Minnesota plant set for operations to 2050 after licence renewal

Friday, 3 January 2025

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced in the Federal Register that it had issued Subsequent Renewed Facility Operating License No DPR-22 to the licensee, Xcel subsidiary Northern States Power Company, on 30 December.

The subsequent licence renewal is the culmination of a multi-year process which included numerous NRC inspections, audits and reviews of all technical aspects of the plant to ensure it met or exceeded standards for safety, environmental impact and other considerations, Xcel said. The NRC accepted the application for the subsequent licence renewal in March 2023, although the company announced as long ago as 2019 its intention to operate the plant until at least 2040.

Approval from state-level regulators will also be required to allow Monticello to operate until 2050. Xcel has already received approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to extend operations at Monticello for the first half of this period, to 2040, and said it "will return to the PUC to seek approval for the additional 10 years in the future".

"For over 50 years, we have maintained, invested in and improved the Monticello plant to ensure it can continue to deliver for the communities we serve," Xcel Energy Chief Nuclear Officer Chris Church said. "By extending operations at the plant, we are carrying this commitment forward, and at the same time renewing our investment in the community of Monticello and the surrounding region."

The plant began commercial operation in 1971 and as well as the relicensing, Xcel recently completed a project to replace components and to increase its generating capacity from 600 to 671 MWe - which the company says is enough energy to power 500,000 homes.

Under the US Atomic Energy Act, the NRC is authorised to issue licences for commercial power reactors to operate for up to 40 years. These initial licences can then be renewed for an additional 20 years, for 60 years of operation: Monticello received its initial licence renewal in 2006, allowing it to operate until 2030. Subsequent licence renewals cover a further 20 years of operation beyond 60 years and focus on the management of plant ageing during the 60-80 year operating period.

Xcel also owns the two-unit Prairie Island pressurised water reactor plant, for which it has told the NRC it intends to submit an application for a subsequent licence renewal in the fourth quarter of 2026.