US Xcel Energy’s Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant in Minnesota automatically shut down after an issue with a control valve was detected. Xcel Energy said its team is working to bring the plant back online. An event notification from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said there was “no impact on the health and safety of the public or plant personnel” and that “the [emergency shutdown] was uncomplicated with all systems responding as expected.”
In 2022, Xcel Energy revealed a leak of approximately 400,000 gallons of water containing radioactive tritium at Monticello. The leak occurred in November 2022, but the public was not informed until March 2023. A second leak was reported at the end of March 2023. Later that year, despite the leak, the plant was approved to continue operating until 2040.
