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X-energy Commences First Irradiation Tests of Advanced TRISO-X Nuclear Fuel at Idaho National Laboratory

LCG, November 6, 2025--X-energy Reactor Company, LLC, (X-energy) and the U.S. Office of Nuclear Energy today announced the start of confirmatory irradiation testing at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to qualify X-energy’s proprietary TRISO-X fuel pebbles for commercial use in the Xe-100 Small Modular Reactor (SMR). (TRISO stands for TRi-structural ISOtropic). This is the first time that TRISO-X fuel pebbles will undergo irradiation testing in a U.S. lab, which is a critical step in meeting requirements set forth by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the commercial deployment of advanced reactors that will use the fuel.

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NextEra Energy and Google Collaborate on Accelerating Nuclear Power Deployment

LCG, October 28, 2025--NextEra Energy and Google yesterday announced two agreements that will help meet growing electricity demand from artificial intelligence (AI) with clean, reliable, 24/7 nuclear power and strengthen the nation's nuclear leadership. First, Google signed a new, 25-year agreement for power generated at the Duane Arnold Energy Center, Iowa's only nuclear power facility. The 601-MW boiling water reactor unit was shut down in 2020 and is expected to commence operations by the first quarter of 2029, pending regulatory approvals to restart the plant.

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Press Release

EIA Releases Study on Drought Effects on California Electricity Generation and Power Market using UPLAN Model

LCG, June 6, 2022 – California is experiencing more frequent and intense drought conditions. One effect of droughts is the reduction in hydropower. In its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), the U.S. Energy Information Administration assumes that monthly generation in the future follows average historical patterns to forecast California's hydroelectric generation. However, cyclic drought conditions demand an alternative approach to modeling hydropower, with more hydrological variables included to account for highly variable hydro conditions. Growth in intermittent generating capacity also magnifies the impact of droughts on power markets. In light of this, EIA performed this study as a supplement to STEO using LCG Consulting’s UPLAN model.

Six major hydropower projects in California are modeled for the critical summer months from June to September using detailed information about water and reservoir storage conditions. These hydropower projects have the biggest influence on the overall hydroelectric generation in California. EIA examines two cases: a median case assuming median water supply between 1980 and 2020 and a drought case representing the current year.

EIA found in the drought case, California's summer hydroelectric share of generation mix was nearly halved from 15% to 8%, with the reduction in generation offset by electricity from neighboring markets and in-state natural gas generation. Increased natural gas generation contributed to higher electricity prices and CO2 emissions. On-peak prices in Northern California increased by 7% relative to the median case, and Southern California by 5%.

The UPLAN model incorporated natural inflow to each hydropower project with initial reservoir inventory, and EIA used this information to produce forecasts of hourly generation.

EIA study link: https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/special/supplements/2022/2022_sp_02.pdf

See previous press release for more on EIA's modeling work using the UPLAN model.http://energyonline.com/Industry/News.aspx?NewsID=25086&EIA_Publishes_Regional_Electricity_Supply_and_Pricing_Forecasts_Using_UPLAN_Model_
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