Minnesota Power, Otter Tail Power Company and Great River Energy today filed an application for a Certificate of Need from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to build a high-voltage transmission line to support and strengthen the electric grid in the Upper Midwest.
The proposed MR-C Transmission Project will stretch about 160-180 miles from Minnesota Power’s Cuyuna Substation near Riverton, Minnesota, to Otter Tail Power’s Maple River substation near Fargo, North Dakota. Approximately 95% of the project will be in Minnesota.
The MR-C Project, a new 345 kV double-circuit transmission line operated initially as a single transmission line, is one in a portfolio of transmission projects approved by the regional grid operator, Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), in 2024 as part of its long-range planning process to identify regional transmission needs.
According to the project partners, the MR-C Project will play an important role for northern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota as the grid becomes more interconnected. The project will enhance grid reliability, increase grid efficiency and flexibility as energy is transferred from where it is produced to where it is needed, and help meet increasing energy demand, the partners said.
Minnesota Power, Otter Tail Power and Great River Energy held a series of 18 open houses last year for the public to learn more about the project, ask questions and provide valuable input. Another round of open houses will take place in late March as the three utilities refine a proposed route and further prepare to submit a Route Permit application to the MPUC. The project also will need a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity and a Certificate of Corridor Compatibility and Route Permit from the North Dakota Public Service Commission.
The project is estimated to cost between $1.1 billion and $1.3 billion (in 2024 dollars).
About Minnesota Power
Minnesota Power provides electric service within a 26,000-square-mile area in northeastern Minnesota, supporting comfort, security and quality of life for 150,000 customers, 14 municipalities and some of the largest industrial customers in the United States. More information can be found at www.mnpower.com.
About Otter Tail Power Company
Otter Tail Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility that provides electricity to approximately 134,200 customers in 422 communities across 70,000 square miles in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
About Great River Energy
Great River Energy, Maple Grove, Minnesota, is a not-for-profit wholesale electric power cooperative which provides electricity to approximately 1.7 million people through its member-owner cooperatives and customers. Through its member-owners, the cooperative serves two-thirds of Minnesota geographically and parts of Wisconsin. Great River Energy has more than 5,100 miles of high-voltage transmission lines.
About ALLETE, Inc.
ALLETE, Inc. is an energy company headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota. In addition to its electric utilities, Minnesota Power and Superior Water, Light and Power of Wisconsin, ALLETE owns ALLETE Clean Energy, based in Duluth, Minnesota; BNI Energy in Bismarck, North Dakota; and New Energy Equity, headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland; and has an 8% equity interest in the American Transmission Co. More information about ALLETE is available at www.allete.com. ALE-CORP
ALLETE calculates and reports carbon emissions based on the GHG Protocol. Details in ALLETE’s Corporate Sustainability Report.
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