Minnesota Power to request postponement on filing Integrated Resource Plan due to COVID-19

As a result of uncertainty and problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota Power announced this week that it intends to request an extension on the filing of its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with state regulators.

The request will be made later this month and, in line with other Minnesota utilities, commit the company to file by April 2021 instead. Regardless of when it comes in, an IRP is required of all investor-owned utilities, generation-and-transmission cooperatives, and municipal power agencies. It acts as the outline for how a company will address the energy needs of its customers over the next 15 years. As such, it is built on a mix of customer demand, available energy technology, and access to transmission systems.

“For the past several months, our company has been focused on the safety and health of our employees, joining efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 while ensuring delivery of essential energy to our customers and communities,” said Julie Pierce, Minnesota Power Vice President of Strategy and Planning. “A six-month extension will allow us additional time for the important work that goes into long-term planning, completing our stakeholder outreach to ensure community input, and gaining additional insight about the pandemic’s impact on our customers’ energy needs and our region’s economy.”

Minnesota Power indicated it has begun postponed conversations with stakeholders in northeastern Minnesota and the Twin Cities region. Those discussions are focused on economic trends, community impacts, and emerging environmental strategies. The company also remains committed to its EnergyForward strategy, which is expected to push 50 percent of Minnesota Power’s energy generation to renewable sources by 2021. The company intends to do so through a mix of wind and hydro energy additions later this year.