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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.

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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.

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Industry News

Six Southwest Utilities Form RTO

LCG, Oct. 5, 2001--Six utilities in the U.S. Southwest, under the leadership of Arizona Public Service Co., said yesterday that they have agreed to form a profit-making regional transmission organization to be known as West Connect.

West Connect will replace Desert Star, a non-profit RTO developed by the utilities over the past four years and will incorporate may of its policies and procedures. "The group has decided that a for-profit governance structure is in the best interest of the utilities," APS President Jack Davis said in a statement. West Connect hopes to be open for business by late 2003.

In addition to APS, the firms forming West Connect include the Salt River Project, El Paso Electric Co., Public Service Co. of New Mexico, Tucson Electric Power Co. and Texas-New Mexico Power Co.

The companies will ask within a week or so for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to bless their proposal. "We will file with FERC by mid-month," APS spokesman Alan Lee Bunnell said.

Pending FERC approval, West Connect will take the place of Desert Star, and the new, for-profit RTO hopes to eventually bring in the "couple of dozen" members of its predecessor and add new members from the West and Pacific Northwest.

"We have received positive feedback from all of the organizations of Desert Star," Bunnell said. The membership of Desert Star includes regional electrical cooperatives and municipal electric utility companies.

As to branching out into the West and Pacific northwest, Bunnell said "Our ultimate goal is to bring to life FERC's goal of having four RTOs in the continental United States."

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