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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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Press Release

EIA Releases Study on Drought Effects on California Electricity Generation and Power Market using UPLAN Model

LCG, June 6, 2022 – California is experiencing more frequent and intense drought conditions. One effect of droughts is the reduction in hydropower. In its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), the U.S. Energy Information Administration assumes that monthly generation in the future follows average historical patterns to forecast California's hydroelectric generation. However, cyclic drought conditions demand an alternative approach to modeling hydropower, with more hydrological variables included to account for highly variable hydro conditions. Growth in intermittent generating capacity also magnifies the impact of droughts on power markets. In light of this, EIA performed this study as a supplement to STEO using LCG Consulting’s UPLAN model.

Six major hydropower projects in California are modeled for the critical summer months from June to September using detailed information about water and reservoir storage conditions. These hydropower projects have the biggest influence on the overall hydroelectric generation in California. EIA examines two cases: a median case assuming median water supply between 1980 and 2020 and a drought case representing the current year.

EIA found in the drought case, California's summer hydroelectric share of generation mix was nearly halved from 15% to 8%, with the reduction in generation offset by electricity from neighboring markets and in-state natural gas generation. Increased natural gas generation contributed to higher electricity prices and CO2 emissions. On-peak prices in Northern California increased by 7% relative to the median case, and Southern California by 5%.

The UPLAN model incorporated natural inflow to each hydropower project with initial reservoir inventory, and EIA used this information to produce forecasts of hourly generation.

EIA study link: https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/special/supplements/2022/2022_sp_02.pdf

See previous press release for more on EIA's modeling work using the UPLAN model.http://energyonline.com/Industry/News.aspx?NewsID=25086&EIA_Publishes_Regional_Electricity_Supply_and_Pricing_Forecasts_Using_UPLAN_Model_
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