Xcel Asks Colorado Supreme Court to Facilitate Wind Farm Interconnection

Xcel Energy's Public Service Co. of Colorado has asked the Colorado Supreme Court to intervene in an eminent domain dispute that is delaying the connection of two nearly complete wind farms to the grid. The dispute centers on a 550-foot easement needed for gen-tie lines to connect the 603-MW Singing Grass and 450-MW Cheyenne Ridge II wind farms to a substation. A district court judge rejected Xcel's effort to acquire the easement via eminent domain, citing that the utility failed to meet legal requirements. Xcel has argued that the district court ruling will disrupt the legal framework governing how renewable projects connect to Colorado's grid and delay critical renewable energy development statewide. The utility claims that if permitted to stand, the ruling would allow any landowner controlling the sole access point to critical energy infrastructure to dictate the terms of that access, free from any check by condemnation authority. The wind farms are part of Xcel's plan to add about 6.1 GW to its system. The projects have been delayed due to the condemnation process Xcel pursued to obtain the land rights into the Goose Creek substation. The delays are adding to project costs, and Xcel is accruing significant standby time and costs for transmission line crews. A representative for Dryland Partners, the landowner in question, stated that the company remains open to a market-based resolution. However, Xcel has asked the Colorado Court of Appeals to review the district court judge's decision, but it could take more than a year for the case to be decided. ## Transmission Line Dispute The district court case centered on whether Xcel had the right to take Dryland Partners' land via eminent domain. Cheyenne County District Court Judge Mike Davidson ruled that Xcel's effort failed to meet legal requirements. The judge stated that Xcel negotiated with Dryland Partners in bad faith and that the utility repeatedly referred to the lines as generation tie-lines, not as transmission lines. Judge Davidson also noted that Dryland Partners had worked with Xcel to create corridors for the needed tie-lines and that the utility had planned to pay Dryland less than $20,000 for the land it wanted to take by eminent domain. This, the judge stated, made it impossible for the landowner to secure agreements with renewable energy developers worth millions. ## Project Timeline Xcel has stated that it expects the Cheyenne Ridge II project to be operating in May 2026 and the Singing Grass project to be online three months later. However, the delays are adding to project costs, and Xcel is accruing significant standby time and costs for transmission line crews. The utility acquired the rights for nearly the entire length of the two tie-lines from more than 100 landowners. However, one remaining landowner issue, involving approximately 550 feet of easement, remains unresolved after extensive efforts to reach an agreement.