Judge rules utility cannot disconnect Upper Sioux Community over solar project
Administrative law judge says cooperative cannot cut power to tribal casino during dispute over solar array
A state administrative law judge has ruled that a rural electric cooperative cannot disconnect power to the Upper Sioux Community’s casino in western Minnesota while a dispute over the tribe’s solar energy project continues, according to reporting from MPR News. The ruling follows a nearly two-year conflict between the Upper Sioux Community and its electric cooperative over the tribe’s 2.5-megawatt solar array. The cooperative had threatened to cut power if the tribe activated the system.
According to the MPR News reporting, the decision could have broader implications for how rural electric cooperatives in Minnesota handle customers who generate their own electricity. The dispute centers on whether the Upper Sioux Community can use electricity produced by its solar array to reduce the amount of power it purchases from the cooperative. The case remains before the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, which is expected to make a final determination.
- 1.MPR News.
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