Monticello nuclear plant shut down after control valve issue

On March 19, the Monticello nuclear power plant automatically shut down due to a control valve issue. According to Xcel Energy, the company managing the plant, the control valve problem led the system to shut down, taking the reactor offline automatically. The event was confirmed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which said that there was no risk for the public and that “the [emergency shutdown] was uncomplicated with all systems responding as expected.” A couple of days later, Xcel Energy released a statement saying they were working to “bring the plant back to full operations” as soon as possible.
This is not the first incident at the Monticello plant. In November 2022, there was a leak of around 400,000 gallons of water containing radioactive tritium. Another leak was reported in March 2023. Despite these issues, the plant recently received approval to continue operating through 2040.