Minnesota Power cuts ribbon on 5.6 MW Laskin Solar Project

Minnesota Power’s Laskin Solar Project officially began operations this week, marking a 5.6 MW renewable energy addition to the Iron Range, and the second of three such projects in the company’s pipeline.

From 25 acres near the company’s Laskin Energy Center, the array will contribute its share of the more than 20 MW Minnesota Power seeks from its three-part solar push. It should generate about 9,300 MW hours of energy annually – approximately 1,100 homes-worth. Its counterparts include the Jean Duluth Solar Project, a small 1.6 MW array that began producing energy last year, and the Sylvan Solar Project in Sylvan Township, which will provide the bulk of this trifecta’s output: 15.2 MW. The latter is expected to enter operation this summer.

“These three solar projects, conceived during the height of the pandemic, reflect our commitment to the clean-energy transformation and to the region,” Bethany Owen, ALLETE chair, president and CEO, said. “The Laskin project, along with the arrays in Duluth and Sylvan Township, have always been about more than generating renewable energy – these projects support local construction jobs, local manufacturing and local communities. We believe investments in these solar projects are investments in the people, communities, industries, and businesses in our region — building a truly sustainable future where everyone can thrive.”

Minnesota Power is a division of ALLETE.

When the Sylvan project finishes, Minnesota Power will have around 30 MW of solar energy in its portfolio total. These efforts allowed it to become the first utility in the state to achieve a 50 percent renewable energy mix, and it plans to provide more than 70 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2030.

“Thank you to the Minnesota Power team for your tremendous leadership in answering the call and helping Minnesota recover from the COVID pandemic in the best way possible, and to help envision and see the clean energy future that is really going to benefit all corners of Minnesota,” Katie Sieben, chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, said.

Overall, Minnesota Power is expected to invest about $40 million into Iron Range and its cohorts, as part of a plan approved by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in 2021 to hasten northeastern Minnesota’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.