Minnesota Commission Approves Xcel’s Updated Resilient Minneapolis Project

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Aug. 9 granted approval for Xcel Energy Inc.’s updated Resilient Minneapolis Project aimed to bolster resilience in disadvantaged communities. Initially approved in 2022, the purpose of the project is to deploy rooftop solar, battery storage, and microgrid controls at the Minneapolis American Indian Center, Sabathani Community Center, as well as a resilience hub distributed across several buildings in North Minneapolis.

The main change to the project is that the company received federal funding through the U.S. Energy Department’s Grid Resilience and Innovations Partnership, GRIP, program. Thanks to the federal funding and efforts to obtain additional external financing, Renewable Energy Partners can now own and operate the North Minneapolis Community Resilience Hub. Consequently, Xcel Energy and its ratepayers will not bear the costs of the North Minneapolis project. In the initial project approval, the cost of Resilient Minneapolis was estimated at $9 million.

The commission approved Resilient Minneapolis in 2022 as a part of Xcel’s Integrated Distribution Plan. In 2023, due to increased project costs, the commission requested Xcel Energy to revise the project. In recent months, the company has also engaged with various stakeholders to improve the original project proposals. Xcel has consulted community members and environmental advocacy groups to ensure the project adequately addresses community needs and concerns.

The new project proposal features additional changes, such as:

• Partnering with the City of Minneapolis and the University of St. Thomas to equip site hosts and community members with skills to oversee the resiliency hub in urgent situations.
• Providing community members with the skills and knowledge to operate batteries and solar panels daily.
• Revisions to Xcel and Site Hosts’ Community Benefits Agreement ensuring it aligns with common goals.
• Ensure Xcel monitors the battery-sharing agreement, enabling both site hosts and ratepayers to benefit