way electron flow is dead. On today’s multidimensional, multidirectional 21st century system, new tools can ease the burden of rising demand while limiting customer costs. But in the frenzy to meet rising energy demand, utilities and others often overlook the value of power system innovations, industry sources, regulators and technology providers say. Instead, many are calling for restarting aged power plants and touting immature energy sources, which could increase electricity prices 25% by 2030, according to Energy Innovation projections. New generation and transmission infrastructure is needed. But a sophisticated set of power system optimizations could allow operators to reduce the need for costly new infrastructure by maximizing the flexibility of loads and resources. “New large loads impart costs to the system,” said Kay Aikin, founder and CEO of technology provider Dynamic Grid. But “both data centers and generation can be flexible assets that increase system diversity, which increases reliability.” Southern California Edison, for example, is investing in artificial intelligence-enhanced system management that gives operators visibility into the “complex series of inputs and outputs that shift constantly throughout the day,” said Jeff Monford, a spokesman for the utility. It is a “forward radar,” he said, “reshaping how we plan, operate and maintain the grid.” Former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Jon Wellinghoff, now CEO of consultant

Wildfires briefly shut the Dardanelles Strait to shipping on Monday, as extreme heat and strong winds fueled blazes across the Mediterranean. The Dardanelles — a vital maritime chokepoint for oil and gas from the Black Sea and Central Asia — was reopened in the evening after being closed to allow firefighting aircraft to scoop up water from the sea to tackle nearby blazes.  Turkish firefighters contained wildfires ravaging its north Aegean coast, but towns and pine forests in Canakkale province are still threatened, and almost 2,900 residents have been evacuated, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Large parts of Europe are facing wildfire threats, as scorching weather bakes the region this week. Blazes have ignited across the continent, from the outskirts of Madrid and London to the Greek islands and forests across the Balkans. The fires are being fed by strong winds and extreme temperatures. Red heat warnings have been issued for Spain, France, Croatia, Serbia and Romania, as a high-pressure system is amplified by wind patterns boosted by the remnants of tropical storm Dexter.  Temperatures are forecast to exceed 44C (111F) in Portugal and Spain on Tuesday, with southwest France topping 42C, according to government forecasters. That’s pushing up power prices in both France and Germany as cooling demand surges. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves in Europe, triggering more extreme weather events such as the deadly wildfires that ravaged Aude in southwest France last week. In Spain, hundreds of people were evacuated on Monday evening and one person later died as a fire started in Tres Cantos on the outskirts of Madrid. El #IFTresCantos está perimetrado y ha evolucionado favorablemente durante la noche. Han estado trabajando en la extinción:33 dotaciones de #BomberosCM.11 de @BomberosMad, 9 de la @UMEgob y #AgentesForestalesCM. No hay ninguna carretera cortada al tráfico. pic.twitter.com/OOpFkQSVHD — 112 Comunidad de

WASHINGTON— The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today officially kicked off President Trump’s Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, announcing DOE will initially work with 11 advanced reactor projects to move their technologies towards deployment. DOE will work with industry on these 11 projects, with the goal to construct, operate, and achieve criticality of at least three test reactors using the DOE authorization process by July 4, 2026. Today’s initial selections represent an important step toward streamlining nuclear reactor testing and unleashes a new pathway toward fast-tracking commercial licensing activities.    “President Trump’s Reactor Pilot Program is a call to action,” said Deputy Secretary of Energy James P. Danly. “These companies aim to all safely achieve criticality by Independence Day, and DOE will do everything we can to support their efforts.”   President Trump is committed to re-establishing the United States as a global leader in nuclear energy and securing a reliable, diversified, and affordable energy supply to drive American prosperity and technological advancement.   DOE announced the Reactor Pilot Program in June 2025, following President Trump’s Executive Order 14301, which reforms reactor testing at the Department. The goal of the Reactor Pilot Program is to expedite the testing of advanced reactor designs that will be authorized by the Department at sites that are located outside of the national laboratories. Seeking DOE authorization provided under the Atomic Energy Act will help today’s selected companies— Aalo Atomics Inc., Antares Nuclear Inc., Atomic Alchemy Inc., Deep Fission Inc., Last Energy Inc., Oklo Inc., Natura Resources LLC, Radiant Energy Inc., Terrestrial Energy Inc., and Valar Atomics Inc.— unlock private funding and provide a fast-tracked approach to future commercial licensing activities.    The diversity of applications received shows the remarkable breath of innovation and ingenuity in American reactor developers.   Each company will be responsible for all costs associated with designing, manufacturing,