ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota’s moratorium on new nuclear power generators seems unlikely to end this year, but lawmakers are taking baby steps in that direction.
Minnesota Senate bill on studying nuclear energy
Big picture view:
A Minnesota Senate bill in committee on Wednesday would pay for a study on the potential costs, benefits and impacts of advanced nuclear generation.
The goal is to have those answers in time for the 2028 legislative session, two years from the current one.
What's next:
The state has a goal of using only carbon-free energy by the year 2040 and a lot of experts say that can only happen with an expansion of nuclear energy.
Past Minnesota nuclear incidents
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Xcel Energy leak: City of Monticello learned of tritium in days, not weeks
The City of Monticello learned about elevated levels of tritium near the Xcel Energy nuclear plant three months earlier than city officials have acknowledged publicly, according to emails obtained from a public records request.
The backstory:
Earlier this month, there was a mineral oil leak at the Monticello nuclear plant that spilled 200 gallons into the Mississippi River.
The issue stemmed from a motor that helps circulate cooling water through the plant. Xcel said a component designed to keep lubricating oil separate from water failed, allowing the two to mix.
The company initially said no oil had reached the river, but later said it observed a "small amount" of mineral oil appearing as a sheen near the shoreline.
In 2023, a radioactive water leak led to a temperature-related "fish kill" after a tritium leak.
The Source: This story uses information gathered from the Minnesota State Capitol by FOX 9 reporter Corin Hoggard.