GARVIN — Xcel Energy will be moving forward with building a natural gas-powered generating plant near Garvin this summer. On Thursday, Xcel announced it had received approvals for the project from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.

Construction on the 420-megawatt Lyon County Generating Station is planned to start later this summer, Xcel Energy said in a news release. The plant will be a peaking plant, which is used to supply power to the electric grid during periods of high demand or when wind and solar energy are not available. Xcel said peaking plants operate for only a small part of the year, based on the needs of the grid.

“As we end our use of coal, we’re bringing gigawatts of new renewables online in southwest Minnesota to serve our customers with clean, cost-effective energy,” said Bria Shea, president of Xcel Energy-Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, in a news release. “The Lyon County Generating Station will complement this new wind and solar with always-available energy to meet the needs of our customers when demand is highest.”

Xcel Energy said the generating station near Garvin will help provide stability for the Minnesota Energy Connection power line project, which will run from Becker to southwest Minnesota. The plant will be located next to the Garvin substation, which will be the southern endpoint of the Minnesota Energy Connection line.

Xcel Energy said it will continue to work with neighboring landowners, local officials and other stakeholders as the generating station is developed.