Home The Cooperative Way Making Electricity Delivering Electricity Saving Electricity Learn About About Us

We are using more electricity than ever before.

How we plan now will shape our energy future Electricity is so reliable it can be easy to take for granted. We stay awake long past sundown, enjoy cool air from our air conditioners and rely on electronic devices at work and home. Power lines rarely come to mind … until one hot summer day, or one cold winter evening, when the lights go out. That's why Great River Energy continuously monitors the system, participates in studies and works with other utilities to plan for future needs.

The role of transmission in our energy future

The power line system is an important part of any conversation today about increased use of electricity, conservation or renewable energy. To meet the future needs of our member cooperatives and the region, the power line system must remain strong enough to deliver electricity reliably. Sometimes that means building new transmission lines. Our future transmission needs are being driven in part by:

• Continued growth in use of electricity
• Renewable energy legislation and other pending legislation
• An aging transmission system, much of which was built in the 1950s and 1960s

Great River Energy’s Long-Range Plan

Engineers and transmission system planners at Great River Energy analyzed the existing transmission system and created the 2008 Long-Range Plan for the development of projects over the next 25 years. The plan is based on Great River Energy planners' analysis of the existing system, input from members and input from other utilities interconnected with Great River Energy's system.

View the 2008 Long-Range Plan to learn about:

• Specific findings for each of the 13 study areas
• System-wide summer and winter "peak" electric load growth projections
• Specific projects that may result from the analysis

View the maps below to see limitations on the transmission system in the following areas:

• Western Minnesota
• Northern Minnesota
• Southern Minnesota

State-wide planning with other Minnesota utilities

In addition to the Long-Range Plan Great River Energy develops for our service area, we also participate in a planning process the state of Minnesota requires to help ensure the integrity of the state's electric transmission system. All of Minnesota’s transmission –owning utilities must participate in this process, which is referred to as the “biennial planning process”. Together, Minnesota’s utilities study the state’s transmission needs and file a long-term plan with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC). The plan is filed every other year, on odd-numbered years, and is called Minnesota Transmission Projects Report.

You can get involved

Public input is encouraged throughout the biennial planning process mentioned above. The utilities involved have joined together to make information about the planning process readily available and to create opportunities for the public to share input. Visit minnelectrans.com to:

• View a list of the participating utilities
• Learn how to get involved in the biennial planning process
• View the 2009 Minnesota Transmission Projects Report
• Send questions or comments to the participating utilities

Studies

Planning for future system needs requires studying the expected effects of new legislation, changes in energy use, trends in generation and more. The following studies play an important role in transmission planning in Minnesota. For information about many transmission planning studies, visit studies and reports on minnelectrans.com.

• Renewable Energy Standard (RES) Study 2016: The purpose of this study is to provide an updated Vision Plan that addresses needs to support continued reliability of electric service. It also focuses on determining what transmission needs will be required to meet the 2016 milestone of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Standard and regional renewable energy supply needs.
• Renewable Energy Standard (RES) Study 2025: This study is similar to Vision Study 2016, but focuses on the transmission to meet the 2025 milestone of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Standard, renewable energy supply needs for the region and broader market areas, future base load generation needs and a possible new higher-voltage transmission overlay.
• Generation and Transmission Optimization Study: The purpose of this study is to analyze the tradeoffs between locating generation, primarily renewable energy sources, closer to load centers which would require less transmission versus locating it in areas further from the load centers which may have certain offsetting advantages, such as better average wind speeds.
• Distributed Renewable Generation Study: The Phase I goal of this study was to identify locations on the transmission system where 600 MW of relatively small renewable energy projects could be operated with few or no changes to the existing transmission system. The goal of Phase II was to identify locations for an additional 600 MW of dispersed renewable energy. View results.
• Corridor Study: This study was designed to determine if the existing 230-kV transmission line from Granite Falls to Shakopee needs to be upgraded to a higher voltage. Previous studies have shown this line significantly limits transfers of power from the west, particularly from generation in the Buffalo Ridge area and in eastern South Dakota.
• Capacity Validation Study: This study was developed by Minnesota transmission-owning utilities to identify how new transmission infrastructure noted in other studies would impact Minnesota’s electric transmission system. View reports.