MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (Oct. 7, 2019) – After setting a company record for continuous power plant operation – 681 days – workers at the Prairie Island Nuclear Plant began a month-long refueling and maintenance effort on Friday, Oct. 4. This biennial event will help the plant continue its role in providing carbon-free energy for over 1 million customers in the Upper Midwest.  

While Unit 2 at the plant is out of service, refueling and plant maintenance will improve equipment and plant reliability and help ensure that Prairie Island continues to provide safe, clean and reliable power to the region. More than 1,100 skilled workers and specialized contractors will be at the site during the month to complete this major work. The Prairie Island facility plays a key role in Xcel Energy’s plan to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent in the Upper Midwest by 2030. 

“Xcel Energy is leading the clean energy transition and operating our nuclear plants well is one of the most important strategies we have to meet our industry leading goal to reduce carbon emissions,” said Chris Clark, president, Xcel Energy, Minnesota. “Our nuclear energy plants today generate about half our carbon free energy for our Upper Midwest customers and provide reliable, clean power, which is a great value and represents a major investment in the region.” 

Boost to local economy

The specialized, skilled employees and contractors who work at the plant during refueling outages provide a boost to the area’s economy. Restaurants, hotels and service providers are often booked with traveling workers, many of whom return to the area for each refueling. The Prairie Island plant is responsible for more than $550 million in economic activity each year in the region, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute.  

Nuclear plants generally run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and only shut down to refuel the reactor. During this period, operators perform maintenance and construction projects that can only be completed when the plant is not operating.  

“Our team spends years planning for these outage periods to ensure we execute projects safely and effectively,” said Scott Sharp, Prairie Island Site Vice President. “This work helps us deliver value to our customers and community by improving our plant and setting us up for the next two years and beyond."

Some major projects that will be completed this month include: 

  • Nuclear fuel replacement. About 50 percent of the fuel assemblies in the reactor core will be replaced. 
  • Inspections and maintenance. Approximately 60,000 hours of inspection and maintenance activities will be conducted by skilled technicians in a matter of just a few weeks. These planned maintenance activities will ensure the safe and efficient continued operation of the plant.

For more information about Prairie Island visit

https://www.xcelenergy.com/Energy_Portfolio/Electricity/Nuclear/Prairie_Island

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About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.