#MINNESOTA POWER UTILITY FREE#

Minnesota Power has now closed five of its nine coal-fired generating units and converted two others to natural gas production. But the company shifted toward renewable energy amid growing calls to slash greenhouse gases that cause climate change, and also because of federal tax credits for wind power and state laws ordering utility companies to have 25 percent renewable energy by 2025.

In 2005, 95 percent of Minnesota Power’s energy came from coal. It’s an unusual share of energy-intensive industrial customers that is unique in Minnesota and possibly in the country. About 60 percent of the company’s power, however, is used by industrial operations, primarily six taconite facilities and four paper and pulp mills, generating about 74 percent of the utility’s revenue. Minnesota Power provides electricity for 145,000 residential and commercial customers across northern Minnesota. Environmental groups criticized Minnesota Power for sticking to a proposal to build a $700 million natural gas plant in Superior, Wisconsin, and pushed for more details about the utility’s plans.īut Bret Pence, Greater Minnesota director for the climate advocacy group Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, also said “it’s great that they’ve recognized the gravity of the moment and they’ve made this commitment.” How a coal heavy utility is now 50 percent renewable The Iron Mining Association of Minnesota is concerned new spending on energy infrastructure could lead to higher power bills for the industry. In an interview, Bethany Owen, president and CEO of Minnesota Power’s parent company, ALLETE Inc., said the utility is committed to keeping energy reliable and affordable but is also “committed to the climate.”īethany OwenReaction to the Tuesday announcement was mixed.

#MINNESOTA POWER UTILITY FREE#

But the company has also been locked in debates over how fast it can and should become 100 percent carbon free and retire coal while balancing the needs of energy-hungry iron mines and paper mills in the region. Minnesota Power in December became the first utility in the state to provide 50 percent renewable energy on its system and has shut down most of its coal plants. Minnesota Power, which also plans to eliminate coal from its system by 2035, is now the second privately owned electric utility in the state to pledge 100 percent carbon-free energy by midcentury after Xcel Energy did so in 2018. Duluth utility Minnesota Power on Tuesday said it hopes to produce energy without any carbon emissions by 2050 in part through an expansion of wind and solar generation, a major new goal that company officials said was set in response to global climate change.

Minnesota power utility