Xcel Energy says it plans to build the Midwest’s largest battery energy storage site at the Sherco Energy Hub in Becker. The company says the project is a series of investments that will strengthen the region’s energy security and expand the company’s investment at Sherco and beyond.
The proposal, filed with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in recent days, would double the amount of battery storage adjacent to the Sherco coal plant in Becker. That plant is slated to retire by the end of 2030. The new proposal increases the capacity to 600 megawatts of storage, doubling the previously approved 300 megawatts.
The new proposal also calls for an expansion of the Sherco Solar facility with an additional 200-megawatt solar array in Clear Lake Township, and an addition of 135.5 megawatts of battery storage at the company’s Blue Lake facility in Shakopee.
If approved, Xcel says it plans to start construction in 2026, with the new batteries serving customers by late 2027.
