STOP the Expensive and Unneeded Transmission Line to NOWHERE
Xcel Energy is asking ratepayers to pay for an unneeded transmission line to connect more wind turbines and solar panels to the grid.
Xcel Energy’s hugely expensive and unneeded “MN Energy Connection” transmission line (Project dockets #22-131 and #22-132) would span from Becker, Minnesota to Lyon County.
This unnecessary transmission line will increase costs for Xcel Energy customers, make the power grid more vulnerable to rolling blackouts, and enable the consumption of thousands of acres of prime farmland with wind and solar generators that BARELY WORK.
Sign the Petition! Tell the Public Utilities Commission to reject this hugely expensive transmission line and stick to sources of energy that actually deliver.
Dear Members of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission,
We, the undersigned, urge you to say NO to Xcel Energy’s hugely expensive and unneeded “MN Energy Connection” transmission line (Project dockets #22-131 and #22-132) spanning from Becker, Minnesota, to Lyon County.
This unnecessary transmission line will increase costs for Xcel Energy customers, make the power grid more vulnerable to rolling blackouts, and enable the consumption of thousands of acres of prime farmland with wind and solar generators that BARELY WORK.
Please reject this expensive request from Xcel Energy for the following reasons:
1. The MN Energy Connection is not needed: Xcel Energy claims that the MN Energy Connection line is needed, but this isn’t true. If Xcel Energy was not trying to shut down the reliable, dispatchable power plants it already has and replace them with unreliable energy sources, this transmission line would NOT be necessary.
Furthermore, Xcel could build a new natural gas plant in Becker instead of Lyon County and save ratepayers billions of dollars. Instead, Xcel has chosen the most expensive and unnecessary course of action, and it is your job to protect ratepayers by saying NO!
2. Costs are skyrocketing: According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the price of this project has already DOUBLED to $1.14 BILLION in just the last few years. The energy supply chain is stressed, and even Xcel admits that “the high demand for labor and equipment, coupled with potential delays, could lead to substantially higher costs for labor, equipment, and materials.”
Furthermore, Xcel Energy stands to make $2.4 BILLION in corporate profits from building this unnecessary transmission line. The PUC should deny a return on equity for this project to protect ratepayers from Xcel’s corporate exploitation.
3. Reliability is falling: The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) warns that the Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator (MISO) region is the most at risk of rolling blackouts in the coming years due to coal plant closures and an overreliance on wind and solar, natural gas, and imports.
Xcel’s transmission line and malinvestment in the transmission line, wind, solar, and natural gas makes us more vulnerable to wind and solar droughts and natural gas supply interruptions. Wind turbines shut down at -22 degrees F when we need them most!
4. Farmland consumption: Xcel’s plan to hook up thousands of megawatts of wind and solar will consume thousands of acres of some of the best farmland in the country to build energy sources that BARELY WORK!
Minnesota’s recently passed 100 percent carbon-free electricity mandate contains offramps for reliability and affordability, so it is your responsibility to DENY the approval of this project to focus on making rates 5 percent BELOW the national average.
Please DO YOUR JOB and protect ratepayers from this expensive transmission line to nowhere!
Latest News
February 14, 2024: Counties pause solar and wind projects over controversial Xcel line
January 29, 2024: Xcel encounters more resistance to controversial power line
January 25, 2024: Opposition mounts to proposed Xcel high-voltage line for wind energy
December 1, 2023: County board objects to Xcel power line for wind and solar
November 20, 2023: The cost of Xcel Energy’s transmission line doubles to over $1.14 billion
Source: Xcel Energy Route Permit Application