Minnesota Regulatory Filings

The Role of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission

The Public Utilities Commission must grant two major approvals before a transmission line can be constructed.  The Commission must grant a Certificate of Need and must issue a Route Permit specifying where the line is to be routed.  An environmental report is prepared by the Department of Commerce during the need process and an environmental impact statement is written during routing.

Minnesota Regulatory Process Fact Sheet
An explanation of the Minnesota Regulatory Process for High Voltage Transmission Lines.

Certificate of Need: Bemidji-Grand Rapids 230-kV CapX 2020 project

An Application for Certificate of Need for a 230-kV transmission line and associated system connections from Bemdji to Grand Rapids, Minnsota, was filed with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on March 17, 2008.

Certificate of Need – three 345-kV CapX 2020 projects (Rochester, Brookings, Fargo)

An Application for a Certificate of Need for three Cap X 2020 345-kV projects was filed with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission August 16, 2007.

Xcel Energy and Great River Energy submitted the following supplement to their application to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for the CapX 2020 Certificates of Need.

The Supplement provides all of the information required by the Commission's decision on October 30, 2007 for the Application to be accepted as substantially complete.

Search Supplement 1 (pdf)
Search Supplement 2 (pdf)
Search Supplement 3 (pdf)
Search Supplement 4 (pdf)
Search Supplement 5 (pdf)

Public Utilities Commission Orders on 345-kV CON  Click here

Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings

The CapX 2020 Certificate of Need application for three 345-kV lines has been referred by the MN Public Utilities Commission to the Office of Administrative Hearings and Administrative Law Judge Beverly Heydinger. The deadline for public comments to the ALJ (by e-mail, mail, or delivered) is September 26, 2008.
http://www.oah.state.mn.us/cases/250019350-capx2020/index.html

Route Permits

The other major approval necessary before a high voltage transmission line can be built is a Route Permit from the PUC. Once a Route Permit application is filed, the commission’s regulatory process begins. More information on the Route Permit is in the Minnesota Regulatory Process Fact Sheet