Xcel Energy has updated information regarding an oil leak incident this week at the Monticello Nuclear Power Generating Facility.
Xcel said in a statement on Wednesday that on Tuesday morning March 10th, while testing equipment as part of scheduled maintenance work, operators identified a problem with low oil levels in one of the motors that helps circulate water through the plant for cooling.
Crews investigated and found a component that keeps the motor’s lubricating oil separate from the cooling water had failed, allowing the water and oil to mix. Xcel says teams immediately isolated the equipment from the water supply and notified federal, state and local governments of this event.
Officials said they estimate some 200 gallons of what the company calls mineral oil left the cooling equipment before it was shut down, and a portion of that oil made its way to the discharge canal. Plant personnel initially said no oil reached the Mississippi River. Xcel revised that assessment on Wednesday, saying in a new statement that a small amount of oil was observed on the river and along the shore, presenting a sheen on the water surface.
Xcel says appropriate clean-up actions are being taken, and noted earlier that containment and absorbent booms have been set up to capture and contain any oil that may be in the water.
