Over the past month, the PowerOn Midwest project team has been actively on the ground, engaging directly with the communities along the preliminary project routes.
PowerOn Midwest is a series of proposed transmission projects in southern Minnesota and eastern South Dakota designed to strengthen electric reliability and deliver more power across southern Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. The projects are being developed by Great River Energy, ITC Midwest, Otter Tail Power Company and Xcel Energy.
Routing open houses
During the first two weeks of June, the project team hosted 13 routing open houses at local venues across the study area to introduce preliminary routes and collect feedback from property owners.
The meetings were well attended and gained important media coverage. Total attendance across all events reached 1,347 — nearly double the turnout from the Minnesota Public Utility Commission’s (PUC) certificate of need scoping meetings in April. Notably, 257 people attended the open house in Wells, Minnesota.
“This visibility is helping broaden awareness and understanding of the project across the region,” said Lori Buffington, supervising manager of communications at Great River Energy.
Routing open houses play an important role in refining the proposed transmission line routes before the route permit applications are filed with the PUC in early 2027. Those attending the open houses were able to see preliminary route options on a map for the first time and provide their feedback.
Attendees asked about the routing process, the need for the project, the regulatory process, potential health impacts and other questions common to transmission line projects. The need to serve data centers, which is not a key driver for PowerOn Midwest, was a common topic.
“These meetings are really about listening,” said Dan Lesher, manager of transmission permitting and land rights at Great River Energy. “We want to make sure people understand the project and feel comfortable sharing their questions and concerns, and we’re committed to using that input as the route refinement process continues. The level of participation we’re seeing is encouraging and speaks to the importance of this project across the region.”
Additional engagement
As part of Great River Energy’s outreach, breakfast briefing presentations with Q&A sessions were also held over the past month for seven member-owner cooperatives within the project’s study area. These meetings were held to educate frontline employees at member-owner cooperatives, who are likely to get questions about the project.
In addition, the project team met with every county along the proposed routes for a second time to keep them informed of the project.
Next steps
The PowerOn Midwest team will now review all comments received at the open houses and work to narrow the routes before hosting a second round of routing open houses during the first two weeks of August. Maps and fact sheets are available at PowerOnMidwest.com, which is a comprehensive resource with up-to-date information about the project.
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