Minnesota Power shutting down two more coal-fired power plants

• 8 years ago (2016-10-21)
• David Flin

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Minnesota Power has announced that it will shut down two more coal-fired power units, Boswell 1 and 2, in Cohasset, Minnesota, USA, four years earlier that state order. The utility said it will idle the 1960-vintage units by the end of 2018 as it moves towards more natural gas and renewable energy from solar and wind. The change is part of Minnesota Power’s long-term Energy Forward focus, helping it to comply with state regulations to get more energy from renewable sources.

The move was also pushed by the state’s Public Utilities Commission, which in June had instructed Minnesota Power to shut Boswell 1 and 2 down no later than 2022.

Minnesota Power’s goal is to eventually produce about one-third of its electricity from natural gas, one-third from renewable sources, and one-third from coal.

Minnesota Power said that it had no plans to shut down or repower Boswell units 3 and 4, its largest coal-fired units at 355 MW and 585 MW respectively.