Minnesota Power Announces Plans for Two Northern Minnesota Solar Projects

Minnesota Power on Monday announced plans to build two large solar projects in northern Minnesota. According to a company news release, the Boswell Solar project will be located in Cohasset in Itasca County, and the Regal Solar project will be located near Royalton, Minnesota, which borders Morrison and Benton counties.

It’s all part of the company’s EnergyForward strategy as it moves toward a cleaner energy future. Minnesota Power says the two sites were selected based on competitive bids in a 2023 solar bid announcement.

The implementation of both projects is subject to obtaining approvals from the MPUC and other regulatory authorities.

Minnesota Power, a utility company of ALLETE Inc., released the following statement Monday morning:

The Boswell Solar project will have an 85-megawatt capacity of about 180,000 bifacial solar modules on about 600 acres, some of which is owned by Minnesota Power. It will use existing electrical infrastructure at the Boswell Energy Center, requiring only a collector substation and a short transmission line to connect to the grid. The project is expected to be operational in mid-2027.

The Regal Solar project will have a capacity of 119.5 megawatts from approximately 255,000 bifacial solar modules on approximately 800 acres. The renewable project will be connected to the regional electric grid via a new 3.5-mile collector line and substation and is expected to be online in mid-2027.

“These two projects are examples of ALLETE’s sustainability strategy in action through local job creation and local renewable energy, and the Boswell Solar project will support one of our current host communities as we continue to plan for the future,” ALLETE Vice President and Minnesota Power COO Josh Skelton said in a release. “These projects will help us move closer to our goal of delivering more than 80 percent renewable energy by 2030, while also working to meet Minnesota law that calls for carbon-free energy by 2040. Both projects include local workforce preferences, diverse suppliers and internships to train future workers in renewable energy.”

Both projects are part of Minnesota Power’s effort to achieve 300 megawatts of regional solar energy production, as defined in Minnesota Power’s Integrated Resource Plan, approved by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) in 2023.