
                                           Registration Statement No. 2-61264
 ______________________________________________________________________________
                                        
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C.  20549
                                _________________
                                        
                        POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. SIX
                                        
                                       TO
                                        
                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                        
                                      Under
                           The Securities Act of 1933
                                        
                              _____________________
                                        
                          NORTHERN STATES POWER COMPANY
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
                                        
MINNESOTA                                             41-0448030
(State or other jurisdiction of                    (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)                   Identification No.)

414 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, Minnesota                                    55401
(Address of principal executive offices)               (Zip Code)

                          EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN
                              (Full title of plan)

     John P. Moore, Jr.                   Peter D. Clarke
     Corporate Secretary             Gardner, Carton & Douglas
Northern States Power Company          321 North Clark Street
      414 Nicollet Mall                      Suite 3400
Minneapolis, Minnesota  55401         Chicago, Illinois  60610
       (612) 330-7550                      (312) 245-8685

 (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code,
                              of agent for service)
______________________________________________________________________________
                                        
                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
                                        

                                                          
               Additional    Proposed     Proposed        
Title of each    Amount      maximum      maximum     Amount of
  class of        being      offering    aggregate   registration
 securities                   price                       
    being      registered   per share     offering       fee
 registered                                price
                                                     
                                                     
Common Stock,                                             
Par Value                                                 
$2.50 Per      278,466 shs      *            *            *
Share
                                                     

*    Pursuant to Rule 416(b), no registration fee is required to
increase the number of shares
being registered as a result of a stock split.
                                                     

     Amending the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 416(b)
to increase the number of shares of common stock registered by
this Registration Statement from 600,000 shares to 878,466
shares.



                                     PART II
                                        
               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3.   INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

      The  following  documents,  as  filed with  the  Securities  and  Exchange
Commission, are incorporated herein by reference:

      (i)   Northern States Power Company's (the "Registrant") Annual Report  on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997;

      (ii)  Northern States Power Company Employee Stock Ownership Plan's Annual
Report on Form 11-K for the year ended December 30, 1996;

      (iii)      The Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the  quarter
ended March 31, 1998; and

      (iv)  The  Registrant's Current Reports on Form 8-K dated March  4,  1998,
March 5, 1998, March 5, 1998, March 16, 1998, April 22, 1998 and April 23, 1998.

      All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13(a),13(c),  14
or  15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") after  the
date  thereof  and  prior  to  the filing of a post-effective  amendment,  which
indicates  that  all of the securities offered hereby have been  sold  or  which
deregisters  all  such  securities remaining  unsold,  shall  be  deemed  to  be
incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of filing
such documents.

ITEM 5.   INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL

      The consolidated historical financial statements of NSP as of December 31,
1997  and 1996 and for each of the three years in the period ended December  31,
1997  incorporated in this Registration Statement by reference to  NSP's  Annual
Report  on  Form  10-K  for  the year ended December  31,  1997,  have  been  so
incorporated  in  reliance upon the report of Price Waterhouse LLP,  independent
accountants,  given  on the authority of said firm as experts  in  auditing  and
accounting.

      Gary  R.  Johnson,  Esquire, General Counsel of NSP, will  pass  upon  the
legality  of  the shares of NSP Common Stock to be issued under the  plan.   Mr.
Johnson is the beneficial owner of 34,996 shares of NSP Common Stock.

ITEM 6.   INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

      Section 302A.521 of Minnesota Statutes permits indemnification of officers
and  directors  of domestic or foreign corporations under certain  circumstances
and  subject to certain limitations.  Pursuant to authorization contained in the
Restated Articles of Incorporation, as amended, Article 4 of the Bylaws  of  the
Registrant  contains  provisions  of Section  302A.521  of  the  Statutes.   The
Registrant's Restated Articles of Incorporation also contain provisions limiting
the liability of the Registrant's directors in certain instances.

      The Registrant has obtained insurance policies indemnifying the Registrant
and  the  Registrant's directors and officers against certain civil  liabilities
and related expenses.

ITEM 8.   EXHIBITS.


EXHIBIT                DESCRIPTION
NO.

4.01     Copy  of  Employee Stock Ownership Plan [filed as Exhibit 4.60  to  the
         Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K (file no. 1-3034) for the  year
         ended December 31, 1994 and incorporated by reference herein].

4.02     Amendment,  effective  April  1, 1997, to  the  Northern  States  Power
         Company Employee Stock Ownership Plan

4.03     Restated  Articles of Incorporation, as amended [filed as Exhibit  3.01
         to  the Registrant's Form 10-Q (file no. 1-3034) for the quarter  ended
         March 31, 1992 and incorporated by reference herein].

4.04     By-laws of the Company as amended.

4.05     Trust  Agreement  under Employee Stock Ownership Plan, dated  September
         14,  1976,  between  Northern  States Power  Company  and  First  Trust
         Company  of  Saint Paul (as amended effective May 1,  1980)  [Filed  as
         Exhibit (2) to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-8 No.  2-
         61264 and incorporated by reference herein].

4.06     Amendment,  dated December 22, 1994, to Trust Agreement under  Employee
         Stock Ownership Plan.

5.01     Opinion of counsel of Gary R. Johnson.

23.01    Consent of independent accountants.

23.02    Consent of legal counsel (see Item 5.01).

23.03    Consent of independent accountants.
      
24.01    Power of Attorney.

      The  undersigned  Registrant hereby undertakes that  it  will  submit  the
Northern States Power Company Employee Stock Ownership Plan, as amended, to  the
Internal  Revenue Service ("IRS") in a timely manner and will make  all  changes
required by the IRS to qualify the Plan.

ITEM 9.   UNDERTAKINGS.

A.   INDEMNIFICATION

     Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
of  1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of  the
Registrant  pursuant to the provisions described in Item 6 above, or  otherwise,
the  Registrant  has  been advised that in the opinion  of  the  Securities  and
Exchange  Commission such indemnification is against public policy as  expressed
in  the  Act  and is, therefore, unenforceable.  In the event that a  claim  for
indemnification  against  such  liabilities  (other  than  the  payment  by  the
Registrant  of  expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or  controlling
person  of  the  Registrant in the successful defense of  any  action,  suit  or
proceeding)  is  asserted  by such director, officer or  controlling  person  in
connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless  in
the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit   to  a  court  of  appropriate jurisdiction the  question  whether  such
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and  will
be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

B.   SUBSEQUENT EXCHANGE ACT DOCUMENTS

      The undersigned Registrant and Plan hereby undertake that, for purposes of
determining  any  liability under the Securities Act of 1933, as  amended,  each
filing  of  the Registrant's Annual Report pursuant to Section 13(a) or  Section
15(d)  of  the  Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and each filing  of  the  Plan's
Annual  Report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of  1934
that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed
to  be  a  new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein,
and  the  offering  of such securities at that time shall be deemed  to  be  the
initial bona fide offering thereof.

C.   OTHER

     The undersigned Registrant and Plan hereby also undertake:

     (1)  To file, during any  period in which offers or sales are being made, a
post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

           (i)   To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3)  of  the
Securities Act of 1933;

           (ii) To reflect in the Prospectus  any facts or events  arising after
the  effective  date  of the Registration Statement (or the  most  recent  post-
effective  amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent
a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of  securities
offered  (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed  that
which  was  registered)  and any deviation from the  low  or  high  end  of  the
estimated  maximum  offering range may be reflected in the  form  of  prospectus
filed  with  the  Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the  aggregate,  the
changes  in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the  maximum
aggregate  offering  price set forth in the "Calculation  of  Registration  Fee"
table in the effective registration statement; and

          (iii)     To include any material information with respect to the plan
of  distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement  or  any
material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

      provided,  however, that paragraphs 1(i) and 1(ii) do  not  apply  if  the
information  required  to  be included in a post-effective  amendment  by  those
paragraphs  is  contained in periodic reports filed by the  Registrant  or  Plan
pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act  of  1934
that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

      (2)   That,  for  the  purpose  of determining  any  liability  under  the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be
a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial  bona
fide offering thereof.

     (3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any
of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the
offering.


                                   SIGNATURES

THE REGISTRANT

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of  the  requirements  for filing on Form S-8 and has  duly  caused  this  Post-
Effective  Amendment No. Six to its Registration Statement to be signed  on  its
behalf   by  the  undersigned,  thereunto  duly  authorized,  in  the  City   of
Minneapolis, and State of Minnesota, on the 20th day of May, 1998.

                              NORTHERN STATES POWER COMPANY
                              
                              
                              /s/ Edward J. McIntyre
                              By: Edward J. McIntyre
                              Vice President and Chief
                                  Financial Officer

      Pursuant  to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933,  as  amended,
this  Post-Effective Amendment No. Six to its Registration  Statement  has  been
signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.


SIGNATURE                TITLE                    DATE
                                                  
/s/ James J. Howard*     Principal Executive      
James J. Howard          Officer
                           and Director
/s/ Edward J. McIntyre*  Principal Financial      
Edward J. McIntyre       Officer

/s/ Roger D. Sandeen*    Principal Accounting     
Roger D. Sandeen         Officer

/s/ H. Lyman Bretting*   Director                 
H. Lyman Bretting

/s/ David A.             Director                 
Christensen*
David A. Christensen

/s/ W. John Driscoll*    Director                 
W. John Driscoll

/s/ Giannantonio         Director                 
Ferrari*
Giannantonio Ferrari

/s/ Richard M.           Director                 
Kovacevich*
Richard M. Kovacevich

/s/ Douglas W.           Director                 
Leatherdale*
Douglas W. Leatherdale

/s/ Margaret R. Preska*  Director                 
Margaret R. Preska

/s/ A. Patricia Sampson* Director                 
A. Patricia Sampson


*    By: /s/ Edward J. McIntyre                     May 20, 1998
 Edward J. McIntyre (attorney-in-fact)


THE PLAN

      Pursuant  to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the  trustees
(or  other  persons who administer the employee benefit plan) have  duly  caused
this Post-Effective Amendment No. Six to the Registration Statement to be signed
on behalf of the Plan by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City
of Minneapolis, State of Minnesota, on May 20, 1998.

                           NORTHERN STATES POWER COMPANY
                           EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN


                           BY: /s/ Edward J. McIntyre
                            Edward J. McIntyre
                            Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and The
                            Chairman of Pension Trust Administration Committee

                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

Method of      Exhibit
 Filing          No.           Description

  DT            4.02           Amendment, effective April 1, 1997,  to the
                               Northern States Power Company Employee Stock
                               Ownership Plan

  DT            4.04           By-laws of the Company as amended.

  DT            4.06           Amendment, dated December 22, 1994,  to Trust
                               Agreement under Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

  DT            5.01           Opinion of counsel of Gary R. Johnson.

  DT           23.01           Consent of independent accountants.
                          
  DT           23.03           Consent of independent accountants.

  DT           24.01           Power of Attorney.


      DT = Filed electronically with direct transmission of this Form S-8.

