New powerline under consideration

A cooperative project being undertaken by numerous regional power companies is underway to build a new 765 kiloVolt (kV) powerline intended to extend across most of southern Minnesota. Representatives from two power companies appeared at the Dec. 2 meeting of the Waseca County board of commissioners to share information about the project, for which construction would likely not begin until 2030, with transmission beginning first in 2034.

 

The line will be located in the vicinity of the I-90 corridor, but its exact route is not yet specified because, spokespersons explained, “We’re very much in the early stages.” 

 

Matt Ellis of Great River Energy and Mike Frank of ITC Midwest explained that, though they do not work for the same company, they began leading almost daily open house sessions together in southern Minnesota early in November. The public sessions are a required part of the application process.

 

The two explained four companies are cooperating to apply for and eventually use the powerline: Great River Energy, ITC Midwest, Otter Tail Power Company and Xcel Energy. The companies have determined that transmission needs are increasing, and so have begun a process toward having the line approved and then built. It would begin in South Dakota and lead to a connection with another major line in the area of Rochester.

 

New powerlines are under the authority of the state public utilities commission (PUC), which has the final say in where the lines will be located. Thus, “We can’t tell you what route the line will take,” explained Ellis. “But the only part of Waseca County likely to be impacted is the very southeast corner.”

 

The project, named “PowerOn Midwest” must receive approval from the PUC first for a “certificate of need” and then for a proposed route. Ellis and Frank expect open houses regarding a proposed route will begin in the summer of 2026, with final route approval given in the summer of 2028.

 

The PowerOn Midwest proposal is that the line would be capable of carrying 756 kV, calling for steel towers up to 175 feet tall placed up to 1,300 feet apart–which means fewer than 6 structures in every mile of line. In response to a question from commissioner Doug Christopherson, whose district includes the county’s southeast region, Ellis stated that even though rights of way for the towers are 250 feet, it is typical for farmers to be able to work land almost right up to the structures. When it comes to acquiring land, he said, “It is always our goal to get voluntary participation.”

 

The two spokespersons also explained the 756 kV line would be part of a massive grid. In comparison to more local lines, its capacity would be like “an interstate highway” in contrast to a two-lane road. They also explained that increasing the grid would expand the amount of power available in a five-state region, since it would allow power companies to switch seamlessly among the many types of power feeding into it.

 

“Electricity can’t be stored,” explained Frank. “So an individual area might be using power produced by a local wind farm or solar garden during one hour, then, with a change in the weather, might be accessing energy supplied by a nuclear power plant as far away as Manitoba or Michigan. “Consistency is built on diversity,” he said.