April 16, 2013 · 1:57 pm

Not-so-Great Northern Xmsn Line ramping up

GNTL_XmsnCorridors

There are meetings happening this week and next on the Great Northern Transmission Line, stretching from Manitoba south easterly toward Duluth.

Meeting schedule (or CLICK HERE):

Meetingsched

Where is this project at?  It’s just at the beginning.  To see what’s in the PUC’s docket thus far, go HERE and search for docket number 12-1163.  The Notice Plan and Exemptions from filing requirements have been approved by the Commission, so the Application is probably going to be filed any day now.

What is Minnesota Power saying about the Great Northern Transmission Project?  That’s their site, highlighted, and here’s handouts from prior meetings:

MN-GNTL Handout

Think we need it?  Think we don’t?  I need to do some digging this week, and I’ll post what I find.  But to be clear, I’ve never seen a transmission that was wanted for the reasons they say it’s needed.

Here’s the Certificate of Need process, roughly, and ignore the comments typed in about when Notice Plan comments are due, that’s history.  Remember that to have a seat at the table and the opportunity to influence what happens, it’s time to INTERVENE!!!

PUC Process-Edited

 

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January 16, 2013 · 5:15 pm

Not-so-Great Northern Transmission Line Comments

Comments were due today on Minnesota Power’s request for Exemptions from the rules governing content of Applications for a Certificate of Need for a transmission line.

map01

Look at the red on that map — potentially affected areas where MP is looking to put a transmission line.  WOOOOO-EEEE, that’s a lot of land!

Minnesota Power’s proposed Great Northern Transmission Line is inching along in the Certificate of Need process.  Here’s Minnesota Power’s site:

Great Northern Transmission Line page

And to look at the full docket, go to www.puc.state.mn.us, click on “Search eDockets” and search for 12-1163.  The application is expected sometime in March or so, but I’d guess it will be later.

Here’s how they plan to let people know about the project — it was filed a while ago, Comments were due, and I tried and tried to get people to comment, oh well, here’s what was filed about the Notice Plan filed in October and the Comments filed in November:

MP Great Northern Transmission Line Notice Plan

Commerce Comments on MP’s GNTL Notice Plan

Overland Notice Plan Comments

That’s sitting at the PUC now.  So where are we?  Just starting out…  Here’s a diagram of the hoops for the PUC process, edited a bit by yours truly for handouts at the meetings a couple months ago, we’re at the very first box in the chart:

puc-process-edited1

Today, comments were due on the Minnesota Power request for Exemptions from some specific rules, Reply Comments, that is.  Here’s what’s been filed:

Minnesota Power Exemption Request

Commerce Comments – Exemptions Request

MP Exemptions Reply Comments

Overland-Legalectric Reply Comments

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November 19, 2012 · 4:58 pm

Notice Plan – “Not-so-Great” Northern Transmission Line

mpbuildinglogo

Today Comments were due on Minnesota Power’s Great Northern Transmission Line.  I’m sorry, but I just can’t bring myself to call a transmission line “Great” and that’s just how it is…  Anyway, Minnesota Power is getting ready to file a Certificate of Need application, this is the lead up, what they have to do to provide notice to people when they actually file.  So here’s their draft plan:

Minnesota Power’s Notice Plan for Great Northern Transmission Line

Comments on that plan were due today.  Here’s what I filed:

Overland’s Notice Plan Comments, November 19, 2012

Here’s what Commerce filed earlier today:

MOES Comment – GNTL Notice Plan

moes-tavern

Haven’t gotten word on any others.

To keep an eye on what’s going on in this docket, go HERE and search for docket 12-1163.

A little sidebar here — while looking for a logo, some things popped out — did you know that Minnesota Power sponsors, with the Lignite Energy Council, a “Teachers Seminar” on coal?  It’s the only teacher workshop listed, though there are multiple listings under “School Programs” and “Educational Materials.”

Lignite Education Seminar

OH MY!  Check their “Electricity 101” pdf:

Electricity 101

p. 7:

1929—Stock market crash revealed that many holding companies were over-leveraged

–As a result, federal and state governments strengthened utility regulation.

There are some interesting charts and graphs in Electricity 101 that are interesting and that I’d like to see updated.  Hear that, MP!?!?!

mn-power-centennial-003

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November 8, 2012 · 7:20 am

Not-So-Great Northern Transmission

dsc01050

Got that?  NO hockey sticks in the hotel!

Yesterday, both meetings, in Hermantown and in Grand Rapids, were well attended.  The Hermantown municipal building is new, nothing like that was there last time I was in town, it’s been a while.  Very nice building, wonder if Minnesota Power’s Arrowhead transmission line had anything to do with that?

dsc01047

Here are copies of what I’ve been handing out:

Handout – November GNTL Meetings

Notice Plan Comment Form – click to download editable form

Notice Plan Comments are due November 19, 2012, and Reply Comments due December 10, 2012.  Send to burl.haar@state.mn.us, with “Great Northern Notice Plan Comments – Docket 12-1163” in subject line.

Minnesota Power’s Notice Plan for Great Northern Transmission Line

dsc01049

I’ve been looking for the studies that support this line, made some progress, but not enough, MISO has a page on the Northern Area Study.  Here’s the kind of map I find interesting, one that shows the flows and areas where they want more, from 20120921 Northern Area Study Transmission Design:

interfacecontour

Here are the docs listed (hey MISO, don’t bother deleting them, I’ve got them saved…):

Northern Area Study TRG
NAS_LDE_Congestion_09212012
NAS_IntcInterfaceFlows_NASUn_CA_09282012
NAS_IncInterfaceFlows_NASUn_SS_09282012
NAS_IncInterfaceFlows_EastUn_SS_09282012
NAS_IncInterfaceFlows_EastUN_CA_09282012
NAS_HDE_Congestion_09212012
NAS_BAU_Congestion_09212012
20121102 Northern Area Study TRG Agenda
20121102 Northern Area Study Presentation
20120921 Northern Area Study Transmission Design
20120921 Northern Area Study Presentation
20120921 Northern Area Study FULL RESULTS
20120921 Northern Area Study Economic Factors
20120921 Northern Area Study Agenda
20120801 Northern Area Study Scope
20120711 Northern Area Study Presentation Scope Follow-up
20120607 Northern Area Study TRG Presentation
20120607 Northern Area Study TRG Agenda

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November 4, 2012 · 3:12 pm

Transmission on the Range!

Posted previously on www.legalectric.org on November 4, 2012:

 GNTL_XmsnCorridors

It never ends.  Last week, open house meetings began for Minnesota Power’s recently announced Great Northern Transmission Line.

Great Northern Transmission Line meetings this week

Great Northern?  I guess we’re either being railroaded or being sold beans…

 locomotive_great_northern_railway_us i-beans-grnorth

Wednesday, November 7th

11:00 am – 1pm

Hermantown Government Services Building, Training Center Room
5105 Maple Grove Road
Hermantown, MN 55811

 

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Sawmill Inn
2301 South Highway 169
Grand Rapids, MN 55744

Thursday, November 8th

11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Hibbing Memorial Building Arena, Downstairs Dining Room
400 East 23rd Street
Hibbing, MN 55746

5:00 – 7:00 pm

Meadowlands Community Center
7758 Western Avenue
Meadowlands, MN 55765

I have a few questions, of course, that’s my job, but first, in Minnesota, transmission corridors are to be used, routes that don’t utilize existing corridors.  From an old EQB transmission map, here’s what I’ve got in that general area:

existingxmsngntlcorridors

And from an old MAPP map, between Blackberry and Hermantown, two named substations that this line will connect:

 corridors2blackberry

Again, this is an old map, and some things have changed…

  • one thing that’s clear from the MP map, if you zoom in, or go to google earth, the line going from Cohasset to Blackberry on the north, there are TWO lines in that corridor.  Need more info.
  • What are the conductor specs?  The line ratings are here in the MTEP 12 Appendix A, but why a 500kV line for so little MVA (click chart below for larger version)?

mtep12

 

To look at the Certificate of Need docket, go HERE – PUC’S SEARCH DOCKET PAGE and search for docket 12–1163.  After you look it up, you can subscribe for notice of future filings by clicking “SUBSCRIBE” and following the directions!

The Notice Plan is up for review:

Minnesota Power’s Notice Plan for Great Northern Transmission Line

This is the plan by which they’ll give people notice about the pending Certificate of Need application, and Comments are due by 4:30 p.m. November 19, 2012, and Reply Comments are due by 4:30 p.m. December 10, 2012. Email comments with “Notice Plan Comments  Docket 12-1163” in the subject and body of email to: burl.haar@state.mn.us.

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