Xcel Energy

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.

Some people woke-up without power this (Monday) morning. The outage spread from Glenwood to Rice.

A power outage is affecting 1, 520 customers in part of east St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids. Xcel Energy says the outage happened at 6:31 a.m.

The Monticello Nuclear Power Plant is offline for the next nine weeks for a planned refueling outage. The maintenance includes placing new fuel assemblies in the reactor, adding equipment to increase the plant's generating capacity and eight, new control rod blades. Xcel says the reactor is refueled every two years.

Nearly 8,000 Xcel Energy customers in St. Cloud and Waite Park were without power Sunday as a major snow storm blew into the state. Xcel spokeswoman Mary Sandok says the problem was an equipment failure at a substation about 11 a.m.

A major manufacturer in the nuclear industry is reporting a potential "substantial safety hazard" with control rods more than two dozen nuclear reactors around the country, including the Xcel plant near Monticello.

A Minnesota farmer who believes stray voltage killed hundreds of his cows and affected milk production can sue for damages in state court. A Minnesota Supreme Court ruling Wednesday allows Greg Siewert and his father, Harlan, to proceed with their case against Xcel Energy.

The energy industry is facing a huge problem over the next 5-7 years -- finding skilled workers to fill the job openings. Many of Xcel Energy's workers -- along with other power companys -- are nearing retirement age. To meet the demand, Xcel has teamed-up with the St. Cloud Technical and Community College for a Energy Technical Specialist program. Students who get the AAS degree have a great shot at landing a job.