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Minnesota PUC Approves Operations Extension for Xcel Energy's Prairie Island Nuclear Plant

LCG, August 15, 2025--Xcel Energy announced that the company received state approval yesterday from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to extend operations of the Prairie Island nuclear plant through the early 2050s. Prairie Island has two units that have a combined generating capacity of 1,100 MW. The units’ current operating licenses expire in 2033 and 2034.

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PGE Announces Addition of 475 MW of Battery Energy Storage Systems to Improve Grid Reliability and Costs

LCG, August 7, 2025--Portland General Electric (PGE) today announced the completion of three, four-hour lithium-ion utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Oregon, adding 475 MW and more than 1.9 GWh of dispatchable capacity to serve the Portland metro area. Each of these BESS facilities can deliver power during peak demand or when other electric generating facilities are limited, which improves system flexibility, reliability and costs.

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Industry News

Aluminum Smelter to Build Power Plant in Northwest

LCG, Sept. 29, 2000Golden Northwest Aluminum Inc., a major U.S. aluminum smelter, plans to build a 248 megawatt power plant at its primary facility in Goldendale, Wash., and sell any surplus power through the Bonneville Power Administration, BPA said yesterday.

Bonneville said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the aluminum company and Goldendale Energy Inc., an independent power producer, saying that, if a final agreement can be achieved on a commercial basis, BPA will purchase power from the plant when the aluminum producer is not operating or operating at such a reduced level that it can't use all the power.

The smelter currently operates under a 10-year tolling agreement with Norsk Hydro and is estimated to have a need for 285 megawatts of electricity, but is facing future power shortages, industry sources say.

Bonneville isn't sticking its neck out. Judi Johansen, BPA administrator, said she was pleased to participate in the project, but "we will do so only on the condition that the project can be built and operated, on a forecasted basis, at no cost to our other customers or to environmental programs funded by BPA."

The reason for the agreement between Golden Northwest and Bonneville is to provide Goldendale Energy with a reliable purchaser of power not used by the smelter if the aluminum plant should reduce production due to unfavorable conditions in the aluminum market or for other reasons, a requirement for financing of the facility.

Because of Bonneville's involvement, the project must be reviewed by the Northwest Power Planning Council. Construction is expected to take about two years.

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