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DOE Announces New Path to Test Advanced Nuclear Reactors

LCG, June 18, 2025--The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced late today a new pilot program to expedite the testing of advanced nuclear reactor designs under DOE authority outside of the national laboratories. The new pilot program is intended to unlock private funding and provide a fast track to commercial licensing.

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X-energy Announces Receipt from NRC of Schedule for Xe-100 Construction Permit Application

LCG, June 17, 2025--X-energy Reactor Company, LLC (X-energy) announced yesterday that it has received key updates from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regarding the construction permit application for the initial deployment of the Xe-100 advanced reactor at a Texas Gulf Coast site. The NRC published an 18-month review timeline for the project, located in Seadrift, Texas, and will concurrently proceed with its environmental assessment. The NRC cited the completeness and quality of the application, as well as the effectiveness of pre-application engagements for the 18-month timeline.

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Industry News

Senators Propose National Renewable Electricity Standard

LCG, September 22, 2010--Senators Bingaman (New Mexico) and Brownback (Kansas) yesterday announced plans to reintroduce a bill to create a federal renewable electricity standard (RES). The legislation is alleged to increase our energy security, enhance the reliability of the electricity grid by creating more homegrown renewable energy, and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The stand-alone, 43-page RES bill is almost identical to the RES included in the American Clean Energy Leadership Act, S. 1462, according to Senator Bingaman. The bill requires electricity suppliers to ratchet up the percent of renewable energy supplies (or energy efficiency improvements) from 3 percent in 2012 to 15 percent in 2021. The bill is designed not to affect state programs.

Like prior the proposal, the bill includes (i) an exemption for utilities selling less than 4 million megawatt hours per year of electricity and (ii) the option to pay alternative compliance payments to the Secretary at a rate of 2.1 cents per kWh.

Renewable energy sources include wind, solar, ocean, geothermal, landfill gas, incremental hydropower, hydrokinetic, and new hydropower at existing dams, an expanded waste-to-energy definition that includes municipal wastes, and biomass.

Although biomass is included as a renewable resource, the bill does nothing to address the carbon neutrality of biomass, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called into question with its proposed Tailoring Rule that does not treat biomass as carbon neutral. Without carbon neutrality, biomass development will likely be limited, and it will not become the primary, non-hydro source of renewables, as forecast this year in the Energy Information Administration's Annual Energy Outlook.

Senator Bingaman states, "I think that the votes are present in the Senate to pass a renewable electricity standard. I think that they are present in the House. I think that we need to get on with figuring out what we can pass and move forward."
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