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                                                                  Exhibit 23(a)

                       Consent of Independent Accountants


We  hereby  consent  to  the   incorporation  by  reference  in  the  Prospectus
constituting part of this Registration Statement on Form S-3 of our report dated
January  22,  1996,  which  appears  on page 21 of the  1995  Annual  Report  to
Shareholders  of  Minnesota  Power & Light  Company,  which is  incorporated  by
reference in Minnesota  Power & Light  Company's  Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended  December  31,  1995.  We also  consent to the  incorporation  by
reference of our report on the Financial  Statement  Schedule,  which appears on
page 37 of such Annual  Report on Form 10-K. We also consent to the reference to
us under the heading "Experts" in such Prospectus.



PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP

Price Waterhouse LLP
Minneapolis, Minnesota
October 4, 1996


