Electricity utility Xcel Energy has announced that the company is set to achieve 1,000MW of wind power capacity on its Minnesota system in December 2007.
The milestone will be reached when wind energy provider PPM Energy’s MinnDakota wind power project goes online. The 150MW development is located on the Minnesota-South Dakota border.
With the announcement, Minnesota moves into third place nationally in wind power production, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). AWEA ranks Xcel Energy as the number one wind power provider, offering customers more wind energy than any other utility in the country.
New state legislation requires utilities to obtain 25% of their electrical energy from renewable resources. Xcel Energy, which supports the new law, must obtain 30% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2020. As part of that requirement, Xcel Energy plans to increase wind power capacity on its system to nearly 4,000MW.