MARSHALL — A renewable energy company planning a wind farm in southwest Minnesota is inviting area residents to a pair of meetings next week. According to a July 13 invitation letter from Invenergy, meetings will be held July 26 at the Currie Municipal Building, and July 27 at the Westbrook Community Center. Both meetings will be held at 6 p.m.

Invenergy is in the process of planning a wind energy project, the Purple Skies Wind Energy Center, in an area covering parts of Lincoln, Lyon, Redwood, Murray and Pipestone Counties. The invitation letter said next week’s meetings will give an overview of project developments, and give time for attendees to ask questions.

According to the Purple Skies website, the project is planned to begin construction in 2027. Currently, Invenergy is focused on securing land for the project and conducting site studies. Invenergy is looking to build a wind project in southwest Minnesota both because of the strong wind resources in the region, and the opportunity to connect that wind energy with planned transmission lines being built by Xcel Energy.

Xcel is currently in the process of planning a 345-kilovolt transmission line running from Sherburne County to Lyon County. The line would connect to a new electrical substation in southern Lyon County.

Space at the Invenergy information meetings will be limited, said Connie VanderPoel, of Invenergy’s Tyler office. People who received invitations are being asked to RSVP by Friday. However, VanderPoel said the public is welcome to check out the wind project website, https://purpleskieswind.invenergy.com/, or visit the Invenergy office at 210 North Tyler Street in Tyler.