Eagan council approves Great River Energy substation expansion, grants variance and conditional use permit

The Eagan City Council approved a conditional use permit and a 10-foot variance to the required 30-foot setback Tuesday for Great River Energy’s plan to rebuild and expand an electrical substation at 4380 Pilot Knob Road.

City Planner Schultz said the project would rebuild existing equipment, add new transmission structures and raise line capacity from 69 kilovolts to 115 kilovolts to “provide more reliable and resilient electrical service and accommodate future growth.” Schultz said the expansion will extend the fenced substation about 55 feet to the east and add two sets of three tower structures. The towers are 57 feet tall with lightning rods extending to about 67 feet, and the site includes a 24-by-36-foot nonhabitable electrical enclosure.

The project requires a conditional use permit because substations are allowed in the public facility zoning district only through such approval; staff also asked the applicant to submit the CUP to bring a long‑operating substation into compliance. Schultz said the proposed enclosure sits about 20 feet from Wilderness Run Road where a 30-foot setback is required, a placement the applicant says is necessary to meet Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers clearance standards and Great River Energy’s internal clearance requirements.

Anson Belcourt, field representative for Great River Energy, told the council the utility has submitted a landscape plan that proposes Arborvitae screening along the eastern and southeast property lines and is coordinating with the city forester to adjust planting density. Belcourt said the utility will finalize an easement within about 60 days and that Great River Energy owns the underlying property, including the area currently used for a former fire station and an EMS station operated by M Health Fairview.

Councilmember Hansen moved to approve the conditional use permit and later moved to approve the 10-foot variance; both motions were seconded and carried on voice votes. The council’s approvals are subject to the conditions listed in the advisory planning commission minutes, including submission of an acceptable screening plan. No members of the public spoke for or against the applications during the public comment period.

Schultz said the substation improvements are anticipated to begin in September 2025 and conclude in May 2027. The city staff report notes removal of five trees at the site and that, where space or drainage constraints prevent traditional re‑landscaping, the applicant should employ opaque structural screening in combination with plantings.

The council discussion focused on site configuration, safety setbacks and landscaping; the mayor and council members asked whether fencing would block public access to other city facilities on the parcel and whether the enclosure’s setback was driven by industry clearance standards. Schultz and Belcourt confirmed the fence would not block access to the adjacent buildings and said the setback reflects clearance standards for safe operation of the equipment.

With council approval, the project proceeds to final engineering and permit compliance consistent with the council’s conditions and the advisory planning commission’s recommendations.