Xcel Energy proposes routes for 345 kV Minnesota Energy Connection
The utility is providing new details on its 175-mile-long transmission line designed to link Minnesota customers with renewable energy sources.
Image for illustration purposes.
USA, Minnesota: The utility is providing new details on its 175-mile-long transmission line designed to link Minnesota customers with renewable energy sources.
Minnesota state regulators received proposed route options for Xcel Energy’s 175-mile-long Minnesota Energy Connection, a planned transmission project that would link customers in the southwest part of the state to more renewable power. The 345 kV, double-circuit transmission line would link up to 4,000 MW of renewable energy to the grid, replacing electricity generated at the retiring Sherco coal-fired power plant.
The utility filed its certificate of need for the project in 2022. A decision on this filing is expected in early 2024. It must receive approvals for both permits before construction begins. A response on the route permits could arrive in 2025, according to an Xcel Energy fact sheet on the project. If both the certificate of need and route permit are approved, construction could begin on the transmission line in late 2025 and be completed in late 2027.
The project is expected to represent an infrastructure investment of more than $1 billion for the region and create hundreds of jobs to build the line and associated renewable energy projects. Xcel Energy has requested proposals from renewable energy developers for new energy generation, such as wind turbines, to connect to the transmission line once built.
The route permit application process requires Xcel Energy to provide at least two route options for the proposed transmission line. The route options in the filing follow existing corridors where possible, such as roads and existing transmission lines, and seek to minimize impacts to land use, agricultural operations, natural resources, cultural and historical sites, and recreational areas, according to an announcement from Xcel Energy.
Source: T&D World
#Minnesota#Minnesota Energy Connection#transmission line#USA#Xcel Energy