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Public Utilities Commission Review of Energy Facilities
The Public Utilities Commission has responsibility for the site and route
permitting of certain energy facilities, including:
- Power Plant Siting: Electric power plants
generating more than 50 megawatts
- Transmission Line Routing: Electric
transmission lines operating above 100 kilovolts.
- Wind Turbine Siting: Wind energy conversion systems generating more than 5 megawatts.
- Pipeline Routing: Pipelines of six
inches or more in diameter that carry hazardous liquids, such as crude oil or
petroleum products, and gas pipelines designed for pressure of more than 275
pounds per square inch.
Public Participation
The Public Utilities Commission encourages and relies upon public participation in siting and routing decisions:
Notices, Press releases and meetings- 5
- Notice of Comment Period Extension for Proposed Brookings to Hampton 345 kV Transmission Line: Judge Richard Luis has extended the public hearing comment period for the Brookings to Hampton transmission line project until February 8, 2010. Comments may be submitted by U.S. Mail, Fax or email and should include the Office of Administrative Hearings Docket Number: 7-2500-20283-2. Mailed comments must be postmarked by this date. Faxed and emailed comments must be received by 4:30 PM on this date. | Notice details
- Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Monticello-St. Cloud 345 kV Transmission Project: OES has released the Draft EIS for comment. A Public Information Meeting will be held on the draft on February 9, 2010. A comment period will be open through 4:30 p.m. February 26, 2010 | Notice details
- Notice of DEIS Availability and Public Meeting: PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Minnesota Office of Energy Security (OES) announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Hiawatha Transmission Line Project for public comment, as well as the date, location and time for the public meeting | Notice details
- Notice of Public Information and EIS Scoping Meetings: OES is conducting public meetings along the proposed Fargo to St. Cloud 345 kV Transmission Line Project. The public is invited to attend to gather information and share comments on the project and potential alignment alternatives. A comment period on the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement is open through February 12, 2009 | Notice details
- Notice of Public Hearing on the Proposed Brookings to Hampton 345 kV Transmission Line (45 KB): The Office of Administrative Hearings will conduct Public Hearings at various locations along the length of the proposed project from November 30, 2009, to December 18, 2009. Public comments can be submitted to the Judge through 4:30 p.m. on January 15, 2010 | Notice details
Mailing Lists
Project documents are sent via regular U.S. post, as opposed to via email. Thus, when you sign up for a mailing list, be sure to enter your full
and correct address, to ensure that you receive project news.
- Mailing list for PUC Power plants and
transmission lines: Notice of any application for a power plant site
permit or transmission line route permit submitted to the PUC; notices of
the annual hearing required by Minn. Stat. § 116C.57 subd. 2b and Minn. Stat
§ 116C.58
- Register (if you have never established an account) Or
- Sign
on (if you already have established an account for other mailing lists)
- Individual project mailing lists: You may sign on to project lists through the individual project docket record (below) or by creating an account (above) and then using your user profile to subscribe and unsubscribe to lists.
- Docket: Current and past energy facility
projects.
Open projects- 25
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Paynesville Wind Farm :
Proposed 95 megawatt Large Wind Energy Conversion System in Stearns County.(Project docket)
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Hampton to Rochester to La Crosse 345kV and 161kV Transmission Line:
Xcel Energy Application to construct a new 345 kV and a new 161kV transmission line from the Hampton Substation, through Rochester, to a proposed substation in La Crosse, Wis.(Project docket)
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Pleasant Valley Wind Project:
Proposed 300 MW Large Wind Energy Conversion System in Dodge and Mower Counties.(Project docket)
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Lakefield Wind Project:
Proposed 205 Megawatt Large Wind Energy Conversion System (LWECS) in Jackson County. .(Project docket)
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Xcel Energy Pleasant Valley to Byron 161kV Transmission Line:
Xcel Energy application to build an 18.3-mile, 161kV transmission line in Dodge, Olmsted and Mower counties.(Project docket)
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Goodhue Wind Project:
Proposed 78 Megawatt Large Wind Energy Conversion System in Goodhue County. .(Project docket)
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Bitter Root Wind Farm Project:
Buffalo Ridge Power Partners, LLC, Proposed 138 Megawatt Large Wind Energy Conversion System .(Project docket)
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Fargo to St. Cloud 345 kV Transmission Project:
Xcel Energy and GRE Application to construct a new 345 kV HVTL between the new Quarry Substation near St. Cloud and a proposed Bison Substation in North Dakota.(Project docket)
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West Stevens Wind, LLC:
Site permit application for a 20 megawatt Large Wind Energy Conversion System (LWECS) in Stevens County, Minnesota.(Project docket)
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EcoEnergy 161kV High Voltage Transmission Line:
EcoEnergy proposes an 8-mile, 161kV HVTL and associated facilities in Bristol and Harmony Townships, Fillmore County to convey energy from the EcoHarmony West Wind Project.(Project docket)
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Greenvale Wind Farm:
Site Application for an 11 MW LWECS in Dakota County.(Project docket)
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Nashwauk Public Utilities Commission Essar Steel HVTL Project:
NPUC proposes to construct four 230 kV transmission lines and two 230 kV substations to supply electric power to the Essar Steel Minnesota project.(Project docket)
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Morgan Wind Project:
Site permit application for a 31.5 megawatt Large Wind Energy Conversion System (LWECS) in Brown and Redwood Counties.(Project docket)
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Elm Creek II Wind Project:
Heartland Wind, LLC, LWECS Site Permit Application for a 150 MW Wind Farm in Jackson and Martin Counties.(Project docket)
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Xcel Energy Hiawatha 115 kV Transmission Line Project:
The Hiawatha Project was designed to address the distribution system problems that exist in south Minneapolis. The Project consists of two new 115/13.8 kV distribution substations equipped with smart substation technologies, two 115 kV transmission lines and two new taps of the existing Elliot Park – Southtown 115 kV transmission line.(Project docket)
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Monticello to St. Cloud 345 kV Transmission Project:
Xcel Energy and GRE Application to construct and operate a new 345 kV HVTL between the existing Monticello Substation and a new Quarry Substation west of St. Cloud.(Project docket)
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EcoHarmony West Wind Project:
Proposed 280 Megawatt Large Wind Energy Conversion System in Fillmore County. .(Project docket)
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Brookings County - Hampton Transmission Line Project:
Proposed 345 kilovolt (kV) transmission line and associated facilities running from Brookings County, South Dakota, to Hampton, Minnesota.(Project docket)
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Noble Flat Hill Windpark I:
Site Application for a 201 MW LWECS in Clay County.(Project docket)
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Noble Flat Hill 230 kV HVTL:
Route Permit Application for the Noble Flat Hill Windpark I associated 230 kV Transmission Line Project.(Project docket)
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Bemidji - Grand Rapids 230 kV Transmission Project:
The proposed project is a 68-mile, 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line from Bemidji to Grand Rapids, MN.(Project docket)
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Mesaba Energy Project:
Excelsior Energy, Inc. proposes to construct a ~1,200 MW Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) large electric power generating plant (LEPGP) on the Iron Range tax relief area.(Project docket)
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Minor Alterations:
Minor Alterations to Transmission Lines or Large Electric Power Generating Plants.(Project docket)
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Local Review of High Voltage Transmission Lines:
A utility seeking a route permit for a transmission line that meets certain qualifications may elect to seek approval from a local unit of government with jurisdiction over the project. If local review is pursued, a permit from the PUC is not required. This docket contains those projects receiving local review.(Project docket)
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Annual Hearing - Energy Facility Permitting:
Annual Hearing for the Energy Facility Permitting program.(Project docket)
Recent Documents and Resources- 5
- Public Health Impacts of Wind Turbines: An evaluation of the potential health effects of low frequency vibrations and sound associated with wind turbines , May 29, 2009. () | Report details
- Wind Turbines in Minnesota, January 2009: A map depicting wind turbine locations in Minnesota and noting state and local permitting, February 13, 2009. (1.14 M, PDF) | Map details
- Electric and Magnetic Field (EMF) Policy and Mitigation Options: A white paper on electric and magnetic fields (EMF) prepared by the Minnesota state interagency working group - September 2002; posted, January 1, 2009. (413.67K, .pdf) | Report details
- Wind energy conversion systems project size determination: information form: Gathers information on proposed wind systems, December 30, 2008. (258.21K, .pdf) | Form details
- Minnesota electric transmission lines and substations, 60kV or larger, 2007: Map showing locations for power lines and substations, June 27, 2008. (1 M, 32x41 print size, PDF) | Map details
Older publications and media releases:
Power plants |
Pipelines |
Wind
power |
Nuclear power |
Transmission Lines
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