The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) plans to build 101 miles of transmission lines connecting the Alexandria Substation in Alexandria to the Minnesota/North Dakota border in Holy Cross Township. The project is estimated to cost $249.2 million, with construction slated to begin in 2028.
The Bison to Alexandria Second 345 Kilovolt (kV) Circuit Transmission Line initiative will expand existing transmission infrastructure, tacking on a second circuit to effectively transfer more power. Plans include upgrading various substations to accommodate the additional circuit. The project component cost breakdown is as follows:
- Building the second circuit 345 kV transmission line from the Minnesota/North Dakota state line to the Alexandria substation – $176 million.
- Building the second circuit 345 kV transmission line from the Bison Substation to the Minnesota/North Dakota state line – $52 million.
- Modifying the Alexandria Substation – $10.6 million.
- Modifying the Bison Substation – $10.6 million.
The project calls for installing roughly 107 monopole structures, with 86 of those being located within Minnesota. The structures will be built along existing right-of-way in the transmission corridor, addressing alignment changes and selected highway crossings. Project details include 82 concrete foundations to support monopole installation.
The completed expansion will cross through five counties: Clay, Wilking, Otter Tail, Grant and Douglas. In addition to building a second circuit, plans call for modifying the Alexandria Substation in Minnesota and the Bison Substation in North Dakota.
Improvements scheduled for the Alexandria Substation include buying new substation equipment needed to accommodate the 345 kV transmission line. These will include termination structures, circuit breakers, a reactor, relays and associated control equipment.
While the project will upgrade the Bison Substation, the installation lies outside the jurisdiction of MPUC and will need to be addressed in a separate filing. Once approved, modifications will include adjusting the ring bus configuration to a breaker and half configuration by adding one additional row to the 345 kV section of the substation.
Photo by Matteo Badini from Pexels
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