The Monticello Nuclear Plant was recently made known to the public about its shutdown, and it is due to the radiation leaks from its pipes, leading to its dumping of chemicals into the Mississippi River in Minnesota. The leak was recently made known to the public, as the nuclear plant's operator, Xcel Energy, also decided to do a permanent fix on its systems.
However, the nuclear plant has been already throwing away its contaminated water to the Mississippi river and was not made known to the public despite the four months it knew of the leak.
Minnesota Nuclear Plant Announces Radiation Leak, Now Seeing a Fix
(Photo : KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images)
The Monticello Nuclear Power Plant has been under scrutiny after a tritium-contaminated water leak was discovered in the facility. According to a press release from Xcel Energy, the leak was discovered from its previous solution, tracing a leaky pipe, to which the company will perform repairs, temporarily shutting down the plant.
This new leak resulted from its previous solution which aims to capture all of the leaking tritium-contaminated water. However, instead of collecting it all for repurposing, there was another leak present that leaked hundreds of gallons of tainted water but is smaller compared to the original leak.
"While the leak continues to pose no risk to the public or the environment, we determined the best course of action is to power down the plant and perform the permanent repairs immediately," said Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy-Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Leak was Known since November, Xcel Energy Only Revealed Now
The initial leak was made known to the public only this mid-March, and this is despite Xcel Energy reporting it to authorities immediately, including federal and state regulators, upon knowledge of it since November. Still, the company explained that it is something they managed to control until another leak appeared.
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen and is commonly used in nuclear power plants to produce electricity. While tritium is a low-level radioactive material and is considered to be relatively harmless in small amounts, the leak has raised concerns about the safety of the plant and its impact on the environment.
Nuclear Plant Leaks: Are They Dangerous?
The Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant is one of two nuclear power plants owned by Xcel Energy in Minnesota. The plant has been in operation since 1971 and produces enough electricity to power over 500,000 homes.
The leak at the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant comes at a time when nuclear power is under increasing scrutiny. The late announcement is also one of the many concerns of the community now, as it recently made the news that there was a leak last November that the public was not informed of.
While nuclear power is considered to be a clean and reliable source of energy, there are concerns about the safety of nuclear facilities and the potential impact of radioactive materials on the environment.
As the repair and overhaul of its pipe continue, Xcel Energy is assuring the public that the levels of tritium radiation are below the NRC's safety threshold, and is now looking to fix the leaky pipes. Surely, there are underlying dangers to leaks like these, as they are not supposed to be out in the open, but Xcel claimed it has been working since November to get it out of the river.
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