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Oklo and Siemens Energy Sign Agreement to Accelerate Power Conversion System for New SMR in Idaho

LCG, November 19, 2025--Oklo Inc. and Siemens Energy announced today that the parties have signed a binding contract for the design and delivery of the power conversion system for Oklo’s Aurora-INL (Idaho National Laboratory) nuclear small modular reactor (SMR). The agreement authorizes Siemens Energy to begin engineering and design work to expedite procurement of long-lead components and to initiate the manufacturing process for the power conversion system. Oklo’s expertise in advanced fission technology will be combined with Siemens Energy’s extensive industry experience with steam turbine and generator systems, with the ultimate goal of generating carbon-free, reliable electricity.

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NERC's New Winter Reliability Assessment Raises Concerns for Elevated Risk of Insufficient Supplies to Meet Demand in Extreme Operating Conditions

LCG, November 19, 2025--NERC yesterday released its 2025–2026 Winter Reliability Assessment (WRA), which concludes "much of North America is again at an elevated risk of having insufficient energy supplies to meet demand in extreme operating conditions." The WRA does state that resources are adequate for normal winter peak demand, but extended, wide-area cold snaps will be challenging.

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Industry News

FERC Asked to Ease Caps on Northwest Power Prices

LCG, Aug. 31, 2001--A power planning group formed by the governors of four states in the Pacific Northwest has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to relax their price caps on electricity because of concern that the controls could restrict power supplies this winter.

The Northwest Power Planning Council says FERC's pricing formula, imposed in June on 11 states in the West, is based solely on the cost of producing power in California, which has little relevance for Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

In California, peak demand occurs during the summer when air conditioners are fighting a hot climate and drops during the clement winters. The situation is just the opposite in the Northwest, where many homes are heated by electricity and the winters are cold.

The council fears that FERC's pricing formula could keep prices artificially low in the Northwest and deter power producers from selling electricity into the regional market, just when it's needed most.

The council recommended several changes to FERC's rule, including one that would base power prices on the cost of production, and voted 6-2 to file the petition with FERC.

Another of the recommendations would require power producers in California to sell electricity into the four Northwestern states -- the reverse of Clinton administration rulings when the Department of Energy ordered Northwestern power producers to sell power to California during that state's energy emergencies last fall.

Those sales resulted in power shortages in the Northwest and higher prices for consumers in the four states.

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