Over the last couple of years, AI hyperscalers like Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have all been investing in both extending existing nuclear facilities and expanding new nuclear generation, presumably to support the data center growth that makes their businesses possible. Last year, a cross-industry group of large energy users (including Google, Amazon, and Meta) signed a pledge […]
Making Waste-to-Energy Plants More Reliable With Burner Retrofits
As seen in POWER Magazine Inconsistent fuel quality puts constant strain on aging waste-to-energy boiler systems. Modernizing startup burners, combustion controls, and flame detection can restore reliability and keep plants code-compliant—without the cost of a full replacement. Waste-to-energy (WTE) infrastructure turns municipal garbage into usable power. In theory, the process is efficient, reliable, and sustainable. Unfortunately, the reality […]
Place ALARA Shielding Right Where You Need It
Preferred Engineering’s custom designed products are built, originally, for the needs of a specific customer. However, once they are designed, our customers find them useful in many other situations for many other nuclear facilities. One great example is the Portable Cavity Shield Frame, which was initially designed for a customer who needed to create an ALARA zone inside […]
Data Center Grid Interconnection is Slow Going
Every month, we read more and more articles about energy constraints for data centers. It’s on everyone’s mind and it is clear we are not going to solve the data center power problem any time soon. On July 2nd, Data Center Dynamics published an article stating that the average data center grid interconnection time in the US had […]
Fuel Storage Warning Signs You Should Not Ignore
A fuel oil system is only as reliable as the condition of the fuel inside it. For facilities that depend on backup generation or continuous fuel supply, catching problems early is the difference between a maintenance call and an emergency. Here are four warning signs that your fuel storage system needs attention: Water in fuel samplesWater intrusion is […]
Data Center Power Demand is Leading to Bottlenecks
In this blog, we’ve been discussing the urgency behind power planning for data centers. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) recent article confirms this urgency with their updated data. According to the IEA, electricity demand from data centers increased by 17% in 2025, while global electricity demand only grew by 3%. The agency also projects that total data center […]
How to Make Your RPV O-Ring Installation Easier
When every second counts, tools that speed up the job make all the difference. That’s the case with the RPV O-Ring Clips and Installation Tools. The RPV O-Ring Clips and Installation Tools speed up installation of the RPV O-rings into the RPV head. This not only saves time during tight outage schedules but reduces radiation exposure time for nuclear technicians. […]
What are the Onsite Energy Options for Data Centers?
Onsite energy is an important part of infrastructure planning for data centers – whether it’s backup power, or to replace grid reliance entirely. As we discussed in last month’s blog post, Bloom Energy’s Data Center Power Report claims that over a third of all data centers expect to use only onsite power by 2030. So, what are the […]
Custom Nuclear Seals That Actually Hold, with No RTV
We talk a lot about custom engineered solutions here at Preferred Engineering. That’s because we know that every nuclear facility has its own unique needs, requirements, safety concerns, and bottlenecks. What works perfectly for one facility won’t be the same for any other. So, while every facility may need an inspection hatch seal, for example, the exact requirements […]
Case Study: First to market, engineering, testing and certifying a B100 shutoff valve
Preferred Utilities partnered with Emerson to deliver the first UL-certified industrial burner shutoff valve designed for use with 100% biodiesel, marking an important milestone in clean combustion. Read the Emerson Press Release here. Key Highlights Regional and state-level initiatives in the northeastern United States are accelerating the adoption of biodiesel in heating systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. […]