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Meta Announces Up to 6.6 GW of Nuclear Projects to Power American AI

LCG, January 9, 2026--Meta today announced new, landmark agreements that will (i) extend and expand the operation of three existing nuclear power plants and (ii) drive the development of advanced nuclear technology. Meta's new agreements with Vistra, TerraPower, and Oklo follow Meta's request for proposals (RFP) issued last month. Meta expects these projects to deliver up to 6.6 GW of new and existing clean nuclear energy by 2035.

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Babcock & Wilcox Selects Siemens Energy to Supply Steam Turbine Generator Sets for Massive Applied Digital Data Center Power Project

LCG, January 8, 2026--Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) announced today that it has selected Siemens Energy to provide steam turbine generator sets for B&W’s groundbreaking project to install and deliver one GW of power for an Applied Digital AI Factory. B&W and Siemens have entered into an agreement for a limited notice to proceed to secure the turbine sets, which will enable B&W to deliver power for the project by the end of 2028. The estimated cost of the project is approximately $2 billion. The full contract release is expected in the first quarter of 2026.

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Industry News

LBL Scientists Complete Fuel Cell

LCG, November 21, 2002-Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley Labs (LBL) have developed a fuel cell that they say can operate as cheaply as gas turbines.

Steve Visco, Craig Jacobson, and Lutgard De Jonghe, of the Materials Science division of LBL, designed the fuel cell from ceramic materials with metal electrodes.

The Solid Oxide Fuel cells operate by reacting oxygen and hydrocarbons, such as methane, within the ceramic cell. The process differs from burning hydrocarbons in that energy is extracted from the movement of ions through an electrolytic membrane and supports several reactions. Oxygen ions react with hydrogen from the fuel gas, forming water. The water then reacts with the fuel to form carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The cell, operating at about 800 degrees Celsius, has an anodic-cathodic configuration, causing electrons produced by the reactions to flow from anode to cathode via an external load.

Fuel cells can be kept small while retaining an efficiency rating of 50 percent, making them a viable alternative to mass electricity production and transmission. They also produce much cleaner electricity than does the burning fuels. However, carbon dioxide is still produced, and the cells do require some type of fuel to operate.

Raw materials for the cells cost $37 per kilowatt. The researchers estimate that other costs, such as insulation and DC-AC converters, will limit the cost of the cell to $130 per kilowatt if they want to stay within the target cost set by the Department of Energy of $400 per kilowatt.

As yet unaccounted for costs apply to creating a stack of fuel cells, which researchers are confident can be made within their allowance. The stacked configuration will maximize voltage output and form a small generator.

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