Minnesota energy regulators have cleared the way for a tribal casino to fire up a massive solar array after ruling that its electric utility acted unlawfully by threatening to pull the plug on the property, The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) voted unanimously last week that Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and Power Association cannot disconnect the Upper Sioux Community’s Prairie’s Edge Casino Resort because of its 2.5-megawatt solar project.

Minnesota Valley, a small co-operative utility that serves parts of western Minnesota, claimed the tribe’s solar array, at 2.5 megawatts, vastly exceeded the 40-kilowatt limit the utility allows its members. It threatened to cut off power to the casino if it turned the system on.

The new ruling means the array, which has sat unused despite being ready to operate, can finally be switched on once an independent engineer completes a safety review and the tribe addresses any resulting recommendations.

The PUC also ordered the utility to continue supplying electricity to the casino provided the solar system remains behind the meter—meaning it does not export electricity onto the wider grid.

“What you’re doing is wrong,” Commissioner Audrey Partridge told the cooperative during Thursday’s hearing, according to the Star Tribune . “You are treating your members as hostages.”

The decision follows a long-running battle over the multimillion-dollar solar project, which the Upper Sioux Community began developing in 2024 to reduce electricity costs and advance its clean-energy goals.

In November 2024, Minnesota Valley issued the tribe a cease-and-desist order and threatened to disconnect Prairie’s Edge if the system was activated.