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- The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission ruled unanimously that a local electric cooperative acted unlawfully by threatening to disconnect Prairie’s Edge Casino Resort over its 2.5-megawatt solar project.
- The decision clears the way for the Upper Sioux Community to cover roughly 30% of the casino’s energy needs using the solar array, provided the system remains behind the meter and passes an independent safety review.
Minnesota regulators ruled unanimously that Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and Power Association cannot disconnect Prairie’s Edge Casino Resort over the property’s 2.5-megawatt solar project.
The decision is a meaningful operational win for the tribal Minnesota casino, whose owner, the Upper Sioux Community, has argued that the on-site energy system would cut costs and support clean-energy goals. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission said the cooperative must keep supplying electricity as long as the project remains behind the meter and does not export power to the grid.
The commission also said the solar array can be activated once an independent engineer completes a safety review and the tribe addresses any resulting recommendations.
PUC says disconnection threat was unlawful
The dispute centered on whether the casino’s solar project violated limits set by the cooperative and whether the utility’s objections were really about safety.
Minnesota Valley had argued that the project exceeded a 40-kilowatt cap it says applies to members. In November 2024, the utility issued a cease-and-desist order and threatened to cut power if the system was turned on.
But the PUC found the cooperative acted “unlawfully and unreasonably” by making that threat. According to the source report, Commissioner Audrey Partridge told the cooperative during the hearing, “What you’re doing is wrong” and “You are treating your members as hostages.”
The commission also agreed with the Minnesota Department of Commerce, which argued the cooperative’s actions were driven by concerns about lost electricity sales rather than legitimate safety issues.
Project would cover about 30% of casino power needs
The Upper Sioux Community began developing the solar project in 2024. The installation includes an 800-kilowatt battery storage system and is expected to provide about 30% of the casino’s electricity needs, yielding cost savings that could help the property remain competitive as debates over potential online casino legalization continue statewide..
An administrative law judge, Joseph Meyer, had already sided with the tribe in June, finding that the cooperative’s policies did not prohibit behind-the-meter generation and that disconnecting the casino would violate the utility’s obligation to provide service. The source report said more than two dozen other Minnesota electric cooperatives backed that finding.
The PUC did not decide whether the tribe’s sovereignty places it outside Minnesota utility law, leaving that issue unresolved.
What happens next
For now, the project can proceed if it remains behind the meter, avoids exports to the grid, and clears the independent engineering review.
A lawyer for Minnesota Valley said the cooperative would likely appeal, making that the next development to watch in the case.
Source: As reported by casino.org.
