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Stephanie Hemphill
ST. PAUL, Minn.

Xcel Energy's Monticello plant to be re-inspected for flood safety

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After concluding that Xcel Energy's nuclear power plant in Monticello, Minn. was not adequately prepared for flooding, federal officials plan to inspect it again.

Earlier this summer, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission notified Xcel Energy that for most of 2012 it failed to show it could protect the plant from flooding within a 12-day time frame.

Xcel officials explained that floods generally happen slowly enough to hire contractors to build berms to help block the water.

But NRC officials say the utility's lack of a plan was serious enough that the Monticello plant needs to again be inspected again. Regulators want to be sure Xcel identifies the root cause of the problem and examines the safety culture at the nuclear plant.

In a statement, Xcel officials said they annually assess flooding potential and make plans based on those predictions. With the materials to build a berm now on site, the utility's officials said, the potential safety concern has been resolved.