Hydrated silver shots comprising a source of H and HOH catalyst were ignited by passing a low voltage, high current through the shot to produce explosive plasma that emitted brilliant light predominantly in the short-wavelength 10 to 300 nm region. Based on Stark broadening, the initially optically thick essentially 100% ionized plasma expanded at sound speed or greater and thinned to emit EUV and UV light. The peak power of 20 MW was measured using absolute spectroscopy over the 22.8–647 nm region wherein the optical emission energy was 250 times the applied energy. Synchronized high-speed video and spectroscopic recording of the plasma emission and the measurement of the applied ignition power over time showed that plasma persisted even after the ignition power decayed to zero. Continuous megawatt-level power was recorded on a hydrino reactor wherein continuous brilliant plasma was maintained by HOH and H produced from water-entrained injected molten silver matrix. The molten fuel produced the same EUV spectrum as the shots, but converted to 5700 K blackbody radiation of about 1 m2 surface area with a positive feedback cycle of silver vaporization and absorption of the hydrino reaction emission with the plasma becoming increasingly optically thick. The calorimetrically measured power of a typical 80 mg, 10 microliter shot ignition released by the nascent HOH catalyzed transition of H to hydrino state H 2 (1/4) was 400,000 W. Based on the shockwave propagation velocity and the corresponding pressure, the high-current ignition of water in a silver matrix was measured to produce a shock wave that was equivalent to about 10 times more moles of gunpowder. The catalysis reaction product H 2 (1/4) was identified by Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence emission spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and MAS 1H NMR.