Photo by Deb Gau Matt Langan and Randy Fordice of Xcel Energy updated Lyon County Commissioners on a proposed 345-kilovolt transmission line Xcel hopes to build in southwest Minnesota. Xcel plans to file a route permit application for the transmission line this month.

MARSHALL — Xcel Energy has narrowed down the potential routes for a new transmission line connecting to renewable energy sources in southwest Minnesota, Lyon County commissioners learned this week. Xcel representatives said they plan to propose two possible routes for the transmission line in a permit application to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.

“We expect to file our application October 30,” said Xcel Energy principal agent Matt Langan.

On Tuesday, Langan and Randy Fordice gave the county board an update on plans for a 345-kilovolt electric transmission line running from Sherburne County to southern Lyon County. Fordice said they wanted to give commissioners a look at where the proposed project will be over the next year and a half.

Fordice said the project would allow Xcel to connect to renewable energy sources in southwest Minnesota, as Xcel plans to shut down the coal-fired Sherco power plant in Sherburne County. The project would also go along with plans for Minnesota to switch to carbon-free energy sources by 2040, he said.

Langan said the number of wind energy projects proposed in the area were a reason why Xcel wanted the new transmission line to end at a proposed new substation in Lyon County. The transmission project could connect with a combination of wind and solar energy sources, but Langan said they expected it would be mostly wind energy.

Xcel held public open-house events on potential routes for the transmission line back in February and March, and again in June after the possible routes had been narrowed down. Langan said Xcel went through about 2,000 comments from area landowners as it developed potential routes.

Langan said some common concerns from the public included bringing the transmission line too close to homes, and concerns about running the new transmission line parallel to existing field lines. Doing that could limit farmers’ access to agricultural land, he said.

In order for the transmission line project to move forward, the PUC must approve a Certificate of Need and a route permit, Langan said. Xcel filed an application for a Certificate of Need in March, and plans to file a route permit application this month.

“Our need story was straightforward,” Langan said. “The route application has taken longer.”

Xcel spokespeople said the permitting process also included a review overseen by an administrative law judge, and opportunities for public comment, including public hearings and scoping for an Environmental Impact Statement.

Easement acquisition for the proposed transmission line, and construction of the project, could begin in 2025, Xcel representatives said. The line could be in service by late 2027.

“I appreciate you guiding us through that process,” Commissioner Gary Crowley told Fordice and Langan. Commissioners and Lyon County employees did have questions and feedback for Xcel, as well.

Lyon County Planning and Zoning Administrator John Biren said it would be good for Xcel to be transparent about the siting process for the substation at the end of the proposed transmission line. Besides power lines, electrical substations are also “a pretty big deal” for land use, Biren said.