As utilities work to expand capacity and modernize aging infrastructure to meet growing demand, they face a new imperative: doing more with every dollar invested. Analysts project capital expenditures by U.S. investor-owned electric utilities will reach $1.4 trillion between 2025 and 2030, nearly twice the amount spent during the entire previous decade.  To maintain today’s investment momentum and strengthen reliability and resilience, utilities have an opportunity to look beyond cost control and pursue strategies that deliver broader long-term value. That means seeking systems that maximize output, efficiency and uptime.  In today’s energy landscape, fuel cells are becoming increasingly relevant. They provide modular, reliable power that helps utilities extract more value from their investments while addressing rising demand and aging infrastructure. With high electrical efficiency, modular design and exceptional reliability, advanced fuel cell systems enable utilities to generate more value from their assets and streamline their day-to-day operations. Powering More with Less: Fuel Cells Redefine Efficiency Fuel cells outperform traditional combustion-based generators by converting fuel into electricity through an electrochemical reaction, rather than by burning it. This translates into roughly 15% to 20% higher efficiency than most open-cycle gas turbines or reciprocating engines. That improved conversion efficiency means each kilowatt-hour requires less fuel, increasing energy productivity and reducing exposure to fuel-price swings.  Among the various types of fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs) offer the greatest advantages. Operating at high temperatures and utilizing a solid ceramic electrolyte, rather than relying on precious metals, corrosive acids or molten materials, SOFCs are a modern technology that converts fuels such as natural gas or hydrogen into electricity with exceptional efficiency and durability. Conversion efficiencies can reach up to 65% and when integrated with combined heat and power (CHP) configurations, the total system efficiency can exceed 90%.  Meeting Demand Faster with Fuel Cells With demand surging,

Utilities are entering a transformative year, with surging demand, affordability concerns, cybersecurity challenges and the increasing integration of artificial intelligence reshaping the industry. Utilities that thrive in this complex environment will need to adopt disciplined, analytics-driven strategies to ensure resilience, reliability and affordability. The forces driving change are significant and utilities must act decisively to navigate these challenges while building trust with customers and regulators. For a comprehensive analysis of the trends and strategies driving the future of utilities, download the full report. Surging Demand Requires Proactive Grid Management One of the most pressing issues is the unprecedented demand growth fueled by data centers, AI workloads and advanced manufacturing. Global power demand from data centers alone is expected to rise by 165% by 2030, with AI-driven workloads accounting for nearly a third of that increase. This surge in demand is straining transmission and distribution grids, which are already hampered by regulatory and permitting delays. Utilities must rethink traditional planning cycles and adopt predictive load forecasting tools to anticipate new energy use patterns with greater accuracy. Advanced transmission technologies, such as dynamic line ratings and topology optimization, can help increase grid capacity and efficiency, ensuring utilities remain competitive. Modernizing interconnection processes is also vital, as delays in connecting new loads to the grid can hinder progress. By deploying digital workflow tools and creating public-facing hosting capacity maps, utilities can streamline interconnection requests and enable developers to make informed decisions about project siting. Customer Affordability at a Tipping Point Massive grid investments to support electrification, data centers and climate resilience are driving rates higher, while inflation continues to strain household budgets. Since 2021, electricity prices have risen by 30%, leaving nearly 80 million Americans struggling to pay their utility bills. Utilities must adopt customer-centric solutions to address these concerns. Predictive analytics can

Equinor ASA and its partners have agreed to proceed with the first project to be connected to the Johan Castberg field. Johan Castberg started production in March as only the third development on Norway’s side of the Barents Sea, according to information on government website Norskpetroleum.no. The other two, Snøhvit and Goliat, came online 2007 and 2016 respectively. “Recoverable oil in the new subsea development [the Isflak discovery] is estimated at 46 million barrels, and start-up is planned as early as the fourth quarter of 2028”, the Norwegian primarily state-owned company said in an online statement. Isflak, the first of several discoveries planned to be tied back to Johan Castberg, was discovered 2021. Its development is estimated to cost over NOK 4 billion, according to the statement. “A rapid development is possible because we can copy standardized solutions from Johan Castberg. The reservoir is in the same license and is similar to the discoveries we have developed previously, which means that we can copy equipment and well solutions. Johan Castberg has been developed as a future hub in the area”, said Equinor senior vice president for project development Trond Bokn. Equinor said, “The development solution for the Isflak discovery consists of two wells in a new subsea template tied back to existing subsea facilities via pipelines and umbilicals, and all new infrastructure is located within the current Johan Castberg license”. “Equinor has therefore applied to the Ministry of Energy for confirmation that Equinor has fulfilled the impact assessment obligation and exemption from the requirement for a plan for development and operation”, it said. “Global combustion emissions have been assessed in line with new practice”. Johan Castberg has raised Norway’s production capacity by up to 220,000 barrels per day, with estimated recoverable volumes of 450-650 million barrels, according to Equinor. The

TotalEnergies SE and NEO NEXT Energy Ltd, recently created by Repsol UK Ltd and HitecVision AS, have entered into a deal to combine their exploration and production assets in the United Kingdom and thereby create what they say would be the top producer in the UK North Sea. France’s TotalEnergies would own 47.5 percent of the resulting company, to be called NEO NEXT+. Norway-based HitecVision, a capital investor in Europe’s energy sector, and Repsol UK will retain 28.88 percent and 23.63 percent respectively, according to online statements by the parties. Repsol UK is 75 percent owned by Spanish integrated energy company Repsol SA and 25 percent owned by the United States’ EIG Global Energy Partners, which acquired a 25 percent stake in Repsol SA’s entire upstream portfolio in 2023 for $4.8 billion. HitecVision and Repsol UK had merged their North Sea assets into NEO NEXT earlier this year with interests of 55 percent and 45 percent respectively. NEO NEXT+ would “encompass a large and diverse asset portfolio including notably NEO Energy’s [HitecVision subsidiary] and Repsol UK’s interests in the Elgin/Franklin complex and the Penguins, Mariner, Shearwater and Culzean fields, enriched by TotalEnergies’ UK upstream assets, notably including its interests in the Elgin/Franklin complex and the Alwyn North, Dunbar and Culzean fields”, TotalEnergies said in a statement on its website. “With TotalEnergies as its leading shareholder, NEO NEXT+ will become the largest independent oil and gas producer in the UK with a production over 250,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2026, ideally positioned to maximize the value of its portfolio, deliver strong financial returns and ensure a long-term sustainable and resilient future for its oil and gas business”, TotalEnergies said. TotalEnergies’ upstream portfolio in the UK averaged 121,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day (boed) last year, accounting for about 27 percent of the

Eni SpA, through Eni Plenitude SpA Società Benefit, has put online its second photovoltaic generation facility in Andalusia, the 150-megawatt (MW) Caparacena project in Granada. The latest start-up raises the Italian state-backed oil and gas producer’s installed renewables capacity in Spain to nearly 1.5 gigawatts (GW), it said in a press release. “The project, one of the most significant in the company’s portfolio in Spain, covers 264 hectares and comprises three photovoltaic parks of 50 MW each”, Eni said. With over 274,000 bifacial modules, the plant has an annual capacity of 320 gigawatt hours, it said. The Caparacena plant, in Chimeneas and Ventas de Huelma, is among renewable installations totaling about 400 MW – all solar – that Eni completed in Spain last year, according to a press release by the company January 7, 2025. Eni only announced activation now. Announcing the start-up, Eni noted the project had been completed while successfully preserving a sixth-century Iberian necropolis. Archaeological monitoring works at the site in April 2024 had led to the discovery, which yielded funerary ceramic urns and period artefacts, according to Eni. “In compliance with the requirements established for the project authorization process, during the construction of the plant, several measures were implemented to protect the natural environment and preserve the soil”, it said. Eni already produces solar power in Andalusia through Seville’s 230-MW Guillena plant. Eni is building another solar plant with a capacity of 200 MW in Seville, the Entrenúcleo project between the municipalities of Dos Hermanas and Coria del RÍo. It expects to start up the project next year. Eni announced the start of construction July 3. Elsewhere in Spain, Eni said June 30 the northern block of its Renopool solar plant in the municipality of Solana de los Barros, Badajoz, Extremadura, had begun production with a capacity of 130

OPEC kept forecasts for global oil supplies and demand in 2026 steady, pointing to a balanced world market that clashes with widespread predictions of a surplus. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies will need to produce an average of 43 million barrels a day next year to balance supply and demand, roughly in line with the amount pumped last month, according to a report on OPEC’s website. This runs counter to prevailing industry expectations for a supply excess in 2026. Top trader Trafigura Group said this week it could amount to a “super glut,” and the International Energy Agency — while paring its projections in its report earlier Thursday — continues to expect a record overhang. Key OPEC+ nations led by Saudi Arabia acknowledged the fragile backdrop last month by agreeing to pause further output increases during the first quarter after rapidly ramping up production earlier this year.  The outlook from OPEC’s Vienna-based secretariat has proven excessively bullish in recent years. Last year, OPEC was ultimately forced to slash demand projections by 32% over the course of six monthly downgrades. In late 2023, it forecast a record inventory deficit that never materialized. 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 or insulting comments will be removed.