US utility Xcel seeks solar and storage proposals to replace retiring coal plant

By JP Casey
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email

US electric utility Xcel Energy has launched a request for proposals (RFP) for solar and battery storage projects to replace its Allen S. King coal-fired power plant in the US state of Minnesota.

Xcel Energy is keen to replace the coal plant with a new 650MW solar project, or ones “that combine solar with energy storage, such as batteries”, as the utility puts it.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The Allen S. King plant has produced electricity since 1958, and through the RFP, Xcel will replace this facility with a renewable project that will contribute to the company’s decarbonisation goals. These targets reducing its carbon emissions by 85% compared to 2005 levels by 2030, and retiring all of its coal-fired power plants by the same year.

The proposed solar project will also have a larger capacity than the soon-to-be retired coal plant, which boasts a capacity of 598MW, as the utility looks to not only replace its fossil fuel capacity with renewables, but increase its total power output.

To read the full version of this story, visit PV Tech.

17 June 2025
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 17-18 June 2025, will be our fourth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2026 and beyond.
1 July 2025
London, UK
UK Solar Summit 2025 will look at the role solar currently plays in the energy mix, how this will change over the coming years and how this aligns with net-zero and other government targets. We will break down all these challenges and help build up solutions through discursive panels, motivational keynotes and case studies, with newly added interactive sessions to get you moving and meeting your peers, making the connections you need to boost your business.

Read Next

April 17, 2025
A proposed landowner-led 576MWh solar-plus-storage site in Tasmania has been added to Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
Premium
April 16, 2025
Colorado-based IPP Korsail Energy has been dealt a blow in its quest to develop a 320MWh hybrid solar-BESS project in the Centennial State.
April 16, 2025
Quinbrook has officially confirmed the expansion of the ‘Supernode’ BESS in Queensland, Australia, via a 1,010MWh offtake agreement.
April 15, 2025
German companies Energieversorgung Beckum (evb), Westenergie and E.ON Energy Solutions (ESY) have launched construction on a 2.75-hour BESS project in Beckum, Germany, and offered local citizens a chance to invest in it.
April 15, 2025
LS Electric will deploy a 20MW/90MWh battery storage system in Japan after it was awarded the contract through a competitive solicitation.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter