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Planning commission approves Minnesota Power conditional use for 230‑kV line into Mercer County substation
Summary
The Mercer County Planning Commission on Sept. 18 approved Minnesota Power's conditional‑use request to build a roughly 0.3‑mile, 230‑kV transmission spur into a Mercer County substation; company representatives said the work is for future expansion and will put three poles in the county.
The Mercer County Planning Commission voted unanimously on Sept. 18 to approve Minnesota Power's conditional‑use application to construct an approximately 0.3‑mile 230‑kilovolt transmission line to its substation in Mercer County.
Minnesota Power representatives described the project as a short connection from Morton to the company's Mercer County substation, placing three poles in the county on a parcel described in the record as Sec. 36, T141N, R88W, about 19 miles south of Beulah. Company legal counsel explained that Public Service Commission practice now commonly treats corridor and route as a single PSC application, which affects how the project is reviewed at the state level.
The commission approved the application on a motion by Shane Cole, seconded by Gerald Bieber. All members present voted "aye." Commissioners were told the work is intended for future expansion and that construction is expected to begin in late fall 2026 or in early 2027.
Why it matters: The approval permits Minnesota Power to extend high‑voltage infrastructure into the county and reflects coordination with PSC procedures that can limit the county's permitting discretion over state‑regulated transmission projects. The record before the commission described the work as a short corridor addition with three poles inside county boundaries.
Details from the meeting: The application was presented as a conditional use in an agricultural zoning district where the company already owns a parcel and operates a substation. Commission minutes note company representatives and counsel explained PSC submission practices and confirmed the number of poles and approximate project timing; commissioners raised no conditions beyond the approval recorded in the minutes.
The planning commission's decision does not itself set a construction start date or contractor; Minnesota Power indicated the earliest construction window would be late 2026. The project remains subject to PSC review and any state permits the company requires.
