Monticello nuclear plant ready to move spent fuel

MINNESOTA - Months of planning at the Monticello nuclear plant will be put into practice soon when spent nuclear fuel is moved to a new storage facility.

Radioactive fuel rods will be moved in a process designed for safety and security from inside the plant to the above-ground storage.

The casks will go into concrete storage modules. The storage area is surrounded by two chain-link fences and monitored by cameras and other security devices.

Moving the spent fuel will free space in the plant's interior cooling pool, which will allow Xcel Energy to continue operating the plant for another 30 years. Project manager Mark McKeown says the first storage module will be loaded sometime between August and October.