Utilities & Energy

Xcel Energy says roughly 200 gallons of mineral oil leaked at the Monticello nuclear plant, and the company now confirms a small amount has appeared as a sheen along the Mississippi River shoreline, walking back an earlier statement that no oil reached the river. Xcel says its first sign of abnormal oil levels came Monday afternoon (earlier than first reported), containment and absorbent booms were placed in the discharge canal and on the river Tuesday, but the company has not quantified how much oil entered the river or how far downstream it has been seen; the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is monitoring and working with Xcel to assess the impact.

Xcel Energy canceled phase two of its Ten Mile Creek Solar project in St. Croix County, WI, proceeding with a 300‑MW first phase over 2,980 acres and adding a battery energy storage system that will interconnect via a new line to the Allen S. King site in Oak Park Heights. Xcel will file with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin by year‑end 2025, kicking off a 12–18 month review, with construction possible in late 2027 and service by late 2029 as the coal‑fired King plant retires in 2028.