Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant
| Company type | Subsidiary facility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric power generation |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Headquarters | Red Wing , United States |
Area served | Minnesota, United States |
Key people | Xcel Energy (owner and operator) |
| Products | Electricity |
| Parent | Northern States Power Company (subsidiary of Xcel Energy) |
The Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant is a power production facility situated in Red Wing, Minnesota, positioned along the Mississippi River near the Prairie Island Indian Community reservation.
Commissioned in the early 1970s—specifically 1973 and 1974—the station operates two pressurized water reactor units designed by Westinghouse Electric Company, delivering a total output of 1,076 MW. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has authorized operating licenses for Units 1 and 2 extending through 2033 and 2034, respectively. The plant is owned by Northern States Power Company, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, which also manages its operations. Prairie Island is one of only two nuclear facilities in Minnesota, the other being the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant.
The facility has been subject to debate due to Xcel Energy’s practice of storing nuclear waste on-site in sizable steel containers located within the floodplain of the Mississippi River. This has sparked concerns about the risk of radioactive contamination should flooding occur. Nonetheless, after Xcel Energy submitted an application in 2008, the NRC granted a 20-year license extension for both reactors in June 2011.
Xcel Energy has pursued similar NRC authorization to establish comparable waste storage at its Monticello plant, which holds a license valid until 2030.
In May 2006, a minor leak involving radioactive iodine-131 gas took place during an inspection of the steam generator, attributed to a faulty carbon filter. The NRC deemed this incident to have low safety significance and confirmed that no radiation exposure above permissible levels affected plant personnel.
During winter months, Unit 1 typically produces around 560 MW net electrical power, while Unit 2 generates approximately 554 MW net, with each unit's gross capacity nearing 592 MW.
Electricity production
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total Annual Output | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 618,437 | 389,471 | 812,451 | 768,863 | 501,550 | 676,953 | 765,082 | 390,035 | 626,635 | 805,604 | 745,222 | 812,402 | 7,912,705 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | 802,932 | 373,880 | 783,818 | 756,917 | 784,939 | 748,625 | 767,063 | 778,860 | 762,582 | 806,927 | 578,200 | 724,524 | 8,669,267 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | 806,522 | 732,916 | 800,615 | 684,367 | 783,901 | 750,041 | 775,166 | 767,157 | 509,328 | 634,237 | 781,912 | 811,156 | 8,837,318 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | 812,077 | 742,272 | 813,087 | 754,093 | 776,582 | 731,996 | 778,077 | 753,226</ small > | < small >469 ,661 </ small > | < small >398 ,624 </ small > | < small >423 ,888 </ small > | < small >807 ,037 </ small > | 8 ,260 ,620 | - | 2005 | < small >803 ,697 </ small > | < small >587 ,802 </ small > | < small >725 ,050 </ small > | < small >533 ,350 </ small > | < small >395 ,669 </ small > | < small >605 ,329 </ small > | < small >773 ,229 </ small > | < small >779 ,765 </ small > | < small >752 ,870 </ small > | < small >809 ,297 </ small > | < small >783 ,285 </ small > | < small >810 ,958 </ small > | 8 ,360 ,301 | - | 2006 | < small >768 ,648 </ small > | < small >523 ,355 </ small > | < small >812 ,343 </ small > | < small >704 ,490 </ small > | < small >389 ,748 </ small > | < small >663 ,369 </ small > | < small >745 ,076 </ small > | < small >775 ,984 </ small > | < small >755 ,986 </ small > | < small >791 ,112 </ small > | < small >565 ,065 </ small > | < small >615 ,691 </ small > | 8 ,110 ,867 | - | 2007 | < small >810 ,954 </ small > | < small >732 ,049 </ small > | < small >677 ,891 </ small > | < small >688 ,004 </ small > | < small >594 ,354 </ small > | < small >745 ,714 </ small > | < small >775 ,685 </ small > | < small >779 ,896 </ small > |
||815304||787799||760507||8 910 731 |- !2008 ||810496||515086||469069||762392||772758||743236||756823||743293||609678||399754||728946||807291 ||8 118 822 |- !2009 ||807196||726201||805405||762882||680521||745867||779578||774487||506146||399117||457420||806141 ||8 250 961 |- !2010 ||805145||728923||805049||574465||439846||741930||769667||770378||761566||798544||768646||818774 ||8 782 933 |- !2011 ||818468||739817||815576||757785||372204||597462||748386||783362||774064||586553||794267||814303 ||8 602 247 |- !2012 ||820337||630540||407372||389424||397135||730575||770451||683077||767873||673038||384267||399327 ||7 053 416 |- !2013 ||740979||739154||815212||779072||754238||701865||705139||707944||569678|| ... [data truncated for brevity] |
Surrounding population
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission identifies two distinct emergency planning zones surrounding nuclear facilities: a 10-mile radius plume exposure pathway zone focused on airborne radioactive hazards, and a broader 50-mile ingestion pathway zone addressing risks from contaminated food and beverages.
As of 2010, the number of residents living within 10 miles of Prairie Island was 27,996, reflecting a 4.6% growth over ten years. The population within a 50-mile radius reached 2,945,237, marking an increase of 7.8% since 2000. Notable urban centers within this area include Minneapolis, located 39 miles away, and St. Paul at a distance of 32 miles.
Spent fuel storage
Originally, NSP intended to transfer radioactive waste to a federal repository; however, no such facility is currently operational. The Yucca Mountain project encountered significant regional resistance and was effectively discontinued during the Obama administration.
In 1991, Xcel Energy petitioned the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for permission to store waste onsite in 48 dry casks. Opposition from environmental groups and the adjacent Prairie Island Indian Community led the legislature to restrict this number to 17 casks—sufficient for operation through approximately 2003.
After reaching capacity in those casks, Xcel sought authorization to increase storage beyond the initial limit. The legislature approved this expansion with stipulations requiring greater adoption of renewable energy sources such as wind power, along with annual payments up to $2.25 million to the Prairie Island tribe. These funds support evacuation infrastructure enhancements, land purchases, health research, and emergency preparedness initiatives.
Steam generator replacement
On September 23, 2013, at 12:01 a.m., Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant commenced a refueling outage on Unit 2. During this period, an enlarged team replaced both steam generators in the unit. Although initially projected to last about eight weeks, Unit 2 resumed operations on January 13, 2014, achieving full power by January 14.
Seismic risk
Based on a study conducted in 2010, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission assessed the annual probability of an earthquake causing core damage at Prairie Island as one in 333,333.
Emergency shutdowns
In late January 2015, Xcel Energy carried out an emergency shutdown of Unit 1 due to steam accumulation in the cooling system during maintenance involving a reactor pump seal replacement. The unit returned to full capacity by February.
Unit 2 was taken offline on March 5, 2015, following activation of a fire alarm at 4:00 a.m. CST; operators declared a “notification of an unusual event,” which represents the NRC’s lowest emergency classification. On December 17, 2015, Unit 2 automatically shut down after turbine issues triggered fire alarms and another “notification of unusual event.”
On May 27, 2023, Unit 2 experienced an automatic shutdown after an “unusual event” was declared due to a faulty external transformer that set off fire alarms. No actual fire or safety hazard occurred; NRC inspectors verified that conditions remained safe. Meanwhile, Unit 1 continued normal operations. Repairs were expected to enable Unit 2’s restart later that week.
Unit 2 was taken offline on November 22, 2023, for scheduled refueling. Shortly afterward, Unit 1 shut down because of electrical problems between its turbine and the power grid. Xcel Energy indicated this outage would extend until January but would not affect customer service reliability.
Hydrogen production
Prairie Island is set to initiate the generation of green hydrogen through the method of high-temperature electrolysis. Xcel Energy intends to construct two natural gas power facilities designed to operate with a hydrogen blend of up to 30%. These facilities have the potential for upgrades incorporating combined cycle hydrogen power plant technology, aiming to lessen dependence on fossil fuels. Furthermore, hydrogen fuel cells could be utilized to power maritime vessels and rail transportation, aiding in the expansion of the hydrogen-based energy sector.
See also
- Monticello Nuclear Power Plant
- Elk River Station (decommissioned)
External links
- Prairie Island Coalition – organization opposing nuclear waste storage
- Nuclear Tourist: Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant
- Minnesota Legislative Reference Library: Prairie Island Nuclear Waste Storage