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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

Decision Made on California Direct Access Customers Surcharge

LCG, Nov. 8, 2002--Large energy customers who were allowed to buy electricity from marketers and wholesale suppliers other than California's major investor-owned utilities will pay a surcharge to repay the state for its power purchases, with California Public Utilities Commissioners split on whether the amount is sufficient.

Yesterday, a 3-2 vote by California PUC regulators was made to impose a 2.7-cents per kilowatt-hour charge on usage by electricity purchasers who had signed their own supply contracts, starting Jan. 1. PUC President Loretta Lynch and Carl Wood, who advocated that the surcharge be higher, voted in the minority. Lynch thought other, generally small customers, who buy electricity from the investor-owned utilities, would be left paying a disproportionate share of the costs incurred by the state through its electricity purchases. She asserted that "This massive transfer of wealth is discriminatory and unreasonable."

Jeff Brown, who voted with the majority, said it is necessary to keep a central feature of earlier deregulation plans in place, by allowing direct access customers to continue their relationships with alternative suppliers. "If actual costs are imposed each year, direct access would become uneconomic and would cease to exist," he said. He also indicated that not allowing direct access would represent "a terrible signal to the business community," according to the Sacramento Bee. He believed, however, that the 2.7-cent surcharge is likely to rise next year.

Those who entered into direct access contracts include industrial and retail facilities, as well as hospitals and schools.
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