The funds will support uprates across Constellation’s reactors in IL, MD, and PA, which are set to add enough electricity to power >900K homes. This news arrives weeks after Constellation announced massive nuclear deals with Google and Amazon.

The driver: In May, President Trump directed the DOE to squeeze an additional 5 GW from the country’s existing nuclear reactors. To that end, the agency has also announced a $4B loan to uprate several of Vistra’s plants in PA and OH.

In other nuclear news: The NRC is clearing the way for advanced nuclear reactors to secure commercial licenses. A recently finalized rule offers a streamlined process to companies whose reactor designs have already received approval from the DOE or Defense Department.

The key players include Sens. Tammy Duckworth (IL), Ed Markey (MA), and Ron Wyden (OR). Ahead of the Nov. 9 Senate vote to proceed on the bipartisan permitting bill (BAAJA), they’re urging the DOE to: 1) Reinstate the $8B in clean energy grants it axed in Oct. 2025 and 2) promise, in writing, not to block awards based on recipients’ political affiliations (again).

BAAJA backlash: These senators worry that the bill could “help the Trump administration fast-track fossil fuel projects” while federal officials attack renewables, according to a letter addressed to BAAJA’s authors.

They’re not the only Congressional Dems with criticism. House members have claimed that the bill would threaten community input on energy projects, fail to protect renewables from White House meddling, and supercharge the data center buildout.

The details: As the power industry reckons with AI-fueled cyber threats, CISA is preparing to batten down the hatches. The org’s agenda for 2030: 1) Amp up operational technology system defenses 2) prioritize critical infrastructure like the grid and 3) lean into public-private partnerships to work ahead of threats.

The deadlines: Within 60 days, CISA plans to review its “core services and capabilities.” And by next year, the agency will offer a progress update.

Awkward: CISA must carry out these ambitious goals with a skeleton crew—the agency has lost about a third of its workforce over President Trump’s second term. And a few months ago, the org announced it was canceling six key cybersecurity reviews for critical infrastructure operators.

The latest: NERC’s Board of Trustees has adopted the org’s proposed standards to keep the power system chugging as more data centers come online. These 1) Direct transmission planners to study the “reliability impact” of new computational loads and 2) order data center operators to disclose their facilities’ responses to grid disturbances.

What’s next: Now, the standards are headed to FERC for final approval.

The tally: That brings the total plan to over $70B, CenterPoint noted in a statement. The company has also “accelerated” another $1.5B into the first five years of the plan. Why? To meet growing customer demand in the Greater Houston area, which CenterPoint said offers a “speed-to-market advantage.” 

The timing: Three months ago, the company upped the same plan by $1B—and beat Q2 profit estimates.

The pipeline: This summer, the company reported a large-load pipeline of up to 14 GW that qualified for ERCOT’s batched interconnection study process. These projects could save ratepayers $5B over the next decade, according to CenterPoint.

Changing charging: Ford announced that its new, budget-friendly Fathom electric truck will come equipped with an inverter. This avoids the need for a separate (expensive) wall-mounted device to convert power from DC to AC for home charging. 

What’s in it for drivers: Customers can charge their trucks when electricity is cheaper, and draw power to their homes when costs spike. During outages, the Fathom can even serve as a backup home power source.

Ford’s next frontier: Linking its vehicles to the grid. Last year, the automaker deployed its electric F-150 Lightning truck in a pilot with Sunrun and Baltimore Gas and Electric Company. And this past July, Ford launched a working group with utilities including AEP, Exelon, and PG&E to “help define scalable interconnection processes well before Fathom hits the road” next year. Now, the company is looking for more utilities to collaborate with. 👀