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EIA Analysis of Southwest Hydropower Generation Shows Record Lows and Slow Recovery

LCG, November 13, 2026--The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) today issued an "In-Brief Analysis" highlighting the record lows for hydropower generation in the Southwest this summer. The prolonged drought conditions affecting the Colorado River Basin caused record low hydropower generation this summer in the Southwestern electricity supply region, which includes Arizona, New Mexico, and small parts of Nevada and California. Hydropower generation from April through August 2026 was a full 28 percent lower than the 10-year average and 19 percent lower than during the same period last year.

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NRC Issues Construction Permit for Long Mott High-Temperature, Gas-Cooled Reactor in Texas

LCG, November 11, 2026--The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced on November 9 that it has approved the Construction Permit Application ("CPA") for the Long Mott Generating Station in Texas. Long Mott Energy, LLC (LME) must obtain a separate operating license from the NRC before loading fuel or operating the reactors.

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Industry News

BrightSource Suspends Application for the 500-MW Hidden Hills Solar Project

LCG, April 8, 2013--BrightSource Energy Inc. notified the California Energy Commission (CEC) on April 3 that it will suspend the permit application for the Hidden Hills Solar Energy Generating System project.

The power purchase agreement (PPA) between BrightSource and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) will also be terminated. BrightSource stated that the termination is due to challenges associated with the project schedule and uncertainty around the timing of transmission upgrades.

The Hidden Hills Solar Energy Generating System project site is located on 3,280 acres of private land in Inyo County, California and is approximately 45 miles west of Las Vegas, Nevada. The project was to be a 500-MW solar thermal complex using over 340,000 software-controlled mirrors to focus the sunlight on boilers that sit atop two 750 foot tall towers. The concentrated solar energy heats the water to create superheated steam that drives a standard turbine where electricity is generated.

The project was to include two solar fields and associated facilities: the northern solar plant (Solar Plant 1) and the southern solar plant (Solar Plant 2). Each solar plant would generate 270 MW gross (250 MW net), for a total net output of 500 MW. Construction was to have started in 2013, with power produced in 2015.

BrightSource stated that the contracts with PG&E did not originally include storage, and such a change would require an amendment to the permit application and reopening of the evidentiary record to account for impacts associated with a new project footprint, including a layout of the solar field, storage equipment and reconfiguration of the power blocks.
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