Xcel Energy

Hundreds of people in central Minnesota remain without power this (Monday) afternoon, after last night's thunderstorms. Stearns Electric says they still have about 330 customers with no electricity. Meanwhile, Xcel Energy says they have about 200 customers in the St. Cloud metro area that are still without power.

Xcel Energy says there are still about 2,000 customers in the St. Cloud metro area that are without power this (Monday) morning, after last nights storms.

Xcel Energy says it has reached a $100 million settlement with the federal government over costs the company incurred because the Department of Energy failed to remove used nuclear fuel by a 1998 deadline.

The Monticello nuclear power plant has been returned to full service. The Xcel Energy plant was shut down last Friday so a safety relief valve could be replaced.

Operators have temporarily shut down the Monticello nuclear power plant to replace a safety relief valve. Xcel Energy says the valve protects the plant's main steam line system from over pressure conditions.

Rain, wind and lightning have knocked out power to thousands of customers in the Twin Cities metro area. Xcel Energy says more than 8,000 customers were without service Tuesday morning.

Xcel Energy says more than 4,000 north Minneapolis customers are still without power after Sunday's tornado. By 8 p.m. Wednesday, crews were able to rebuild enough of the company's distribution system to restore service to an additional 1,000 customers.

Xcel Energy says 5,105 north Minneapolis customers are still without power Wednesday morning. Spokesman Tom Hoen says the company expects the "vast majority" of the remaining outages to be repaired Wednesday, but some customers will have to wait until Thursday for power.

Xcel Energy says hundreds of its employees are making marked progress in restoring power to tornado-damaged areas of the Twin Cities. Xcel says 26,000 customers lost service at the height of the storm Sunday.

Xcel Energy expects to restore power to most of the thousands of customers who lost service in Sunday's deadly storm by Monday night. Xcel says 22,000 customers in the Twin Cities lost power at the height of the storm, with north Minneapolis, Golden Valley, Brooklyn Center and Fridley hardest hit.