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 project includes:

• Construction of a new 115 kilovolt (kV) transmission line between the Ridgeview and Hilltop substations
• Construction of approximately one-mile extension of an existing 230kV transmission line, connecting to the Arrowhead Substation
• Upgrades to the Ridgeview, Hilltop, Haines Road, and Arrowhead substations, including expansion of the Ridgeview and Hilltop substations and reconfiguring existing transmission lines at the Hilltop Substation

By 2025, 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 customers within our project Study Area and in communities along the North Shore will directly benefit from the Duluth Loop Reliability Project. This includes many industrial, commercial, and residential customers who will benefit from enhanced reliability provided by this project.

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.

The Duluth Loop will be located within the Study Area. Using an integrated routing process collecting data and input to identify the best opportunities to route a new transmission line, we need to identify locations three aspects of the project, including:

• A location for an approximately 14-mile 115 kV line between the Hilltop substation (southern substation) and the Ridgeview substation (north east substation).
• A location for an approximately 1-mile line 230 kV line from the existing line to the Arrowhead substation (south east substation).
• Expansion areas at the Hilltop and Ridgeview substations to provide space for new equipment for the new transmission lines.

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

• 2021: Routing, public engagement and permitting
• 2022: Permitting and environmental surveys
• 2023 - 2025: Engineering, environmental & land surveys, real estate, construction
• 2025: Project compete 

We are very early in this process. 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 to 1000 ft apart and require approximately 100-ft of right-of-way.

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.

The project team is committed to engaging the public with meaningful interactions and conversions while also reducing the spread of COVID-19. Minnesota Power is following state guidelines regarding social distancing and public gatherings.

The purpose of public outreach is for stakeholders and landowners to learn about the project and routing process, ask questions and provide input on routing opportunities and sensitivities. We encourage participation and we hold these public meetings and engagement opportunities to learn more about the Study Area and Study Corridors from the public’s perspective. The timing and need for the public meetings align with the routing process. The project team anticipates holding a second phase of engagement opportunities in March 2020 to gather input on route options.

Properties within an alternative route may be impacted by the new transmission line. A proposed route has not yet been determined. Minnesota Power will file a proposed route to the Public Utilities Commission for review Summer 2021. The PUC will review and make the final routing decision. Once the route location is determined, Minnesota Power will contact affected landowners along the final route to discuss next steps.

Right-of-way acquisition activities occur after a route permit has been approved by the Public Utilities Commission. Minnesota Power plans to identify a proposed route in summer 2021 and submit a route permit application with the PUC shortly after. Affected landowners along the approved final route will be contacted in 2022.

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 will be 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 will include testimony from stakeholders. The PUC will review and consider 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 proposed 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 will be that no new structures can be built in the right-of-way.