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The NRC Issues Summary of 2025 Successes

LCG, December 29, 2025--The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) today issued a summary of its 2025 accomplishments to highlight its commitment to "enabling the safe and secure use of civilian nuclear energy and radioactive materials through efficient and reliable licensing, oversight, and regulation to benefit society and the environment."

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Energy Secretary Issues Emergency Orders to Ensure Indiana Coal-fired Facilities Remain Open to Prevent Midwest Blackouts

LCG, December 24, 2025--The U.S. Secretary of Energy today issued emergency orders to keep two Indiana coal plants operational, with the stated goal to ensure Americans in the Midwest region of the United States have access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity heading into the winter months. The orders direct CenterPoint Energy, the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO) to take all measures necessary to ensure specified generation units at both the F.B. Culley and R.M. Schahfer generating stations in Indiana are available to operate.

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Industry News

Surviving and ThrivingIn the RTO/ISO Environment

Dr. Rajat K. Deb, head of LCG Consulting and publisher of EnergyOnline Daily News, is author with some of his staff of an article, Surviving and Thriving in the RTO Revolution, appearing in the February 1 issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly. He was asked to share some of his thoughts with our readers.

By Rajat K. Deb

LCG, Feb. 9, 2001-In Order 2000, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) requires Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs), including for-profit Transcos and non-profit Independent System Operators, to meet a number of criteria in their design, implementation, and management of the transmission grid. But to survive and thrive, RTO must learn to do much more and with better tools attuned to the task.

On the surface, RTOs perform a concise list of transmission-related functions, assigned to them by the FERC. First, RTOs must to design and collect transmission tariffs. Second, RTOs must manage various functions of grid operations in the short term, such as congestion, ancillary services, loop flows, and OASIS the interface with the grid customer. At the same time, RTOs will take the lead in long-term planning for future grid design and construction. And finally, the RTO acts as the official regional transmission "czar," coordinating grid operations with other regions and overseeing the efficiency and fairness of regional markets.

Yet the real job of running an RTO may prove more complex. Consider the events of last year in California and the West, and the difficulties experienced by the California Independent System Operator. This experience suggests that the job of the RTO goes far beyond the managing the nominal transmission sector.

Like it or not, RTOs inevitably must engage in integrated resource planning. Of course, it is true that under a market-driven restructuring, the choice and manner of deployment of generation and transmission capacity represent separate business decisions. Yet, these two segments remain interdependent.

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