Xcel's Minnesota nuclear plant powers down after second leak in two years
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Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) said late Thursday it will temporarily shut down its Monticello nuclear power plant in Minnesota for repairs after it detected radioactive tritium leaking into groundwater nearby for the second time in two years.
Xcel (XEL) said the leak of "hundreds of gallons" of contaminated water was caused by temporary repairs made to a defective section of pipe.
The plant will begin to power down Friday so permanent repairs can begin, Xcel (XEL) said, adding it does not know when the plant will come back online for operations.
The leaked water remains contained onsite and has not been detected in any local drinking water, the company said.
This is the second time Xcel (XEL) was forced to take the Monticello reactor offline in the last two years due to a defective section of a pipe.
In November, the pipe leaked 400K gallons of contaminated water into the grounds of the facility, news that was revealed to the public for the first time last week.
Xcel Energy (XEL) has applied for a 20-year extension of Monticello's operating license.