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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Xcel Energy Incorporated (NASDAQ:XEL) (Minneapolis, Minnesota) is now sourcing more than half of its power generation from renewable sources, according to the company's annual Sustainability Report, announced earlier this week. But the company also aims to grow its natural gas network in Colorado and hopes to extend an expiring law in Minnesota that allows it to finance upgrades to its natural gas infrastructure via higher customer fees. Industrial Info is tracking more than $2 billion worth of active renewable-energy and battery-storage projects from Xcel, and more than $600 million worth of gas-fired generation projects.
Click on the image at right for a graph detailing Xcel's active renewable-energy projects, by project type.
Carbon-free energy made up 53% of Xcel's 2022 energy mix across the eight states it serves, compared with an average of 41% across the U.S., according to a company press release. Xcel also says it has reduced carbon emissions from its output 53% from 2005 levels. Minnesota accounts for nearly $3 billion of the $3.8 billion in power-generation projects from Xcel, including the 460-megawatt (MW) Sherco Solar Plant in Becker, which received unanimous approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in March.
The Sherco Solar Plant, which broke ground in May, is designed to replace some of the electricity generated by the coal-fired Sherburne County (Sherco) Power Station, which Xcel plans to retire by 2030. The solar development is split between the $340 million East Block and the $350 million West Block, each of which is designed to generate 230 MW. Xcel hopes to include a 10-MW battery energy-storage system (BESS) at the complex.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can read detailed project reports on the East Block, West Block and BESS at Sherco, and can click here for a list of projects related to the coal-fired Sherco plant's closure. Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Power Plant Database can learn more in a detailed plant profile.
Xcel also is in the process of repowering its Grand Meadows Windfarm in Dexter, Minnesota. The project entails installing 67 new wind turbines from General Electric (NYSE:GE) (Boston, Massachusetts). The project kicked off in October and is expected to wrap up at the end of the year. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report.
Despite its success in renewables development, Xcel is a major supporter of Coloradans for Energy Access, a non-profit that is fighting efforts across Colorado to replace natural gas-sourced heat with renewable sources, according to a recent investigation by Colorado Public Radio (CPR). The company insists this does not undermine its goal to cut emissions from its nationwide natural gas system by 25% by 2030, as an Xcel spokesperson told CPR.
Public Service Company of Colorado, an Xcel subsidiary, is proposing a coal-to-gas conversion of the Pawnee Power Station in Brush, Colorado, which generates 500 MW from coal. Xcel hopes to convert the facility to burn natural gas by the end of 2026. Subscribers can read more in a detailed project report.
Later this year, Xcel is scheduled to complete the dismantlement and demolition of its Zuni Power Station in Denver, Colorado, a gas-fired power plant that generated 103 MW before it was shut down permanently in 2015. Some local residents have urged Xcel to repurpose the facility as a business center or community space, but the company seems intent on demolishing the structure. Subscribers can learn more from Industrial Info's project report.
Xcel also is fighting the scheduled sunset of a Minnesota law that allows it and other utilities to charge customers hundreds of millions of dollars for gas-fired infrastructure upgrades without standard regulatory review, according to a report from Energy and Policy Institute. Such projects include Xcel's proposed upgrades to turbine control systems at its Inver Hills Power Station in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. Xcel hopes to adopt Emerson Electric Company's (NYSE:EMR) (St. Louis, Missouri) Ovation distributed control system (DCS) to improve reliability and extend the facility's service life. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report.
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.
Subscribers can click here for a list of detailed reports for active or proposed renewable-energy projects from Xcel, and click here for a list of reports for active or proposed natural gas projects.
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) platform 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 more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
Click on the image at right for a graph detailing Xcel's active renewable-energy projects, by project type.Carbon-free energy made up 53% of Xcel's 2022 energy mix across the eight states it serves, compared with an average of 41% across the U.S., according to a company press release. Xcel also says it has reduced carbon emissions from its output 53% from 2005 levels. Minnesota accounts for nearly $3 billion of the $3.8 billion in power-generation projects from Xcel, including the 460-megawatt (MW) Sherco Solar Plant in Becker, which received unanimous approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in March.
The Sherco Solar Plant, which broke ground in May, is designed to replace some of the electricity generated by the coal-fired Sherburne County (Sherco) Power Station, which Xcel plans to retire by 2030. The solar development is split between the $340 million East Block and the $350 million West Block, each of which is designed to generate 230 MW. Xcel hopes to include a 10-MW battery energy-storage system (BESS) at the complex.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can read detailed project reports on the East Block, West Block and BESS at Sherco, and can click here for a list of projects related to the coal-fired Sherco plant's closure. Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Power Plant Database can learn more in a detailed plant profile.
Xcel also is in the process of repowering its Grand Meadows Windfarm in Dexter, Minnesota. The project entails installing 67 new wind turbines from General Electric (NYSE:GE) (Boston, Massachusetts). The project kicked off in October and is expected to wrap up at the end of the year. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report.
Despite its success in renewables development, Xcel is a major supporter of Coloradans for Energy Access, a non-profit that is fighting efforts across Colorado to replace natural gas-sourced heat with renewable sources, according to a recent investigation by Colorado Public Radio (CPR). The company insists this does not undermine its goal to cut emissions from its nationwide natural gas system by 25% by 2030, as an Xcel spokesperson told CPR.
Public Service Company of Colorado, an Xcel subsidiary, is proposing a coal-to-gas conversion of the Pawnee Power Station in Brush, Colorado, which generates 500 MW from coal. Xcel hopes to convert the facility to burn natural gas by the end of 2026. Subscribers can read more in a detailed project report.
Later this year, Xcel is scheduled to complete the dismantlement and demolition of its Zuni Power Station in Denver, Colorado, a gas-fired power plant that generated 103 MW before it was shut down permanently in 2015. Some local residents have urged Xcel to repurpose the facility as a business center or community space, but the company seems intent on demolishing the structure. Subscribers can learn more from Industrial Info's project report.
Xcel also is fighting the scheduled sunset of a Minnesota law that allows it and other utilities to charge customers hundreds of millions of dollars for gas-fired infrastructure upgrades without standard regulatory review, according to a report from Energy and Policy Institute. Such projects include Xcel's proposed upgrades to turbine control systems at its Inver Hills Power Station in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. Xcel hopes to adopt Emerson Electric Company's (NYSE:EMR) (St. Louis, Missouri) Ovation distributed control system (DCS) to improve reliability and extend the facility's service life. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report.
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.
Subscribers can click here for a list of detailed reports for active or proposed renewable-energy projects from Xcel, and click here for a list of reports for active or proposed natural gas projects.
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) platform 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 more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
