Utility Tariff Analysis · Updated September 2026

Xcel's Large General Time-of-Day Service and Otter Tail's Super Large General Service: What It Means for AI Data Centre Siting in Minnesota

100 MW (Xcel) or 25 MW with an 80% load factor and 175,000 MWh annually (Otter Tail) determines which of three distinct Minnesota large-load classes applies: Xcel's approved Large General Time of Day Service for 100 MW-plus customers, Otter Tail's Super Large General Service for 25 MW-plus greenfield loads meeting strict load-factor and annual-usage tests, or Minnesota Power's newly proposed Very Large Power (VLP) customer class and service tariff filed July 15, 2026.

Xcel's Large General Time-of-Day Service and Otter Tail's Super Large General Service — AI data centre infrastructure

Xcel's Large General Time-of-Day Service and Otter Tail's Super Large General Service

MN

Xcel Energy / Minnesota Power (ALLETE) / Otter Tail Power

25-289; 26-126; 26-211

Regulatory docket / filing reference

100 MW (Xcel) or 25 MW with an 80% load factor and 175,000 MWh annually (Otter Tail)

Who the tariff applies to

100 MW (Xcel) or 25 MW with an 80% load factor and 175,000 MWh annually (Otter Tail) determines which of three distinct Minnesota large-load classes applies: Xcel's approved Large General Time of Day Service for 100 MW-plus customers, Otter Tail's Super Large General Service for 25 MW-plus greenfield loads meeting strict load-factor and annual-usage tests, or Minnesota Power's newly proposed Very Large Power (VLP) customer class and service tariff filed July 15, 2026.

Also active in Minnesota: Xcel is serving a 1,000 MW Google campus in Pine Island projected to deliver $1.1 billion in net benefits to other customers over 15 years, and Minnesota Power is serving a 1,000 MW Google project in Hermantown that includes 700 MW of new clean energy resources built without raising customer costs.

Named Projects Already Underway

CustomerLocationDetails
GooglePine Island, MN1,000 MW data centre project; Xcel estimates $1.1 billion in net benefits to other customers over the 15-year contract
GoogleHermantown, MN1,000 MW data centre project including 700 MW of new clean energy resources built at no added cost to other customers

Figures compiled from the Edison Electric Institute's "Large Load Projects and Tariffs" (September 2026) member-company summary and public regulatory filings. Confirm current tariff terms directly with Xcel Energy / Minnesota Power (ALLETE) / Otter Tail Power and the relevant state public utility commission before relying on any figure for a capital decision.

Weighing Minnesota against another state or a Canadian province with a different rate and interconnection picture entirely? Run both sides of the comparison through our licensed AI data centre cost configurator — it applies each jurisdiction's actual power rate, tax treatment and large-load tariff rules to the same seven build configurations.

Model This State on Your Own Site

Every figure above comes from the same power-cost and tariff dataset behind the SCR AI Build Configurator — a licensed, embeddable widget that models seven data centre build configurations against all nine Canadian provinces and all 50 US states plus DC, returning capital expenditure by line item, energy cost, revenue by commercial structure, EBITDA and payback.

LicencePrice (CAD)Who it suits
Standard$4,000 / domain / yearAdvisors who need three lease-model configurations and a clipboard summary
Pro$10,000 / domain / yearConsultants who send CSV deliverables to clients and want all seven configurations
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Not ready for an annual licence? A one-time Site Screening Report ($950, one site) runs the same model for a single build without embedding anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Xcel's Large General Time-of-Day Service and Otter Tail's Super Large General Service?

100 MW (Xcel) or 25 MW with an 80% load factor and 175,000 MWh annually (Otter Tail) determines which of three distinct Minnesota large-load classes applies: Xcel's approved Large General Time of Day Service for 100 MW-plus customers, Otter Tail's Super Large General Service for 25 MW-plus greenfield loads meeting strict load-factor and annual-usage tests, or Minnesota Power's newly proposed Very Large Power (VLP) customer class and service tariff filed July 15, 2026.

Why did Xcel Energy / Minnesota Power (ALLETE) / Otter Tail Power introduce this large-load structure?

To ensure the cost of new generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure built to serve very large customers, chiefly hyperscale data centres, is paid for by those customers rather than spread across the general rate base of residential and small commercial ratepayers.

What large data centre projects are already active in Minnesota?

Xcel is serving a 1,000 MW Google campus in Pine Island projected to deliver $1.1 billion in net benefits to other customers over 15 years, and Minnesota Power is serving a 1,000 MW Google project in Hermantown that includes 700 MW of new clean energy resources built without raising customer costs.

Does this tariff replace Minnesota's standard commercial and industrial rates?

No. Xcel's Large General Time-of-Day Service and Otter Tail's Super Large General Service sits above Xcel Energy / Minnesota Power (ALLETE) / Otter Tail Power's standard commercial and industrial rate schedules and applies specifically to customers that meet or exceed the large-load threshold described above. Smaller commercial and industrial loads continue to be billed under existing rate schedules.

How can I model a Minnesota data centre build against this tariff and other states?

The SCR AI Build Configurator applies Minnesota's power cost, tax treatment and large-load tariff rules alongside all other US states and Canadian provinces, so a Minnesota scenario can be compared line-by-line against any alternative site.