SAINT PAUL- On Thursday, October 13th, the Public Utilities Commission voted to support the Department of Commerce's position to retire two coal-fired units at Xcel Energy's Sherco power plant in Becker, Minnesota, without designating a replacement. Xcel presented a proposal that would retire two of Sherco's three coal-fired units, and replace one of them with a natural gas-fired unit. At a Public Utilities Commission meeting last week, the Department of Commerce responded to Xcel's proposal by recommending that the two Sherco units be retired, and a process begun in the future to determine a replacement, if any.
Prior to Thursday's PUC meeting, several Republican legislators in the Minnesota House sent a letter to Governor Dayton questioning the Department of Commerce's recommendations. Signers included Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt, Representative Jim Newberger of Becker, MN, and Chair of the Job Growth and Energy Affordability Committee, Pat Garofalo. The letter expressed concerns that neglecting to designate a replacement for the Sherco units would increase uncertainty for plant workers’ job retention, property tax revenues, and the state’s power grid.
Representatives are concerned that failing to commit to a natural gas unit in Becker could mean unnecessary delays, due to Minnesota's burdensome regulatory climate, and result in months, if not years, of uncertainty for the people of Central Minnesota.
Representative Jim Newberger (R-Becker) released the following statement following Thursday's PUC meeting:
"The Dayton Administration had the opportunity to show their commitment to a project that would sustain jobs and property tax revenue in Central Minnesota, and ensure the reliability of Minnesota's energy grid into the future," said Newberger. "Unfortunately, they chose not to. The decision not to commit to a natural gas unit at the Sherco plant in Becker will mean ongoing uncertainty for the plant’s workers and local community for the foreseeable future. The Dayton Administration chose more process over providing more certainty.”
###