Two separate sections of Great River Energy transmission line sustained damage over the course of a week of severe weather, but recent grid modernization efforts allowed power to be restored quickly with minimal disruption to members. Straight line winds on July 31 downed more than a dozen structures on a 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line spanning …
Grid modernization helps crews restore power quickly after storms Read More »
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) held six in-person public hearings and one online hearing for the Northland Reliability Project last month with more than 300 people attending. These regulatory hearings were held along the proposed project route and presided over by an administrative law judge. They provided the public with a formal opportunity to …
Northland Reliability Project regulatory hearings a success Read More »
Employees from Great River Energy and member-owner cooperative Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC), located in Jordan, Minnesota, recently teamed up to install a used transmission line pole on Mystic Lake Casino property for an osprey nest. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community tribe, which owns Mystic Lake Casino, originally contacted MVEC for help with this project …
Great River Energy Cooperative Careers Camp provides students an inside look at energy careers Fifty high school students got a taste of the many career paths available with electric cooperatives at a recent event hosted by Great River Energy. The first-ever Cooperative Careers Camp was held last month at Great River Energy’s Elk River campus. …
Regional power grid provides an outlook for the peak summer season The Midwest grid operator, known as MISO, anticipates a stable summer for the region’s electric grid, projecting a probable peak demand of around 123 gigawatts (GW) and total available generation capacity of approximately 143 GW. While MISO expects sufficient capacity for normal summer conditions, …
A significant economic boost is expected from the Northland Reliability Project with positive impacts on jobs and wages and about $2 billion in total impacts to Minnesota’s economy, according to a study by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Labovitz School of Business and Economics. Minnesota Power and …
Northland Reliability transmission project provides sizable boost to state’s economy Read More »
Approximately 20 people gathered Tuesday, April 30, near a substation in Maple Grove, Minnesota, to watch the first drone installation in the United States of a Heimdall “Neuron.” These dynamic transmission line rating sensors collect real-time information about the line and its environment with the goal of increasing capacity, or the amount of electricity that …
Grid optimization project kicks off with drone installation event Read More »
National Lineworker Appreciation Day recognizes the essential workers who maintain the electric grid You probably don’t think about them until your power goes out, but electric lineworkers protect homes and communities 24 hours a day. Like other first responders who keep people safe, lineworkers endure all kinds of weather and challenging conditions. Great River Energy …
Great River Energy is seeking to expand capacity of its transmission resources by testing an exciting new technology. Following an internal planning study to identify lines with potential congestion and the highest financial impact, Great River Energy selected a transmission line in West Central Minnesota for a pilot project that uses Heimdall Power’s “Neurons.” These …
New tech holds potential to unlock hidden grid capacity Read More »
Maintaining vegetation under and near transmission lines is key to providing safe and reliable electricity. A disruption of service can occur when overhead wires and cables contact vegetation or when trees or branches are broken during rain, wind, snow or ice storms and damage the lines or conductors. Great River Energy performs regular right-of-way maintenance …
Vegetation management strategy is critical to a reliable grid Read More »