Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Office of the Revisor of Statutes

116C.779 FUNDING FOR RENEWABLE DEVELOPMENT.
    Subdivision 1. Renewable development account. (a) The public utility that owns the Prairie
Island nuclear generating plant must transfer to a renewable development account $16,000,000
annually each year the plant is in operation, and $7,500,000 each year the plant is not in operation
if ordered by the commission pursuant to paragraph (d). The fund transfer must be made if nuclear
waste is stored in a dry cask at the independent spent-fuel storage facility at Prairie Island for
any part of a year. Funds in the account may be expended only for development of renewable
energy sources. Preference must be given to development of renewable energy source projects
located within the state. The utility that owns a nuclear generating plant is eligible to apply for
renewable development fund grants. The utility's proposals must be evaluated by the renewable
development fund board in a manner consistent with that used to evaluate other renewable
development fund project proposals.
    (b) The public utility that owns the Monticello nuclear generating plant must transfer to the
renewable development account $350,000 each year for each dry cask containing spent fuel
that is located at the Monticello nuclear power plant for each year the plant is in operation, and
$5,250,000 each year the plant is not in operation if ordered by the commission pursuant to
paragraph (d). The fund transfer must be made if nuclear waste is stored in a dry cask at the
independent spent-fuel storage facility at Monticello for any part of a year.
     (c) Expenditures from the account may only be made after approval by order of the Public
Utilities Commission upon a petition by the public utility.
     (d) After discontinuation of operation of the Prairie Island nuclear plant or the Monticello
nuclear plant and each year spent nuclear fuel is stored in dry cask at the discontinued facility,
the commission shall require the public utility to pay $7,500,000 for the discontinued Prairie
Island facility and $5,250,000 for the discontinued Monticello facility for any year in which the
commission finds, by the preponderance of the evidence, that the public utility did not make a
good faith effort to remove the spent nuclear fuel stored at the facility to a permanent or interim
storage site out of the state. This determination shall be made at least every two years.
    Subd. 2. Renewable energy production incentive. (a) Until January 1, 2018, up to
$10,900,000 annually must be allocated from available funds in the account to fund renewable
energy production incentives. $9,400,000 of this annual amount is for incentives for up to 200
megawatts of electricity generated by wind energy conversion systems that are eligible for the
incentives under section 216C.41. The balance of this amount, up to $1,500,000 annually, may
be used for production incentives for on-farm biogas recovery facilities that are eligible for the
incentive under section 216C.41 or for production incentives for other renewables, to be provided
in the same manner as under section 216C.41. Any portion of the $10,900,000 not expended in
any calendar year for the incentive is available for other spending purposes under this section.
This subdivision does not create an obligation to contribute funds to the account.
(b) The Department of Commerce shall determine eligibility of projects under section
216C.41 for the purposes of this subdivision. At least quarterly, the Department of Commerce
shall notify the public utility of the name and address of each eligible project owner and the
amount due to each project under section 216C.41. The public utility shall make payments within
15 working days after receipt of notification of payments due.
History: 1994 c 641 art 1 s 10; 1999 c 200 s 1; 1Sp2003 c 11 art 2 s 1; 1Sp2005 c 1 art
4 s 14; 2007 c 57 art 2 s 9

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes