Fall Inside NIRMA Issue

Operations extended at Xcel Energy’s
Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant
until 2040
In signing off on increased storage
of spent nuclear fuel at Xcel
Energy’s Monticello Nuclear
Generating Plant, the Minnesota
Public Utilities Commission (PUC)
last week greenlit a further 10 years
of operation at the site.
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As a result, Monticello will
be in operation until 2040.
Together with Prairie
Island Nuclear Plant,
Monticello provides more
than 30 percent of the
electricity Xcels upper
Midwest customers use.
Last year, they provided
nearly 14,700 GW hours of
energy, and the company
has labeled them critical to
achieving a fully carbonfree
electricity portfolio by 2040.
“We thank the Commission,
Minnesota Department of
Commerce and other stakeholders
for their careful review and
recognition of the importance of the
Monticello nuclear plant to our
shared clean energy goals,” Chris
Clark, president of Xcel Energy –
Minnesota, North Dakota and South
Dakota, said. “Nuclear power is
crucial to achieving those goals
because of its unique combination of
reliability, affordability, and zero
emissions.”
Part of the reason these sites are so
prized by Xcel is their regularity.
They tend to operate even through
extreme weather, shutting down only
to refuel the reactors every two
years. In recent years, Monticello has
updated its efficiency and cut its
operating costs by 35 percent over
the past decade.
Xcel also filed for an extension
with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, requesting an
extension for the plant’s operating
license at the federal level. A
decision is expected in late 2024.
Article reprinted with permission of
NEI. Read full article here.
Article reprinted with permission of
DEI. Read full article here.
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