Great River Energy informs SWCE employees regarding PowerOn Midwest transmission project

Great River Energy (GRE) officials conducted a breakfast briefing, June 11, with Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric employees regarding the PowerOn Midwest transmission line project that may go through co-op member property if a particular route is selected. 

PowerOn Midwest is a series of new electric transmission lines, anchored by a 765 kilovolt (kV) transmission line, that is being developed by GRE, ITC Midwest, and Xcel Energy in southern Minnesota. Routes for the transmission line are in development, and the projects may fall within Steele-Waseca’s service area. 

“This is like your interstate highway for energy,” said GRE Portfolio Delivery Director Greg Schutte. He emphasized it is not being built for data centers and is not just going to Chicago, but compared it to a huge super battery. 

The projects will connect eastern South Dakota, southern Minnesota and the broader region, enhancing grid reliability in the Upper Midwest to meet growing and changing energy needs in the coming decades. The benefits include:

• Reliable electricity: It would deliver on the commitment that electricity is delivered where and when it’s needed—regardless of the weather, electric generation source, or demand. 

• Future-ready grid: Addresses rising electricity demand, which is projected to grow significantly over the next two decades. 1100532

• Customer and economic benefits: Enables more cost-effective generation while improving reliability, opening doors for future economic growth across the region. 

• Access to new generation: Supports a range of energy sources added to the grid, providing a balanced and reliable power supply for the future. 

If approved, the projects could start construction as early as 2030. However, the Certificate of Need application needs to be completed and Schutte said it is not expected to be ready until the first quarter of 2027, with approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) not expected until late 2028.  

Developing and building major new transmission lines is a multi-year process that begins with significant planning which identifies an initial study area, general project areas, includes comprehensive outreach to local landowners and officials to identify potential route options, and a through regulatory review by state officials who review projects like these. Before construction could begin, the MPUC must issue approvals to the Certificate of Need and Route Permits. An anticipated in-service date would be between 2032 and 2034. 

Schutte said it will cost $6.2 million to construct a mile of line with each substation cost between $400-$500 million. 

To learn more about the project, visit PowerOnMidwest.com.