The bill amends several sections of the Minnesota Statutes to enhance energy generation redundancy for data centers. It introduces new definitions for "emergency backup generator" and "data center," clarifying the types of equipment and structures involved. The bill also establishes an alternative review process for environmental assessments, allowing for a more efficient evaluation of projects related to residential, commercial, warehousing, and light industrial developments. Additionally, it specifies that environmental review is complete once a responsible governmental unit adopts an environmental document and mitigation plan under this alternative process.

Furthermore, the bill expands exemptions under section 216B.243 to include a combination of emergency backup generators at a single site with a capacity of 50,000 kilowatts or more that serves a data center. It also modifies the environmental assessment requirements for projects involving emergency backup generators, ensuring that they consider reasonable alternatives and their impacts. The effective dates for these amendments are set for the day following final enactment, with specific provisions applying to pending applications.

Statutes affected:
Introduction: 116D.04, 216B.02, 216B.243, 216I.02, 216I.07, 216I.08
1st Engrossment: 116D.04, 216B.02, 216B.243, 216I.02, 216I.07