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Learn what’s next for the
Minnesota Energy Connection project
Thank you to all who attended and participated in the public hearings held in October and November. The public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Certificate of Need, and Route Permit application is open until Nov. 25, 2024. Review the notice here for instructions on how to make comments to the Administrative Law Judge and Public Utilities Commission. The notice also contains contact information for state and Xcel Energy staff who can answer questions about the project and the upcoming process. You can review the Draft Environmental Impact Statement here.
We expect a Commission decision on the project to occur in March 2025.
Meeting Format and Purpose
Landowners, local officials and other stakeholders can attend a pre-meeting open house to ask questions of the project team and provide comments at the formal hearing. Comments can also be submitted in writing (details on how to submit written comments are located on the meeting notice (LINK).
The hearings will be overseen by staff from the Minnesota Department of Commerce and Public Utilities Commission and an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). The ALJ will review the entirety of the record, including all public comments, develop a ‘findings of fact’ and make a report and recommendation to the Commission. The Commission will decide in early 2025 if the Certificate of Need for the project should be granted, and, if so, which route (or combination of routes) should be selected for the project. We expect that decision to occur in March 2025.
If approved, Xcel Energy will work with landowners to purchase easements for the project that will enable us to build, operate and maintain the transmission line. Construction is expected to begin in late 2025/early 2026 and be substantially complete by the end of 2028. Additional work will occur through 2030, including the construction of intermediate substations and renewable energy projects that would connect to the transmission infrastructure.
Staff from the Department of Commerce’s Energy and Environmental Review Analysis will develop a draft of the Environmental Impact Statement, expected to be published in Fall 2024.
Xcel Energy and the State of Minnesota staff will coordinate public hearings overseen by an Administrative Law Judge who will develop a report and findings of fact for the Commission. The report will recommend if the Certificate of Need should be issued and, if so, which route is the least impactful. We expect hearings to be held in the fall with the report delivered to the Commission in early 2025.
The Commission is expected to decide on the Certificate of Need and Route Permit in early 2025.
The Commission is responsible for reviewing applications for new high-voltage transmission lines.
We encourage you to sign up to receive email updates from the Commission when new items are filed in the dockets. To receive email notifications when new documents are filed. To subscribe, visit: https://www.edockets.state.mn.us/Efiling, select Subscribe to eDockets and follow the prompts.
Xcel Energy is leading the clean energy transition with our plan to reduce carbon emissions 85% by 2030, moving closer to our vision to deliver 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050.
As part of this transition, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy’s plan to retire all of its Upper Midwest coal generation, including the three Sherco units and replace them with renewable energy sources. In its order approving our Upper Midwest Energy Plan in early 2022, the Commission directed us to begin the permitting process for transmission lines to connect and deliver renewable energy to our customers, including the MN Energy Connection project to connect at Sherco.
We filed the Certificate of Need in March 2023. You can review it here.
The route proposals below were filed in October 2023 with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in our Route Permit application. The full application can be reviewed at MN.gov/puc
The revised route options were presented at public open houses in June 2023 and we are asking for feedback on the route options by the end of July.