Darrell Proctor

Technology giant NVIDIA is furthering its support of artificial intelligence (AI) and data center construction. Cloverleaf Infrastructure, a group that supports the AI buildout by providing power sources and infrastructure for site development, on August 21 said it has entered into a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to advance the development of digital infrastructure across the U.S.

A U.S. developer, owner, and operator of distributed energy infrastructure announced it has received an $857-million capital infusion to accelerate growth of its distributed solar energy program.

Maryland-based investment firm Hull Street Energy announced it has completed its acquisition of two Midwestern power plants that provide electricity in the PJM Interconnection.

More solar power projects paired with energy storage are taking shape across Europe, with a variety of investors supporting assets in the UK and Italy, among other countries. Pumped storage projects also are receiving growing interest, with a major Ukrainian engineering group joining the International Hydropower Association (IHA) and now sharing its engineering expertise with that agency. Renewable energy got a recent boost in Portugal, where the government unveiled a National Energy Storage Strategy that says long-duration energy storage is now essential infrastructure for renewable energy–based power systems. Portugal's plan includes an expansion of pumped storage generation capacity within the country, and also supports competitive auctions, tenders for future projects, and reforms to the country's energy permitting process. Portugal has a goal of at least 5 GW of generation capacity from pumped storage by 2040.

Japan is rebuilding its nuclear power fleet after the Fukushima disaster, with upgrades targeted toward ensuring safe operations.

Florida-headquartered ONE Nuclear Energy said the company has executed a binding letter of intent (LOI) that would provide site control for development of Project Cayman, a 2.88-GW gas-fired power plant and 700-MW/2.88 GWh battery energy storage system (BESS) sited alongside a data center complex.

Construction of the final segment of the Southwest Intertie Project, a 576-mile transmission corridor connecting an area from Idaho to just south of Las Vegas, Nevada, is underway. Officials celebrated the latest milestone for the installation during a groundbreaking ceremony in Ely, Nevada, on September 3.

The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) said the agency has closed a loan of as much as $1.9 billion to NextEra Energy to support the restart of the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa. The station is one of three U.S. nuclear power plants where work is being supported by the Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF), long known as the DOE's Loan Programs Office, to bring the power plants back online.

An independent energy development company and a long-time manufacturer of wood products have signed an agreement to develop geothermal projects in Washington and Oregon.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against the Trump administration's order to keep the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in Michigan operating. The decision that could impact other orders that have been issued to keep U.S. coal-fired power plants operating past their scheduled retirement dates.