Catching up from a couple days ago, the “PowerOn Midwest” Applicants, Northern States Power Company, Great River Energy, and ITC Midwest, have filed “Applicants’ Response to Scoping Comments.”

This is important, because “Response to Scoping Comments” in another docket was the vehicle introducing the notion of a “DNR Proxy” route, one that did NOT include the DNR’s opposition to a new Mississippi River Crossing, and did not include recommendation of EXISTING CROSSINGS, alternate river crossings that were utterly reasonable. Veracity matters!

This Filing Letter and COS Scoping Comments needs a very close look!

For example, look at their bottom line on the Thomforde suggestions:

“THE APPLICANTS… DO NOT CONSENT TO FURTHER EVALUATION!”

Wonder why?

Yesterday, my Petition for Rulemaking was up before the Commission, last on the agenda, starting at 3:00:12 and going to the end… just a few short minutes.

• Rulemaking Petition – Minn. R. ch. 7850 & 7849 April 13th, 2026
• Comment on 7849 and 7850 Rulemaking Petition April 16th, 2026
• 7850 Rulemaking – Reply Comments May 7th, 2026
• Rulemaking at PUC tomorrow May 27th, 2026

No surprise really, same result as with the years long Minn. R. 7849 and 7850 docket R-12-1246, same result as the wind Minn. R. 7854 rulemaking petition (20+ years they’ve been siting wind using the SMALL wind GUIDELINES)… sigh…

Recent release, from Strategic Economic Research:

Economic Impact Analysis of the PowerOn Midwest Project in Minnesota

And downloaded for future reference just in case it disappears. The “Implan” economic analysis for Excelsior Energy’s Mesaba Project was such a farce — we’ll see if this is the same:

Are costs of the project considered as well? There are all sorts of costs and benefits that can be quantified. Was it a reasonable range or limited to those easily claimed and dollars assigned?

In attempts to prove up benefits, Implan has been used before. From testimony regarding Duluth Labovitz School’s Implan study of economic benefits of the Mesaba Project coal gasification plant, in the hearing, specifically the economic health benefits of coal:

Is this report as bizarre?

Let’s get reading. Get familiar enough with this to pick it apart.

I expect that a similar report will be issued for the eastern portion of the 765kV project (CN-25-121). The project applicants are certainly vulnerable when “what’s in it for Minnesota” and “what’s in it for our community” questions arise about this “pass-through” project.

p.s. The report does list tax payments to “counties” but I want to see this itemized, county by county:

Rules? Who needs ’em?

My rulemaking petition is before the Public Utilities Commission tomorrow:

There have been a few filings in this docket. In chronological order, starting at the beginning, oh, with the statute first and then filings (and note, the statute does say “may.”):

• Rulemaking Petition – Minn. R. ch. 7850 & 7849 April 13th, 2026
• Comment on 7849 and 7850 Rulemaking Petition April 16th, 2026
• 7850 Rulemaking – Reply Comments May 7th, 2026

And here we go — they say it won’t start before 12:30 pm — that’s appreciated!

Routing the most massive of transmission lines through Minnesota without rules?

Or is it time for an award:

Here’s the whole thing, what Xcel’s plan is for electric to the data center — all 3 pages — for some reason this little document keeps disappearing!

Note — it’s this 345kV little line for the data center. The 765kV comes up from Pleasant Valley down by I-90 to a new substation just north of the “North Rochester” substation (really north of Pine Island), and then exits that new substation and heads back south… right, makes a lot of sense, costs a lot of money… whose brilliant idea was this? AND there will be a connector from the new 765kV line (it’s all one line, don’t let them fool you), a 345kV connecting the two. So NO, the 765kV aren’t for the data center, but YES, there is power coming off that 765kV down to the North Rochester substation, so NO, not DIRECTLY connected, but YES, INDIRECTLY connected, and as we say in transmission, “IT’S ALL CONNECTED!” Hope that clears it up… SNORT!!

Now this 345kV line is a double circuited line to hop over Hwy 52, from the “North Rochester” (north of Pine Island) substation to Google’s Skyway Data Center. Compare this to the info from Xcel’s Electric Services Agreement for that same data center LARGE LOAD:

And the Transmission docket is open, TL-26-135, declared complete on May 12.

(taking forever to download here at the park… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)

Here’s what the official map of this little stretch looks like, keep in mind that the Mankato-Mississippi 345kV line is removing and moving the 161kV underbuild and adding a second 345kV circuit. There’s a lot going on there, and it seems this line is having prostate trouble:

YEAAAAAAAAAAA, IT DOWNLOADED. 76MB?!?! Wouldn’t download, and even if it did, couldn’t upload it, just TOO BIG! Separated out the appendices from the narrative and it adds up to a fraction of that. A touch over 10 MB! Xcel, do you do this on purpose? (JUST DOWNLOADED, and am starting to read it — no answers yet!)

The Commission did declare the application complete: