Minnesota Power 2021 Integrated Resource Plan

Periodically, each of the eleven investor-owned utilities that sell electricity in Minnesota are required to file an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with Minnesota’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The plans detail the utilities’ energy forecasts for the next fifteen years, including which energy sources (coal, wind, solar, etc.) they will employ, how they will transmit energy, which infrastructure investments they will make, and more. This process allows citizens to see how companies are deciding what kind of energy investments they are making and to add their voices to the process. 

Minnesota Power, Duluth’s investor-owned electric utility, operated under its 2015 IRP from 2015-2021. It filed for multiple extensions for the 2018 plan that is required by the Minnesota PUC. Minnesota Power is now operating under its 2021 IRP, which was filed with the Minnesota PUC on February 1, 2021. Minnesota Power is also beginning the process of creating the next update of the plan, which is set to be filed in 2025. 

Participating in the IRP process can allow Duluth citizens better understanding of how Minnesota Power is making decisions that affect our community.