Oil leak hits Monticello nuclear plant discharge canal

Xcel Energy says about 200 gallons of lubricating oil leaked Tuesday at its Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, about 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis, after a component meant to keep oil separate from cooling water failed during scheduled maintenance. Some of the oil mixed with cooling water and entered the plant’s discharge canal, which drains to the Mississippi River, but Xcel claims no oil has reached the river itself. Operators shut down the affected motor, isolated it from the water supply, and have deployed containment and absorbent booms in the canal and near the river while cleanup continues; the plant has been offline since Feb. 20 for planned maintenance. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency confirms it is aware of the spill and “working with Xcel to understand the impact,” a red flag given Monticello’s recent history of a much larger, under‑disclosed tritium leak that drew only a token fine. For Twin Cities residents who rely on both Xcel’s grid and the downstream Mississippi, the incident raises fresh questions about maintenance practices, how quickly regulators are notified, and whether repeated leaks at the same facility point to a deeper oversight problem rather than an isolated mishap.