(KNSI) – Xcel Energy wants to build a power line called the Minnesota Energy Connection aimed at bolstering supplies to the area.
It would connect wind farms in southwest Minnesota with the grid near Becker. The utility says renewable energy operations 120 miles away are some of the most productive in the country and they generate a surplus that could help offset the planned retirement of the coal-fired Sherco plant.
Xcel hopes to construct the power line beginning in 2026. First, the plan has to be approved by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. It expects to file a permit that will contain multiple routes for the power line, giving the commission options upon review of the document.
Xcel is beginning to reach out to property owners now to determine where potential resistance to the project exists. The application should be ready by late 2023 or early 2024.
The utility says that if the plan is approved as proposed it would help to eliminate carbon emissions by as much as 85% before the end of the decade. Xcel says the transition will not impact reliability.
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