prairie island nuclear plant tour

Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant - Minnesota

The Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant is located on the Mississippi River near Red Wing, approximately 50 miles southeast of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The facility, owned/operated by Northern States Power (NSP), has 2 units, each with a 2 Loop Westinghouse Pressurized Water Reactor . Each unit generates between 545 and 575 MWe, depending on time of year (depending on river water temperature and whether the cooling towers, described below, are operating). The Prairie Island units are operated as base-loaded (i.e. steady state of 100%). Together the 2 units generate about 20% of NSP's electrical energy demand requirements (equivalent to half of the residential demand of the system).

A number of simplified diagrams illustrate the the design of this pressurized water reactor plant (courtesy Westinghouse ) on the PWR Cycle page.

In the foreground of the photo on the right above are the Cooling Towers . Some power plants, usually located on lakes or rivers, use cooling towers as a method of cooling the circulating water (the third non-radioactive cycle) that has been heated in the condenser. During colder months and fish non-spawning periods, the discharge from the condenser may be directed to the river. Recirculation of the water back to the inlet to the condenser occurs during certain fish sensitive times of the year (e.g. spring, summer, fall) so that only a limited amount of water from the plant condenser may be discharged to the lake or river. During these times, the maximum temperature difference between the river water discharged to the river and the water upstream of the plant is restricted to 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mechanical draft Cooling Towers, as in the Prairie Island case, have long piping runs that spray the water downward. Large fans pull air across the dropping water to remove the heat. As the water drops downward onto the "fill" or slats in the cooling tower, the drops break up into a finer spray. On colder days, tall plumes of condensation can be seen. On warmer days, only small condensation plumes will be seen.

The NRC maintains a Plant Technical Book for the Prairie Island Unit 1 and Unit 2 with more detailed system descriptions and drawings.

Copyright © 1996-2004.  Joseph Gonyeau, P.E. . The Virtual Nuclear Tourist . All rights reserved. Revised: March 15, 2001.

Prairie Island: a virtual pioneer

Xcel Energy is developing new virtual training tools as part of a dose reduction initiative at its Prairie Island nuclear plant. NEI learns more.

IN FEBRUARY OF 2018, XCEL Energy’s nuclear business unit started using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) as a training tool and as part of a highly effective dose reduction initiative.

VR creates a totally immersive simulation and AR overlays digital information onto the physical environment. The VR simulations are constructed using point clouds generated from colour sensitive laser scans and the AR environment is being constructed using an overlay of internet of things (IoT) data and electronic work instructions. These technologies have already begun to reduce training cost and worker exposure associated with dry cask fuel storage campaign at Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, a two-unit, 550MW pressurised water reactor plant in Red Wing, Minnesota. The ultimate goal is to leverage these technologies to completely transform how training and work is performed throughout the Xcel Energy fleet.

“Prairie Island is driving the development of the technology and associated processes for Xcel Energy at large,” says Brad Boyer, radiation protection manager at the plant. “Once they are mature, they will be deployed outside of the nuclear business unit into the wider Xcel fleet.”

As the speed of technology advances and VR/AR costs continue to drop, learning is changing into an experiential process. Immersive learning environments and gamification are expected to reduce training times by 10-15%, with an overall cost savings of 40%. Previous tools used web-based applications to create virtual plant tours with links to various information sources (eg equipment sensors, radiological surveys, live video feeds, etc.). Xcel Energy’s work will transform this into true VR/AR to realise an immersive learning and work environment.

Prairie Island, which has already been recognised for its use of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) monitoring as a dose reduction initiative, says VR/AR can be integrated with the CZT spectroscopic imaging detector. This instrument takes a visual image and overlays it with a radionuclide specific heat map (pictured far right). This information can be loaded into either the VR/AR environment to produce a visual means of communicating radiation fields and can be leveraged for ALARA planning, pre-job briefings, mockups, and in the field.

VR-based training for fire brigades has been an emerging technique for the non-nuclear industry and allows the effects of toxic gasses, heat, and other visible factors to be simulated without putting the trainee into physical danger. These techniques will be used to teach nuclear fire brigade personnel the proper protocols for various station conditions. The methods can also be used to train instrumentation and control technicians by guiding them through procedures like relay replacement and testing. Virtualising procedures, manuals and information sheets, will improve trainees’ retention and provide immediate feedback on correct work techniques.

Paperless work orders and the use of tablet computers in the field is the beginning of a mobile work management revolution. The end state is AR implementation, where personnel have safety glasses that can guide them through step-by-step diagnostics or cross reference a component that is about to be operated against the current procedural step and provide immediate independent verification. However, VR/AR technologies present several challenges unique to the nuclear industry, including cyber security, safeguards information and regulatory compliance. The recent revelations of state sponsored hacking of nuclear systems places increased scrutiny on these issues and the development of this technology will require ‘cradle to grave’ support from security experts. AR implementation requires precise overlay integration, otherwise it can become a cause of error and introduce a hazard into the work environment. There is a generational discrepancy in embracing VR and AR technologies with line employees. Older employees are more apt to dismiss the technology as a gimmick. Younger employees are more willing to embrace it, and point out more subtle problems. High quality VR/AR tools have to be intuitive and bug free. Careful management of these risks will ensure that the enormous benefits of an immersive learning and work environment are realised.

Xcel Energy’s work in VR/AR has demonstrated that these technologies are versatile and that their use can produce an immediate return on investment. Now the utility plans VR integration of touch sensitive gloves, and a move to AR-supported field work with a virtual field presence for subject matter experts.

VR/AR is providing a more efficient work environment, reducing training time, improving knowledge retention, decreasing human performance errors and leading to significant dose reduction at Prairie Island.  

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Prairie Island Nuclear Plant celebrates 50 years of clean, reliable energy while refueling for the future

650 specialists join plant staff to perform maintenance, refuel reactor; boost local and regional economies

MINNEAPOLIS (October 9, 2023) — Workers at Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island Nuclear Plant began a two-month refueling and maintenance effort on October 6, allowing the facility to continue providing reliable, carbon-free energy for more than one million customers throughout the Upper Midwest.

About 650 specialists join the plant’s permanent staff and colleagues from across Xcel Energy’s nuclear team to perform the work. This provides a significant boost to the economies of Goodhue County and the surrounding region. The effort, which happens every two years for each of the two units at Prairie Island, helps set up the plant for a future extension of its operations, which will play an important part in achieving Minnesota’s goal of 100% carbon-free energy by 2040.

“As we lead the clean energy transition, we know that our nuclear power plants will play a critical role in helping us reach our shared carbon-free energy goals,” said Chris Clark, president, Xcel Energy – Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. “Our nuclear plants today generate about half our carbon free energy for our Upper Midwest customers and provide reliable, clean, always-on power, which is a great value and represents a major investment in the region.”

While Prairie Island’s Unit 2 is out of service, refueling and plant maintenance will improve equipment and plant reliability and help ensure that the plant continues to provide safe, clean and reliable power to the region. During this outage, Unit 1 will continue operations to provide electricity to customers. Together, Xcel Energy’s two nuclear plants at Monticello and Prairie Island provide more than 30% of the total electricity that the company’s customers use in the Upper Midwest.

Powering the future

Plant maintenance makes it possible to extend Prairie Island’s operating life and renew Xcel Energy’s investment and commitment to the surrounding region. The company has received stakeholder support for a future extension of the plant’s operating life.

“Xcel Energy continues to innovate at the Prairie Island plant as it celebrates its 50th year of operations this year,” said Pete Gardner, Xcel Energy’s chief nuclear officer. “In early 2024, Prairie Island will begin a first-of-its-kind hydrogen production pilot that uses the carbon-free electricity generated at the plant to produce hydrogen from water, providing an opportunity to better understand how nuclear plants can contribute to the development of hydrogen technologies and build a carbon-free future.”

In recent years, Xcel Energy has implemented a process for flexing down nuclear generation when low-cost wind resources are abundant. The company’s nuclear team has reduced production costs at its nuclear plants by 35% over the past decade, saving money for customers.

Boost to local economy

Xcel Energy’s nuclear plants are economic drivers for the communities they operate in. The skilled workers and contractors who work at the plant during refueling outages provide a boost to the area’s economy. Restaurants, hotels and service providers are often booked with traveling workers, many of whom return to the area for each refueling.

The nuclear industry supports good-paying, stable jobs with salaries that can be 30% higher than the local average, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The Prairie Island plant is one of Red Wing’s biggest employers and local taxpayers, and it has been responsible for more than an estimated $550 million in economic activity each year in the region, according to a 2017 study by the Nuclear Energy Institute.

Nuclear energy is extremely reliable. Xcel Energy’s plants typically run year-round, and regularly operate uninterrupted through a polar vortex or a heat wave, only shutting down to refuel the reactor. During the refueling, about one-third of the fuel in the reactor core will be replaced. Meanwhile, skilled technicians will do tens of thousands of hours of inspection and maintenance that ensure the safe and efficient operation of the plant.

“Our team spends years planning for these refueling periods to ensure we execute projects safely and effectively during off-peak months for energy usage,” said Tom Conboy, Prairie Island site vice president. “The dedication of our coworkers is why Xcel Energy’s nuclear fleet continues to be recognized for sustained exemplary performance by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.”

Learn more about Xcel Energy’s nuclear fleet here .

About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook .

Prairie Island Indian Community

The Prairie Island Indian Community faces a trifecta of threats that have forever transformed the Tribe and impact the health and safety of Tribal members every day. 

These threats are the result of the federal government failing in its constitutional requirement to protect the interests and people of Prairie Island. As a result of the federal government’s failures, Prairie Island Tribal Councils have worked diligently to address the ever-present trifecta of threats

In 1938, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Lock and Dam No. 3 just downstream from the reservation, permanently flooding a portion of the original reservation, including burial mounds, and increasing the flooding risk for the remainder of the land.

Congress never authorized the illegal taking and destruction of our land, nor compensated the Tribe for the loss. But it wasn’t just land that was lost. We also lost access to the native foods and medicines that grew on the land, and cultural assets, including burial mounds. To this day, our remaining reservation land is more susceptible to flooding because of the government’s actions.

Nuclear Neighbor

The Prairie Island Indian Community is the closest community in the nation to a nuclear power plant, and now a nuclear waste storage site, too.

Just as the federal government ignored the Tribe when it flooded our lands, it once again looked the other way when the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant was approved and licensed. The nuclear plant, which began operating in 1973, sits less than 700 yards from the reservation.

Over the Tribe’s persistent objections, nearly 1,000 tons of highly toxic spent nuclear fuel is stored next to our reservation. While the nuclear waste storage was intended to be temporary, it is unlikely to leave Prairie Island anytime soon. With no progress being made by the federal government toward fulfilling its obligation to move the nuclear waste to a national repository, the temporary storage site is expected to more than double in size in the coming years.

Dangerous Crossing

If the first two threats weren’t enough, our only reliable evacuation route off Prairie Island is blocked by trains at a busy railroad crossing several times each day. The trains, which are increasing in length and speed, often carry hazardous materials, including crude oil.

Fortunately, because of the Tribe’s persistence, action is being taken to address this threat. The state, along with the City of Red Wing, which maintains the road, has approved construction of an overpass that, once completed, will provide a more reliable evacuation route off Prairie Island.

Expansion of Non-Tribal Gaming

The Prairie Island Indian Community is opposed to any expansion of non-tribal gambling in Minnesota. Minnesota already has a mature market with numerous gambling options across the state and a proven infrastructure to safely and securely regulate existing gambling. There’s room to offer new opportunities, such as sports betting, within that existing infrastructure. Expanding non-tribal gaming will take away resources that allow tribal governments to provide employment, vital programs, and support to rural communities.

Tribal communities have worked hard to establish and grow gaming operations that benefit tribal members, surrounding communities, and the state. Any expansion of non-tribal gaming would harm rural economies and damage existing businesses. 

Protecting Sovereignty

The Prairie Island Indian Community supports efforts to strengthen tribal governments and enhance government-to-government relationships. Protecting and preserving our inherent right to self-govern is our highest priority. Tribal sovereignty is not a new concept – it is a retained right that existed long before European settlers came to this country, and the U.S. Constitution, courts, and Congress protect that right. We work tirelessly at the state and federal levels to defend our rights and hold governments accountable for their responsibilities and obligations to tribal nations.   

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MMIW USA’s number one mission is to bring our missing home and help the families of the murdered cope and support them through the process of grief. We give them hands-on support and guidance and if we don’t have the answers, we get the answers so that these families do not feel abandoned and alone in this struggle like so many have before them. Our broader goal is to eradicate this problem so that the future generations thrive. We are doing that through education of the threats that they face and self-defense. We just started a monthly program to do just that. It is called Staying Sacred and we educate and have self-defense lessons at every meeting. Our strength lies in the fact that every single one of the staff and volunteers have been assaulted or trafficked and our passion is to be the kind of organization that we needed growing up and beyond.

Understand Native Minnesota

Understand Native Minnesota is a multifaceted strategic initiative and philanthropic campaign focused on Native American narrative change in Minnesota’s schools. This campaign aims to improve public attitudes toward Native Americans by incorporating greater awareness and sensitive treatment of Native Americans, along with accurate information about their history, culture, and modern tribal governments into Minnesota’s K-12 education system.

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Electrical trouble shuts down Prairie Island reactor

Minnesota’s Prairie Island nuclear power plant is offline after an electrical problem in one of its units coincided with a planned refueling shutdown in the other.

In a Nuclear Regulatory Commission filing , Xcel Energy said that the Unit 1 reactor at the plant southeast of the Twin Cities automatically shut down on Oct. 19.

Xcel spokesperson Kevin Coss said that there are no concerns with the reactor itself, but an electrical problem between the generator and substation activated safety equipment that stopped the fission process.

Unit 1 tripped off just after crews had shut down Unit 2 for scheduled refueling and maintenance.

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Coss said Xcel is keeping both reactors offline until the replacement of underground cabling is finished. With the plant not producing electricity, crews are able to test the new wiring fully and conduct inspections that can’t be done while the reactors are operating.

The reactors are typically shut down every other year for refueling.

Coss said the shutdown has not affected service to customers because Xcel is making up for the lost production by increasing capacity at its other generating stations and by purchasing power from other providers.

He said that both Prairie Island reactors are expected to return to service in January.

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Hydrogen production coming to Prairie Island

Clean energy technology firm Bloom Energy has announced plans to install a 240-kW electrolyzer at Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island plant in Red Wing, Minn., to demonstrate the benefits of producing hydrogen with nuclear power. (One of Xcel’s two nuclear plants, Prairie Island houses twin 550-MWe pressurized water reactors.)

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Xcel energy wants to extend life of prairie island nuclear facility, add two gas plants.

Xcel Energy on Thursday said it wants to extend the life of its Prairie Island nuclear power plant by 20 years as well as significantly invest in large-scale battery storage and build two natural gas plants.

Along with investing even more in wind and solar plants, the long-term energy blueprint could significantly speed up the Minneapolis-based company's transition to a carbon-free footprint. If approved by Minnesota regulators, it also would drive a massive infrastructure investment.

The company declined to provide a cost for the plan, although many of the proposed projects could cost tens of millions of dollars.

While customers would foot part of the bill, Ryan Long, president of Xcel's Minnesota operations, said the plan would likely result in an average rate increase of less than 1% per year. He said the company expects to fund the improvements with $5.7 billion in anticipated savings in tax credits tied to the landmark federal Inflation Reduction Act.

The proposal comes at a pivotal moment in the energy transition for Xcel, which has begun retiring its coal fleet and will shutter its last unit by 2030, pushing the company to replace that steady power generation with renewables and keep its three nuclear units running.

"We're expected to exceed 80% carbon reduction by 2030, reaching potentially up to 88%," Long said.

Minnesota has set 2040 as the benchmark year to be carbon-free.

Isabel Ricker, director of the clean electricity team at the nonprofit Fresh Energy, said Xcel's plan would represent "quite good progress" toward the carbon-free standard. She praised much of the plan while reserving judgment on the new natural gas plants.

Large utility companies file these plans with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) every few years to outline how they will meet energy demand over the following decade and a half. State officials and outside groups will scrutinize Xcel's initial proposal, and the PUC must approve a final plan before it can take effect.

The PUC has approved many wind and solar projects for Xcel and OK'd a 10-year extension of the company's Monticello nuclear power plant until 2040.

The utility had previously signaled it hoped to keep its two units at Prairie Island running for an extra 20 years after licenses expire in 2033 and 2034. Last year, it applied to federal regulators for another 10-year extension to 2050 for Monticello. But Xcel had not officially asked regulators for the Prairie Island extension until now and still needs federal approval.

Long said Prairie Island has been "exceptionally reliable" and is a "really critical part of both our carbon initiatives and [grid] reliability for customers."

The company's nuclear fleet provides about 30% of power generation for customers in the Upper Midwest.

Beyond the Prairie Island plant, Xcel said that by 2030 it would seek 3,200 megawatts of new wind, 400 megawatts of large-scale solar and 1,000 megawatts of solar from other sources, including small-scale community projects.

The company also hopes to add 600 megawatts of battery storage by 2030, which would be a notable short-term expansion in that sector. For example, Long said the 600 megawatts would be the first battery storage Xcel would add aside from its plans for a novel 10 megawatt, 100-hour battery system at its Sherco energy complex in Becker.

"We've certainly been paying attention across the industry and feel like we have a really good understanding of how to incorporate batteries onto our system," Long said. "Also the economics of battery storage have also improved."

Ricker said she was glad to see the amount of storage Xcel plans to build and on a faster timeline than in previous proposals. "That's definitely a gap that we were looking to see them fill."

Another addition would be 2,200 megawatts of what Xcel called "always-available" power by 2030 to back up renewable power that can fluctuate when the wind isn't blowing or the sun doesn't shine — or when energy demand is at its peak. Long said that, for now, is natural gas.

Last week, the company proposed building a gas plant in Cass County in North Dakota and another in Minnesota's Lyon County; they would begin operating in 2027 and ′28. Both would generate more than 400 megawatts. Xcel had raised that idea before, but regulators did not weigh in when approving the utility's last resource plan in 2022.

Long said the carbon impact of the plants would be muted because they would mostly sit idle and largely run on the hottest and coldest days of the year. The two gas plants would be able to use up to 30% hydrogen right away.

But Xcel envisions having natural gas on its Upper Midwest system in 2040. The company wrote in regulatory filings that it will still be compliant with the state law, which it says requires Xcel by 2040 to "generate or procure an amount of carbon-free energy equivalent to their Minnesota load."

Ricker said Fresh Energy will want to research whether there's a cleaner option for grid reliability purposes than the gas plants.

At the end of last year, Xcel took a major step in its transition away from coal, shutting down a large unit at its enormous Sherburne County Generating Station. As part of its wind and solar rollout, Xcel is also building one of the country's largest solar complexes at Sherco.

Xcel is Minnesota's largest electric utility, serving 1.3 million customers in the state.

Walker Orenstein covers energy, natural resources and sustainability for the Star Tribune. Before that, he was a reporter at MinnPost and at news outlets in Washington state.

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Permit process begins for additional nuclear storage at Prairie Island

PRAIRIE ISLAND, Minn. (KTTC) – The Minnesota Public Utilities (MPU) Commission has completed Xcel Energy’s application for additional spent nuclear fuel storage for the Prairie Island Nuclear Generation Plant, beginning the permitting process.

The application suggests that additional storage will be needed before the plant ceases operation in 2033. Part of Xcel’s pending plan is to extend the plant’s life to 2053-54.

Over the next year, the Department of Commerce will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) and hold public meetings and hearings to discuss the scope of the EIS. The first meeting , scheduled for April 24-25, will take place in Red Wing and online.

The Commission will hear input from interested parties and the public and determine whether Excel can store additional spent nuclear waste in the facility.

The Prairie Island plant, along with Monticello’s nuclear plant, makes up approximately 24% of the electricity in Minnesota.

Additional information can be found on the Commission’s website and searching for Docket 24-68.

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Public invited to meetings and can submit comments on Prairie Island Nuclear Plant proposal from Xcel Energy

4/9/2024 8:00:00 AM

The Minnesota Department of Commerce is holding two public scoping meetings and asking the public to submit comments as part of preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) on Xcel Energy’s request to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) for changes at its Prairie Island Nuclear Plant.

The meetings are April 25, 2024, in person at the Red Wing Ignite Building and April 24, 2024, virtually via Webex. More information is posted below.  Comments from the public will be accepted through May 9, 2024 .

Prairie Island Nuclear Plant Proposal

Xcel Energy has proposed additional storage of spent nuclear fuel at the Prairie Island Nuclear Plant.  The purpose of the meetings is to inform the public about Xcel Energy’s proposed project and gather public comments on impacts and mitigation measures to study in the EIS that will be prepared by the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

The plant is a 1,168-megawatt (MW) electric generating plant powered by two pressurized nuclear water reactors (Units 1 and 2). Spent nuclear fuel from the plant is stored on site.  

Xcel Energy proposes to extend the operating life of the nuclear plant to year 2053 for the plant’s Unit 1 generator and year 2054 for Unit 2 generator. To accommodate the additional spent nuclear fuel associated with this extension, Xcel Energy proposes to expand fuel storage within the plant. This additional storage requires installation of up to two additional concrete storage pads within the existing 5.5-acre fuel storage footprint and would require an additional 34 dry fuel storage systems.  

Under current operations, the Prairie Island Nuclear Plant will use all of its current nuclear spent fuel storage capacity by the year 2033. Xcel Energy indicates that additional storage at the plant is necessary to keep the plant operating through 2054. Xcel Energy states that this extended operation is vital for the company to meet the State of Minnesota’s goal for 100% carbon-free electric energy by 2040. 

Meetings Details: 

In-Person Meeting:  Thursday, April 25, 2024 – 6 p.m. Red Wing Ignite Building Community Room  419 Bush Street  Red Wing, MN 55066

Virtual Meeting Wednesday, April 24, 2024 – 6 p.m. WebEx: https://minnesota.webex.com/minnesota/j.php?MTID=me9628265404f3d57265f192c1db940ee Password: uWYjVNHv223 Join by phone United States Toll: +1-415-655-0003 United States Toll Free: 1-855-282-6330 Access code: 24922969811

Get updates and news from the Minnesota Department of Commerce  at mn.gov/commerce or @MNCommerce on social media.  

Media contacts: 

Mo Schriner, Communications Director Minnesota Department of Commerce [email protected]