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PowerOn Midwest will host a second and final round of public open house meetings from August 4-13 to discuss the 765kV transmission line being developed across southern Minnesota. There will be meetings in Lake Benton, Pipestone, Luverne, Slayton and Worthington.
According to Xcel Energy Transmissions communication manager Randy Fordice, the project works to create a backbone of energy they expect to last in the southern Minnesota region for the coming decades. The project also keeps in mind the way energy is changing to a focus on solar and wind power while some of the older coal factories will begin to close.
"We need to deliver power from wherever it’s generated to wherever it needs to be used." Fordice said.
The meetings are the second round of community feedback, with the first held in November 2025. The second round of hearings will give citizens a chance to give additional feedback about the route changes, namely how it will affect their property and any overlap the power lines may have with farms. After the second round of hearings and implementing feedback, PowerOn Midwest will submit the route permit to the state of Minnesota.
The PowerOn Midwest project needs two permits from the state of Minnesota to start the project, Fordice said. First, a Certificate of Need from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. They will need to explain to the state why the energy project is needed and what positive effects it will have. Which they applied for in February, and are still waiting on approval.
The second permit they need is a route permit, Fordice said. PowerOn Midwest can only submit one route for the route permit, so PowerOn Midwest wants to make sure they get it right. Both rounds of public open houses gives them a chance to make adjustments to the power line route is as perfect as it can be.
PowerOn Midwest took this feedback in the first round of public hearings in November 2025 to make some adjustments. After this coming second round of hearings. Fordice said there will be public hearings with a judge in late 2026. PowerOn Midwest plans to submit the route permit application in February 2027.
After the Route Permit application is submitted, there are still further ways the route could be changed. According to Fordice, the state will look at proposed alternate routes after the permit application. The final decision on the route will be made sometime in 2028.
"It’s a long process." Fordice said.
PowerOn Midwest is expecting to begin construction of the power lines sometime in 2030 and finish by 2034.
The southwest open house meetings will take place at the following places, dates and times.
The Lake Benton Community Center in Lake Benton on Aug. 4 from 10 a.m. to noon.
The St. Leo Catholic Church Gym in Pipestone on Aug. 4 from 4-6 p.m.
The Luverne Generations Events in Luverne on Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to noon.
The Murray County Central Gym in Slayton on Aug. 5 from 4-6 p.m.
More information about the power line project and the full schedule can be found at poweronmidwest.com Anyone curious and wanting to give feedback about the current route can also use the website to file a commitment to power on, or send them an email at Connect@PowerOnMidwest.com