Midwest Power Grid Capacity Opens Up, Boosting Renewable Projects

(KNSI) — Within the last week, three utilities have announced plans to expand renewable energy output by building lines from elsewhere to central Minnesota.

A decision issued Monday by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator approved a $10 billion investment for 18 long-term transmission projects for its Midwest Subregion. Two of those projects are for right here in central Minnesota. Xcel Energy wants to build a power line called the Minnesota Energy Connection that would run from a wind farm in southwestern Minnesota to the grid near Becker. Minnesota Power and Great River Energy said they want to construct a transmission line stretching from Itasca County south to Benton and Sherburne Counties substations.

Natalie McIntire, a technical consultant for the Clean Grid Alliance, called the action monumental amid the push for renewable energy goals as they try to “meet the needs of utilities as they’re planning for shifting towards clean energy resources — clean energy resources that both benefit the environment but also have a low cost to consumers.”

MISO estimates that a $10 billion investment will provide a minimum of $37 billion in benefits to ratepayers over the life of the projects.

Following the recent spike in energy prices, supporters of fossil fuels want to slow the closing of coal plants like the Sherburne County Generating Station to meet current demands. Sherco Units I and II are expected to be decommissioned by 2026. Those backing renewables argue it’s still more cost effective to stay on the clean-energy path. McIntire says the transmission projects approved by MISO allow flexibility as innovation evolves.

“Our generation mix and the technologies are changing so rapidly that it’s hard to know exactly where we’re going.”

In the meantime, McIntire stresses that building more capacity for a variety of clean-energy resources paves the way for a more reliable grid.

“The transmission grid that we’re building for the future is one that we expect to be much more reliable in terms of being able to continue to meet consumer electricity demand during winter storms and during the summer when we have high heat indexes.”

Officials say the new lines should add as much as 53 gigawatts of renewables and battery storage to power about 12 million homes and create about 200,000 jobs.
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MNC Reporter Mike Moen contributed to this story.

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