The proposed routes for a new 345-kilovolt power line connecting to southwest Minnesota have been narrowed down to two, according to documents filed with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission this week.

Xcel Energy announced Tuesday that it has filed a route permit application for a roughly 175-mile long transmission line running from Sherburne County to Lyon County. Xcel spokespeople said the Minnesota Energy Connection would connect with up to 4,000 megawatts of wind and solar energy sources in southwest Minnesota. The project would replace the electricity generated at Xcel’s retiring Sherco coal power plant.

“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, in a news release. “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 permit application filed this week included two possible routes between the Sherco substation and a proposed new substation near Garvin. One route would run more to the east and south, and pass through Renville and Redwood counties. The other proposed route would run more to the west, passing outside the cities of Willmar, Granite Falls and Marshall.

The route permit application process requires Xcel to provide at least two route options for the proposed transmission line.

In its application, Xcel said both the proposed power line routes mainly follow property lines, farm field lines and roads where possible. The routes also follow existing transmission lines where they cross they Mississippi and Minnesota rivers.

The two routes outlined in the permit application were named the “Purple Route” and the “Blue Route” to distinguish them on maps. The Purple Route was the option that would pass through Lyon County for a longer distance. The overall path of the Purple Route travels west and southwest from the Sherco substation, and avoids cities like Atwater, Kandiyohi, Willmar and Raymond. Once the route passes into Chippewa County, it runs parallel to Minnesota Highway 23, except for jogs south to avoid passing through Clara City and Maynard.

The Purple Route then passes north of Granite Falls, crosses the Minnesota River, and heads south. The route makes a jog to avoid Hanley Falls, and passes west of Cottonwood and then east of Marshall before ending at the proposed Garvin substation.

In a news release, Xcel Energy said project leaders reached out to 150,000 landowners by mail, and had several rounds of public open houses to gather feedback on the proposed transmission line. They received more than 750 individual comments, the release said.

The next step for the proposal will be for the PUC and the Minnesota Department of Commerce to review the route permit filing, and a certificate of need application Xcel filed earlier this year. The process will include opportunities for stakeholders to give input, Xcel said.

If the certificate of need and route permit are approved, construction on the transmission line could start in late 2025, and be complete in late 2027.