MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 31, 2023) — Xcel Energy today filed with state regulators two proposed route options for the Minnesota Energy Connection, an approximately 175-mile-long transmission line that would connect new low-cost wind and solar energy in southwest Minnesota and help ensure customers continue to receive reliable and affordable electricity.

The double-circuit, 345 kilovolt transmission line will link up to 4,000 megawatts of new renewable energy to the grid, replacing electricity generated at the retiring Sherco coal plant. The project represents a major step toward the company’s clean energy goals as well as the state’s 2040 clean energy standards.

“Xcel Energy was the first major power company in the nation to set a vision for delivering 100% carbon-free electricity to its customers,” said Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy–Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. “Expanding our transmission network allows us to accelerate our progress toward this vision by maximizing our use of the renewable energy we already generate and clearing the way to add new generation to the grid.”

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.

“Southwest Minnesota holds some of the richest wind resources in the country,” said Michael Lamb, senior vice president, customer delivery, gas and electric with Xcel Energy. “Proposing route options in this application for the Minnesota Energy Connection brings the transmission line one step closer to harnessing these resources to better provide clean, reliable and affordable electricity to the communities we serve.”

For more than a year, Xcel Energy worked with local governments, landowners and stakeholders in the broader areas where proposed route options were located to introduce the project and ask for feedback on how different routes would affect land use in the area. Project leaders reached out to 150,000 landowners by mail and held several rounds of public open houses in communities along the proposed routes. They received and considered more than 750 individual comments about how different proposed routes would affect the area.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and Minnesota Department of Commerce will review the route permit filing along with a certificate of need application Xcel Energy filed for the project earlier this year. The process generally takes 12 to 15 months and includes opportunities for customers, landowners and other key stakeholders to give input. If both the certificate of need and route permit are approved, construction could begin on the transmission line in late 2025 and complete 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 transmission 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.

Learn more about the Minnesota Energy Connection and view a map of the route options.

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About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook.