Proposed high-voltage powerline gets state regulators’ approval

A proposal to build a 180-mile high-voltage transmission line from the Iron Range to central Minnesota cleared a major hurdle on Thursday.

The state Public Utilities Commission approved a certificate of need and route permit for what’s known as the Northland Reliability Project.

Minnesota Power and Great River Energy jointly plan to build the transmission line. The first segment would run about 140 miles from near Grand Rapids runs through Itasca, Aitkin, Crow Wing, Morrison and Benton counties to a substation near St. Cloud. The second would replace two existing 20-mile lines between Benton and Sherburne counties. The project could cost upwards of $1 billion.

The utilities say the new high-voltage line is needed to help maintain a reliable power grid, as they transition away from fossil fuel plants to renewable energy such as solar and wind. Minnesota law requires utilities to provide carbon-free electricity by 2040.

“The project is needed to support continued reliable electric service in northern and central Minnesota as well as the Upper Midwest region,” said Kodi Verhalen, an attorney representing Duluth-based Minnesota Power. 

The project is one of several new high-voltage power lines utilities want to build across the Upper Midwest over the next decade. 

It was one of 18 transmission projects approved in 2022 by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which operates the Midwest’s electric grid.

Several climate advocacy groups voiced support for the project, saying it will help deliver wind and solar resources from the Dakotas to Minnesota, improve reliability of the electric system during the clean energy transition and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“This line and others like it are foundational to Minnesota achieving 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040, because they enable the construction of clean energy projects that will replace fossil fuels,” said Amelia Vohs, climate program director at the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy. “This is a win for the climate and a win for the state.”

But the lengthy PUC meeting demonstrated the challenges of routing powerlines that can be disruptive to private property owners, farms, businesses and natural resources.

Utilities try to negotiate easements to pay landowners for use of their land. They also have the power to take land through government-sanctioned eminent domain. Minnesota’s “Buy the Farm” law requires utilities to buy all or part of property from landowners who don’t agree to an easement.

The utilities say the powerline’s approved route will largely follow existing transmission lines corridors, minimizing environmental impacts and the need for new right-of-way.

The commission spent several hours modifying the route, seeking to reduce or minimize impacts on property owners while also weighing whether the changes would raise the project’s cost, affecting ratepayers.

Several landowners spoke about how the powerline would affect their property or force them to move. Janet Bahe lives near Swatara and operates a dog-sledding tour business with two others.

“Relocation sounds like a nice word, but it means ripping us from our homes and our way of life,” Bahe said.

Amy Rutledge, a spokesperson for Minnesota Power, said the utilities will continue to have conversations with landowners as they finalize the route.

Construction on the project likely will begin later this year, and the new line is expected to be in service by 2030.