BROOKINGS — A proposed power transmission project that would pass through the east side of Brookings County is already generating a lot of controversy despite being years away from completion, if it’s even approved in the first place.
PowerOn Midwest, a joint venture between Otter Tail Power Co. and Xcel Energy, wants to build a 765 kilovolt high-voltage line from the Big Stone South Substation east of Milbank in Grant County south to a substation in Brookings County, then east into Minnesota to substations near Jackson and Rochester.
In and near Brookings County, its potential route would take it east of the communities of Toronto and White and either west, north or south of Elkton. The route’s not yet set in stone, with state and county permit applications yet to be filed, alongside the need for negotiations with landowners.
Increasing demand for electricity is a driving force behind the project, according to information from a presentation at the Brookings County Commission meeting on March 3.
“One of the main things that we’re really starting to see — all energy companies in the region — is that electric use is growing throughout the entire region and that’s putting stress on the system,” Xcel representative Randy Fordice said. “Particularly as we start looking forward in the 2030s and 2040s — the current electric system just won’t have the capacity to reliably serve customers throughout South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.”
Fordice said the states are part of MISO — Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator — which is the regional operator of the high-voltage transmission grid that keeps power reliable for customers.
“This increase in electric use, combined with changing technologies, expected power plant retirements — especially for those plants that were built in the (1960s, 1970s and 1980s), they’re just reaching the end of their useful life — in addition to that natural electric growth that we’re seeing … our current system is not going to be able to deliver the amount of electricity necessary to keep the lights on when people flip the switch,” Fordice explained.
Worries surface
That as the case may be, the project drew concerns from several people at the commission meeting, including Aurora resident Janii White.
“I think there’s a lot of frustration in our county, so I just hope that you really listen to people and really hear their concerns,” she said.
Together with county residents Sue Engelmann and Charlie Fenster and Deuel County farmer Steve January, those worries include:
• Possible effects on the environment.
• The project’s footprint.
• Potential for additional cancer occurrences.
• Benefitting users more in Minnesota and Illinois than South Dakota.
• Decreased milk production from dairy cattle.
• How static could affect the ability to receive weather alerts via radio.
• Constant humming noise, along with flashing lights atop towers.
All of them supported a 2,000-foot setback requirement, something that Commissioner Kelly VanderWal inquired about as well.
“In Deuel County, currently, they just put in a 2,000-foot setback,” he noted. “How do you feel that you’ll be able to work with that and work with those landowners on that?”
“We’ll obviously meet all state, federal and local regulations — that’s part of our responsibility,” Fordice responded. However, “When there are setback ordinances like that, it does make it difficult, we think, to find what could be the least impactful route.”
He stressed that PowerOn Midwest strives to stay as far away from homes and buildings while also trying to follow field lines and section lines — all in an effort to work with landowners and avoid issues.
“Setback ordinances can limit our flexibility in doing so. The fortunate part of their setback ordinance is there are waivers that we can get from landowners if we’re going along a field line or a section line,” Fordice said. “We prefer to be able to work directly with landowners versus having some sort of restriction like that (ordinance) but, as I mentioned, we’ll work with the laws in front of us.”
Years of planning
The Brookings-area project is part of a larger set of projects that MISO has studied for years, Fordice said. Scenarios included a variety of electric growth — high, mid-range and low-range; the types of plant retirements and where they might occur; and the addition of new generation sources from renewables, natural gas plants, etc.
“What these projects all together will do is really connect the entire region in a way that hasn’t happened in the last number of decades to be able to deliver power where it’s needed when it’s needed,” Fordice explained.
He said utilities are always planning for the future, working 15 to 20 years ahead with projects.
“The utilities’ No. 1 job is to provide reliable, consistent power,” Fordice said. “When people turn on their lights, when they go to work, when they go to their shift at the factory, electricity is key and it needs to be there. So, that’s our No. 1 responsibility.”
The 765 kV project through Brookings County would utilize lattice-style steel towers from 150 feet to 175 feet in height and 140 feet to 150 feet wide, with roughly five towers per mile spaced between 1,100 feet and 1,300 feet apart. The right-of-way would be 250 feet wide — considerably less than if the project were built with other types of towers.
According to MISO, the juice moved by a single 765 kV line would be the same as:
• Six 345 kV single-circuit towers with a 900-foot right-of-way requirement.
• Three 345 kV double-circuit towers with a requirement of a 450-foot right-of-way.
Other benefits of the 765 kV approach noted at the presentation include fewer lines, better efficiency, resilient infrastructure and that it provides backup pathways.
Additionally, such lines represent one of the highest voltage levels in North America’s power grids, with the 765 kV translating into 765,000 volts.
Fordice noted other tidbits as well, pointing out that one gigawatt of power is 1,000 megawatts, and that one wind turbine generates roughly two megawatts of juice. Lastly, one megawatt can power roughly 800 homes.
“In this region, we’re looking at a pretty significant expansion of demand with that year-over-year increase in power that we’re expecting to occur,” Fordice said. “… If we don’t build these projects, we wouldn’t be able to reliably serve our customers without building a really new, extensive transmission system.”
Permissions a necessity
PowerOn Midwest’s efforts began last year and, if they bear fruit, electricity transmission wouldn’t occur until 2034 thereabouts, with construction taking place from 2030 to 2034.
Before any of that can happen, though, permits are needed from the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission and the affected counties — Grant, Deuel and Brookings. That topic was certainly on Commissioner Larry Jensen’s mind.
“Which one’s first? Do you have to have the county permits before you go to the PUC and then also your easements with landowners?” he asked. “How does that all fit together?”
Fordice said he wasn’t 100% familiar with state law, but that PowerOn Midwest would file its facility permit with the PUC first, then follow up with filing for county-level permits.
“The state permits do supersede local ordinances in most cases, but the South Dakota PUC is also very deferential to local officials and prefer that we’re able work through any issues as opposed to asking them to weigh in or step in on things,” Fordice said.
He added that the county-level conditional-use permits would be pursued while the state PUC considers the facility permit application, since that process can take around a year to complete. Fordice said the PUC paperwork would be submitted in September, with county-level submissions early next year.
“You’d have easements in place when you’d file with the county, then?” Jensen asked.
“No. We would be negotiating easement options knowing that there could be some route adjustments,” Fordice said. “The South Dakota PUC likes us to have up to 70% easement options with landowners, and so we’re going to start that process fairly soon. … We would expect permits to be issued before all easements are secured, I think is the best way to put it.”
After all is said and done, the state PUC will determine the project’s final route.
Moving beyond permits, Commissioner Shawn Hostler had an aesthetics-related query.
“So, I have a question about the towers — the 765 kV structures: I grew up in central South Dakota, all the towers coming from the Oahe Dam heading east, heading west, heading all over,” he said. “What scale are those compared to those metal towers that are going across Hughes County and all over in there?”
Fordice said PowerOn Midwest’s towers would be similar, but not identical. “The height on these is likely a little bit taller … generally, lattice towers that were built in the 1970s were probably in the 120 to 140 feet range. These … are probably around 150 feet. Call it about 30 to 40 feet taller, maybe a little bit wider at the base as well.”
For comparison’s sake, the Campanile on the South Dakota State University campus is 165 feet tall.
In closing, VanderWal inquired when the next round of community engagement was planned, to which Fordice said it would likely be this coming fall after PowerOn Midwest files its facility permit application with the state PUC.
The PUC would then hold its first public meeting on the matter within 30 days of the filing.
“If we file in September, those will be held sometime in October,” Fordice said.
— Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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