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Red Wing Mayor Has Mixed Reaction PUC Decision

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Nov 13, 2009 5:10 pm US/Central

Red Wing Mayor Has Mixed Reaction PUC Decision

RED WING, Minn. (AP) ― The mayor of Red Wing is applauding the decision by state regulators to allow the Prairie Island nuclear plant to run another 20 years, but he's disappointed that two lingering issues remain.

On Thursday, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy's request to increase power and radioactive waste storage at the Prairie Island nuclear plant, which is near Red Wing. It also got permission to extend the lives of its two reactors.

The utility plans to spend $600 million to upgrade the plant so it can handle higher pressure and temperatures that could add 164 megawatts to its output.

However, Mayor John Howe says he's disappointed the PUC didn't solve the problem of where to permanently store nuclear waste. He says it also didn't find a way to pay for more security at the plant.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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