Energy Update | Week 5 – Oct 2025: Nuclear Revival, Offshore Wind Setbacks & AI Grid Innovation

In this Week 5 – October 2025 Energy Update, I take a look at another eventful week in U.S. energy — one defined by offshore wind setbacks, renewed nuclear ambitions, and AI-driven grid innovation.

I start with Shell’s withdrawal from Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, which leaves EDF Renewables as the sole developer after a key EPA permit was pulled. I then discuss the Trump administration’s $80 billion nuclear partnership with Brookfield and Westinghouse, signaling a strong policy shift toward new reactor development.

I also cover FERC’s efforts to streamline large-load interconnections, Nvidia and Emerald AI’s new Aurora data center that demonstrates flexible energy use, and WattCarbon’s Repowering California initiative focused on virtual power plants.

To wrap up, I share updates on Ford’s production pause, Corning’s new wafer plant, and Form Energy’s first 100-hour iron-air battery deployment.

It’s a week that highlights both the challenges and the momentum driving America’s evolving energy transition.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
I've got your energy stories for this, the fifth week
of October 2025.
And in the first one, Shell NewEnergies US has voluntarily
withdrawn from Atlantic ShoresOffshore Wind LLC and is
assigning its 50% interest toits JV partner EDFRE offshore
development.
Atlantic Shores was intended todevelop over 5,000 megawatts of

(00:21):
offshore projects 10 to 20 milesoff New Jersey, with its first
phase of 1,510 megawatts awardeda contract in 2021 to deliver
energy to New Jersey.
In March, the EPA withdrew itsfully executed clean air permit,
at least temporarily cripplingthat project.
Well, the U.S.
may be intent on severelymaiming offshore wind, but it's

(00:42):
going all in on nukes.
Last week, the Trumpadministration signed a deal
with Brookfield Asset Managementand Camico, owners of
Westinghouse, to develop atleast$80 billion in nuclear
reactors.
The U.S.
government will arrangefinancing and assists with
permitting while receiving a 20%share of future profits after
initial payment of$17.5 billionto both of those parties.

(01:06):
That profit could then beconverted into an equity stake
of up to 20%, making all of ustaxpayers part owners.
Who knew?
Some estimates suggest that theproject could support six to ten
large reactors.
But if the cost of the vaudleplant at$34 billion for its two
reactors and a Westinghousebankruptcy to boot, or the$10

(01:26):
billion spent for the tworeactors at the FC Summer plant,
which were abandoned after beingless than half completed, if
those suggest anything, theysuggest that this is going to be
harder and more costly than itappears, especially as the skill
sets and industrial capabilityno longer exist in the United
States.
Only a few companies, forexample, make the reactor
vessels, and the U.S.
is not one of them.

(01:48):
And during his Asian tour,President Trump announced major
projects to advance Japan'spreviously announced$550 billion
investment commitment tostrengthen U.S.
industrial base.
Up to$332 billion will supportcritical energy infrastructure,
including construction of AP1000 and small modular reactors,

(02:08):
the first in partnership withWestinghouse and the
construction of the SMRs incollaboration with GE Fernova
and Hitachi.
Meanwhile, U.S.
Secretary of Energy Chris Wrighthas told the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission toinitiate a rulemaking to, quote,
rapidly accelerate, unquote, theinterconnection of large loads
over 20 megawatts to the grid.
The proposed rule wouldstandardize interconnection

(02:30):
requests and allow proponents tofile joint, co-located, and
generation interconnectionrequests.
The FERC jurisdiction wouldextend only to direct
interconnections to transmissionfacilities as it tries to avoid
stepping on states'jurisdictional authorities.
The DOE would also like to seeexpedited approvals for
facilities that agree in advanceto have supply curtailed, an

(02:52):
approach already being used toexpedite interconnections in
areas such as the SouthwestPower Pool.
Leading AI chip manufacturerNvidia is using software
developed by Emerald AI at a newdata center in Virginia named
Aurora that will allow the newdata center to use electricity
in a more flexible fashion.
Aurora will be built to a newcertification related to
flexible power that's beingco-developed by Emerald and

(03:15):
NVIDIA, along with grid operatorPJM and the Electric Power
Research Institute.
The new data center will deployEmerald AI to shift energy and
compute intensive tasks to othertimes and also to other less
stressed locations.
Specific reduction goals havenot yet been published, but an
initial test demonstrated thatAI power consumption could be

(03:36):
cut by up to 25% over athree-hour period.
So while that doesn't eliminatethe challenge of connecting new
large loads to the grid and theneed to build up new capacity
and both transmission andgeneration infrastructure, it
does lower the bar somewhat.
But there may be another way toget that needed capacity by
buying it from other customersin the form of virtual power

(03:58):
plants.
Energy measurement platformWattcarbon last week launched a
program called Repower inCalifornia that will incentivize
large users to buy capacity fromthese VPPs, including numerous
distributed energy resourcessuch as water heaters,
batteries, EV chargers, etc.
Wattcarbon would then certifyand offer certificates attesting

(04:20):
to the amount of flexibility andextra capacity those VPPs add to
the grid.
Well, one company that maybenefit from such an approach is
Solar Edge Technologies.
It also provides distributedenergy resources and VPPs, and
it is now announced that it'senrolled over 500 megawatt hours
of residential battery storageinto virtual power plant

(04:41):
programs across 16 U.S.
states and Puerto Rico.
Over 40% of solar edge sitesthat have batteries in the U.S.
participate in utility or gridoperator incentive programs.
In other news, Ford has stoppedproduction of its F-150
Lightning Electric Truck at itsRouge EV Center in Michigan

(05:01):
after a fire at an aluminumsupplier's factory.
Production will cease for anunspecified duration while Ford
focuses its attention on itsmore profitable gas and hybrid
F-Series trucks.
Also in Michigan, glassmakerCorning says its new silicon
ingot and wafer factory has comeonline, the first such factory
to do so in over a decade.

(05:23):
The plant is located onCorning's Hemlock semiconductor
campus, with Hemlock providingthe polysilicon that will feed
the wafer factory, and it willproduce over 1 million wafers
daily.
Corning notes that it has astrong future market with 80% of
its polysilicon and wafercapacity already contracted over
the next five years.
It plans to grow the solarbusiness to generate$2.5 billion

(05:46):
annually by 2020.
And finally, Form Energy, thestartup making 100-hour ironair
batteries, has finally begundeploying its first commercial
batteries at Great RiverEnergy's 1.5 megawatt, 1500
megawatt-hour project inCambridge, Minnesota.
That project was announced fiveyears ago, and it's expected to

(06:07):
be fully operational at lastnext year.
CEO Mateo Jaramillo noted in arecent conversation that the AI
explosion is driving hisbusiness to expand quickly,
noting that it has morenear-term demand than
anticipated through 2030.
Form already has over 200megawatts and 20,000 megawatt
hours under contract, but it mayneed to raise more capital to

(06:30):
further extend its manufacturingfacility.
Well, that's all for this week.
Thanks for watching, and we'llsee you again soon.