By Shay Lelonek / Asst. News Director

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has recently voted to refund Xcel Energy customers tens of millions of dollars, with interest, due to a 2011 power plant outage.

In November 2011, a turbine failure occurred, causing a power plant at Sherburne County Generating Station 3 (Sherco Unit 3) to be offline for nearly two years.

During this time, Xcel Energy purchased more expensive equipment to compensate for the lost power.

The PUC ordered a proceeding to determine whether Xcel acted imprudently in maintaining and inspecting the power plant.

Independent engineers determined that Xcel Energy did not maintain the plant by delaying an inspection that would have revealed the potential for turbine failure.

“It’s hard to afford your life when your utility company is cutting corners, making mistakes as a result, and trying to stick you with the bill,” said Attorney General Ellison.

On October 15, 2024, the PUC ruled that Xcel should pay the full amount of replacement costs, with interest, which is approximately $56 million. They ordered that Xcel detail the exact amount of the refund in the coming months.