To address time to power, one of the biggest constraints currently slowing data center deployment, EPRI is launching Flex MOSAIC, a uniform flexibility classification framework for large electric loads, developed through its DCFlex initiative in collaboration with more than 65 utilities, system operators, regulators, hyperscalers and technology providers.

The voluntary framework is meant to establish a “shared, credible way” to define flexibility from large loads (particularly data centers) based on the magnitude, timing, duration and frequency of their response. By enabling a common understanding of what flexibility a load can deliver, EPRI argues the framework could help shorten interconnection timelines, improve grid planning confidence and accelerate access to power without compromising reliability or affordability.

“As demand from AI and data centers grows at unprecedented speed, flexibility is becoming the third leg of the speed-to-power stool, alongside generation and transmission,” said EPRI President and CEO Arshad Mansoor. “This framework allows everyone — utilities, regulators, and large‑load developers — to have common language about flexibility and to trust what that language means. That shared understanding is essential to moving faster while maintaining reliability.”

Data center construction and the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) are driving unprecedented electric load growth across the United States. Massive hyperscalers with deep pockets and bold aspirations need power, and they need it fast.

From May 12-14, 2026, DTECH Data Centers & AI will assemble utilities, engineers, and technical decision-makers from across this emerging ecosphere in Scottsdale, Arizona, to discuss everything from capacity constraints to streamlining studies, from modernizing infrastructure to integrating onsite generation into both utility and customer-side systems.

Register for DTECH Data Centers & AI now before early-bird pricing ends on April 1, 2026.

The framework defines flexibility through practical performance characteristics, including how quickly a load can respond, how long adjustments can last and how much power can be reduced or shifted. These characteristics are organized into a set of uniform flexibility classes that utilities, system operators and data centers can apply consistently across regions.

The framework is meant to provide a technical foundation that jurisdictions and market participants can adapt to their local needs. “As large, flexible loads play a growing role in the power system, having clear, technically grounded definitions of flexibility is critical for reliability,” said North American Electric Reliability Corporation President Jim Robb. “A common framework like this can help system operators and planners speak the same language, essential for maintaining a reliable grid.”

“As demand from data centers accelerates, state regulators are focused on ensuring customers are not burdened by the costs of serving new, large loads, as well as maintaining grid reliability,” said NARUC President Ann Rendahl. “NARUC looks forward to engaging with EPRI and others on how a voluntary, standardized framework like Flex MOSAIC can create a common language and shared understanding of flexibility, and provide benefits to state regulators when evaluating data center integration, without shifting costs to customers or compromising grid reliability.”

Initial framework participants include Alliant Energy, Arizona Public Service, California ISO, El Centro Nacional de Control de Energía (CENACE), Compass Datacenters, Constellation Energy, DTE Energy, Entergy, Exelon, Georgia Transmission Corporation, Google, Honeywell, Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), ING, Jenbacher, Korea Power Exchange (KPX), KPMG, LG Pado, Lincoln Electric System, Lower Colorado River Authority, Meta, Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), Nebraska Public Power District, NERC, NVIDIA, Portland General Electric, PSEG, Rayburn Electric, Salt River Project, Siemens, Southern Company, Southwest Power Pool and United Power.

A federal-private partnership announced last week would bring 10 gigawatts (GW) of new power generation to Pike County, Ohio, pairing a large-scale natural gas buildout with a data center campus on former U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) land.

The announcement was part of a broader U.S.-Japan trade and investment framework that is beginning to take concrete shape. DOE and the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the agreement with SoftBank subsidiary SB Energy and AEP Ohio.

Under the arrangement, SB Energy plans to develop 9.2 GW of natural gas generation alongside a 10 GW data center complex at the Portsmouth Site, a former uranium enrichment facility that has undergone decades of environmental remediation. SB Energy has also committed $4.2 billion to upgrade and expand transmission infrastructure in Southern Ohio in coordination with AEP Ohio.

Both the generation and grid investments are structured so that costs are not passed to ratepayers, a condition the Trump administration has termed its “Ratepayer Protection Pledge.” Excess transmission and generation capacity, officials said, would be made available to the broader grid.

The Portsmouth announcement represents the most developed iteration yet of projects tied to Japan’s $550 billion U.S. investment pledge, which was framed as part of a trade agreement lowering U.S. tariffs on Japanese imports. A February announcement had outlined the project’s scale and general configuration, but left key execution questions unresolved, including interconnection, permitting posture, fuel supply and contracting structure.

Construction is expected to begin this year, though detailed engineering, permitting and financing documentation have not been publicly released.

NextEra also announces plans for large-scale gas generation

The Ohio deal was not the only large-scale natural gas development tied to the U.S.-Japan framework announced that week. NextEra Energy confirmed March 20 that President Trump had approved development of up to 10 GW of gas-fired generation across Texas and Pennsylvania hubs.

Those projects, including a Texas site developed in coordination with Comstock Resources, would be jointly owned by U.S. and Japanese interests and operated by NextEra, pending negotiation of definitive agreements.

NextEra CEO John Ketchum said the company’s hub-based development model, which currently includes nearly 30 sites at various stages of development, is designed to compress timelines and reduce execution risk. The company is targeting approximately 40 hubs total.

Whether execution keeps pace with announcement scale remains to be seen, but the volume of committed gigawatts and named partners represents a measurable step beyond earlier, more tentative project outlines.

Texas and PJM are notably two of the fastest-growing areas for large data center development and associated electricity demand.

Constellation Energy Corporation and LS Power Equity Advisors announced an agreement under which Constellation will sell a portfolio of generation assets in PJM to LS Power, a step in satisfying regulatory commitments related to Constellation’s acquisition of Calpine.

The proposed sale represents the largest portion of the divestitures required by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of its antitrust review of the Calpine transaction, including all assets required to be divested by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Under the agreement, LS Power will acquire approximately 4.4 GW of predominantly natural gas–fired generation capacity located in Delaware and Pennsylvania, including the Bethlehem, York 1, York 2, Hay Road and Edge Moor Facilities. The transaction is valued at $5 billion before closing adjustments, representing an acquisition price of approximately $1,142/kW.

“This transaction is an important step in satisfying the DOJ’s requirements and advancing our path forward,” said Joe Dominguez, president and CEO of Constellation. “These are well-run facilities that will continue powering consumers and businesses for decades to come. We’re pleased to be moving ahead and expect to complete the remaining DOJ requirements later this year.”

In December 2025, Constellation announced a resolution with the DOJ that outlines a series of divestitures designed to address “competitive considerations” in PJM and other markets. The DOJ resolution followed FERC’s July 2025 approval, which required the divestiture of certain assets in PJM. The latest announcement represents the largest and most substantive element of the DOJ and FERC resolutions. Closing is conditioned upon receipt of regulatory approvals, including review by the DOJ and FERC, and other customary closing conditions.

Last January, Constellation announced plans to acquire Calpine in a cash and stock transaction valued at an equity purchase price of approximately $16.4 billion. The deal became one of the largest in the history of power generation at a time when demand for electricity has exploded. Constellation already owns and operates the largest fleet of nuclear plants in the United States. Constellation is also the largest producer of clean energy in the U.S. The company generates more than 32,400 MW of capacity, including through nuclear, gas, wind, solar and hydropower assets.

Constellation sees the deal as a chance to expand its power generation portfolio in a time a record electricity demand growth. After years of flat demand, electricity load growth forecasts have exploded, largely driven by data centers, industry and electrification.

“PJM is at the epicenter of the surge in electricity demand, and these are exactly the kind of assets the grid needs – efficient, dispatchable gas generation that can deliver reliable power around the clock,” said Paul Segal, CEO of LS Power. “LS Power has been developing, building and operating gas-fired generation for over 35 years. We expect our extensive operational experience will enable seamless integration of the assets and their employees and look forward to engaging with plant staff and the local communities around the facilities.”

The Jack Fusco Energy Center, a 606-MW natural gas fired combined cycle facility located outside Houston, Texas, is the remaining facility in the DOJ resolution agreement that has not yet been divested. The minority ownership in the Gregory Power Plant, a 385-MW natural gas fired combined cycle near Corpus Christi, Texas, was divested earlier this year.

Constellation completed its acquisition of Calpine on Jan. 7, 2026, creating the world’s largest private-sector power producer and significantly expanding its generation footprint. The asset sale announced is expected to close later this year, subject to regulatory approvals.

IHI and GE Vernova announced they have successfully demonstrated combustion of 100% ammonia using full-scale components at pressures, temperatures and flows matching full-load conditions for GE Vernova’s F-Class gas turbines.

The companies also said emission levels achieved during the test align with their development roadmap towards the goal of a 100% ammonia-fired gas turbine, with the aim of achieving commercial deployment by 2030.

“An essential piece of the ammonia value chain is now coming into place,” said Noriaki Ozawa, IHI Managing Executive Officer and President of Resource, Energy & Environment Business Area. “Since the signing of the joint development agreement in 2024, the collaboration between our two companies has gained strong momentum, with the efforts of both teams now bearing fruit. The successful achievement of 100% ammonia combustion in a full-scale F-class gas turbine marks a major milestone and helps reinforce the decarbonization roadmap envisioned by our customers in the power sector.”

The demonstration was conducted at IHI’s purpose-built test facility, engineered to replicate GE Vernova’s F-class gas turbine operating conditions. The test facility, located at IHI’s Aioi Works facility in Hyogo, Japan and completed last summer, was engineered to test advanced combustion systems at GE Vernova’s F-class gas turbine operating conditions, including pressure, temperature, and both air and fuel flow rates.

The collaboration between the two companies includes synergies across IHI ammonia combustion expertise and GE Vernova global technical teams, and shared best practices developed at GE Vernova’s advanced combustion test facility in Greenville, South Carolina.

Ammonia, a derivative from hydrogen, does not result in any net CO₂ emissions when combusted. Ammonia is used today in industrial applications, such as fertilizer. It is also used as a carrier of hydrogen.

“The successful demonstration of running an F‑class gas turbine on 100% ammonia fuel marks a pivotal step in our journey toward a lower‑carbon energy future,” said Jeremee Wetherby, GE Vernova’s Carbon Solutions leader. “This achievement reinforces our development roadmap and underscores the strength of our collaboration with IHI. We see significant potential for ammonia as a carbon‑free combustion fuel and are energized to continue working together to help unlock its role in advancing global decarbonization.”

Caterpillar moved to the center of the AI infrastructure buildout this week as developer Nscale said it would use the company’s natural gas generator sets to power a major new West Virginia data center campus tied to Microsoft and NVIDIA.

Monday’s announcement positions Caterpillar’s G3500 series reciprocating engine platform as core infrastructure for what Nscale said could become one of the country’s largest dedicated AI compute developments.

Under the plan, Caterpillar equipment would support 2 GW of onsite generation by the first half of 2028 at the Monarch Compute Campus in Mason County, West Virginia, giving the project a faster path to power as grid access and transmission upgrades remain a constraint for large data center loads.

Nscale said the campus would host up to 1.35 GW of AI compute capacity for Microsoft under a letter of intent tied to NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 systems and the NVIDIA DSX AI Factory reference design. The company also announced it had acquired American Intelligence & Power Corp., which includes the 2,250-acre Monarch site and what Nscale described as the first state-certified AI microgrid in the U.S., with expansion potential beyond 8 GW.

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Trump urges tech companies to build their own power plants for data centers

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It’s the latest example of a data center project being structured around large-scale onsite natural gas generation, rather than waiting solely on utility service.

In a recent report, Cleanview identified 46 U.S. data center projects representing a combined 56 GW of planned behind-the-meter power capacity, which it estimated at roughly 30% of planned U.S. data center capacity in its tracker.

The research company also said 90% of the projects it identified were announced in 2025, indicating that “Bring Your Own Power” has shifted from a niche workaround to a more mainstream development path as grid interconnection timelines lengthen.

“A year ago, behind-the-meter data center power was a curiosity, embodied by xAI’s controversial decision to truck mobile generators into Memphis,” said Cleanview. “Now it’s an increasingly common development strategy.”

Cleanview added many of the projects it identified have secured equipment partners and are already under construction.

“Projects like Monarch demonstrate how Caterpillar’s natural gas generation platforms are being deployed as core infrastructure for data centers and other power intensive applications where reliability, speed of deployment, and lifecycle performance are critical,” Melissa Busen, Caterpillar senior vice president of Electric Power, said in a statement.

Nscale said the West Virginia site would operate independently of the local grid, which it argued would avoid adding costs to existing utility customers, while preserving the option of a future grid interconnection that could allow exports. The company also said it is pursuing carbon sequestration and a design intended to reduce water use.

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RWE announced the addition of flexible, gas-fired power generation to its U.S. portfolio, with plans to add 9 GW of new net capacity by 2031.

Germany’s largest power producer said that flexible gas would complement its existing 13 GW U.S. renewables and battery storage portfolio, strengthening its ability to meet “soaring” power demand.

The announcement comes as part of RWE’s global corporate strategy update, which affirmed the company’s global investment plans of €35 billion ($40.38 billion USD) net from 2026 through 2031 – of which €17 billion ($19.62 billion USD) net is allocated to enable growth in the United States.

RWE executives said the company’s U.S. gas strategy is centered on flexible generation in high-growth markets where power demand is rising rapidly, particularly from data centers. The company plans to leverage already-secured grid interconnections to develop a pipeline of 15 natural gas peaking projects across target markets in MISO, WECC, PJM and ERCOT.

In remarks tied to the company’s fiscal 2025 results, CEO Markus Krebber said said RWE does not want to build gas generation into the merchant U.S. market, but instead plans to pair gas with renewables and batteries in bundled offerings for customers seeking longer-term contracted supply.

The company argues that renewables and gas capacity deployed together can “optimize land use, share infrastructure, and improve energy reliability and efficiency allowing for speed to power and specific customer needs.”

“We want to combine it as a bundle with renewable, battery and the profile and then sell it to the customer,” said Krebber, adding that the company is targeting contract structures similar to renewables deals, with much of the value contracted over 10 to 15 years.

In Q&A with analysts and investors, Krebber said RWE has not yet secured equipment for the projects, but does not view supply chain constraints as a major concern because the company’s U.S. plans are focused on peakers and engines rather than combined-cycle gas turbines, where equipment availability is tighter.

That said, the company plans to move quickly.

“Our goal is to take the first FID this year and have the first megawatts operational by the end of the decade,” said Krebber. He added that the company intends to leverage its existing U.S. renewables footprint, market presence and interconnection position as it builds out the gas strategy.

RWE has existing gas units in the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey.

Climate Energy Finance’s Tim Buckley argues that geopolitical instability exposes Australia's oil dependency and positions the country as a safe haven for international renewable energy capital.

Recently I took part in a discussion in Ottawa as part of CAFES Network’s work to raise local energy literacy, hosted by Invest Ottawa and attended by a mixed audience of residents, municipal and provincial policy observers, students, and people already working in energy and climate. Angela Keller-Herzog, founding executive ... [continued]

The post Why Waiting on Grid Batteries Will Cost Ontario More Than Acting Now appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has asked the Ontario Energy Board to approve a sharp increase in regulated nuclear payment amounts, including a year over year jump of more than 40% in 2027. The weighted average regulated payment amount rises from about $78/MWh in 2026 to roughly $110/MWh in 2027, driven ... [continued]

The post Ontario’s Nuclear Rate Shock Reveals a Deeper Affordability Problem appeared first on CleanTechnica.

A happy month of February to you! The big players have dominated the HPC-AI news front of late, here’s a fast (8:44) recap of recent developments, including: Microsoft Maia 200 chip for AI inference, Nvidia H200 (not H20) ....

The post HPC News Bytes 20260202: Microsoft’s Inference Chip, H200 (Not H20) GPUs for China, Mega AI Data Center Deals appeared first on Inside HPC & AI News | High-Performance Computing & Artificial Intelligence.

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Das deutsche Wasserstoff-Backbone ohne Kunden oder Lieferanten — eine Pipeline von nirgendwo nach nirgendwo — ist realer Stahl im Boden, unter Druck gesetzt und als unvermeidlich verteidigt, doch sie wird für ein Energiesystem gebaut, das sie nicht braucht. Diese Aussage klingt provokant, bis die Energieflüsse vollständig offengelegt werden. Betrachtet man ... [continued]

The post Unter Druck gesetzter Stahl, fehlende Nachfrage: Deutschlands Wasserstoff-Backbone in den Energieflüssen* appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Das deutsche Wasserstoff-Backbone ohne Kunden oder Lieferanten — eine Pipeline von nirgendwo nach nirgendwo — ist realer Stahl im Boden, unter Druck gesetzt und als unvermeidlich verteidigt, doch sie wird für ein Energiesystem gebaut, das sie nicht braucht. Diese Aussage klingt provokant, bis die Energieflüsse vollständig offengelegt werden. Betrachtet man ... [continued]

The post Unter Druck gesetzter Stahl, fehlende Nachfrage: Deutschlands Wasserstoff-Backbone in den Energieflüssen* appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Der neu unter Druck gesetzte Abschnitt von Deutschlands Wasserstoff-Backbone ohne Lieferanten und ohne Abnehmer wird oft als klarer Bruch mit der Vergangenheit beschrieben, als notwendige frühe Investition in eine künftige Wasserstoffwirtschaft. Der Stahl erzählt eine andere Geschichte. Trasse, Durchmesser, Alter und Wirtschaftlichkeit der Pipeline verweisen zurück auf russisches Erdgas, nicht ... [continued]

The post Deutschlands Wasserstoff-Backbone und der lange Schatten des russischen Gases appeared first on CleanTechnica.

In Short : At India Energy Week 2026, policymakers and industry leaders highlighted how policy certainty, declining renewable energy costs, and rapid technology adoption are accelerating India’s hydrogen and clean fuel ecosystem. The discussions underscored strong government support, increasing private investment, and growing infrastructure development, positioning green hydrogen, biofuels, and alternative fuels as key pillars of India’s energy transition and long-term decarbonisation strategy.

In Detail : Leadership Spotlight session examines investment readiness, demand creation and global partnerships

India’s green hydrogen goals are moving decisively from ambition to execution, driven by competitive pricing, long-term demand creation and sectoral integration, Abhay Bakre, Mission Director, National Green Hydrogen Mission, said at the Leadership Spotlight Session on the third day of India Energy Week 2026.

Speaking on the Resilience Stage at the session titled Scaling Green Ammonia: Value Chain Synergies and the Hydrogen Ecosystem, Bakre said India’s target of producing 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030 has found impetus through successful price discovery, enabling projects to advance toward final investment decisions.

“These three years—2025, 2026 and 2027—are very important for the ecosystem to actually act as a launchpad”, said Bakre. He added that green hydrogen and ammonia prices are increasingly approaching parity with conventional alternatives, a crucial development towards large-scale domestic adoption and exports.

From a technology and industry perspective, Gary Godwin, Vice President, Sustainable Technology Solutions and Global Lead, Critical Minerals, KBR said that green ammonia technologies are now commercially viable and capable of operating at global scale. He noted that the next priority is building robust supply chains and long-term offtake arrangements to unlock deployment across power, shipping and heavy industry.

Speaking on market development, Dr. R K Malhotra, President, Hydrogen Association of India, emphasised that India’s competitive renewable energy prices and emerging electrolyser manufacturing base are creating a strong foundation for green hydrogen and ammonia scale-up.

Offering an international policy perspective, Han Feenstra, Senior Policy Advisor, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Kingdom of the Netherlands said that European hydrogen markets are shifting toward demand mandates and import frameworks. He added that the development is opening long-term opportunities for reliable partners like India, whose cost competitiveness and policy clarity make it a natural contributor to Europe’s decarbonisation ambitions.

About India Energy Week

India Energy Week is the country’s flagship global energy platform, bringing together government leaders, industry executives and innovators to accelerate progress toward a secure, sustainable and affordable energy future. As a neutral international forum, IEW drives investment, policy alignment and technological collaboration shaping the global energy landscape.

Alberta’s January 2026 Order in Council authorizing expanded powers and funding for the province’s petroleum marketing agency shouldn’t exist, and if it had, it should have been a bill. Authorizing up to $900 million across borrowing, advances or investments by the Minister of Finance and provincial debt with broad powers ... [continued]

The post Alberta’s $900 Million Bet: How the Province Chose Fossil Risk Over Clean Energy Markets appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Der Vergleich zwischen Deutschlands Wasserstoff-Backbone von nirgendwo nach nirgendwo und Chinas angeblich über 1.000 km langer Wasserstoffpipeline taucht immer wieder auf und wird oft als Beleg dafür gerahmt, dass Deutschland lediglich früh dran sei und nicht falsch liege. Das ist eine berechtigte Frage, denn aus der Distanz wirken beide Projekte ... [continued]

The post Gleiche Länge, unterschiedliche Logik: Chinas industrielle Wasserstoffpipeline im Vergleich zu Deutschlands Backbone appeared first on CleanTechnica.

Even demand in advanced economies is rising again after years of declines, with rapid growth of electricity worldwide driving up consumption of renewables, gas, coal and nuclear Global energy demand grew at a faster-than-average pace in 2024 as the consumption of electricity rose around the world – with increased supply of renewables and natural gas … Continue reading IEA-Growth in global energy demand surged in 2024 to almost twice its recent average →

Acquires 10% stake from Carbon Catalyst Poseidon to store 40 mil mt/year from 2029 Estimated total storage capacity 1 billion mt German oil and gas producer Wintershall Dea has joined the Poseidon car

Hyundai Oilbank to ship over 3.6 mil barrels to US next year Selling prices unknown Refiner likely to raise crude throughout in 2024 South Korea's smallest oil refiner Hyundai Oilbank will export more

July Sep crude output drops 2% on year to 5.25 mil mt Sees production decline from matured, marginal fields Signs crude sales agreements with MRPL, HPCL following marketing freedom India's state run O