Minneapolis Clean Energy Partnership Agreements Signed with New Goals

At the April 17^th Minneapolis Clean Energy Partnership meeting, Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Minneapolis to continue the Partnership for another 10 years.

The theory behind the Clean Energy Partnership is that working together rather than separately is how to best meet the urgent climate goals.

The city’s new franchise agreements with Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy, which were also renegotiated at the same time as the MOU last year, are also officially signed and in effect.  

Utility Franchise Agreements used to be mundane operational agreements, before our Minneapolis Energy Options campaign highlighted the opportunity to transform them to climate documents guiding a sustainable, equitable, and carbon-neutral Minneapolis.

In these agreements both companies are now on record stepping up with first-of-their-kind local climate commitments:

• Xcel Energy: 93% reduction in emissions from electricity use by 2035
• CenterPoint Energy: 20–30% cut in GHG emissions from natural gas by 2035

There is a difference of course between having lofty goals on paper and making actual progress in meeting them. The Clean Energy Partnership is behind on meeting 5 out of the 7 goals that it previously set for itself, according to its most recent annual report.  

One major step forward with Clean Energy Partnership MOU is the utility partners set some interim goals for themselves so we can be better assured they are on track to meet these ones for 10 years from now. See what they are by clicking below:   

These are the goals that CenterPoint agreed to for itself in the Partnership Space: 

There was also a Statement to support underserved communities in these specific ways: 

Xcel Energy has also Set its own Partnership goals