EnergyOnline
Services

RSS FEED

EnergyOnline.com rss

News

SPP and Member Utilities Successfully Achieve Western Expansion Milestone

LCG, April 2, 2026--Southwest Power Pool (SPP) today announced that the expansion of its service territory into the Western Interconnection has been a success. The milestone makes SPP the first regional transmission organization (RTO) with services spanning the Eastern and Western Interconnections. Its member organizations, which cover all or part of 17 states, can now benefit from a more operationally and geographically diverse integrated system.

Read more

Holtec Achieves Milestone towards Restarting Palisades Nuclear Facility and Advances Plans to Build Two SMRs at Palisades Site

LCG, March 31, 2026--Holtec International yesterday announced that it successfully completed a milestone test necessary to return Holtec's Palisades Nuclear Generating Station to service. The 805-MW pressurized water reactor (PWR) is located in Michigan and was shut down by Entergy in May 2022. Holtec acquired the facility in June 2022 and has pursued a path to return the plant to service.

Read more

Industry News

Aluminum Smelter to Build Power Plant in Northwest

LCG, Sept. 29, 2000Golden Northwest Aluminum Inc., a major U.S. aluminum smelter, plans to build a 248 megawatt power plant at its primary facility in Goldendale, Wash., and sell any surplus power through the Bonneville Power Administration, BPA said yesterday.

Bonneville said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the aluminum company and Goldendale Energy Inc., an independent power producer, saying that, if a final agreement can be achieved on a commercial basis, BPA will purchase power from the plant when the aluminum producer is not operating or operating at such a reduced level that it can't use all the power.

The smelter currently operates under a 10-year tolling agreement with Norsk Hydro and is estimated to have a need for 285 megawatts of electricity, but is facing future power shortages, industry sources say.

Bonneville isn't sticking its neck out. Judi Johansen, BPA administrator, said she was pleased to participate in the project, but "we will do so only on the condition that the project can be built and operated, on a forecasted basis, at no cost to our other customers or to environmental programs funded by BPA."

The reason for the agreement between Golden Northwest and Bonneville is to provide Goldendale Energy with a reliable purchaser of power not used by the smelter if the aluminum plant should reduce production due to unfavorable conditions in the aluminum market or for other reasons, a requirement for financing of the facility.

Because of Bonneville's involvement, the project must be reviewed by the Northwest Power Planning Council. Construction is expected to take about two years.

Copyright © 2026 LCG Consulting. All rights reserved. Terms and Copyright
UPLAN-NPM
The Locational Marginal Price Model (LMP) Network Power Model
Uniform Storage Model
A Battery Simulation Model
UPLAN-ACE
Day Ahead and Real Time Market Simulation
UPLAN-G
The Gas Procurement and Competitive Analysis System
PLATO
Database of Plants, Loads, Assets, Transmission...
CAISO CRR Auctions
Monthly Price and Congestion Forecasting Service