The first public steps toward identifying a route for a proposed transmission line from the Canadian border to the Iron Range have begun with 11 open houses being held around the region.

On Nov. 1, Minnesota Power played host to open houses in Littlefork and Baudette. People unable to attend a meeting in person can visit an online open house meeting site through Nov. 18 at www.GreatNorthernTransmission Line.com/online-meeting. 

The Littlefork meeting drew about 20 people who considered the proposal and the corridor for the route, according to Koochiching County Commissioner Mike Hanson.

“This is the first step to try to find a route that will get the power they need from Manitoba to Duluth,” said Hanson.

Hanson said options offered at the open house in Littlefork include following the existing route and routes “that make more sense economically or a route of ease.”

Minnesota Power officials, he said, estimate the planning of the route could take a couple of years.

“Until they get the final route, there probably isn’t any reason to get all up in arms. There will be individual concerns once they narrow the route down. I am sure they will have to come to some people for easements.”

Construction of the project is expected to begin in 2017, and be in service by June 1, 2020.

Minnesota Power reports it has proposed the construction of the transmission line to bring renewable, carbon-free energy from Canada and upgrade the Upper Midwest’s electric system.

Called the Great Northern Transmission Line, the transmission line is a proposed 500 kV line from the Canadian border to the Iron Range, with a 345 kV double circuit line from the Iron Range to near Duluth.

Amy Rutledge, Minnesota Power manager of corporate communications, said identifying the route is in its “early, early, early stage. This is all a pretty large study area we are still looking at, as far as what are the preliminary corridors and they are not the identified routes yet.”

The idea behind the open houses is to get input from residents and landowners in the process.

“We will take all this feedback from the 11 open houses, which provided really great input and helps us identify things not on our maps that would be obvious constraints. We will put that information into our study and then that helps us refine our study area or preliminary corridors.”

Rutledge said more opportunity for input will occur in the spring when the study area is further narrowed.

“I do think we will be out in the spring sometime to look at possible routes,” she said.

Hanson said identifying the routes will take time and involve various public agencies and private and public lands. Issues, he said, will likely involve skirting around certain lands, including wetland areas and other protected areas.

“They will winnow the issues down and the routes down and then get more public comment,” he said.

Hanson said the transmission line will help Minnesota Power meet state and federal requirements on using renewable power.

Minnesota Power has said the line will help diversify its energy fuel supply. The Great Northern Transmission Line will deliver hydropower and is a key component of the company’s long-term strategy to increase carbon-free energy and reduce emissions. In addition, they say the line is needed to increase energy to accommodate load growth in Minnesota Power’s service area, including the Iron Range, where several Minnesota Power industrial customers process taconite and manufacture paper.

The electricity from the line will be purchased from Manitoba Hydro, a Crown Corporation based in Winnipeg and the province of Manitoba’s major energy utility. It generates energy by way of hydroelectric dams in the northern part of the province.

Total project costs, ownership shares and cost allocation are still to be determined.

“We’re well positioned geographically to serve customers with emission-free energy, though transmission investments are required to move electricity where it’s needed,” said Alan R. Hodnik in a statement in February. Hodnik is chairman, president and CEO of Duluth-based ALLETE, of which Minnesota Power is a division. “Through this initiative and the significant capital expenditure it entails, we can meet the needs of our customers and provide a vital regional connection, linking renewable energy with millions of customers in the Upper Midwest. Through innovative and long-range planning, we are positively shaping the nation’s energy landscape.”

Minnesota Power provides electricity in a 26,000-square-mile electric service area in northeastern Minnesota. It supplies retail electric service to 144,000 customers and wholesale electric service to 16 municipalities. Its transmission and distribution components include 8,866 miles of lines and 169 substations. Minnesota Power’s transmission network is interconnected with the transmission grid to promote reliability and is part of a larger regional transmission organization called the Midwest Independent System Operator.