Area residents express concerns, support for wind project

Local residents had a chance to voice both concerns and support for NextEra Energy’s Dodge County Wind project last week at public hearings in Kasson.
Dodge County Wind, LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, is asking the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for permission to construct and operate a wind farm in Dodge and Steele counties. In order to connect the wind farm to the electrical grid DCW also is seeking permission for a transmission line route to the existing Pleasant Valley Substation in Mower County.
The project includes an up to 259-megawatt wind farm and 27 miles of a new 161 kilovolt transmission line. The electricity generated will be sold to Great River Energy which supplies electricity to its member co-ops including Steele-Waseca.
At two in-person public hearings conducted by Administrative Law Judge Kimberly Middendorf, Dodge County Wind officials explained the project and the economic benefit it would provide to the Dodge County and its communities. While there are a few of the wind turbines planned for Steele County, most turbines are in Dodge County and the transmission line would run through Dodge County to Mower County.
The majority of the comments from residents centered on the location of the transmission line. The PUC is considering three potential routes for the lines.
All three of the routes travel from western Dodge County to Highway 56. The routes diverge at that point with the Highway 56 route continuing down the highway to south of Waltham where it turns east to the substation. The county road route crosses over Highway 56 and takes county roads to County Road 9 where it goes south to Sargeant and then east to the substation. A hybrid route follows Highway 56 south for a short distance before going east to connect with County Road 9.
While the Environmental Impact Study prepared by the PUC staff recommended the hybrid route, the residents who spoke at the hearing favored the route down Highway 56. Dodge County Engineer Guy Kohlnhofer added that the Highway 56 route is the one favored by Dodge County Commissioners. Dodge County Wind and Mower County officials are both supporting the hybrid route going down County Road 9.
Residents supporting the Highway 56 route expressed concerns about the transmission lines about right-of-way along the county roads and also the impact of the high voltage lines going over farm structures, and how setback requirements from electric lines could impact future construction. There were also concerns about the impact the stray voltage and electric magnetic fields (EMF) could have on dairy cows.
I’m very concerned about stray voltage,” said Ron Behounek, who along with his sons Keith and Kyle operate a dairy farm along the county road route.
Representatives of the Owatonna and Kasson Chambers of Commerce, as well as several representatives of construction unions, expressed their support of the project although they said they had no preferences on transmission line location.
Tom Monson of the Kasson Chamber of Commerce and Brad Meier of the Owatonna Chamber both said the project would be economically beneficial to the area while union representatives said the project would be constructed with union workers and provide jobs for local people.
Individuals who did not speak at last week’s hearings but would like to comment may do so in writing now through 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 10, 2024. Comments can be made online at mn.gov/puc, select comment and follow prompts; by email at consumer.puc@state.mn.us or by mail at Public Advisor — Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, 121 7th Place East, Suite 350, St. Paul, MN.55101.
Middendorf will take the comments from the hearings and the written communication under consideration and file her report on March 8, 2024. It is tentatively expected for the Public Utilities Commission to make a final decision on the Certificate of Need/ Site/Route on April 4, 2024.