Photo by Deb Gau Xcel Energy spokespeople Randy Fordice and Anna Thill speak to Lyon County commissioners on Tuesday about a proposed new electric transmission project that would run across southern Minnesota.

MARSHALL — A group of electrical providers including Xcel Energy are proposing to build another new transmission line project across southern Minnesota.

On Tuesday, Lyon County commissioners heard about the proposed PowerOn Midwest project, which would build a 765-kilovolt transmission line running from South Dakota to Wisconsin.

Previous transmission line projects in recent years built 345-kilovolt transmission lines in the area.

While representatives from Xcel said there aren’t yet proposed route options for the project, the study area for the project would include parts of Lyon and Lincoln counties, and other counties in southwest Minnesota.

Randy Fordice, of Xcel Energy, said PowerOn Midwest was a “very long-term vision” for energy infrastructure in Minnesota and neighboring states.

“We’re looking at the next 10 to 20 years, where we see a really significant increase in expected demand, both in Minnesota and throughout the surrounding region,” he said.

Open house meetings on the proposed transmission line will be held in the area on Nov. 3. One meeting will be from 10 a.m. to noon at the Lake Benton Area Community and Event Center, and another will be from 4-6 p.m. at Five Family Ranch just outside Marshall.

“PowerOn Midwest is a little bit different than some of the more recent projects that we’ve worked on,” Fordice said. “It’s a joint effort, kind of similar to the CapX 2020 projects from a couple of decades ago, where we’re partnering with utilities in the region that operate our transmission system.”

Fordice said Xcel was partnering with Great River Energy, a wholesale energy cooperative based in Maple Grove; ITC Midwest, an electric transmission company based in Michigan; and Otter Tail Power Company in Fergus Falls.

Fordice said the project would help meet growing power demands from industry, electric heat and vehicles, and data centers. He said the project would also help ensure a reliable power supply, and allow the electric grid to access new energy sources like wind, solar or new natural gas plants.

Previous transmission line projects built in southwest Minnesota over the past 20 years were 345-kilovolt lines, Fordice said. The PowerOn Midwest project is proposing a 765-kilovolt transmission line.

“So, there’s a higher voltage class. It’s used throughout the country, particularly on the East Coast, and other parts of the Midwest,” he said. “This project will connect into those regions … into that 765-kilovolt backbone, and be able to deliver a large amount of electricity much more efficiently than the current system would be able to do.”

Fordice said the proposed transmission project would start in South Dakota, run across southern Minnesota, and into Wisconsin. One end of the project would be at Otter Tail Power’s Big Stone South substation in northeast South Dakota, he said. The lines would then connect to the Brookings substation near White, S.D., and run east to the Lakefield Junction substation in Martin County, Minnesota. From there, the transmission lines would continue into southeast Minnesota, north to a substation near Pine Island, and east to Wisconsin.

“While Minnesota tends to be a net importer of electricity, this will also enable us to export kind of within the broader region,” Fordice said.

The study area for the PowerOn Midwest project includes Pipestone, Murray, Rock, Nobles, Jackson, Martin and Faribault counties, as well as parts of Lincoln, Lyon, Redwood and Cottonwood counties.

“We expect to start reviewing routes later this year and into early next year, or at least identify some route options,” Fordice said. Landowners and government agencies within the study area would be mailed a notice plan, probably around Jan. 1, Fordice said.

Xcel would likely file a certificate of need for the project with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission early in 2026, Fordice said.

Open house meetings on the proposed transmission project will be held around the region starting in November, Fordice said. Meetings will be held in Lake Benton and Marshall on Nov. 3, in Pipestone and Fulda on Nov. 4, in Worthington and Luverne on Nov. 5, and in Windom and Fairmont on Nov. 10.

“We expect to be back several times over the course of the year as we develop the route permit application and identify route options,” Fordice said.

Construction on the project could potentially start in 2030, Fordice said.