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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

Utilities in U.S. Northwest Ask for Steep Gas Rate Hikes

LCG, Dec. 11, 2000--Avista Corp. and Puget Sound Energy Inc. asked regulators to approve steep natural gas rate hikes because of rapidly escalating wholesale prices for the commodity which the utilities sell to their retail customers without profit.

Avista asked both Washington and Idaho to approve a 29 percent rate increase, while Puget Sound Energy asked for a 25 percent boost to its gas rates in Washington. For a typical householder now paying $65 a month for natural gas, Avista's rate hike would mean monthly bills of $83.85 and Puget's would nick the consumer $81.25.

Avista asked that its rate hike take effect in both states on January 11. Puget was willing to wait a day longer.

"Even with this adjustment, natural gas remains a good value for consumers," said Tim Hogan,Puget's vice president for external affairs. "When it comes to heating a home, a dollar's worth ofnatural gas buys consumers the same amount of energy as $2.33 worth of propane, $1.52 worth ofoil or $1.61 worth of electricity."

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