Xcel, Other Utilities Plot T&D Growth in North Dakota, Minnesota

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Written by Will Ploch, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Xcel and four other Midwestern utilities are working to strengthen power-transmission capacity between two states, with another line possibly supporting growth in Minnesota.

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Stronger Ties for Two States

Northern States Power Company, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy Incorporated (Minneapolis, Minnesota), is spearheading an effort to bolster transmission and distribution (T&D) capacity between Minnesota and North Dakota through improvements and expansions to an existing 345-kilovolt (kV) line. The utilities involved aim to address thermal and voltage issues by constructing a second circuit to the line, which runs from Douglas County, Minnesota, to Cass County, North Dakota. Industrial Info is tracking more than $12 billion worth of active and proposed T&D projects in Minnesota and North Dakota, including four projects related to the Xcel-led effort.

Four other Midwestern utilities are joining Northern States Power in the effort: Great River Energy (Maple Grove, Minnesota); Minnesota Power, a subsidiary of ALLETE Incorporated (Duluth, Minnesota); Missouri River Energy Services (Sioux Falls, South Dakota); and Otter Tail Power, a subsidiary of Otter Tail Corporation (Fergus Falls, Minnesota). The five entities filed an application January 15 with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to develop the second circuit, and they expect to file an application with North Dakota's regulators soon.

"The project involves adding a new, 345-kV transmission circuit on mostly existing transmission line structures from the existing Bison Substation near Fargo, North Dakota, to the existing Alexandria Substation in Alexandria, Minnesota," the application said. "The existing 345-kV structures were previously permitted and constructed as double-circuit cable as part of the Fargo--St. Cloud 345 kV Transmission Project."

Improvements to the Bison and Alexandria substations will support development of the expanded line. Xcel and its partners said in the application that all new infrastructure would be added within the existing right-of-way, which was completed as part of the Fargo--St. Cloud project about a decade ago.

The project, if approved and executed, would be owned by the five participating utilities, with Xcel acting as project manager and construction supervisor. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Plant and Project databases can learn more about the Douglas-Cass County project--including capacities, investment values and necessary equipment--from detailed profiles of the Bison and Alexandria substations, and from a detailed list of project reports.

By the Numbers

• Five: Number of utilities supporting the Douglas-Cass County project
• More than 100 miles: Length of the proposed Alexandria-Big Oaks line
• More than $12 billion: Total investment in T&D projects in Minnesota and North Dakota.

More Possibilities in Minnesota

Xcel is considering a separate T&D project for Minnesota: the Alexandria-Big Oaks line, a 100-plus-mile line that would run from the Alexandria Substation to the proposed Big Oaks Substation in Becker, Minnesota, which would sit on Xcel property near the company's Sherco Solar Power Plant. If approved, the project could be developed in the same timeframe as the Douglas-to-Cass County project.

The Alexandria-Big Oaks line is supported by the same five utilities as the Douglas-to-Cass County project, with Xcel acting as manager. Subscribers can learn more from detailed project reports on the Alexandria-Big Oaks line and Big Oaks Substation, and a detailed profile of the Sherco Solar Power Plant.

"In recent years, [Minnesota] utilities have added new renewable energy, such as wind and solar, and retired aging plants," the utilities said on a website dedicated to Alexandria-Big Oaks and related developments. "Additional plant retirements and renewable additions throughout the region require us to build new transmission projects to deliver electricity from where it's generated to where it's used. Additionally, as the system has changed, the existing system is under stress and experiences congestion, which limits the amount of electricity that can reliably be delivered to customers."

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for active and proposed T&D projects in Minnesota and North Dakota.

Key Takeaways

• Xcel is leading an effort to bolster T&D capacity between North Dakota and Minnesota.
• The project will run along mostly existing transmission line structures and between two existing substations.
• Xcel also is considering a line that would run from one of these substations to a new substation in Minnesota.

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About IIR News Intelligence
IIR News Intelligence is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR News Intelligence) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).