(KNSI) – A long-discussed transmission line is one step closer to reality after Minnesota Power and Great River Energy file plans with the state’s Public Utilities Commission.
The Northland Reliability Project does not have a final route set yet, but it is expected to run from the Sherco Plant near Becker to Grand Rapids, about 180 miles to the north. Construction won’t begin until 2027, even with approval from the PUC.
The two utilities have already hosted over two dozen forums with governments, landowners, and tribes who would be affected by the project. The transmission line could cost as much as $1.3 billion. The lowest estimate is $970 million.
Xcel Energy filed plans in March for its Minnesota Connection Line that connects Sherco with its wind energy hub in the southwest portion of the state. Xcel intends to wind down the coal-fired plant by the end of the decade, replacing it with a large solar farm and the transmission lines to renewable power elsewhere.
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