US utility Xcel Energy has announced its intention to extend the operating lifetime of the Prairie Island nuclear power station into the 2050s.

Xcel Energy filed a plan with the state regulator Minnesota Public Utilities Commission where it said the two-unit Prairie Island and single-unit Monticello stations, both in Minnesota, should be operated until 2053, 2054, and 2050 accordingly. The company announced last year it was looking for a Monticello extension.