Industry Insights for March
New York Moves Forward With 2025 Energy Plan
In December, the New York State Energy Planning Board approved the 2025 Energy Plan, the state’s blueprint for energy policy and decision-making through 2040. The plan prioritizes “affordable, abundant, reliable, and clean energy for New York,” including taking advantage of nuclear power to meet the state’s ambitious goals.
The renewed focus on new nuclear power capacity was echoed by Governor Hochul in her January 2026 State of the State Address (where she called for a 5 GW increase) and by President Trump, who has called to add 300 GW to the nation’s nuclear capacity by 2050.
https://energyplan.ny.gov/Plans/2025-Energy-Plan
PPL Increases Investment in Energy Grid to Supply New Data Centers
PPL Corp, a public energy utility company that serves Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Kentucky and Virginia, has announced increased spending on grid capacity to serve data centers and other large load customers. This includes agreements that would add 25.2 GW in Pennsylvania alone.
The US Navy’s first Columbia-class SSBNs will arrive in 2028
After construction delays, the US Navy is planning to deliver 12 Columbia-class SSBNs by 2028 to replace 14 aging Ohio-class submarines.
Coast Guard says icebreaker cutters due for delivery in 2028 will be homeported in Alaska
he U.S. Coast Guard’s two new Arctic Security Cutters scheduled for completion in 2028 will be homeported in Alaska instead of Seattle, WA, where the three existing icebreakers are currently homeported. These are the first of 11 new cutters already schedule to be built as part of an ongoing security initiative in the face of growing Chinese and Russian military and commercial maritime traffic in the sea lanes north of Alaska.
First Fully Integrated Nuclear-Powered Data Center in U.S. Proposed to DOE
The Department of Energy has received a proposal for the first fully integrated nuclear-powered data center in the United States. The proposal comes from a consortium led by Swiss-American energy company Deep Atomic, which outlines a multi-phase plan to build a data center at the Idaho National Laboratory. The data center would initially be powered by the existing grid, then add a small modular reactor to allow the project to scale without impacting the reliability and capacity of the grid.
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/clayco-doe-bid-nuclear-powered-data-center/812552/
Copper Wire & Cable Market Worth $342B USD by 2032
The copper wire and cable market is expected to reach a value of $342 billion USD by 2032, up from $182 billion in 2025, according to a new study by Markets & Markets. Growing demand for power generation, transmission and distribution to fuel grid expansion, increased electrification, and renewable energy integration are expected to be the biggest drivers of the market.
https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/copper-wire-&-cable-market-40432904.html
The Complex Challenges Facing US Navy Shipbuilding
The United States faces significant challenges in Navy shipbuilding, including cost, a shrinking domestic shipbuilding sector, frequent design changes and inconsistent political policy. Nevertheless, Navy shipbuilding remains a high priority in Washington.
New York City Mass Transit Expansion Gets Support From Governor
New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s backing of several large-scale MTA expansion projects could transform mass transit in New York City and impact New Yorkers for generations to come.
https://www.thecity.nyc/2026/01/18/transit-projects-hochul-mta-development/