Minnesota Power releases plan to reach 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2050

Under a new EnergyForward strategy released this week, Minnesota Power pledged to deliver 100 percent of its energy carbon-free to customers by 2050, now that 50 percent of its energy already comes from renewable sources.

An upcoming Integrated Resource Plan will further outline clean energy transition plans through 2035. That plan will be submitted to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) on February 1, but the company has already released some details about what it will entail.

Such efforts will include adding 400 MW of wind and solar energy, eliminating coal from all operations by 2035 — including transformative and retirement work at Boswell Energy Center — and updating the transmission and distribution grid. Along the way, it will set milestones of providing 70 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2030 and an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2035, when compared to 2005 levels.

“We are proud to be the first Minnesota utility to provide 50 percent renewable energy, but as we said when we reached this exciting milestone in December, our transformation to a sustainable energy future is not yet complete,” Bethany Owen, ALLETE president and CEO, said. “As a clean energy leader, we are meeting the challenge of climate change with a reliable energy supply while keeping costs affordable for customers in this region.”

Minnesota Power is an ALLETE company.

MPUC will likely levy its decision on the IRP sometime later this year. If approved, Minnesota Power claims it will be able to meet the state’s goal for greenhouse gas reductions 15 years ahead of schedule.