Great River Energy Environmental Documentation
Hennepin County, Minnesota

Project Details:
Great River Energy (GRE) is a power generation and distribution cooperative based in Elk River, Minnesota. The cooperative provides electrical energy and related services for 29 member cooperatives, including Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association (WHCEA). Due to the growth in these service areas during the past several years and the moderate growth that is expected to continue, the existing 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission system is approaching or has already exceeded its capacity limit. This growth is reducing the reliability of the 69-kV transmission system and increasing the potential for brownouts, rotating blackouts, and other safety concerns related to overloaded equipment.

To address the current and future reliability of the transmission system for the Plymouth and Maple Grove areas, GRE proposed converting portions of the existing 69-kV system to a 115-kV system. The project required approximately 13 miles of new 115-kV transmission lines that connected to new sources at the Xcel Energy Elm Creek Substation and the Xcel Energy Parkers Lake Substation.

GRE prepared a Minnesota Public Utility Commission Certificate of Need (CON) application for a large, high voltage transmission line in Hennepin County to meet the electrical needs for WHECA’s Plymouth and Maple Grove customers. Houston Engineering assisted GRE during the preparation of the CON for the Minnesota Public Utility Commission. The CON included the following Project Corridor characteristics:

• Hydrologic features such as lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands
   
• Natural vegetation and associated wildlife
   
• Physiographic regions
   
• Land-use types including residential developments, commercial and industrial developments, recreational areas, prime farmland, wooded areas, and mining areas
   
• Railroads
   
• Endangered species and critical habitat areas
   
• Historic and archeological sites
   
• Federal-, state-, and county-controlled lands

Project Benefits:

• Focused field reconnaissance helped characterize the transmission corridor environmental setting for the Minnesota Public Utility Commission Certificate of Need
   
• Clear communication with state agencies, Hennepin County, and the Cities of Plymouth and Maple Grove, which outlined the environmental setting of the proposed transmission corridor and moved the project forward in a timely manner