Minnesota Power, an ALLETE Company

This project will enhance reliability in and around Duluth and along the North Shore by building an additional transmission source. The Duluth Loop Reliability Project includes four components:

• Construction of a new approximately 14-mile 115 kilovolt (kV) transmission line between the Ridgeview, Haines Road, and Hilltop substations.
• Construction of a new approximately one-mile extension connecting an existing 230kV transmission line to the Arrowhead substation.
• Upgrades to the Ridgeview, Hilltop, Haines Road, and Arrowhead substations.
• Reconfiguration, rebuild, and upgrade to existing transmission lines and communications infrastructure in the Project area.

By 2027, the new Duluth Loop Reliability Project will be completed and serving our community.

The Duluth Loop Reliability Project will enhance energy reliability for communities in Duluth and the North Shore by adding transmission in the area replace grid strength and stability that was once provided by local coal-fired generation.

Many industrial, commercial, and residential customers within our project Study Area and in communities along the North Shore will directly benefit from the enhanced reliability provided by Duluth Loop Reliability Project.

About 50% of our energy comes from renewable sources and we will continue to invest in affordable, reliable, and increasingly carbon-free sources of energy for the communities we serve.

As part of our clean energy commitment, we’ve reduced our reliance on coal-fired generation. In order to maintain a continuous supply of safe and reliable electricity, we must replace the support those coal plants once supplied to our system. To do this, we’re connecting transmission lines to enhance stability and reliability in our communities.

We started the early data collection for the project in fall 2020 and anticipate a five to seven-year timeline for route develop through construction including:

• 2021-2023: Routing, public engagement, permitting, real estate, and preliminary engineering.
• 2024-2025: Engineering, pre-construction surveys (wildlife, archeological, wetland/stream, and soil surveys), real estate, construction.
• 2025-2027: Construction and complete 

The specific type and size of structures to be used will depend on the routes identified in this process. We anticipate the use of wood pole H-frame structures and steel pole structures similar in appearance to existing transmission lines in the area.

• For a typical 115kV line H-frame, the structures will range 50-80 ft in height, span between 500-1,000 ft apart and require approximately 100 ft of right-of-way.
• For a typical 230kV structure, the typical height ranges from 60-100 feet with a typical span of 500-1,000 feet. The typical right-of-way is 130 feet.

Preliminary plans are to install fiber optics on new transmission lines. However, this ultimately depends on the final transmission line configurations and whether existing fiber optic infrastructure can be used to meet communication needs.

Property owners with land requiring right-of-way acquisition have been contacted by a real estate representative from Land Service Company, a contractor for Minnesota Power. If you have any questions about right-of-way acquisition, please contact Barb Taves at btaves@landservicecompany.com.

After initial right-of-way clearing and transmission line construction, additional vegetation management activities may occur. The right-of-way will then need to be cleared once every 6-7 years. Clearing methods will be based upon what is allowed on each individual property.

The Public Utilities Commission’s decision was based on information provided in Minnesota Power’s route permit application, a document prepared by the Department of Commerce, and a report from a judge that included testimony from stakeholders. The PUC reviewed and considered impacts to private properties and natural resources.

Minnesota Power will do its best to minimize the impacts to wildlife, streams, and recreation areas. The transmission line will need to cross several streams. Minnesota Power may conduct habitat surveys, where necessary. The Minnesota Department of Commerce will perform an environmental review on the entire project.

Minnesota Power’s goal is to route the line such that no existing structures will be located within the 100-foot right-of-way, and where practical we will seek to maximum distance to homes to a greater degree. One of the provisions of the easement for the new line is that no new structures can be built in the right-of-way.