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Minnesota PUC Approves Operations Extension for Xcel Energy's Prairie Island Nuclear Plant

LCG, August 15, 2025--Xcel Energy announced that the company received state approval yesterday from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to extend operations of the Prairie Island nuclear plant through the early 2050s. Prairie Island has two units that have a combined generating capacity of 1,100 MW. The units’ current operating licenses expire in 2033 and 2034.

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PGE Announces Addition of 475 MW of Battery Energy Storage Systems to Improve Grid Reliability and Costs

LCG, August 7, 2025--Portland General Electric (PGE) today announced the completion of three, four-hour lithium-ion utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Oregon, adding 475 MW and more than 1.9 GWh of dispatchable capacity to serve the Portland metro area. Each of these BESS facilities can deliver power during peak demand or when other electric generating facilities are limited, which improves system flexibility, reliability and costs.

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Industry News

FERC’s 12 Percent Reserve Riles Some Californians

LCG, November 20, 2002In an effort to prevent future energy crises, FERC plans to instate a 12 percent reserve requirement, but some utilities say such a move will cost too much.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is considering setting the state energy reserve level at 12 percent as part of a larger effort to prevent events like the California energy crisis of 2000/2001, which landed Northern California utility PG&E in bankruptcy court.

However, some Californian officials object to the proposed measure, saying that forcing utilities to buy extra electricity will result in higher costs, the opposite of the intended effect of preventing high costs.

The California Consumer Power and Conservation Financing Authority asserts that FERC has gone beyond its authority in considering such measures, while representatives from Southern California Edison find minimum reserves necessary but object to FERCs proposal.

Some officials feel that the Independent System Operator should take responsibility for keeping the lights on.

Naturally, utilities will object to any new rules limiting their flexibility; FERC will have to determine whether or not the reserve requirement will be worth its cost to the utilities.

FERC will consider and solidify the reserve issue, as well as other facets of market design, next year.

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