CapX 2020 Utilities Host Open Houses

The CapX 2020 utilities, including Great River Energy East Central Energy's wholesale power provider, took the first step in a long and rigorous process in August when they filed a Certificate of Need application with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. The three 345-kilovolt (kV) lines will ensure customers in Minnesota and the surrounding region continued reliable and affordable electric service and increase access to renewable energy sources.

"As part of our commitment to the public process and to ensure an open and inclusive one, the CapX 2020 utilities hosted 24 open houses in September and October," said Terry Grove of Great River Energy and the co-executive director of CapX 2020. "We found most of the nearly 2,000 attendees were very understanding of the need for the projects and appreciated our efforts to engage them early in the process."

Invitations to the open houses were mailed to nearly 700 local government officials and approximately 73,000 landowners in the study corridors for the proposed 345-kV lines..

The Minnesota Department of Commerce (DOC) will hold introductory public meetings regarding the development of an Environmental Impact Statement in late 2007 or early 2008. Once the DOC has prepared the report, the Public Utilities Commission will hold formal public hearings, probably in the third quarter of 2008.

In the coming months, the CapX 2020 utilities will be working with landowners, local, state and federal officials and other stakeholders to develop routing options as they move toward filing a Minnesota Route Permit application in 2008. Portions of the lines also will require approvals by federal officials and by regulators in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The CapX 2020 utilities plan to file a joint need and route application for a fourth line—a 230-kV line between the Bemidji and Grand Rapids areas—with the MN PUC later this year. The four proposed lines would span nearly 700 miles.

The CapX 2020 transmission lines will help meet projected electric growth in Minnesota and the surrounding region of between 4,000 and 6,000 megawatts of electricity. The new lines are also the first significant step in meeting the new Minnesota Renewable Energy Standard mandating that 25 percent of electricity come from renewable sources by 2025.

Learn more about CapX2020