Xcel Sets New Wind Power Record

Xcel Energy achieved a milestone at 3 a.m. April 27, when wind power met 46 percent of customers’ electricity needs in the company’s Upper Midwest service territory.

At the time the company’s Upper Midwest record was set, wind resources provided 1,622 megawatts of the 3,512 megawatts Xcel Energy’s customers were using in Minnesota and neighboring states. The previous record was set in April 2013, when wind generation met 42 percent of customer demand.

Xcel Energy is currently adding 750 megawatts of wind resources in its Upper Midwest territory. Four wind projects have been approved by Minnesota regulators, representing a 42 percent increase in the company’s wind power capacity in the Upper Midwest. All four projects – two in Minnesota and two in North Dakota – are scheduled to be in service by the end of 2015.  

Wind generation produces 12 percent of the energy used by Xcel Energy’s Upper Midwest customers. Along with the wind additions coming on line by the end of 2015, the company is working towards the goal of generating 25 percent of its energy from wind resources by 2020, as required by Minnesota law.

Source: Xcel Energy