Xcel Energy hosted a breakfast for community leaders Wednesday to talk about Sherco, the nuclear power plant in Monticello and other issues related to the areas’ supply of electrical power.

 

First up to speak was Dave Sparby, senior vice president and group president, responsible for the four Xcel Energy operating companies, and president and CEO of Northern States Power Company - Minnesota.  

 

=Sparby talked about Xcel Energy’s contributions to the community in terms of taxes and volunteer hours donated. He also talked about upgrades to the two local energy producing plants in Monticello and Becker and the need to upgrade to meet new federal standards.

 

=“Our infrastructure is aging,” Sparby said. “It needs repair and refurbishing. We have made an investment in the nuclear power plant and we are also investing in renewable energy sources, including the generation of 750 kilowatts of wind power. We also need fossil fuels to produce the power we need. And by 2020, we need to get at least 1.5% of our energy from solar power.”

 

=Xcel Energy has already lowered their carbon emissions from the  use of fossil fuel (coal), which is burned in  the Sherco Power Plant in Becker by more than the government says it must by2028.

 

=“We want our customers to get credit for early action,” Sparby said. “There will also be opportunities to invest in solar energy, in solar gardens and rooftop systems.”

 

Larger solar projects tend to be more energy efficient than smaller projects and community solar gardens are likely to pop up in more neighborhoods in the near future, Sparby said.

 

Karen Fili is Xcel Energy’s site vice president for the Monticello Nuclear Power Plant, which has recently been refurbished and relicensed to operate until 2030, producing more power than ever.

 

“We are going from 600 megawatts to producing 671 megawatts when we start back up,” Fili said. “When we do, we will come online and power up slowly by the end of the year.”

 

The plant received an exemplary INPO (Institute of Nuclear Power Operations) rating Fili said. It serves 1.7 million customers and is one of the largest employers in the area.

 

During the remodelling, the old steam dryer was removed in one piece, reducing the amount of radiation emitted in the process, Fili said. 

The plant is monitored remotely, using  closed circuit television cameras, to improve safety and advise work crews of the conditions they may expect to meet.

 

Dry cast storage of spent fuel on site was temporarily halted. A flood protection barrier has been erected in case of an unforeseen  natural disaster at the power plant.

 

Ron Brevig, director of the Sherco coal burning power plant in Becker, says they are proud of their safety record, having gone 243 days injury-free.

 

The upgrade of the Sherco 3 generator is now complete, he said. The generator was offline for repair until recently after a fire broke out. The problem was caused by a flaw in the design, Brevig said.

 

Sherco is currently trying to bring up its reserves of coal. They currently have enough fuel on hand to last fro 22 days. Their target is to have 42 days worth of coal stockpiled.

 

“I would like to see us reach 30 days supply before winter,” Brevig said.

 

While coal may be messy, it is a cheaper source of energy for their customers, Brevig said. The coal is crushed to maximize the efficiency of the combustion process. Recent upgrades to the scrubbers remove 90% of the fine particulate emitted from the crushed coal. Activated charcoal removes mercury and other and wet and dry scrubbers help remove other toxins like sulphuric oxides from the emissions.