Xcel moves to wireless alerts for emergency notifications at nuclear plants

MONTICELLO, Minn. — Over more than a half-century of operating the Monticello and Prairie Island nuclear plants, Xcel Energy has never experienced an emergency dire enough to trigger immediate notification to the public through a siren system.

But, in the event that the unthinkable does occur, Xcel announced this month that it has replaced sirens with wireless cell phone alerts as the primary form of emergency communications, through a partnership with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Homeland Security Emergency Management division.

Pamela Gorman Prochaska, the general manager of Nuclear Fleet Operations, said utilizing Wireless Emergency Alerts for nuclear emergencies offers several advantages over sirens. The system would work similarly to AMBER Alerts or notifications for p