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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

UtiliCorp Accused of Profiteering on Retail Gas

LCG, Dec. 7, 2000--Missouri regulators are investigating anonymous charges that UtiliCorp United Inc. made illegal profits on natural gas that it resells to 730,000 natural gas customers in five states, including Missouri.

An unsigned letter from a person claiming to be an employee of the utility charged that UtiliCorp's natural gas supply division, which purchases wholesale gas for resale to customers, was told it had to achieve an annual profit of about $10 million in a way that would not be detected by regulators.

As a regulated utility, UtiliCorp is prohibited from making a profit on retail gas unless an incentive system is in place for sharing profits with customers. No such program exists for UtiliCorp.

"I feel that these business practices are not appropriate and should be brought to your attention," the letter to the Missouri Public Service Commission said, noting that utilities in Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska were affected by the practices.

The Missouri Public Service Commission found the allegations serious enough to justify an investigation. So did UtiliCorp, which is cooperating with investigators and conducting a probe of its own.

"While the allegations are anonymous and questionable, we nevertheless are taking them seriously," said George Minter, a UtiliCorp spokesman. The company said yesterday that it would not allow practices which were detrimental to ratepayers or against regulations. It expressed confidence that it will be found to have complied with regulations in spirit and to the letter.

Regulators is Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota have also opened investigations.

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