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OG&E and Google Announce Contract for Three Data Centers in Oklahoma

LCG, April 30, 2026--OG&E, the operating subsidiary of OGE Energy Corp., announced today that it will power three new data centers that Google announced in Muskogee and Stillwater, Oklahoma last year. As part of the agreement, Google will also make power generation capacity available from two solar facilities in Stephens and Muskogee Counties that are currently under construction. The data centers and associated Electric Service Agreements are expected to provide economic growth for local communities and the state, contribute to grid stability, and benefit OG&E's current customers.

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Graphic Packaging and NextEra Energy Resources Sign 250-MW Virtual Power Purchase Agreement

LCG, April 29, 2026--Graphic Packaging Holding Company today announced a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with NextEra Energy Resources, LLC. With the VPPA agreement, NextEra Energy Resources plans to build the Selenite Springs Energy Center, a 250-MW solar energy facility in West Texas, and Graphic Packaging will be the sole buyer of the facility's renewable energy attribute certificates. Graphic Packaging, a global provider of sustainable consumer packaging, expects the agreement to cover approximately 43 percent of its 2025 electricity usage in the U.S. and Canada. The agreement will advance Graphic Packaging's commitment to source renewable electricity and reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

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Industry News

Boric Acid Leak in Texas Reactor Worries Other Plant Owners

LCG, May 1, 2003A routine inspection at a Houston, Texas nuclear plant resulted in the discovery of mysterious and foreboding boric acid residue.

After Ohios Davis-Besse nuclear plant suffered a large hole in its reactor head from boric acid-related corrosion, the nuclear industry has stepped up its efforts regarding especially susceptible plants. Although Davis-Besse has yet to return to service, other similarly engineered plants have increased inspections to prevent such dramatic corrosion.

However, in the case of the South Texas Project plant, corrosion seems to have occurred in a much more problematic region, the bottom of the reactor.

In March, plant inspectors found two small minute boric acid deposits underneath the reactor vessel. While a leak of this type will have no effect on public health, ensuring the safety of the technician responsible for fixing the holes is challenging at best.

Beyond mere repair, the finding has worried those who run or own the other 68 U.S. nuclear plants of similar design. Reactor 1 underwent inspections more rigorous than those required by NRC and is a mere 15 years old. If the leaks turn out to be associated with normal wear and tear, the finding would come as bad news all around.

Boric acid is used to absorb extra neutrons produced in nuclear reactors. Radiation, high temperatures, and stress (force per area), combined with acidic conditions, can result in the oxidation, or corrosion, of metal, even specially designed alloys like steels.

South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company, which is responsible for daily operation of Reactor 1 as well as a second reactor on-site, has not been able to determine a cause for the deposits and has told the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Commission that the plants reactor will be disassembled in order to investigate the leak further.

The reactor has 1,250 megawatts of capacity and was initially shut down for refueling. CenterPoint Energy Inc. and American Electric Power Company, as well as San Antonio and Austin municipal utilities jointly own the plant.

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