Legalectric

Are you concerned about data centers? Time to speak up and DO SOMETHING!

Two data centers are in the works, both Google, and Xcel and MP have filed Electric Service Agreements (EAS) with the PUC.

TODAY comments are due on whether the Dept. of Commerce should get $250,000 for consultant “for identifying, tracking, and appropriately assigning the costs and revenues associated with integrating these large loads.” They’d sure better get that because these are the first and we need to do the best we can in assuring ratepayers aren’t stuck (that’s the PUC’s part), and then there’s water issues probably via the DNR. Here’s the notice:

That’s a no-brainer — we need to dig into this and it’s a bunch of new issues and beyond the expertise in Commerce, and the experts are going to cost.

And substantive notice also just came out, this one is crucial, and so far only in 25-159, the Minnesota Power/Hermantown docket:

It took five days after the filing and then “Notice of Objection Period” for this “Notice of Comment Period” to come out on the Hermantown one, so I’d expect a “Notice of Comment Period” any day now for Pine Island.

Here are the two agreements. It’d be good to compare and see if there are any differences. And yeah, gotta read these things to have anything to comment on!

MP & Harmony/Google Agreement – Hermantown

April 9th, 2026

Xcel’s Pine Island ESA for Data Center

April 17th, 2026

Get to work and start grinding out comments — we’ve got until July 21, 2026 for Initial Comments on Hermantown ESA so that’s enough time to wade through the ESAs and figure out what’s what, even with the redactions.

And I’ll post the Pine Island “Notice of Comment Period” when it arrives.

Two electric service agreements (ESA) have landed at the Public Utilities Commission, where the utilities are asking that the Commission approve the agreements, and today, a “Notice of Objection Period” has been announced.

A few days ago, another Notice – this time a substantive comment period. These two ESAs are running somewhat together — mark your calendars.

One of them is Minnesota Power, for its Hermantown data center, a Google (Harmony Group, Alphabet), PUC Docket M-26-159.

The other is from Xcel, for the Pine Island Google (Echo Zone) data center in Pine Island, PUC Docket M-26-170.

Commerce wants authorization to dig deep, hiring experts “to analyze the allocation of costs related to connecting data centers to the electrical grid. The Notice is telling the world that if they object, speak NOW!

Seems a good idea, given this is just getting started and we need to do it “right,” whatever that may be.

Let’s get to the guts of the matter. Here are the Petitions, followed by the notice of comment period — first, Minnesota Power, for Hermantown, M-26-159:

And next, Xcel – M-26-170 – and only the Objection notice so far, no Notice of Comment Period… YET!:

A few days ago, Xcel filed an Electric Service Agreement for Google’s Echo Zone data center in Pine Island. there are TWO dockets, but the document filed in M-26-170 and labeled same is also filed in M-26-171, also with M-26-170 on the first page, so… I’ve not gone page by page to compare.

Here’s the Electric Service Agreement from the M-26-170 — I’ll post both just because:

And here’s the one from M-26-171 that is labeled M-26-170, put here until I have time to compare:

Parking this here so I can find it later!! It’s one of those days…