Xcel Energy
Encyclopedia
Xcel Energy, Inc. is a public utility
company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota
, serving customers in Colorado
, Michigan
, Minnesota
, New Mexico
, North Dakota
, South Dakota
, Texas
, and Wisconsin
. Primary services are electricity
and natural gas
. Operating Companies include Northern States Power Company
, Public Service Company of Coloradohttp://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9ODM5ODd8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=&t=1, and Southwestern Public Service Co.http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9ODM5ODd8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=&t=1
Fuel Source: Low-sulfur Western coal from mines in Montana and Wyoming. The plant burns 30,000 tons of coal every day (three trainloads) and more than nine million tons a year. A rotary car dumper, which literally turns a rail coal car upside down, unloads one car every three minutes and an entire train in just over six hours.
(AWEA), Xcel Energy is the largest investor-owned wind power
provider.
capacity according to the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and manages a fast-growing program in Colorado called Solar*Rewards that offers rebates to residential and business customers for installing on-site solar systems. Applications for the program increased significantly in 2008, and the program is expanding to New Mexico. Xcel Energy has announced plans to acquire up to 600 megawatts of concentrating solar power, with storage capability (SEPA).
.
electricity comes from organic fuel sources. Xcel Energy has contracts for about 110 megawatts of electricity from biomass generators. Two in northern Minnesota are fueled by forest harvest residue, such as treetops and limbs. A third facility, brought on line in 2007 in western Minnesota, generates power using turkey litter.
Xcel Energy's Bay Front plant in Ashland, Wisconsin
, is a three-unit generating station that has become a model for the creative use of fuels: coal, waste wood, railroad ties, discarded tires, natural gas
, and petroleum coke
. Two of the three Bay Front operating units already use biomass as their primary fuel. Following more than a year of study and planning, Xcel Energy recently proposed a plan to install biomass gasification technology at Bay Front.
The waste-to-energy
facilities not only produce electricity but also play an important role in using waste that would otherwise end up in landfills. All of the waste-to-energy facilities have upgraded air quality control systems to meet stringent environmental emission regulations.
The Wisconsin waste-to-energy plant burns wood waste in combination with refuse-derived fuel
(RDF).
near Monticello, Minnesota
, and Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant near Red Wing, Minnesota
and stores the spent fuel from these nuclear plants on site in independent spent fuel storage installations. (ISFSIs).
Xcel is seeking to extend the operating licenses for the Prairie Island plants for 20 years to 2034, increasing the number of spent fuel casks at the Prairie Island ISFSI to 64 casks.
In November 2009, the license was granted by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
and the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission
is expected to rule on Xcel's application in 2010.
; Golden, Colorado
; and Amarillo, Texas
. The transmission system is operated on a non-discriminatory basis under the open access requirements of the federal government. This means that all wholesale buyers and sellers of electricity can use the transmission system under the same terms and conditions used to serve Xcel Energy’s own retail customers. The transmission lines are utilized to carry 115,000 volts, 230,000 volts, and 345,000 volts. There is also a 500,000 volt transmission line that runs from Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada
to Chisago County just north of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Xcel Energy was built on three companies: Minneapolis-based Northern States Power Company (NSP), Denver-based Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo), and Amarillo-based Southwestern Public Service (SPS).
. Xcel is accused of allowing hazardous conditions to exist at the work site that directly contributed to a flash fire that took the lives of the workers. It is quite unusual that a corporation would be tried in a criminal proceeding.
On June 28th, the jury found Xcel Energy not guilty. The case against the contractor, RPI, has yet to be argued.
, and established Consumers Power Co. The organization had 19 employees, 29 miles of electric lines serving 771 customers, and 11 miles of gas mains serving 484 customers.
Generating and selling electricity originally was considered a business sideline. Dusk-to-midnight electricity service—for lighting only—was common in many small communities. When the electric iron was introduced, however, the demand for daytime power generation was so great it created load problems. Also, manufacturers were continually finding new uses for electricity. Newspapers gave this description of a 1911 Minneapolis electric products trade show: "There are electric toys, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, bread toasts, show shines, pumps for automobiles, and many other labor-saving devices. It seems that anything is possible with electricity."
A few weeks before the tradeshow opened, the city’s main generating plant at St. Anthony Falls burned down. Although power was quickly restored, people were reminded of what life was like before electricity. In future years, Byllesby would acquire additional properties and reorganize the company. In 1916, the company’s name changed to Northern States Power Co.
and its 2,000 residents. The financial strain of creating this new enterprise soon overwhelmed him and he sold the franchise to W.H. Gillenwater, who named his utility the Roswell Electric Light Co. He later sold the company to an investment firm in Cleveland, Ohio, which already owned the Roswell Gas Co.
in St. Paul, Minnesota, which is the home of the Minnesota Wild
professional hockey team and hosted the 2008 Republican National Convention
.
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, serving customers in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Primary services are electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. Operating Companies include Northern States Power Company
Northern States Power Company
Northern States Power Company was a publicly-traded S&P 500 electric and natural gas utility holding company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that is now a subsidiary of Xcel Energy .-History:...
, Public Service Company of Coloradohttp://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9ODM5ODd8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=&t=1, and Southwestern Public Service Co.http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9ODM5ODd8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=&t=1
Coal power
One example: Sherburne County, Becker, Minnesota (Sherco) PlantFuel Source: Low-sulfur Western coal from mines in Montana and Wyoming. The plant burns 30,000 tons of coal every day (three trainloads) and more than nine million tons a year. A rotary car dumper, which literally turns a rail coal car upside down, unloads one car every three minutes and an entire train in just over six hours.
Wind power
According to the Annual Wind Industry Report for year-end 2008 published by the American Wind Energy AssociationAmerican Wind Energy Association
Formed in 1974, the American Wind Energy Association is a Washington, D.C.-based national trade association representing wind power project developers, equipment suppliers, service providers, parts manufacturers, utilities, researchers, and others involved in the wind industry.With over 2,500...
(AWEA), Xcel Energy is the largest investor-owned wind power
Wind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
provider.
Solar power
Xcel Energy is fifth in the nation for solar powerSolar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
capacity according to the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and manages a fast-growing program in Colorado called Solar*Rewards that offers rebates to residential and business customers for installing on-site solar systems. Applications for the program increased significantly in 2008, and the program is expanding to New Mexico. Xcel Energy has announced plans to acquire up to 600 megawatts of concentrating solar power, with storage capability (SEPA).
Hydro power
Xcel Energy generates over 500 megawatts of hydroelectric power from 27 plants in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Colorado. This accounts for more than four percent of their electricity generation. They also purchase large amounts of hydro-generated electricity from Manitoba HydroManitoba Hydro
Manitoba Hydro is the electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1961, it is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board and the Manitoba Hydro Act. Today the company operates 15 interconnected generating stations. It has...
.
Biomass
BiomassBiomass
Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
electricity comes from organic fuel sources. Xcel Energy has contracts for about 110 megawatts of electricity from biomass generators. Two in northern Minnesota are fueled by forest harvest residue, such as treetops and limbs. A third facility, brought on line in 2007 in western Minnesota, generates power using turkey litter.
Xcel Energy's Bay Front plant in Ashland, Wisconsin
Ashland, Wisconsin
Ashland is a city in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city is a port on Lake Superior, near the head of Chequamegon Bay. The population was 8,695 at the 2010 census....
, is a three-unit generating station that has become a model for the creative use of fuels: coal, waste wood, railroad ties, discarded tires, natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, and petroleum coke
Petroleum coke
Petroleum coke is a carbonaceous solid derived from oil refinery coker units or other cracking processes. Other coke has traditionally been derived from coal....
. Two of the three Bay Front operating units already use biomass as their primary fuel. Following more than a year of study and planning, Xcel Energy recently proposed a plan to install biomass gasification technology at Bay Front.
The waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy or energy-from-waste is the process of creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of waste source. WtE is a form of energy recovery...
facilities not only produce electricity but also play an important role in using waste that would otherwise end up in landfills. All of the waste-to-energy facilities have upgraded air quality control systems to meet stringent environmental emission regulations.
The Wisconsin waste-to-energy plant burns wood waste in combination with refuse-derived fuel
Refuse-derived fuel
Refuse-derived fuel or solid recovered fuel/ specified recovered fuel is a fuel produced by shredding and dehydrating solid waste with a Waste converter technology. RDF consists largely of combustible components of municipal waste such as plastics and biodegradable waste...
(RDF).
Nuclear Power
Xcel Energy owns and operates two nuclear power plants, Monticello Nuclear Generating PlantMonticello Nuclear Generating Plant
The Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant is a nuclear power plant located in Monticello, Minnesota, along the Mississippi River. The site, which began operating in 1971, has a single nuclear reactor of the General Electric BWR-3 design generating 613 megawatts, but studies are ongoing to...
near Monticello, Minnesota
Monticello, Minnesota
Monticello is a city in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. Monticello was founded in 1856 and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2006. The population was 12,759 at the 2010 census. The name Monticello is derived from the Italian word for "Little Mountain," it translates literally to...
, and Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant near Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing, Minnesota
Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River. The population was 16,459 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Goodhue County....
and stores the spent fuel from these nuclear plants on site in independent spent fuel storage installations. (ISFSIs).
Xcel is seeking to extend the operating licenses for the Prairie Island plants for 20 years to 2034, increasing the number of spent fuel casks at the Prairie Island ISFSI to 64 casks.
In November 2009, the license was granted by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is the consumer protection agency in the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with the regulation of public utilities such as electric and telephone service. Its commissioners are appointed by the governor....
and the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
is expected to rule on Xcel's application in 2010.
Transmission
Xcel Energy operates 18100 miles (29,129.1 km) of transmission lines throughout ten states, and has nearly 900 transmission and transmission/distribution substations, with major control centers in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
; Golden, Colorado
Golden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
; and Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
. The transmission system is operated on a non-discriminatory basis under the open access requirements of the federal government. This means that all wholesale buyers and sellers of electricity can use the transmission system under the same terms and conditions used to serve Xcel Energy’s own retail customers. The transmission lines are utilized to carry 115,000 volts, 230,000 volts, and 345,000 volts. There is also a 500,000 volt transmission line that runs from Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to Chisago County just north of St. Paul, Minnesota.
History
Xcel Energy, with headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a major U.S. electric and natural gas utility. The company provides energy to more than 3.3 million electric customers and 1.8 million natural gas customers in eight states: Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin.Xcel Energy was built on three companies: Minneapolis-based Northern States Power Company (NSP), Denver-based Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo), and Amarillo-based Southwestern Public Service (SPS).
Cabin Creek Court Case
On June 1, 2011, in an almost unprecedented case, Xcel Energy has been charged in Federal Court over the deaths of five contractors during a fire at its Cabin Creek Hydroelectric power plant outside Georgetown, ColoradoGeorgetown, Colorado
The historic town of Georgetown is a Territorial Charter Municipality that is the county seat of Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. The former silver mining camp along Clear Creek in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains was established in 1859 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush...
. Xcel is accused of allowing hazardous conditions to exist at the work site that directly contributed to a flash fire that took the lives of the workers. It is quite unusual that a corporation would be tried in a criminal proceeding.
On June 28th, the jury found Xcel Energy not guilty. The case against the contractor, RPI, has yet to be argued.
Northern States Power
The story of NSP begins with Thomas Edison’s protégé Henry Marison Byllesby, who in 1902 established H.M. Byllesby and Co. The Chicago-based conglomerate owned steamships, streetcars, and utility companies from West Virginia to California. In 1909, Byllesby came to Stillwater, MinnesotaStillwater, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,143 people, 5,797 households, and 4,115 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,340.0 people per square mile . There were 5,926 housing units at an average density of 915.7 per square mile...
, and established Consumers Power Co. The organization had 19 employees, 29 miles of electric lines serving 771 customers, and 11 miles of gas mains serving 484 customers.
Generating and selling electricity originally was considered a business sideline. Dusk-to-midnight electricity service—for lighting only—was common in many small communities. When the electric iron was introduced, however, the demand for daytime power generation was so great it created load problems. Also, manufacturers were continually finding new uses for electricity. Newspapers gave this description of a 1911 Minneapolis electric products trade show: "There are electric toys, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, bread toasts, show shines, pumps for automobiles, and many other labor-saving devices. It seems that anything is possible with electricity."
A few weeks before the tradeshow opened, the city’s main generating plant at St. Anthony Falls burned down. Although power was quickly restored, people were reminded of what life was like before electricity. In future years, Byllesby would acquire additional properties and reorganize the company. In 1916, the company’s name changed to Northern States Power Co.
Public Service Company of Colorado
The Colorado Power Co. and its subsidiary Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power in Wyoming came under the PSCo name on September 3, 1924. PSCo became an independent and autonomous operation in November 1943 when it served 80 percent of Colorado’s gas and electricity needs. As demand for energy continued to grow, so did PSCo. Eventually, the company merged with Southwestern Public Service Co. (SPS), based in Amarillo, Texas, to form New Century Energies (NCE) in 1995.Southwestern Public Service Company
Southwestern Public Service Co. (SPS) dates its origins to 1904 and the Pecos Valley in New Mexico when Maynard Gunsell received an electricity franchise for the city of Roswell, New MexicoRoswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
and its 2,000 residents. The financial strain of creating this new enterprise soon overwhelmed him and he sold the franchise to W.H. Gillenwater, who named his utility the Roswell Electric Light Co. He later sold the company to an investment firm in Cleveland, Ohio, which already owned the Roswell Gas Co.
Other information
The company has naming rights for the Xcel Energy CenterXcel Energy Center
The Xcel Energy Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is named for its locally-based corporate sponsor Xcel Energy. With an official capacity of 18,064, the arena has four spectator levels: one suite level and three general seating levels. The arena is owned by the...
in St. Paul, Minnesota, which is the home of the Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
professional hockey team and hosted the 2008 Republican National Convention
2008 Republican National Convention
The United States 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008...
.