EnergyOnline
Services

RSS FEED

EnergyOnline.com rss

News

X-energy Commences First Irradiation Tests of Advanced TRISO-X Nuclear Fuel at Idaho National Laboratory

LCG, November 6, 2025--X-energy Reactor Company, LLC, (X-energy) and the U.S. Office of Nuclear Energy today announced the start of confirmatory irradiation testing at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to qualify X-energy’s proprietary TRISO-X fuel pebbles for commercial use in the Xe-100 Small Modular Reactor (SMR). (TRISO stands for TRi-structural ISOtropic). This is the first time that TRISO-X fuel pebbles will undergo irradiation testing in a U.S. lab, which is a critical step in meeting requirements set forth by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the commercial deployment of advanced reactors that will use the fuel.

Read more

NextEra Energy and Google Collaborate on Accelerating Nuclear Power Deployment

LCG, October 28, 2025--NextEra Energy and Google yesterday announced two agreements that will help meet growing electricity demand from artificial intelligence (AI) with clean, reliable, 24/7 nuclear power and strengthen the nation's nuclear leadership. First, Google signed a new, 25-year agreement for power generated at the Duane Arnold Energy Center, Iowa's only nuclear power facility. The 601-MW boiling water reactor unit was shut down in 2020 and is expected to commence operations by the first quarter of 2029, pending regulatory approvals to restart the plant.

Read more

Industry News

Lake Michigan Silt Closes AEP's Cook Nuke

LCG, Aug. 30, 2001--American Electric power Co. said this morning that the 1,100 megawatt Unit 2 of its Cook nuclear power plant at Benton Harbor, Mich., was being taken off line because of the intrusion of Lake Michigan silt into its cooling water systems.

"The silt was drawn in by plant water intake pipes and degraded cooling water systems required for plant safety equipment and back-up power sources," AEP said in a statement.

Silty water is a fine abrasive and can literally grind down the moving parts of a system in which it circulates. AEP said Unit 1 at Cook, a twin of Unit 2, was taken off line on Monday to replace a circulating water pump discharge valve. The company did not say silt was what made the replacement necessary but did say that silt intrusion affects the cooling water systems for both units.

Three huge pipes, each 16 feet across, bring water from one-half mile out in Lake Michigan into the plant. It is not surprising that silt -- and an occasional boat -- would find its way into the plant's systems.

AEP was unable to say how long the units would be shut down, but said return-to-service schedules for both units will be established following an investigation to determine the cause of the silt intrusion.

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