A report by the National Laboratory of the Rockies said limited domestic capacity to produce large power transformers and heavy reliance on imported raw materials are pushing up procurement costs and delivery times. A single transformer can now cost as much as $10 million, about 80% higher than in 2021, and delivery can take as long as five years. The bottleneck is directly slowing hydropower modernization projects, even as hydropower provides more than 6% of total US electricity generation.

U.S. nuclear developer Elementl Power said it plans to build a 1.5 GW nuclear power plant in southeast Ohio, with an initial 600 MW slated to connect to the PJM grid. The project will use GE Vernova Hitachi’s BWRX-300 small modular reactors, making it one of the first commercial SMR efforts in the United States. The company said construction of the first unit is expected to start in 2030, with completion targeted for 2034, subject to a final investment decision and regulatory approvals.

Honeywell’s modular Ecofining technology will be used at Acelen Renewables’ project in Bahia, Brazil, to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel from waste oils, fats and other residues. The project is designed around prefabricated modules to shorten construction timelines and expand lower-carbon fuel supply. SAF can cut emissions by up to 80% versus conventional jet fuel.

An international research team has developed ultrathin polymer membranes known as Polymers of Locked Intrinsic Microporosity (PLIMs) that can remove 99.8% of heavy hydrocarbons (C15+) from Arabian Extra Light crude oil at room temperature. The membranes also cut corrosive sulfur compounds by 93% by stabilizing pore structure through an in situ crosslinking process. The system ran continuously for 30 days and is designed to fit existing spiral-wound industrial modules. The technology has not been commercialized, but it could reduce refinery energy use and equipment wear, improving processing economics.

GE Aerospace and its subsidiary Avio Aero completed what they described as the world’s first simulated-altitude engine restart test using hydrogen fuel at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Lampoldshausen, Germany. The trial focused on whether hydrogen combustion can be reignited quickly and reliably in thin, cold air at high altitude. The work was carried out under the EU-funded HYDEA program and is intended to support CFM International’s RISE technology demonstration, which targets ground validation of hydrogen propulsion by 2026.