Thread by @electronecon

Okay, a short filing gets a short thread... for now.
Here is how Xcel's Minnesota customers are poised to save millions thanks to this clever trick (clickbait thread alert 🚨🚨🚨). 1/

https://twitter.com/bslotterback/status/1214244327859408896

First off, a bit tip of the hat to @MCEA1974, @CUB_MN, @FreshEnergy, & @SierraClubMN. Not to mention the whole Midwest Office of @UCSUSA that have been laying the amazing groundwork for years, pushing Xcel to do what the company should rightfully be doing on its own... 2/12

Both early work from last year and UCS's prelim results from this year shows that Xcel energy has been a bad actor w/ regards to coal plan operations and uneconomic generation of its coal fleet (despite its ambitious carbon reduction goals) 3/12

As a direct result of UCS research last year, two commissioners began bringing up this issue and pressing the utility, they’d eventually call for the first investigatory docket on the subject in the country. blog.ucsusa.org/joseph-daniel/…
4/12

During the IRP process, intervenors press Xcel energy to do take a long hard look at the forward going economics of their coal plants.
5/12
blog.ucsusa.org/james-gignac/x…

Then, Dec 20th last year, I write a blog advocating for seasonal operations of coal plants. And UCS (w/o our allies) start advocating for Xcel energy to start looking into this option during the IRP. 6/ 12 blog.ucsusa.org/joseph-daniel/…

During the self-committing docket, it becomes painfully obvious that Xcel energy could be saving customers $$$. Thanks to work submitted by @FreshEnergy. Top-notch work. 7/12

About this time I start getting calls from industry insiders, asking me if Xcel should be switching to seasonal operation, what's necessary, what would be the costs/benefits. I told them what my numbers showed, but at the end of the day it is Xcel's job to show the numbers. 8/12

This filing is just that, they've run the numbers and here is what it shows: It shows there would be $10’s of millions of dollars of savings EACH YEAR for the remaining life of these coal plants, even in market prices were much higher than they expect. 9/12

PLUS, a change in operations would result in millions of tons in reduced carbon emissions (it isn’t clear but my estimate is that it is at least a 33% reduction based on historical emissions, likely much higher). 10/12

All of these benefits from changing the operational paradigm of just two (out of four) coal units the utility owns. 11/12
blog.ucsusa.org/joseph-daniel/…

Extrapolate this out to the US Coal fleet and we are talking about a double-digit reduction in US electric sector emissions overnight while simultaneously reducing energy costs to customers. 12/12 blog.ucsusa.org/joseph-daniel/…