HOLMEN, WI (WTAQ) – A controversial electric transmission line has been fired up in the La Crosse area, a month ahead of schedule.
Xcel Energy scheduled a ceremony Tuesday in Holmen, to observe the opening of a 49-mile Wisconsin link to other Midwest power lines.
Officials credit good weather for the early completion. It’s part of “CapX-2020,” a 345-kilovolt transmission line that connects La Crosse, the Twin Cities and Rochester, Minnesota.
It’s also part of a larger $2.2 billion project to improve the power grid, and send large amounts of wind energy across the Midwest to the eastern U.S.
Critics say the power lines are not needed. They say the demand for power is barely growing, it would discourage energy-efficient alternatives, and the lines would hurt the region’s scenery.
Construction is slated to begin next year on the east connection to the La Crosse project, a $580 million line that stretches to Madison.
To the west, an Xcel Energy spokesman says a 40-mile segment should be finished by the end of the year between suburban Rochester and Hampton, Minnesota.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)