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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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Industry News

FERC and California Prepare for Long-term Contract Hearing

LCG, Dec. 12, 2002--The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and attorneys for California have different views of how strong California's case is for overturning long-term contracts the state signed during the energy crisis.

A brief developed and filed by FERC staff in preparation for hearings into $43 billion worth of contracts found that the state needs to prove that the long-term contracts were affected by prices in the soaring short-term market. California contends that spillover between the two existed. According to the Commission's brief, "CDWR [California Department of Water Resources] in fact renegotiated letters of intent it had entered into and rejected other higher cost contracts," thereby indicating to FERC that the California agency did not lack bargaining power.

The hearings, which are due to end with a ruling by FERC Judge Bobbie McCartney by mid-February, are meant to resolve California's assertion that the contracts were signed under circumstances in which the state had little choice but to purchase electricity at unjust rates. The FERC staff wrote that in order for the contracts to be overturned, they must be shown to be contrary to the public interest, according to the "Mobile-Sierra" doctrine set forth by the Supreme Court in the 1950's. The FERC's brief raises the argument that the power market would be adversely affected if the contracts are not upheld.

Some energy sellers to California, such as Calpine Corp. and Williams Cos., have thus far reached agreements with the state on revised contract terms. Others that have not proceeded to settlements include Allegheny Energy, Dynegy Inc., Sempra Energy, and Coral Energy, a unit of Royal Dutch/Shell. If a ruling were to be issued in California's favor, a related action by western U.S. utilities could gain momentum.
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