Overview
- Xcel Energy says a component failure in a cooling-water motor mixed lubricating oil with water during testing, leading to an estimated 200-gallon mineral-oil release.
- A small amount of oil was later observed as a sheen near the river shoreline, after earlier company statements said no oil had reached the Mississippi.
- Containment and absorbent booms were placed in the plant’s discharge canal and on the river, and cleanup and monitoring are ongoing with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
- Xcel now says the first sign of abnormal oil levels came Monday afternoon, a day earlier than initially stated, and agencies were notified shortly after the leak was isolated.
- The plant has been shut down for scheduled maintenance since Feb. 20, and the incident is drawing scrutiny given a 2022–2023 tritium leak that resulted in a state fine.