20 July 2023
Dakota County residents are invited to open houses next week to learn about the proposed rebuild of electric transmission lines in two cities.
Great River Energy, the wholesale electric cooperative supplier to Dakota County, is planning to rebuild nearly nine miles of 69-kilovolt transmission lines in Eagan and Burnsville and replace them with modern lines that can operate at up to 115-kV, according to a company news release.
Robert Toomey, project manager for Great River Energy, said in an email that the Pilot Knob-Burnsville Rebuild Project will ensure reliable electric service to cooperative members and keep up with future electrical demand.
While there is not a current need for increased voltage, Toomey said the company is seeing an increase in reliance on the use of electricity, such as the growth of electric vehicle usage. The increased electrification stands to benefit all cooperative members in the area, Toomey said of the electric supplier.
Based in Maple Grove, the not-for-profit electric cooperative provides electricity to 1.7 million people across two-thirds of Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin.
Open houses will be held on Tuesday, July 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Eagan Community Center, 1501 Central Parkway.
On Wednesday, July 26, also from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., there will be open houses in Burnsville at the Diamondhead Education Center, 200 Burnsville Parkway.
Pending permits and approval, Toomey said construction is planned to begin in the fall of 2026 and finish in the summer of 2028.
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