RED WING, Minn. (AP) — Operators of the Prairie Island nuclear power plant near Red Wing issued an alert early Thursday after workers discovered chlorine bleach leaking from a tank.
Xcel Energy says no radioactive material was released and there is no danger to the public. No workers at the plant were injured. The utility company says sodium hypochloride — otherwise known as bleach — is used to treat water that's brought into the plant for cooling. Xcel says the liquid is fully contained within a berm and both of the plant's units continue to operate at full power.
The alert, issued shortly before 4 a.m., assures that emergency personnel are readily available to respond if necessary.
The plant is about six miles northwest of Red Wing. Its two reactors generate enough to power for nearly 1 million homes.