Minnesota Power energizes Great Northern Transmission Line, bringing 250 MW delivery capabilities online

A line running from Canada and through two states — the Great Northern Transmission Line — came online this week, providing Minnesota Power customers 250 megawatts of hydropower-generated energy.

The sprawling, 224-mile line runs across two states in the process, crossing from the Manitoba-Minnesota Transmission Project at the border to a substation near Grand Rapids, Minnesota. It sports 800 tower structures along the way, along with around 2,200 miles of wire for its conductors. This, Minnesota Power said, will expand renewables’ role in the larger North American grid.

“This is such an incredible achievement for Minnesota Power, ALLETE, and our region, and is the culmination of a decade-long vision brought to life by our talented and dedicated employees,” ALLETE President and CEO Bethany Owen said. “The GNTL will help Minnesota Power to provide our customers with 50 percent renewable energy less than a year from now. As part of our EnergyForward strategy, it also strengthens the grid across the Midwest and in Canada, enhancing reliability for all of our customers.”

With the GNTL now energized, Minnesota Power gained a critical forward step for its EnergyForward strategy, designed to transition the company away from coal and into more renewable sources of energy, while maintaining reliable and affordable service. The root of that initiative — and part of a broader strategy at ALLETE — all stemmed from a 250 MW purchase of hydropower from Manitoba Hydro, ALLETE Executive Chairman Al Hodnik explained. In the process, arrangements were also made to swap wind power from North Dakota to Minnesota.

Importantly, tribes were consulted for the project beginning in 2012, along with an assortment of federal, state, and local agencies. Construction began in early 2017.

“The completion of Minnesota Power’s Great Northern Transmission Line and our Manitoba-Minnesota Transmission Project is a testament to the creativity, perseverance, cooperation, and skills of hundreds of people over so many years on both sides of the border,” Jay Grewal, president and CEO of Manitoba Hydro, said. “Perhaps even more importantly, it is a testament to the wonderful, longstanding relationship between our two companies and two countries. It shows just how much we can accomplish when we all work together toward a common goal.”