MN Energy Connection
Project Overview
Minnesota Energy Connection
Project will deliver new renewable energy to customers to replace retiring coal plants.
Xcel Energy has received approval to build a new double-circuit 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission line between the retiring Sherco coal plant near Becker, Minn., and Lyon County in southwest Minn. The new transmission infrastructure is designed to enable more than 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy to replace the electricity produced by the existing coal plants. The new transmission line will re-use the existing grid connections in Becker, opening a path for new renewable energy in the wind-rich southern and southwest Minnesota regions. Xcel Energy must meet federal requirements to re-use the grid connections when the final coal unit retires or may lose the ability to connect energy there to serve customers.
Current Status - Spring 2025
On April 10, 2025 the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved the project’s Certificate of Need and Route Permit applications. Xcel Energy’s staff and partners are beginning to negotiate easements with landowners, work with local governments to identify road use issues and agreements, and conducting detailed design and engineering ahead of Spring 2026 construction.
Additional information and a detailed map of the final, approved route is available at MNEnergyConnection.com.
Project Details
- We are proposing a double circuit, 345-kV transmission line using a single-pole structure. The poles will be spaced about 800-1,000 feet apart, depending on the terrain and other considerations, and will be approximately 100-150 feet tall with a concrete foundation at the base.
- The new power line will make it possible to build new renewable energy, creating jobs in the communities where the infrastructure is located. New wind and solar projects will also bring new tax revenue and lease payments for landowners.
Typical Structures
Steel Monopole
Project Timeline
- We will file a Certificate of Need with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and begin working with local governments and landowners around the same timeframe. We expect the Commission to take 12-18 months to review the Certificate of Need application while we develop route options to be included in a separate Route Permit application: Early 2023
- We expect to file a Route Permit application which will also take 12-18 months to review: Late summer/early fall 2023
- If both applications are approved, we expect to begin purchasing easements from landowners: 2025 - 2026
- Build the project: 2026 - 2028
Photos
