Minnesota Power outlines 345 kV Maple River–Cuyuna transmission project, seeks public input on route

Minnesota Power representatives told the Crow Wing County Board on Oct. 14 that the company, working with Otter Tail Power and Great River Energy, intends to build a new overhead 345 kilovolt transmission line connecting Otter Tail’s Maple River substation (near Fargo, North Dakota) with Minnesota Power’s Cuyuna (Kiyuna) substation in Ironton.

The project will be designed on double‑circuit capable structures, the utility said, with approximately 160 miles of line under study and preliminary routing in development. “The project itself will be jointly owned by Minnesota Power, along with Otter Tail Power and Great River Energy,” Drew Janke, environmental compliance specialist for Minnesota Power, told the board. He said the line would initially operate as a single circuit though both sets of conductors would be installed and jumpered during initial construction.

The company described the project as intended to enhance regional reliability, increase transmission capacity, meet growing demand and improve resiliency during extreme weather. Janke…