Public hearings on Xcel Energy's application to store highly radioactive spent fuel in above-ground casks at its Monticello power plant are scheduled to begin Thursday.
Xcel has proposed storing fuel in as many as 30 steel and concrete containers at the Monticello plant as part of its application for a 20-year license extension. Minneapolis-based Xcel has used a similar "dry cask" system at its Prairie Island nuclear plant near Red Wing, Minn., since 1995.
More storage is key to extending the life of the Monticello plant, which began commercial production in 1971. The plant's license expires in 2010 and Xcel wants a 20-year extension. If Minnesota regulators don't permit more waste storage, Xcel would have to close Monticello and replace the 600-megawatt plant (one megawatt powers approximately 1,000 U.S. homes). Xcel maintains that keeping the plant open is less expensive than replacing it.
The additional storage requires a certificate of need from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. The public also will be asked to testify about the certificate and a related environmental impact statement.
Hearings are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday at the Monticello Community Center at 505 Walnut St. Two more are planned for 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the commission's offices on the third floor of the Metro Square Building, 121 E. Seventh Place in St. Paul.
Separately, Xcel has applied for a license extension from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The company also plans to seek a license extension for its 1,100-megawatt Prairie Island plant.
— Tim Huber
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