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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

Efficient Coal Generation Counted Towards Maine Renewable Target

LCG, Aug. 15, 2002--A requirement for 30 percent renewable-source power generation set within 1997 restructuring legislation in Maine is being met in part by cogeneration fueled by coal.

The allowance for coal being burned to produce both electricity and steam to help meet the renewables target was part of a compromise among legislators and interest groups, such as paper pulp mills. The percentage of power generated from varous sources is indicated to customers of Central Maine Power Co. in a regular status report. According to the report, the breakdown includes: oil, 26.3 percent; nuclear, 26 percent; coal, 18.2 percent; natural gas, 6.5 percent, for a total of 77 percent fossil fuels.

According to Maine's public advocate, Stephen Ward, coal is an "eligible resource" in meeting the 30 percent renewable target. It is considered so because cogeneration is a more efficient process than simple burning of coal for electricity alone. A note reads, "For the purposes of meeting the 30 percent portfolio requirement, 64.3 percent of the coal resource meets the eligible resource requirement of MPUC chapter 311." This means that "eligible resource" coal contributes 11.7 percent of the generation total, while biomass contributes 11.3 percent, hydro is at 10.3 percent, and municipal trash at 1.4 percent.

Some biomass plants in the state which produced power in 1997 no longer operate, due to their being uncompetitive.
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