This month, Xcel Energy asked state regulators in Colorado to extend the operating life of the coal-fired Comanche Unit 2 for another year. Xcel Energy seems to understand the importance…
Center of the American Experiment’s Bill Glahn reported recently on the public hearings for Xcel Energy’s electricity rate case. The Minnesota PUC is holding hearings through September 25 in locations…
Agenda Item No. 1 on the calendar for the Thursday state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) meeting reads, In the Matter of the Petition of Minnesota Power for Acquisition of ALLETE…
Beginning this evening in Stillwater, the state Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) will hold a series of public hearings on Xcel Energy’s electricity rate increase request. MPR News reports: The public…
A funny thing happened on the way to BlackRock’s takeover of Minnesota Power: the environmentalist movement was split. From Walker Orenstein at the Minnesota Star Tribune: Northern Minnesota power company…
Probably not. Last week, the state Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) announced that it approved “Minnesota’s first stand-alone battery storage project.” The details of the 150 MW project: Located in Olmsted…
From the Minnesota Star Tribune: Rising costs have Rochester debating whether to move back 100% renewable energy goal. Say it ain’t so! A bit of background: Rochester is the largest…
It’s easier said than done. The tiny city of Slayton, MN, wants to replace Xcel Energy as its electricity provider with a different utility. Walker Orenstein of the Minnesota Star…
Yesterday, the state House of Representatives passed HF 2442, the Energy omnibus budget bill for FY 2026-27. As passed, the bill runs less than 6 pages of text. The bare-bones…
The financial behemoth Blackrock has proposed taking over the Duluth-based electric utility Minnesota Power. The debate over the transaction is revealing some unexpected fault lines. The debate has a tiny…
The West Central Tribune reported last week that a large solar farm proposed in Renville County is expected to be permitted by the end of the summer. The project, Gopher…
The state Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) is on the brink of approving two massive new electric transmission line projects. Next week (April 10) the Commission will meet to take up…
Xcel Energy proposed to issue a $318 million rebate to Minnesota customers in a press release on Monday. More than half of the refund ($176 million) will come from federal…
The “good” news is that the state’s largest electric utility, Xcel Energy, will be meeting Minnesota’s mandate for 100% “carbon-free” electricity five years early. The better news for consumers is…
All signs point to “yes.” The question comes before the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) tomorrow. We reported last month on the recent rate case filed by the state’s largest…
Xcel Energy’s recently filed rate case apparently assumed a different election outcome. The Friday before this month’s election, Xcel Energy, the state’s largest utility, filed a new electric rate case…
I learned a new German word this week, via Zerohedge. It turns out that the Germans really do have a compound word to describe everything: The UK Telegraph provides some…
Our annual Golden Turkey contest wraps up this week. Personally, I’m pulling for Nominee No. 2, the estimated 173 DEI administrators employed by Tim Walz in state government. Minnesota is…
A report issued by the consulting firm Bain & Company earlier this month contained this eye-catching finding regarding data center growth: US energy demand could outstrip supply within the next…
Relief for a beleaguered southern Minnesota community, as a field of abandoned wind turbine blades begins to depart. I’ve written several times about the saga of the 100-or-so used wind…
You read that headline correctly. To meet the state’s mandate for 100 percent “carbon-free” electricity by the year 2040, the state’s largest electric utility is planning to build at least…
Any hopes Xcel Energy may have had of Renville County commissioners changing their minds on the utility’s proposed high-voltage power line were all but eliminated at a recent board meeting.…
The state Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) met on Thursday and ordered an out-of-state wind-power developer to live up to its commitment to remove a field full of abandoned wind turbine…
Last week, Walker Orenstein of the Star Tribune reported on a remarkable situation in Grand Meadow, Minnesota. He reports from a neighbor’s point of view: Trucks dropped off more than…