Alexandria to
Big Oaks

Current status

Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approves Certificate of Need and eastern segment Route Permit application. On October 3, 2024 the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission completed their review of the Certificate of Need for the Big Stone South-Alexandria-Big Oaks 345 kV transmission line project, and the associated eastern segment Route Permit. The eastern segment runs from Alexandria to the new Big Oaks substation in Sherburne County and mainly adds the second circuit to the existing CapX2020 projects along I-94.

The western segment, between northeast South Dakota and Alexandria, is still in development by Otter Tail Power Company and Missouri River Energy Services. The companies will file a Route Permit application later this year. More information on the western segment is available here www.BigStoneSouthtoAlexandria.com.

Construction Schedule

Xcel Energy will lead construction on the project, which will begin in 2025. We expect the majority of work to occur in the existing right-of-way and will work with landowners in areas where we need to access property outside the existing easement.

Construction will begin in early 2025 at the Big Oaks substation and continue through the project area where the second circuit will be added. Notifications will be sent to landowners and local officials as necessary.

Please contact us with questions or concerns about the project at: AlexandriatoBigOaks@xcelenergy.com or by phone at 188-231-7068.

Project overview

Several Minnesota energy companies that built the CapX2020 Fargo-St. Cloud/Monticello transmission project have proposed a new transmission line that will add new transmission infrastructure to increase reliability, reduce grid congestion, and increase access to new renewable energy in Minnesota and the Dakotas.

The Alexandria-Big Oaks project will mainly involve adding a new transmission line on the existing CapX2020 structures between Alexandria and a new substation to be located on Xcel Energy property near the Sherco power plant in Becker, Minn.

The Alexandria-Big Oaks project is associated with the Big Stone South-Alexandria-Big Oaks project, which submitted a combined Certificate of Need application to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Learn more about the Big Stone South-Alexandria project here, including the status of route development on that western segment of the project.

If the Certificate of Need and eastern segment Route Permit are approved, construction could begin in late 2024 and be complete in 2026.

Project Need

Minnesota's electric grid has served customers reliably for more than a century as our energy system has grown and changed. In recent years, utilities have added new renewable energy, such as wind and solar, and retired aging plants. Additional plant retirements and renewable additions throughout the region require us to build new transmission projects to deliver electricity from where it's generated to where it's used.

Additionally, as the system has changed, the existing system is under stress and experiences congestion, which limits the amount of electricity that can reliably be delivered to customers. The Big Stone South-Alexandria-Big Oaks project will help reduce that congestion, providing benefits to customers throughout the Upper Midwest.

Regulatory Process

Minnesota law requires energy companies proposing high-voltage transmission lines to apply for a Certificate of need and a route permit, which are reviewed by the Public Utilities Commission following a public review process. To view the certificate of need application, eastern segment route permit, and other filings in the proceeding, click here (mn.gov/puc), click on e-dockets, and select 22-538 (22 stands for the year 2022 when information was first filed), and click 'search.' For the eastern segment route permit application and relevant documents, select 23-159.