Monticello Nuclear Unit in Minnesota Temporarily Offline for Repairs

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Xcel Energy (NYSE:XEL) has temporarily shut down the 572-megawatt (MW) Monticello Nuclear Power Station in Minnesota to repair a heat exchanger leak. Xcel may be able to restart the plant on Sunday, January 26.

The plant, located in Monticello, which is 45 miles northwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul, was shut down on Saturday, January 18, according to plant officials. Xcel said in a press statement that the procedure began on Friday night.

Plant officials confirmed that Unit 1, the plant's sole nuclear generator, had been operating at a reduced level due to an unrelated issue.

Plant officials said they were still investigating the cause of the leak, but said the unit could be restarted as early as Sunday. However, officials said it was unclear whether they would need to order parts for the repair, which could affect the timing of the restart.

During outages, Xcel Energy says it purchases electricity from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator or other utilities, or increases electricity production at its other generating plants to ensure a power supply for its customers.

The plant is operated by Northern States Power, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, which provides electricity and gas to customers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and the upper peninsula of Michigan. The bulk of its sales are directly to consumers, but it provides a small amount to energy for resale by other utilities.

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