US Power Generating (USPG) entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger with Tenaska Capital Management (TCM). Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, USPG will become a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of TCM. Under the terms of the merger, TCM will purchase USPG, with the final price being determined by a number of business and tax adjustments. Consummation of the merger is subject to customary conditions including approvals of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the New York Public Service Commission.

The Carlyle Group agreed to acquire the Red Oak power generation facility in Sayreville, New Jersey, and has separately closed on the purchase of five power plants in California. The acquisitions were executed in conjunction with Carlyle’s power affiliate Cogentrix. Red Oak, which is being acquired from Energy Capital Partners, is an 823-MW natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant located in Sayreville, New Jersey.

Consumers Energy signed a contract with Barton Malow Company for engineering, procurement and construction services at its $255 million Cross Winds Energy Park, a 105-MW wind farm in Tuscola County, Michigan. The contract is subject to approval by the Michigan Public Service Commission. The contract includes designing, engineering and constructing the park's turbine foundations, access roads, an operations and maintenance building; erecting the park's 62 wind turbines; and building the infrastructure that connects the turbines to the electrical grid.

Ballard Power Systems and its consortium partners received approximately $6.7 million in funding from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under the National Fuel Cell Bus Program for the deployment of two next-generation fuel cell buses as well as for extended operation of two existing Ballard-powered buses. Ballard will deliver its next-generation fuel cell power module - the FCvelocity-HD7 - to BAE Systems for incorporation into its HybriDrive propulsion system, with the final bus assembly to be completed by ElDorado National.

Duke Energy Renewables began construction on a 5-MW utility-scale solar power project in Beaufort County, N.C., adjacent to its 12.5-MW Washington White Post facility. As in the initial project, the solar energy generated from the Washington White Post II site will be sold through a 15-year agreement to North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency (NCEMPA). Duke Energy Renewables has contracted with SunEnergy1 to build the 27,450-panel photovoltaic project. It should be complete by the end of 2013.

First Solar and BELECTRIC Holding, GmbH launched a joint venture (JV) that will realize solar energy projects on three continents. The JV - PV Projects GmbH & Co.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) adopted new performance incentives to promote energy efficiency goals.

GridCOM Technologies, a provider of quantum cyber security solutions for energy infrastructures, was awarded a grant from the state of California to help protect the country's electrical grid from the growing threat of cyber-attacks. GridCOM will receive $95,000, the maximum amount available, under the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program, specifically the energy innovations small grant (EISG) program.

Opelika Power Services (OPS) selected the Tantalus Homerun Network as the technology platform for a fiber-based smart grid solution which will be coupled with the utility’s triple-play media services.

As part of its 10-year, $2.6 billion grid modernization program, ComEd began installation of more than 4 million smart meters throughout its service territory. ComEd expects to install 60,000 smart meters by the end of 2013. The full deployment will be complete in 2021.