EnergyOnline
Services

RSS FEED

EnergyOnline.com rss

News

NuScale Power Achieves Standard Design Approval from NRC for 77 MW SMR

LCG, May 30, 2025--NuScale Power Corporation (NuScale), a leading provider of advanced small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear technology, yesterday announced that it has received design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its uprated 77 MW power modules. NuScale states that it remains the only SMR technology company with design approval from the NRC, and the company remains on track for deployment by 2030, with 50- and 77-MW SMR options.

Read more

EIA Presents Analysis of California's Solar and Wind Power Curtailment Challenges

LCG, May 29, 2025--The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released an analysis yesterday showing that the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the grid operator for most of the state, is increasing its curtailment of the rapidly growing solar- and wind-powered generation facilities in order to balance electricity supply and demand, which is necessary to maintain a stable electric system.

Read more

Industry News

Western Resources to Exit Utility Business

LCG, Nov. 9, 2000--If at the end of the electric deregulation battles there is a tomb for the unknown soldier it will be that of Western Resources Inc.

The Topeka, Kans.-based company, as recently as four years ago an aggressive pursuer of growth through acquisition of electric utilities, announced this morning that it will sell its electric and natural gas operations to Public Service Co. of New Mexico and rename what's left over Westar Industries.

The deal is valued at more than $4.4 billion, including debt. A new, as yet unnamed holding company will own both PNM and Western Resources' utility operations, which consist mostly of Kansas Power & Light Co. of Topeka and Kansas Gas & Electric Co. of Wichita.

Prior to the close of the transaction, Western Resources will reorganize its non-utility businesses into a new company, Westar, which will be spun off to Western Resources shareholders. Westar's principal assets will be its 85 percent interest in Protection One, the home security business that has brought Western Resources to its knees, and its 45 percent investment in Oneok Inc., the Oklahoma gas company.

The new holding company will issue 55 million of its shares, subject to adjustment, to WesternResources' shareholders and Westar Industries. Before any adjustments, the new company will haveapproximately 95 million shares outstanding, of which approximately 42.1 percent will be owned byformer PNM shareholders and 57.9 percent will be owned by former Western Resources shareholdersand Westar Industries.

Based on PNM's average closing price on the New York Stock Exchange over the past 10 days, the equity portion of the transaction works out to about $1.5 billion. The new holding company will assume around $2.9 billion of Western Resources debt.

The companies said they expected to close the transaction in a year to 15 months. The new company will serve over one million retail electric customers and 400,000 retail gas customersin New Mexico and Kansas and will have generating capacity of more than 7,000 megawatts. Thetransaction also will make the new company a leading energy supplier in the Western and Midwesternwholesale markets, they said.

PNM's chief executive, Jeff Sterba, said in the joint statement "By joining forces with Western Resources, we will surpass our stated goal of doubling our generation capacity and tripling our power sales more than three years ahead of schedule." He added "This transaction will also enable us to realize a number of important financial improvements, including a broader, more predictable cash flow, solid revenues and earnings growth, improved access to capital, increased market capitalization and public market float and cost efficiencies."

Sterba will be chairman, president and chief executive of the new holding company, which will be headquartered in Albuquerque, PNM's present home. Western's chief, David Wittig, will be chairman, president and chief executive of Westar.

Copyright © 2025 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