SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Xcel managers assured community and state leaders in Sioux Falls this morning that the utility will continue to rely on the solid resources it currently commands.
Regional Vice President Laura McCarten says that includes nuclear, wind, solar and coal power.
McCarten says the biggest variable in the energy mix is the federal government. She says there will be added costs by continuing to burn fossil fuels. She says costs associated with carbon dixode emmissions are still being debated.
She says Xcel's system in the Upper Midwest is more than 50 percent carbon free and that will provide operational benefits of not being so dependent on one energy source.
McCarten says a diverse energy mix gives Xcel a strong footing.