Xcel Energy has partnered with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Homeland Security Emergency Management (HSEM) division to use mobile phone technology for emergency communications related to its two nuclear plants in Minnesota, enhancing safety in nearby communities.

Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) leverage mobile phones for emergency messaging to the public and will replace traditional sirens as Xcel Energy’s primary alert system. The WEA system allows emergency response organizations to provide an explanation of the situation along with recommended actions. Alerts can be tailored to specific areas, reducing the number of false or test notifications received by the public. The system allows for messages in multiple languages.

Some municipalities intend to keep the sirens for severe weather or other events, and the company plans to donate its sirens in those areas. Communities may also choose to use the sirens as a backup system to warn residents of an emergency at a nuclear plant.

Xcel Energy’s two nuclear plants, Monticello and Prairie Island, have excellent safety records over their 50-year operating histories and are closely connected to their host communities. The company has never needed to use the siren system for an emergency.

HSEM will send out wireless emergency alerts to local communities as appropriate during a radiological emergency at one of the state’s nuclear plants.

For years, wireless emergency alerts have been used to deliver severe weather notifications and AMBER Alerts directly to cell phones in a defined area. The technology already serves as Xcel Energy’s backup notification system. Several nuclear plants across the U.S. have transitioned to WEA as their primary system for notifications.

The previous system using sirens provided coverage across 630 square miles, but it had limitations. Sirens are not designed to be heard indoors, nor do they provide information or timely actions for residents to take.

Xcel Energy and the state of Minnesota are taking a collaborative approach to educating the public and emergency response organizations on the change. Outreach to emergency responders has been occurring for several months. Xcel Energy will include the new information in its yearly brochure that will be mailed this month to residents within 10 miles of the Monticello and Prairie Island plants.

Nuclear Energy Delivers for Customers

Xcel Energy recently announced it will extend the operation of its Monticello nuclear plant well into the future to support its clean energy vision, following the renewal of the plant’s operating license by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The company also intends to seek an extension for its Prairie Island plant.

Nuclear energy is the only 24/7 carbon-free energy source available, so it will play a foundational role in achieving Xcel Energy’s shared vision with the state of Minnesota to deliver 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 while meeting unprecedented growth in customers’ demand for electricity. Together, the Monticello and Prairie Island plants provide about 25% of the electricity that Xcel Energy’s customers use in the Upper Midwest.

Learn more about Xcel Energy’s nuclear fleet.