Radioactive leak acknowledged by US nuclear facility

The authorities in the northern US state of Minnesota revealed on Thursday that a nuclear power plant near Minneapolis had suffered a radioactive water spill amounting to over 1.5 million liters. Xcel Energy, which owns the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, is working to clean up the spill and insists there is no danger to the general public. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) said that around 400,000 gallons of tritiated water leaked from a broken pipe at the facility. The leak was first discovered on November 22 and its source was found on December 19 and patched "soon after." The authorities decided to keep the public in the dark about the incident, while Xcel Energy and the state were "actively managing" the situation to prevent the underground plume of irradiated water from spreading to the nearby Mississippi River. Christopher Clark, Xcel's president for Minnesota, admitted that the water is "well above" the 20,000 picocuries standard mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The city of Monticello issued a statement saying its drinking water supply was not affected by the leak, which happened outside the area from which they draw groundwater for municipal wells. Xcel told KMSP-TV that 25% of the contaminated water has been recovered and pumped into a treatment system on site. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said the leak was well below the NRC safety threshold and that the plan is not in violation of regulations. Tritium leaks are not uncommon for nuclear plants, and state health officials said it posed no danger to wildlife or public health. Xcel sent an application to the NRC to extend Monticello's license for another 20 years beyond 2030, to comply with a new Minnesota law which mandates 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.