US energy company Xcel Energy will shut down temporarily its Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant in Minnesota to perform repairs to permanently resolve a leak of water containing tritium.

Tritium is a radioactive material commonly created in the operation of nuclear power plants.

A few days ago, residents living near the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant in Minnesota expressed concerns about the delayed notification regarding a leak of radioactive water containing tritium.

The leak, which occurred in late November, reportedly involved around 400,000 gallons of contaminated water.

While the plant’s operators, Xcel Energy, claim that the leak poses no risk to the local community or environment, some residents remain sceptical.

Xcel Energy implemented a short-term solution to capture water from the leaking pipe and reroute it back into the plant for reuse.

However, monitoring equipment at the plant on Wednesday indicated a small amount of new water from the original leak had reached the groundwater.

Upon investigation, operators discovered the temporary solution was, over the past two days, no longer capturing 100% of the leaking water.

The new leakage, anticipated to be in the hundreds of gallons, does not pose any risk to health or the environment, Xcel Energy said in a statement.

ELN has contacted Minnesota Health Department for comment.

Article source: https://www.energylivenews.com/2023/03/24/us-nuclear-power-plant-hit-with-second-radioactive-water-leak/