Xcel has applied to extend its operating license at Monticello through 2050. The utility already had planned to shut down the plant April 15 for nearly a month for refueling, and Clark said it wasn't clear if it would immediately reopen after the leak is fixed.Ĭlark said the pipe that leaked is part of the original plant, which opened in 1971. He said the call for more transparency was one reason he was holding a news conference and inviting residents to the information session.Īlthough there is a cost to shutting down the plant, Clark said electricity demand is lower at this time of the year and that other power plants can meet customer demand. “The leak did not exceed any NRC limits and the company is meeting NRC requirements.”Ĭlark acknowledged some local officials and residents were unhappy the utility didn't immediately report the spill to the public, although the utility made required notifications to state and federal authorities. The Monticello plant is about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis, upstream from the city on the Mississippi River.“It is important to note that while NRC inspectors are closely monitoring the plant’s actions to address the leak per requirements, this leak does not present a safety challenge to the public, to drinking water supplies, the plant or the environment,” Mitlyng said in a statement. Minnesota regulators said Thursday, March 16, 2023, that they’re monitoring the cleanup of a leak of 400,000 gallons of radioactive water from Xcel Energy’s Monticello nuclear power plant in late November 2022. In this case, there was no such threat.” The company said it focused on investigating the situation, containing the affected water and figuring out next steps. FILE - Cooling towers release heat generated by boiling water reactors at Xcel Energy’s Nuclear Generating Plant on Oct. When asked why Xcel Energy didn’t notify the public earlier, the company said: “We understand the importance of quickly informing the communities we serve if a situation poses an immediate threat to health and safety. Kirsti Marohn 2:52 PM The Xcel Energy nuclear generating plant, near Monticello, Minn., said it’s made substantial progress on pumping the contaminated water and more than. “Ongoing monitoring from over two dozen on-site monitoring wells confirms that the leaked water is fully contained on-site and has not been detected beyond the facility or in any local drinking water,” the Xcel Energy statement said.
Since then, it has been pumping groundwater, storing and processing the contaminated water, which contains tritium levels below federal thresholds. 22, the day after it confirmed the leak, which came from a pipe between two buildings. The company said it notified the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the state on Nov.
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“We knew there was a presence of tritium in one monitoring well, however Xcel had not yet identified the source of the leak and its location,” Minnesota Pollution Control Agency spokesman Michael Rafferty said. State officials said they waited to get more information before going public with it. 20 August 2001 Fort St Vrain may have failed as a nuclear power station, but it is now proving successful as a combined cycle plant. Nuclear Learn about clean, safe, reliable and carbon-free nuclear energy. While Xcel reported the leak of water containing tritium to state and federal authorities in late November, the spill had not been made public before Thursday. Natural Gas Clean-burning, safe and abundant energy. “Xcel Energy took swift action to contain the leak to the plant site, which poses no health and safety risk to the local community or the environment,” the Minneapolis-based utility said in a statement. Hart Van Denburg/CPR News Solar energy panels in front of the coal-fired Comanche 3 Power Generating Station operated by Xcel Energy, southeast of Pueblo on Tuesday, Feb. Minnesota regulators said Thursday they’re monitoring the cleanup of a leak of 400,000 gallons of radioactive water from Xcel Energy’s Monticello nuclear power plant, and the company said there’s no danger to the public. As a cost-effective and faster way to build a nuclear reactor, small modular reactors can help replace coal-fired power plants. (Evan Frost/Minnesota Public Radio via AP, File)īy Steve Karnowski - The Associated Press - March 17, 2023 Several alternative energy sources are available to replace fossil fuels, including renewables, heat networks, hydrogen, and nuclear power. Xcel Energy powers down Minnesota nuclear plant after finding 2nd leak of radioactive water Four months later, state and federal regulators said they waited for more information before.
The company said there's no danger to the public. Minnesota regulators said Thursday, March 16, 2023, that they're monitoring the cleanup of a leak of 400,000 gallons of radioactive water from Xcel Energy's Monticello nuclear power plant in late November 2022. Photo: Cooling towers release heat generated by boiling water reactors at Xcel Energy's Nuclear Generating Plant on Oct.
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