Backlog of fixes as Xcel asks to extend Prairie Island's life
Business Stephanie Hemphill · ·   1. Listen Story audio      Sep
10, 2010  The Prairie Island power facility   The Prairie Island
nuclear power plant is working on a backlog of hundreds of small
problems, at least one of which has lingered for nine years.
Xcel Energy's efforts to fix those problems and recover from
criticism from the federal government comes as the company is
asking to extend the life of the plant another 20 years.  Xcel
says it will have the problems resolved soon, but that doesn't
satisfy some people living nearby.  Prairie Island is one of a
handful of nuclear power plants flagged by the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission as having a pattern of human errors.  The
agency also placed the plant in a category called "regulatory
response" -- meaning extra inspections are required to make sure
it operates safely.  Xcel's site vice president for Prairie
Island, Mark Schimmel, says too many people had become
complacent.  "The complacency i