News | Headlines
US coal plant lives extended to counter energy emergency
USA Coal firing
On 17 February, and again on 23 February US secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued emergency orders ‘to address critical grid reliability issues facing the Mid-Atlantic region and PJM regions of the United States’. In the first of these orders Chris Wright renewed an emergency order which directed the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), in co-ordination with Consumers Energy, to ensure that the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in Michigan ‘shall take all steps necessary to remain available to operate and to employ economic dispatch to minimise costs for the American people’. The Campbell Plant was originally scheduled to shut down on 31 May 2025, 15 years before the end of its scheduled design life.
The second order, on 23 February, directed PJM Interconnection LLC, in co-ordination with Constellation Energy Corp, to ensure Units 3 and 4 of the Eddystone generating station in Pennsylvania ‘remain available for operation, and to employ economic dispatch to minimise costs for the American people’. The units were originally scheduled to shut down on 31 May 2025. The DOE has stated that the emergency conditions that led to the issuance of the original orders still persist.
These kinds of order have a lifetime of 3 months. The DoE’s original order for Eddystone was issued in May 2025 and renewed on 28 August and 26 November the same year. The original order for Campbell was issued on May 23, 2025, with subsequent orders being issued on 20 August 2025 and 18 November 2025. The reasoning is that the move is justified by
Caterpillar trio targets data centre carbon capture power
USA Emissions control
Caterpillar, OnePWR Solutions and Vero3 have announced a strategic collaboration to develop large-scale lower-carbon power generation with permanent CO2
storage for mission-critical
facilities like data centres. The partnership will design integrated solutions combining natural gas-based prime power generation, carbon capture, battery energy storage and permanent geological CO2
sequestration.
The collaboration is aimed at combining the three companys’ distinct expertise to deliver a fully integrated solution. Caterpillar will draw on its broad portfolio of power technologies, including natural gas and diesel generation systems, gas turbines and advanced controls,
and will lead front-end engineering and design for the carbon capture components. OnePWR will build, own and operate the power infrastructure under long-term customer agreements, while Vero3 will develop and manage the carbon sequestration infrastructure and oversee related tax credit monetisation strategies. The partnership aims to deliver firm, dispatchable power meeting rising data centre demand while supporting sustainability goals through round-the-clock baseload with emissions mitigation. The first project is expected to launch in 2026, with the initial development of a 500 MW prime power generation site, laying the foundation for future global deployment.
Construction begins on Karangkates floating solar array
Indonesia Solar power
Construction is underway on the 100 MWac Karangkates floating solar power plant at Karangkates Dam in Malang, East Java, in Indonesia. The project which will be managed by state-owned enterprise Perum Jasa Tirta I (PJT I), is being developed by the PLN Group as part of Indonesia’s renewable energy expansion under the national Net Zero Emissions target and the Green RUPTL power development plan. The facility is a joint initiative of PLN Nusantara Renewables, GD Power Hongkong and PJT I, through PT Nusantara Guodian Karangkates Indonesia.
Fahmi Hidayat, president director of PJT I, said that the Karangkates Reservoir will continue to serve its primary functions in water resource management while also contributing to national clean energy supply. According to PJT I, integrating floating solar technology into dam infrastructure supports asset optimisation without altering the reservoir’s core operational role. The Karangkates project highlights the growing deployment of floating PV systems on reservoirs in Indonesia. By utilising existing water surfaces, developers aim to avoid additional land acquisition while potentially reducing surface water evaporation.
8 | March 2026 |
www.modernpowersystems.com
grid fragility under the stress of winter needs. The Campbell plant has proved critical to MISO’s operations, operating regularly during periods of high energy demand and low levels of intermittent energy production, while the Eddystone nnits were integral in stabilising the grid during winter Storm Fern. From January 26-29, the units ran for over 124 hours cumulatively, providing critical generation in the midst of the energy emergency.
As outlined in the DOE’s Resource Adequacy Report, power outages could increase by 100 times in 2030 if the US continues to take reliable power offline. Furthermore, NERC’s 2025 Long Term Reliability Assessment warns, “The continuing shift in the resource mix toward weather-dependent resources and less fuel diversity increases risks of supply shortfalls during winter months.
Rhode Island landfill now a solar array
USA Solar power
US energy infrastructure solutions provider Ameresco and decarbonisation services provider Luminace have announced the completion of the Coventry Landfill Solar project in Rhode Island, transforming a capped CERCLA-designated landfill into a 5.74 MW solar array. The facility will cut the emission of 3760 tons of CO2 each year and is expected to deliver $4.4 m in economic benefits to the local area. “The Coventry Landfill Solar project is a testament to our commitment to innovative renewable energy solutions,” said Jonathan Mancini, senior vice president of Solar and BESS Development at Ameresco. Luminace, as project owner, sees it expanding its New England solar portfolio, with Robert Rabe, Chief Development officer, noted the partnership’s role in delivering accessible clean energy.. The array joins Luminace’s 1.6 GW of distributed resources across North America.
Image credit: Ameresco
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