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Released February 08, 2023 | sugar land
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Minnesota Senate last week approved a climate law requiring the state's power utilities to transition to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. The bill will now go to Governor Tim Walz (D), who is expected to sign it into law, although the legislation could face a challenge from the neighboring state of North Dakota. Industrial Info is tracking $7.32 billion worth of renewable energy-generation projects in Minnesota, nearly all of which is tied to wind and solar-generation projects that are under development.
"The 100 Percent by 2040 plan empowers our energy providers to utilize the production technology of their choice," Senator Nick Frentz (D), the bill's chief author, said in a press release announcing the bill's passage.
However, the bill also would ban Minnesota from importing energy from carbon sources, which has irked its neighbor to the west--North Dakota. It exports about 50% of its electricity supply, with the vast majority used in Minnesota, according to the North Dakota Lignite Energy Council.
According to reporting by the Grand Forks Herald, after unsuccessfully urging Minnesota to amend the bill, the Republican-led North Dakota Industrial Commission voted Monday to allocate $1 million for potential litigation to strike down the measure, should the governor sign it into law. The commission is chaired by Governor Doug Burgum (R), who has said he will continue to work with his counterpart to reach an agreement to avoid a lawsuit. There is court precedent in North Dakota's favor, however: the state successfully sued Minnesota over a 2007 law that would have banned the importation of coal power from new sources.
Despite that setback, carbon-free electricity has been a growing part of Minnesota's power-generation mix. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), renewable sources supplied 29% of Minnesota's total in-state electricity generation in 2021, up from about 25% in 2017 and 8.4% in 2007; the EIA also notes coal-fired power plants supplied about 27% of the state's utility-scale generation in 2021, down from 53% in 2011.
According to the EIA, 75% of the state's renewable generation in 2021 came from wind.
Among the wind-generation projects already underway in Minnesota is a repowering effort from Xcel Energy Incorporated (NASDAQ:XEL) (Minneapolis, Minnesota), the largest electric utility in the state, at the Grand Meadows Windfarm in Dexter. The project entails installing 67 new wind turbines from General Electric (NYSE:GE) (GE) (Boston, Massachusetts). The project kicked off in October and is expected to be completed in December. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for a detailed project report.
Late last year, Xcel completed another repower project, at the 217-megawatt (MW) Nobles Windfarm in Reading, which replaced 134 GE turbines. Click here for the project report.
Xcel is building out its renewable-generation business in Minnesota: In the company's latest earnings-related conference call, Bob Frenzel, the chief executive officer of Xcel, said the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) recently approved the 460-MW Sherco Solar Plant in Becker, which if built, could be followed by a solar expansion or a windfarm addition. The project is planned to kick off in July. The latter two projects would not be likely to begin construction before the end of the decade. Click here for the project report.
In February 2022, the MPUC approved Xcel's Minnesota integrated resource plan (IRP), which calls for 85% carbon reduction and a full exit from coal-fired power by 2030; 100% renewable energy by 2050; and the ability to acquire or build up to 4.65 GW of solar, wind and energy storage by 2032, and an additional 1.1 GW beyond then.
But the Minnesota-based utility is not the only entity developing renewable-generation projects in the state.
Two solar projects are planned to kick off in 2024, with completion a year later: one from CD Arevon USA Incorporated (Scottsdale, Arizona), a subsidiary of Capital Dynamics Limited (New York, New York), and project developer Tenaska Incorporated (Omaha, Nebraska), to construct the Hayward Solar Farm, which would utilize photovoltaic (PV) solar panels to generate 150 MW; EDF Renewables North America (San Diego, California) aims to construct the 100-MW Andyville PV Solar Farm in Austin. Subscribers can see reports on the Hayward and Andyville projects.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.
Click here for a full list of active renewable-generation projects in Minnesota.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
"The 100 Percent by 2040 plan empowers our energy providers to utilize the production technology of their choice," Senator Nick Frentz (D), the bill's chief author, said in a press release announcing the bill's passage.
However, the bill also would ban Minnesota from importing energy from carbon sources, which has irked its neighbor to the west--North Dakota. It exports about 50% of its electricity supply, with the vast majority used in Minnesota, according to the North Dakota Lignite Energy Council.
According to reporting by the Grand Forks Herald, after unsuccessfully urging Minnesota to amend the bill, the Republican-led North Dakota Industrial Commission voted Monday to allocate $1 million for potential litigation to strike down the measure, should the governor sign it into law. The commission is chaired by Governor Doug Burgum (R), who has said he will continue to work with his counterpart to reach an agreement to avoid a lawsuit. There is court precedent in North Dakota's favor, however: the state successfully sued Minnesota over a 2007 law that would have banned the importation of coal power from new sources.
Despite that setback, carbon-free electricity has been a growing part of Minnesota's power-generation mix. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), renewable sources supplied 29% of Minnesota's total in-state electricity generation in 2021, up from about 25% in 2017 and 8.4% in 2007; the EIA also notes coal-fired power plants supplied about 27% of the state's utility-scale generation in 2021, down from 53% in 2011.
According to the EIA, 75% of the state's renewable generation in 2021 came from wind.
Among the wind-generation projects already underway in Minnesota is a repowering effort from Xcel Energy Incorporated (NASDAQ:XEL) (Minneapolis, Minnesota), the largest electric utility in the state, at the Grand Meadows Windfarm in Dexter. The project entails installing 67 new wind turbines from General Electric (NYSE:GE) (GE) (Boston, Massachusetts). The project kicked off in October and is expected to be completed in December. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for a detailed project report.
Late last year, Xcel completed another repower project, at the 217-megawatt (MW) Nobles Windfarm in Reading, which replaced 134 GE turbines. Click here for the project report.
Xcel is building out its renewable-generation business in Minnesota: In the company's latest earnings-related conference call, Bob Frenzel, the chief executive officer of Xcel, said the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) recently approved the 460-MW Sherco Solar Plant in Becker, which if built, could be followed by a solar expansion or a windfarm addition. The project is planned to kick off in July. The latter two projects would not be likely to begin construction before the end of the decade. Click here for the project report.
In February 2022, the MPUC approved Xcel's Minnesota integrated resource plan (IRP), which calls for 85% carbon reduction and a full exit from coal-fired power by 2030; 100% renewable energy by 2050; and the ability to acquire or build up to 4.65 GW of solar, wind and energy storage by 2032, and an additional 1.1 GW beyond then.
But the Minnesota-based utility is not the only entity developing renewable-generation projects in the state.
Two solar projects are planned to kick off in 2024, with completion a year later: one from CD Arevon USA Incorporated (Scottsdale, Arizona), a subsidiary of Capital Dynamics Limited (New York, New York), and project developer Tenaska Incorporated (Omaha, Nebraska), to construct the Hayward Solar Farm, which would utilize photovoltaic (PV) solar panels to generate 150 MW; EDF Renewables North America (San Diego, California) aims to construct the 100-MW Andyville PV Solar Farm in Austin. Subscribers can see reports on the Hayward and Andyville projects.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.
Click here for a full list of active renewable-generation projects in Minnesota.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
