Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs
PowerOn Midwest is a series of new electric transmission projects anchored by a 765 kV backbone transmission line being developed by Great River Energy, ITC Midwest, Otter Tail Power Company and Xcel Energy. The projects will connect eastern South Dakota, southern Minnesota and the broader region, enhancing grid reliability in the Upper Midwest to meet growing and evolving energy needs in the coming decades.
PowerOn Midwest is building the backbone for a reliable, flexible, and future-ready electric grid in the Upper Midwest. Our new transmission lines are designed to support all types of electricity generation resources, including existing generation and new wind, solar, natural gas, and other developing technologies like battery storage or hydrogen.
A reliable, future-ready grid benefits all of us. PowerOn Midwest connects areas rich in renewable energy—like wind and solar—with regions that need power, ensuring access to low-cost, reliable, and increasingly carbon-free electricity. This supports local jobs and economic growth by enabling essential industries—like healthcare, manufacturing, and agricultural processing plants—to expand and operate efficiently. The project is expected to generate billions of dollars in economic benefits, attract new investments, and help communities meet clean energy goals, while allowing farming and rural businesses to continue thriving.
The total cost of PowerOn Midwest is still being finalized by the project applicants. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) developed a preliminary cost estimate in early 2024 of approximately $2.5 billion for project work between the Minnesota border and the North Rochester Substation. When including the Big Stone-Brookings project, the investment reaches about $3 billion. That estimate is being refined by the utilities and updated based on engineering and bids from equipment, materials, and labor vendors.
While the investment will be significant, industry analysts project between $11 and $25 billion in economic benefits by 2050, meaning every dollar invested could return between $1.60 and $3.10 in value to end-use consumers through improved reliability, expanded access to low-cost energy, and avoided outage costs to local communities.