Hiawatha Project

Xcel Energy has proposed the Hiawatha Project to make major improvements to the electric infrastructure in south Minneapolis in order to meet the area’s growing need for electricity.

The Hiawatha Project would construct two 115-kilovolt transmission lines along 29th Street E and the Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority Corridor in south Minneapolis. The 1.4 mile-long lines would connect to a new substation near the Hiawatha corridor and another new substation at Oakland Ave South. Pending regulatory review and approval, construction would begin in mid to late-2010 and be completed in 2011.

On April 24, 2009 Xcel Energy filed a Route Permit Application (Application) with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) -- officially beginning the state’s permitting process. The Application reflects the input we received from the public during months of outreach and includes multiple transmission line routes and design options -- with two underground options -- and alternative locations for both substations, as well as comments we received from stakeholders and resolutions passed by elected officials and community organizations.

What's New...

Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Available

On January 8, 2010 the Department of Commerce-Office of Economic Security (OES) issued its DEIS, which documents the potential environmental and human impacts of the Hiawatha Project and studies the range of proposed route alternatives and design options. Visit the DEIS document.

Read about the Environmental Impact Statement (28 MB PDF)

In February the OES will hold a meeting for the public to comment on the DEIS:

• 6:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, February 10, 2010
• Plaza Verde
• 1516 East Lake Street, Minneapolis

Comments on the DEIS can be submitted to the OES in person at the meeting, in writing, electronically, and by voice message.

The deadline for submitting comments is March 10, 2010.

For more information, contact the OES at 1-800-657-3794.

Deadline to Intervene in Contested Case Proceeding is January 20, 2010

Administrative Law Judge Beverly Heydinger is conducting a contested case proceeding on the Hiawatha Project. Individuals who are interested in becoming formal interveners must request to do so by January 20, 2010.

Contested case proceeding schedule:

• Public hearings scheduled April 5-6, 2010
• Evidentiary hearings scheduled April 12-21, 2010
• Deadline for comments scheduled April 28, 2010

The contested case proceeding allows intervening parties and the public to formally comment on the Hiawatha Project during a judicial proceeding. During the public hearings, the public will have an opportunity to submit comments, present evidence and ask questions. At the conclusion of the proceeding, Judge Heydinger will submit a report to the MPUC with findings and conclusions, along with her recommendation on a route permit for the Hiawatha Project. For more information about the contested case proceedings, contact the Office of Administrative Hearings at 651-361-7900.

Information Request Responses

The Hiawatha Project is currently in the contested case stage of the permit application process. Formal parties can submit information requests to one another and the Applicant, Xcel Energy. In order to help facilitate an open process and ensure the general public has access to Xcel Energy’s responses we will continually update the Hiawatha Information Responses Web page as additional information requests are received and responses are formally served.

Additional Information...

Need Document Available as of 4-24-09

The Distribution Planning Department of Xcel Energy has monitored the growing customer electric demand in south Minneapolis on an ongoing basis. A study of the area’s distribution delivery system was conducted in response to increasing load growth in the area and the results were compiled within the need document that was included in the Application for a route permit submitted to the MPUC.

• Appendix D 1-2-Project Need (1.4MB PDF)
• Appendix D 3-1 – Project Need ( 8.9 MB PDF)
• Appendix D 3-2 – Project Need ( 6.32MB PDF)
• Appendix D 4 – Project Need (1.4MB PDF)

Route Permit Application Contents:

• Project Filing Letter
• Project Application
• Appendix A – Notice to LGU Letters & B-8 – Maps
• Appendix B-9 – Maps & C – Rejected Substation Locations
• Appendix D 1-2 – Project Need
• Appendix D 3-1 – Project Need
• Appendix D 3-2 – Project Need
• Appendix D 4 – Project Need, Appendix E – Cultural Resource Assessment, Appendix F–Contaminated Sites
• Appendix G – Stakeholder Comments, Appendix H – Potentially Affected Landowners, Appendix I – Cost Assumptions, Appendix J – Agency Contacts
• Quick Project Overview, Executive Summary and Environmental Impacts Summary

The Application also is available online at the MPUC and printed copies of the application can be viewed at the following public library locations:

• Central 300 Nicollet Mall
• East Lake 2727 East Lake St.
• Franklin 1314 East Franklin Ave.
• Roosevelt 4026 28th Ave. South
• Hosmer 347 East 36th St.
• Nokomis 5100 34th Ave South

To order a copy of the application, contact RaeLynn Asah or call 612-330-6512 (Se habla espanol). Please specify the document format (paper or CD), the number of copies and your mailing address. We encourage CDs to save paper.

Sign up on the project mailing list to receive official project information and meeting notices from the MPUC.

Public Involvement Opportunities

The Minnesota Office of Energy Security has put together a diagram of public involvement opportunities in the permitting process. Visit Energy Facilities for more information.

Additional Information

• Fact Sheet
• Electric and Magnetic Field brochure
• Underground vs. Overhead Transmission Lines