Minnesota nuclear plant to restart in next week after leak repair - spokesperson
By Laila Kearney
NEW YORK, March 28 (Reuters) - A Minnesota nuclear power plant owned by Xcel Energy Inc will be restarted in the next week after being shut down due to a leak at the plant, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant was fully powered down on March 25 to repair a leak of water containing the radioactive chemical tritium from the facility, Xcel's Theo Keith said.
Crews have repaired the leak, which Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy said did not pose risks to public heath or affect electricity supply to the 500,000 customers of the plant.
More than 30% of the tritium has been recovered from groundwater, and the clean-up process will continue over the next year, Keith said.
The Monticello nuclear reactor is greenlighted to run through September 2030, and its owners are in the process of requesting a 20-year extension of its operating license.
(Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Richard Chang)
