Monticello nuclear plant finishing up repairs
MONTICELLO, MINNESOTA - Xcel Energy says power has been restored to two transformers at its nuclear plant in Monticello.
Officials have been working to restore the plant to full electricity production since September 11, when a breaker on a transformer that feeds electricity to the plant failed.
And on September 17, the plant declared unusual event status after an employee of an equipment rental company was fatally injured after coming in contact with a power line.
Xcel Energy says in a news release that operators at the Monticello facility expect to complete repairs soon and return the plant to full power within a few days.
Xcel says the plant's status with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has gone back to normal.
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EIA projected that electricity demand is on track to slide to 4,000 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2023 from a historic high of 4,048 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2022, before rising to 4,062 billion kWh in 2024 as economic growth ramps up.
Less demand coupled with more electricity generation from cheap renewable power sources and lower natural gas prices is forecast…
