2000 Minnesota Statutes

     216B.1645 Power purchase contract or investment. 

    Upon the petition of a public utility, the public utilities 
 commission shall approve or disapprove power purchase contracts, 
 investments, or expenditures entered into or made by the utility 
 to satisfy the wind and biomass mandates contained in sections 
 216B.2423 and 216B.2424, or to develop renewable energy sources 
 from the account required in section 116C.779.  The expenses 
 incurred by the utility over the duration of the approved 
 contract or useful life of the investment and expenditures made 
 pursuant to section 116C.779 shall be recoverable from the 
 ratepayers of the utility, to the extent they are not offset by 
 utility revenues attributable to the contracts, investments, or 
 expenditures.  Upon petition by a public utility, the commission 
 shall approve or approve as modified a rate schedule providing 
 for the automatic adjustment of charges to recover the expenses 
 or costs approved by the commission.  Nothing in this section 
 shall be construed to determine the manner or extent to which 
 revenues derived from other generation facilities of the utility 
 may be considered in determining the recovery of the approved 
 cost or expenses associated with the mandated contracts, 
 investments, or expenditures in the event there is retail 
 competition for electric energy. 

    HIST: 1997 c 176 s 1; 1998 c 345 s 1; 1999 c 200 s 2