Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Open houses set on proposed 150-mile transmission line from Twin Cities

By STEVE CAHALAN / La Crosse Tribune

A second round of open houses will be held this week about a proposed electric transmission line from southeast of the Twin Cities to Rochester, Minn., and on to

La Crosse.

For La Crosse-area residents, the nearest open houses both will be today — from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Riverport Inn at 900 Bruski Drive in Winona, Minn., and from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Centerville Community Center/Curling Club at W24854 Hwy. 54/93 in Centerville, Wis. Utility representatives will be available to answer questions.

The 150-mile line between La Crosse and the southeast Twin Cities is one of three new 345-kilovolt electric transmission lines proposed by the CapX 2020 utilities alliance. Eleven regional utilities, including Xcel Energy and

La Crosse-based Dairyland Power Cooperative, are part of the alliance and first announced their plans in 2006.

The potential corridors for the Twin Cities-to-La Crosse line have been narrowed since the first round of open houses last year, said Chuck Thompson, Dairyland’s manager of siting and regulatory affairs.

Maps showing possible corridors envision the line crossing the Mississippi River at either Alma, Wis., Winona or

La Crosse. The line would end at a substation in La Crosse or near Holmen, Wis.

Specific route alternatives within those corridors will be available for the third round of open houses this fall, Thompson said. The project is subject to approval by state and federal regulators.

The line between the Twin Cities and La Crosse is expected to be a $330 million to $360 million project, depending on the corridor chosen, Thompson said. He added he thinks 2011 is the soonest construction could begin, and that the line should be completed by the end of 2014.

Steve Cahalan can be reached at (608) 791-8229 or scahalan@lacrossetribune.com.