Rochester Public Utilities RFI
Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) is a municipally owned electric and water utility located in Rochester, Minnesota. RPU is the largest municipal utility in the state of Minnesota and operates under the direction of a mayor-appointed utility board and under the Rochester City Council. Although RPU currently purchases a majority of their electricity from wholesale provider Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA), the SMMPA contract will end on March 31, 2030. RPU owns several power generation assets, including hydroelectric and gas powered electric generating facilities. Both RPU and SMMPA participate in Midcontinent Independent System Operators (MISO) energy market. RPU also owns its distribution and transmission assets and serves approximately 57,000 electric customers in its 60 square mile service territory.
Rochester Public Utilities is issuing two Requests for Information (RFIs) to solicit offers from interested parties with the intent of securing Proposals. The first RFI is being issued for Solar PV, Wind, and Energy Storage (Renewables and Energy Storage RFI) with a Commercial Operation Date on or before December 31, 2029. A second RFI for capacity (Capacity RFI) is being issued separately with a Commercial Operation Date on or before the same date, December 31, 2029. The Capacity RFI will be issued on October 30, 2024. All projects must be able to connect with RPU’s system within Midcontinent Independent System Operators (MISO). The RFI milestone schedule has been provided below.
Projects that will be evaluated in the Renewables & Energy Storage RFI include:
Wind projects up to 350 MW
Solar projects up to 50 MW
BESS projects up to 100 MW (assume a 4-hr duration at the POI for BESS projects)
RPU will accept the following Transfer Contract Types of the above capacities as submissions for the Renewables & Energy Storage RFI:
- Development Transfer Agreement (DTA)
- Build Transfer Agreement (BTA)
- Asset Sale, Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)
- Energy Storage Services Agreement (ESSA)
The following will be considered for the Capacity RFI:
- Capacity market contract
- Capacity contract from existing resources
Further information can be found in the RFI documents posted on the Download RFI tab.
Please submit documents on the ‘Submit RFI Documents’ tab and direct all questions to the ‘Submit Questions’ tab. All other communication should be directed to rpu.rfp2024@1898andco.com. Please do not contact RPU or 1898 & Co. personnel directly.
