The US Department of Energy and the Minnesota Department of Commerce have issued the final environmental impact statement for the Great Northern transmission line, which will supply hydro power from Canada to the US state.
The statement concludes the successful review of the project’s environmental impacts and clears the way for a route permit decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in early 2016.
The DOE’s proposed action is the issuance of a Presidential Permit that would authorize Minnesota Power to construct, operate and maintain the transmission line.
The Great Northern line will be a 500-kilovolt, 220-mile line that will run from the Canadian-US border northwest of Roseau in Minnesota to an expanded Blackberry electric substation east of Grand Rapids.
The international power line will be used to deliver hydro power bought from Manitoba Hydro to Minnesota Power’s customers.
On the Canadian side, on 23 September, Manitoba Hydro filed its environmental documents and final preferred route with provincial regulators as part of the process for securing a license for the transmission line in Manitoba.
Minnesota Power chief operating officer Brad Oachs said: “We are extremely satisfied that, after almost two years of comprehensive agency review and many years of voluntary stakeholder engagement by Minnesota Power, the Department of Energy and Minnesota Department of Commerce have released the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
“Release of the FEIS is an important step as we plan for a sizable new capital investment in Upper Midwest transmission that carries economic, reliability and renewable energy benefits.”
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