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Integrated Resource Plan

Cost, reliability, environmental responsibility, and achievability drive 15-year resource plan

Our Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) outlines the combination of resources our company will use to meet our customers’ needs for reliable service during the next 15 years.

Minnesota

On July 22, 2024, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) approved our resource plan containing many elements of the settlement between our company and other parties filed April 2, 2024, in our 2022-2036 Integrated Resource Plan docket.

The MPUC decision:

  1. Allows us to retain the reliability benefits of Coyote Station while running the portion of the plant used to serve our Minnesota customers for emergency purposes only. This will begin as soon as June 1, 2026, and end no later than 2031. At that time, our Minnesota customers will no longer use the capacity of or energy from Coyote Station. The MPUC’s decision doesn’t require us to withdraw from Coyote Station or change how we operate Coyote Station to serve our North Dakota and South Dakota customers, even beyond 2031.
  2. Allows us to begin creating project plans for replacement energy for the portion of Coyote Station used to serve our Minnesota customers—and allows us to make progress toward the Minnesota Carbon Free standard. We'll develop plans for 200 to 300 megawatts (MW) of solar resources, 150 to 200 MW of wind resources, and 20 to 75 MW of battery storage to be commercially operational between now and the end of 2029.
  3. Recognizes our proposal to add on-site liquefied natural gas storage at Astoria Station is reasonable and prudent to protect system reliability and provide price protection for Minnesota customers.

We’ll file our next IRP in Minnesota in 2026.

North Dakota

On December 4, 2024, the North Dakota Public Service Commission determined it sees no need for us to serve our North Dakota customers with new renewable or battery resources. Therefore, none of the costs or benefits of the carbon-free projects we identified in our 2022-2036 Integrated Resource Plan will be assigned to North Dakota customers, including those sited in North Dakota between now and 2030. This decision concludes a long IRP proceeding. We'll file our next IRP in North Dakota in 2027 and will continue to navigate policy differences in the three states we serve, planning for the unique interests of our jurisdictions. 

South Dakota

The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission doesn’t have a project preapproval process.