Prairie Island Unit 1 nuclear reactor begins refueling outage

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9/14/2009

RED WING, Minn. – Operators at the Prairie Island nuclear plant began a scheduled refueling outage on Unit 1 Friday night. Approximately 500 contractors will help plant staff complete more than 9,000 maintenance tasks to prepare the unit for its next operating cycle and will replace one-third of the unit’s fuel.
 
Each reactor is refueled approximately once every 18 months, and refueling outages generally last about four to six weeks. During the outages, Xcel Energy purchases power from other utilities or increases electricity production at its other generating plants to ensure an adequate power supply for its customers.

The Prairie Island plant near Red Wing generates 1,100 megawatts of electricity, enough to power nearly 1 million homes. The plant is owned and operated by Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy.

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News Source : Prairie Island Unit 1 nuclear reactor begins refueling outage