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If there are no systemic improvements, the rise in the share of production of electricity from renewable sources will force Transmission System Operator Cyprus (TSOC) to disconnect such units more often, according to Executive Director Stavros Stavrinos. Furthermore, unforeseen changes in the weather can also lead to power shortages.

Balkan Green Energy News

Cyprus power grid can’t handle more renewables without upgrades, storage

What is the exact intended purpose of China’s intelligence collection balloons: electronic warfare or reconnaissance? Neither of these should be dismissed, but there was another, nefarious goal as well: Electro-Magnetic Pulses (EMPs) threatened US grid security.



Forbes

Protecting America’s Power Grids From EMP Attacks

Electric utilities spent billions after 2014’s polar vortex to ensure power plants and the grid could handle extreme cold, but this winter it still wasn’t enough

The Guardian

US utility firms spent big preparing power grid for storms – and still failed

Russia rained missiles on Ukraine’s power grid, aiming to utilize the cold winter as a weapon of mass destruction. But something went wrong.

Euromaidan Press

How Ukraine’s power grid survived a winter of Russian energy terror

Russian attacks against Ukraine’s energy grid left millions without power in freezing temperatures.

United Nations

Russia’s energy grid attacks, torture in Ukraine, could be crimes against humanity: UN rights probe

FERC, governors, state regulators and utilities should focus their efforts on interregional transmission development by encouraging investments that will yield significant long-term benefits.

Utility Dive

Extreme weather events are expanding — the US power grid is not

Careful planning of charging station placement could lessen or eliminate the need for new power plants, a new study shows.

MIT News

Minimizing electric vehicles’ impact on the grid

Italian power grid operator Terna (TRN.MI) will invest over 21 billion euros ($22.41 billion) in the next 10 years in speeding up the energy transition and reducing the country's dependence on foreign supplies.

Reuters

Terna to invest over 21 bln euros in Italy power grid in 10 years

Growthpoint Properties (GRTJ.J), South Africa's largest-listed property group, is looking to expand its solar power capacity to cope with rising energy costs as rolling blackouts continue unabated.

South Africa's Growthpoint to double solar power generation by mid-year

The EU's energy commissioner has warned Germany that a cap on electricity costs for the industry would harm Europe's single market

Financial Times

Brussels warns Germany against electricity subsidy for industry 

Later this week, another late-season heatwave will sear New South Wales, potentially setting record electricity demand in March for the second time in less than a fortnight.

A late heatwave will test NSW’s strained electricity grid – and Perrottet can’t afford any hint of disruption

A shortage of electricity grid connections poses a major challenge that needs to be overcome as South Africa seeks to add generation capacity needed to end record outages, according to the head of an office that procures power from private producers.

Bloomberg

Inadequate Grid Hampers South Africa’s Power Generation Plans

Electric vehicles are apparently on the cusp of an exponential growth curve that will see hundreds of millions of them on our roads by mid-century. But how will our electricity grids cope?

Just have a think

Can the electric grid ruin your EV battery?

Far-right groups are increasingly talking about attacking the US power grid to cause chaos and advance their cause, terrorism experts say.

How the US power grid is a target for far-right groups

Northern States Power Co asked to extend the operating license of its Monticello nuclear reactor in Minnesota by another two decades, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said on Friday.

Minnesota nuclear power reactor seeks 20-year license extension

India's power ministry on Thursday said it has taken several steps to ensure adequate power availability during the upcoming summer months, in an attempt to allay fears of power cuts due to surging demand in the country.

India taking steps to ensure adequate power supply during summer

Attackers and vandals are targeting America’s electrical grid more than they have at any other point in the last decade, government documents show.

Axios

Attacks on power grid raise alarm among top officials

 Britain's National Grid called on reserve coal-power units for the first time to provide electricity during a period of expected tight supplies on Tuesday as a cold snap sweeps the country.

Britain uses coal-power back up for the first time with supply tight

South Korea's thermal coal imports over the first three months of 2023 are on track to hit their highest since 2018 as heating demand rose during a cold snap and industrial use recovers from the stunted levels of 2022.

South Korea cranks up coal imports amid economic recovery push

Fourth-quarter activity in Africa's most industrialised nation fell 1.3 percent, from the previous three months

South Africa GDP shrinks 1.3% after power cuts strangle economy

National Grid has called coal plants put on standby as emergency backup into action for the first time this winter, before the coldest night of the year.

National Grid puts backup coal plants into action for first time this winter

Kyiv is using generators, batteries, Starlink connectivity and manpower to maintain essential services

The Wall Street Journal

Ukrainians Work Through Blackouts, Internet Outages as Russia Targets Power Grid

Consumers from Texas to Michigan to California know the U.S. electrical grid is in terrible shape, with aging infrastructure, inadequate capacity for the coming influx of electric cars needing charging and an increasingly dysfunctional response to intensifying heat waves and cold fronts. 

INHABITAT

Why is the US struggling to fix their power grid?

The White House unveiled a strategy March 2 to shore up US cybersecurity that calls for proactive measures to protect new electric infrastructure from attacks. The national cybersecurity strategy comes as the Biden administration races to decarbonize the US power grid by 2035, increasing the country's dependence on digital and automated systems.

S&P Global

White House strategy promises built-in cybersecurity measures for grid

Software used in fusion energy research could help energy grid resilience. Synchronised control systems can potentially prevent system failures and blackouts.

GOV.UK

Fusion software could help bolster energy grid

More than half of Argentina has been left without power after a fire affected the national electricity grid.

Fire knocks out half of Argentina's power grid

Germany’s government is accelerating efforts to merge four high-voltage grid operators because it believes that’s the quickest way to modernize power lines for a coming influx of renewable energy, according to people familiar with the matter.

Germany in Talks to Merge Power Grids Through Buyouts

The government risks failing to meet its goal of decarbonising the UK’s power sector by 2035 because it lacks a clear and comprehensive delivery plan, the public spending watchdog warned on Wednesday.


UK warned of risk to key net zero goal without power grid plan

Kenya is constructing 136 solar powered mini-grids in far-flung areas not properly served by the national electricity grid

Kenya to set up 136 solar mini-grids for remote communities

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on February 24, $48 million in funding to support a new program focused on developing power grid technologies that improve control and protection of the domestic power grid.

Big Country News

U.S. Department of Energy Announces $48 Million to Improve Reliability and Resiliency of America’s Power Grid

Frustration and anger are mounting among some Michigan utility customers who still were waiting for power to be restored after a massive ice storm this week damaged electricity lines, and the governor called Friday for more accountability on repair efforts by the state’s two largest utilities.

Time

Nearly Half a Million Still Without Power After Michigan Storm

Nearly 85,000 households and businesses were without power in the Los Angeles area on Saturday, as storms continued to pummel parts of California, bringing snow to higher elevations and dumping rain and hail in the flatlands.

Thousands without power as California storms bring rain, snow and cold

Attacks to our power grid have been happening for decades, right here in the Carolinas and across the country.
When the lights go out, the consequences can be deadly. So what’s being done to prevent them?

Yahoo News

What is being done to prevent power grid attacks?

There is no single grid; the United States has dozens of electric networks, each overseen by a different authority.

The New York Times

Wind and Solar Energy Projects Risk Overwhelming America’s Antiquated Electrical Grids

Preventing heat waste largely being ignored as solution to energy crisis, say environmental campaigners

Recapturing excess heat could power most of Europe, say experts

Building large-scale transmission lines that carry electricity across the United States could be extremely cost effective way to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions while also improving reliability.

CNBC

Why a U.S. national electric grid would be great for the climate — and is nearly impossible

US utilities are expected to spend almost $160 billion this year, the most ever, to green and fortify power grids that have been battered by a string of extreme weather events. 

Fixing Beat-Up Power Grids Will Cost US Utilities a Record $160 Billion This Year

Confidential analysis shows sharp rise in targeting of facilities with gunfire, intrusion and vandalism

Power-grid attacks surge in the US and are likely to continue, study finds

The energy transition requires new math and computer science solutions for the power grid.

Streamlining the energy transition with mathematics and informatics

Reeling from South Africa's worst-ever electricity crisis, local authorities across the country are turning to private suppliers to help businesses and households keep the lights on.

South African cities scramble to keep the lights on

Dutch intelligence authorities have warned of Russian attempts to sabotage its North Sea energy infrastructure.

Netherlands warns of Russian attempts to sabotage its energy infrastructure

Campaigners have called on the UK government to freeze household energy costs beyond the end of March

Campaigners call for freeze on UK household energy costs 

The Kremlin wagered that by depriving Ukrainians of electricity—and heat and water—during wintertime, they would sap the country’s resolve.

The New Yorker

The impact of Russian missile strikes on Ukraine’s power grid

Australia's energy price caps and planned export controls threaten to stifle investment and upset relationships with key trading partners

Australia rattles industry and trading partners with energy interventions

Electricite du Cambodge (EDC) said that in 2022 the construction of its distribution network increased its reach by 0.74 per cent, making 98.27 per cent of all villages part of the network by the end of 2022.

The Phnom Penh Post

Combodia power grid now reaches 98.27%

Energy consultancy Cornwall Insight warned of a “precarious cliff edge when the business support scheme comes to an end”

British companies face energy bill cliff edge, experts warn

Recent cold spells may have prompted the regional power grid operator to ask customers to conserve energy, but officials say more electric vehicles plugged into the system will be manageable as long as operators charge during off-peak hours.

Cape Gazette

Power grid officials: Flexibility needed in Delaware as more electric vehicles plug in 

Most of the U.S. electric grid was built in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, over 70% of the U.S. electricity grid is more than 25 years old, and that aging system is vulnerable to increasingly intense storms.

Why America’s outdated energy grid is a climate problem

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Thursday approved new standards for electrical grid reliability during extreme cold weather, acting on recommendations from an inquiry into February 2021's deadly freeze in Texas.

U.S. regulator OKs new power grid standards for extreme cold weather

Hurricanes, tornados, fires, floods, and other acts of nature can have devastating impact on power plants, transformers and transmission lines.

3 Alarming Threats To The U.S. Energy Grid

Power & Utilities | Power Grid

Finland's Fortum and Britain's Rolls-Royce SMR will jointly explore opportunities to deploy small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) in Finland and in Sweden, Fortum said in a statement on Tuesday

Fortum and Rolls-Royce SMR explore nuclear power in Finland, Sweden

Promoters of small modular reactors believe they can speed up plans to replace ageing atomic fleet


Can smaller reactors help meet the UK’s nuclear power targets?

London based nuclear company Newcleo plans to raise 900 million pounds ($1.10 billion) to advance a plan to build a fleet of small nuclear reactors in the U.K.

UK's Newcleo to raise $1.1 bln to build fleet of small reactors

Officials are monitoring the clean-up of a leak of 400,000 gallons (1.5m litres) of radioactive water from a local nuclear power plant in Minnesota.



Clean-up of radioactive water leak ongoing at Minnesota nuclear plant

Top Republicans are urging the White House to crack down on nuclear co-operation between Russia and China

Republicans urge White House to crack down on Russia-China nuclear co-operation

While Xcel Energy reported the leak of water containing tritium to state and federal authorities in late November, the spill had not been made public before Thursday.

NBC News

Nuclear power plant leaks 400,000 gallons of radioactive water

UK chancellor has launched consultation to classify nuclear as ‘environmentally sustainable’

Jeremy Hunt wants nuclear power classed as ‘sustainable’: is it?

Seven EU states including Germany, Spain and Denmark have strengthened their resistance to efforts by France to count nuclear energy towards EU renewable energy targets, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

Germany, Spain push to keep nuclear out of EU renewable energy goals

The UK government stepped up efforts to hit its ambitious targets for a new generation of nuclear power stations by launching an international competition to find the leading designs for small modular reactors with the aim of co-funding the development of the technology.


UK launches competition for small nuclear reactor designs

European commissioners are at odds with each other over including nuclear power in new funding rules aimed at boosting green industries

Brussels at odds over funding rules for nuclear power

Nuclear power has its pros and cons. Right now, the U.S. is embracing its advantages.

A new nuclear reactor in the US started up last week — the country's first in nearly 7 years.

After the Three Mile Island incident in 1979 and then the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, public opinion about nuclear energy changed dramatically. 

Euronews

Europe is divided on nuclear power: Which countries are for and against it?

French lawmakers start examining a new bill on Monday aimed at speeding up the construction of new nuclear reactors, which President Emmanuel Macron says are crucial to bolstering France’s energy independence. 



France24

France mulls nuclear revamp as Ukraine war prompts an energy mix rethink

Developing world needs capable international nuclear developers as part of a diversified energy mix

The National

Geopolitics cast a shadow over Russian nuclear supplies

U.K. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will pledge a “clean energy reset” next week, earmarking billions of pounds of investment for carbon capture technologies in his spring budget statement, while reaffirming government backing for the British nuclear sector.



Politico

UK budget set to back carbon capture and nuclear power

Ukraine, whose 15 Soviet-era reactors provided half the country's electricity, signed a deal with Westinghouse to expand its fuel contract.

Why Russia Has Such a Strong Grip on Europe's Nuclear Power

Growing numbers of environmentalists in northern Europe are embracing technology to combat the climate crisis, but in Britain ‘ecomodernist’ ideas have had a so-far frosty reception.

A long overdue moment? The UK greens pushing for the nuclear option

 For the past half century a majority of the world's nuclear power generation capacity has been based in Western Europe and North America, with France and the United States alone accounting for nearly half of the global capacity footprint.



Future of nuclear power growth lies outside Europe and N. America

Succumbing to member states’ pressure and giving nuclear energy a “sustainable” label in a key regulation could derail the EU’s climate progress.

Al Jazeera

How the nuclear lobby scuttled the EU’s anti-greenwashing tool

For the past half century a majority of the world's nuclear power generation capacity has been based in Western Europe and North America, with France and the United States alone accounting for nearly half of the global capacity footprint.

Future of nuclear power growth lies outside Europe and N. America: Maguire

For an environmentally sound future, the government should clear the way to a nuclear-powered future and revisit bad decisions made long ago in failing to clear the way for nuclear fuel recycling capacities and well-designed operating nuclear waste storage facilities.

The Washington Post

Traditional nuclear power is safe

Much of Russia’s energy exports have been hit by Western sanctions since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with a notable exception — nuclear power.

The West hasn’t gone after Russia’s nuclear energy. Here’s why

Türkiye is set to receive a $40 billion (TL 752.64 billion) investment as the country heads toward establishing a second nuclear power plant (NPP) in Sinop province’s Inceburun district in the Black Sea region.

Daily Sabah

Türkiye to attract $40B investment for 2nd nuclear plant

Multilateral development banks’ refusal to support nuclear power plants has enabled Russia and China to become the world’s leading providers and funders of such projects. 

Project Syndicate

Development Banks Must Embrace Nuclear Energy

 A strike at EDF (EDF.PA) began to cut into France's nuclear output on Saturday, according to data published by the leading utility

France's nuclear output hit by strike at EDF

Bulgarian Minister of Energy Rosen Hristov said that decarbonization and energy security cannot be achieved without nuclear energy. Renewables and nuclear energy, in his words, are complementary, not competing technologies.

Decarbonization, energy security impossible without nuclear energy

The British government’s drive to raise private finance for the new Sizewell C nuclear plant may not conclude until the end of next year, more than a decade after the project was launched.

Sizewell C nuclear plant funding drive likely to take until end of 2024

As part of a program to support nuclear power generation and the goal of zero-carbon electricity by 2035, the Biden Administration on Thursday offered funding of $1.2 billion to nuclear power reactors that are at risk of retiring soon or that ceased operations since November 15, 2021.

Oil Price

Biden Offers $1.2 Billion To Nuclear Power Plants At Risk Of Closure

U.S. nuclear regulators approved a request by Pacific Gas & Electric that will allow California's only nuclear power plant to keep running while the company applies to renew its operating license.

U.S. nuclear regulator to let California nuclear plant run during relicensing

France is making an aggressive push to promote nuclear power in the EU, seeking to rally allies for battles to come in a stand-off with Germany over the bloc’s energy policy.


France mounts battle for nuclear energy in Europe

Plans for the first U.S. small modular nuclear power reactor got a boost on Tuesday as some Western U.S. cities vowed to continue with the NuScale Power Corp project despite a jump in projected costs.

Western US cities vote to move ahead with novel nuclear power plant

A cluster of reactors that are just 9 feet in diameter is supposed to start a nuclear energy resurgence. Mounting costs may doom the project.

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