US shuts down nuclear power plant due to radioactive water leak

The Minnesota Public Service closed the Monticello nuclear power plant near Minneapolis after a second leak of radioactive water was discovered. Representatives of utilities and health authorities assure that the incident does not pose a danger, according to AP.

Xcel Energy, a nuclear power plant operator, discovered a leak of about 400 thousand gallons (1.5 million liters) of water containing tritium (a radioactive isotope of hydrogen) back in November 2022. The problem was temporarily fixed, but this week it became known about the leakage of hundreds of gallons of water with tritium, because of which the operation of the nuclear power plant was decided to be stopped.

Xcel Energy President Chris Clark said the plant would “cool down” within a few days, after which workers would cut off the leaking pipe, which is more than 50 years old. “We could continue to operate the station safely and just repair the catchment area, but then, of course, there is always the risk that it will spill again and more tritium will enter the groundwater,” he explained to reporters. He assured that the spill did not spread beyond the territory of the enterprise and does not pose a danger to drinking water in the nearby town of Monticello.

The AP writes that the utility reported the initial leak to state and federal authorities, but that information was not made public until last week. This raised questions about data transparency and possible public health implications. Officials, however, say they only wanted to wait for more details before releasing it.