NextEra Energy lands in Minneapolis the week of its Xcel Energy data center deal

NextEra Energy flew from Chicago Midway to Minneapolis–Saint Paul on June 17 aboard its Embraer Praetor 600, tail N47MW. The 74-minute hop from KMDW to KMSP landed at 11:02 a.m. local time, according to flight tracking data.

The trip arrives the same week NextEra Energy announced a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Xcel Energy to collaborate on generation, storage, and transmission investments for large-load customers, particularly data centers, per [datacenterdynamics.com](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/us-utilities-xcel-energy-nextera-ink-mou-to-support-delivery-of-new-generation-to-serve-large-load-customers/). Xcel Energy is headquartered in Minneapolis, making the meeting venue straightforward.

The flight is the latest in a busy travel week for NextEra Energy, which had dispatched aircraft to locations including Washington D.C., Idaho, and Florida in the days prior. CEO John Ketchum has been vocal about the company’s push to serve hyperscale data center demand, noting in a recent earnings call that NextEra has 20 GW of interest from large-load users. The Xcel MoU is one piece of that strategy.