Report

Advancing Industrial Electrification in Minnesota

By Nathan Mariano, Eleanor Thomas, Olivia Quinn, Brandon Isakson, Leah Stokes, and Eric Masanet · 2026

Modernizing Minnesota's manufacturing sector with clean heat technologies offers a path to reduced emissions, progress toward the state's 2050 net-zero goal, and global competitiveness for years to come.

Manufacturing is a vital economic engine in Minnesota, employing over 300,000 people and contributing 11% of the state’s annual GDP. In this report, we lay out a roadmap for decarbonizing low- and medium-temperature (LMT) process heat in Minnesota’s manufacturing sector. Using engineering models, we identify where and how industrial electrification can deliver climate, economic, and public-health benefits to Minnesota and its residents. We also recommend near-term actions that policymakers can take to accelerate deployment of clean heat technologies.

Key findings

Minnesota presents a major industrial electrification opportunity. The industrial sector as a whole is responsible for 18% of statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Industrial electrification can cut GHG emissions in Minnesota’s manufacturing sector. Strategic electrification of LMT process heat with technologies available today can reduce emissions of existing processes at 33 major manufacturing facilities by up to 66% (~62 MMT CO2e) between now and 2050.
Soybeans, beet sugar, and ethanol manufacturing can be first-movers. These three subsectors make up 87% of low- and medium-temperature process heat emissions at the 33 facilities we analyzed in Minnesota.
Smart rate design can speed up electrification. In Minnesota, industrial electricity rates are roughly 4 times more expensive than natural gas on a per-MMBtu basis.

Advancing Industrial Electrification in Minnesota

Key findings

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