Xcel plans new office building at Prairie Island

Posted: 4:15 pm Tue, January 14, 2014 By BrianJohnson Finance and Commerce Tags: AMEC, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Prairie Island Indian Community, Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Red Wing, RSP Architects, Shaw-Lundquist, Xcel Energy 4:15 pm Tue, January 14, 2014

Xcel Energy plans to begin construction next month on a new building to accommodate more than 300 workers at the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant in Red Wing. (File photo: Bill Klotz)

Xcel Energy plans to start construction next month on a $22.6 million office building at its Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant site in Red Wing.

The three-story, 77,000-square-foot building on plant property would house more than 300 employees and eliminate the need for temporary office trailers currently in use, according to Xcel Energy officials.

Tom Hoen, an Xcel Energy spokesman in Minneapolis, said in an email that the project will break ground in February and the new building will be ready for service in December.

Minneapolis-based Shaw-Lundquist is the building contractor. Minneapolis-based RSP Architects has design duties, and AMEC, a London engineering and project management company with offices in the Twin Cities, is the engineering firm.

Timothy OConnor, Xcels chief nuclear officer, testified before the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission last November that theres not enough capacity in current office buildings at Prairie Island to accommodate projected site staffing levels in 2013 and 2014.

The existing facilities are supplemented by several clusters of temporary office trailers housing various groups, OConnor testified at the Nov. 3 commission meeting.

Xcel also expects to reduce operating costs.

By reducing heating and cooling costs for the trailers and maintaining a single energy-efficient building instead, Xcel expects to save about $22 million over the new buildings lifespan, according to OConnors testimony.

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Xcel plans new office building at Prairie Island