GE Vernova agreed to buy Trench Group, a maker of high-voltage bushings, instrument transformers and coils, from Triton Partners for about $9.0 billion, with close expected in late 2027. The same day it reported Q3 orders of $29 billion and gas equipment backlog plus slot reservations rising from 116 to 122 GW. The biggest grid OEM is buying a supplier and its factories because equipment capacity, not demand, is the constraint.
Citing Mitsubishi Power's Asia Pacific CEO at Singapore International Energy Week, Patrick Rooney writes that new large-frame gas turbine orders deliver around 2031, with 2028 to 2029 slots nearly full. He notes GE Vernova and Siemens Energy are also sold out years forward. Anyone planning new dispatchable capacity on a 2027 or 2028 timeline should check which year the turbine actually arrives.
SMUD runs three robot dogs that inspect substations across a system of more than 270 substations and 400 large transformers. In this Energy Central episode, SMUD's Eric Poff explains why catching a faulty $2,000 component can save a $4 million transformer, and what it takes to turn a pilot into standard practice. It is a utility putting a dollar figure on what one robot inspection catch is worth.
Foundry Robotics raised a $100 million Series A led by Marlinspike to build robot cells trained on reusable assembly skills, so one factory can build many kinds of hardware without a dedicated line for each. Its 130,000-square-foot Bay Area factory targets wire harnesses, underwater vehicles, satellites, drones and telecom gear. The bet is flexible capacity for low-volume, high-mix assembly.
