Hundreds of Gallons of Oil Leaking from Minnesota Nuclear Power Plant

(Learfield News/Monticello, MN) — Officials are investigating after hundreds of gallons of oil leaked from the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant.

The leak was discovered while the facility was shut down for maintenance, a process that began on February 20th.

Xcel Energy says the spill had been contained on site and that none of the oil reached the Mississippi River.  However, KSTP reports officials confirmed Wednesday that a “small amount” of mineral oil had appeared in a sheen on the shoreline of the river.

The company has notified federal, state, and local authorities and is working to determine the cause of the leak.