Northland Reliability Project High-Voltage Line to Link Iron Range and St. Cloud

(KNSI) – A proposed high voltage transmission line running from the iron range to St. Cloud has gotten the go ahead from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.

The Northland Reliability Project, which is a collaboration between Minnesota Power and Great River Energy, aims to enhance the electric grid’s reliability in northern and central Minnesota while supporting the clean energy transition.

The 180 mile long line is double circuit and 345 kilovolts and will stretch from Grand Rapids to stations in Benton and Sherburne Counties. The route primarily follows existing transmission corridors, which the two companies say will minimize environmental disruption and reduce the need for new rights-of-way. They say it will combat the growing impacts of severe weather and allow for the retirement of legacy power plants, such as the coal fired Sherburne County Generating Station in Becker.

Work on the lines will start in Benton and Sherburne Counties later this year with other sections starting in 2027 and should be fully operational by 2030. That will coincide with plans to shut down Sherco’s third and final unit. One unit was shut down in January 2024. Unit two will be retired in 2026. Between the three, they had a combined capacity of 2,238 megawatts, making it the largest power plant in the state.

Researchers with the University of Minnesota Duluth say the project will pump $2 billion in into the economy while creating jobs, and funneling money toward local economies while construction is underway. The project will also lead to the expansion of the Benton County substation near St. Cloud.

The total cost is estimated at $1 billion, with final costs determined by routing and design decisions. Cost recovery for Minnesota Power’s portion will undergo a separate MPUC review.

For more details and route maps, visit the Northland Reliability Project site by clicking here.

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