In Xcel Energy’s “integrated resource plan,” filed with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, the utility laid out a plan for the next five years of power generation.
That plan includes continued use of two Minnesota nuclear plants, solar farms and wind farms. The plan also includes two natural gas “peaking plants,” to be used when there’s high power demand.
One of those peaking plants would be built in North Dakota.
"We have infrastructure up north of Mapleton," said Xcel North Dakota Principal Manager Tony Grindberg. "We have a substation there, and we are considering sites in close proximity to that, so we can interconnect into our grid."
Grindberg said the peaking plant could be converted to hydrogen. He said it’s all part of an “all of the above” strategy to help the utility meet its goal of becoming “carbon free” by 2050.
Xcel has not yet filed its integrated resource plan with North Dakota regulators – but Grindberg said it will be filed shortly.
