Public Meetings Seek Input on Proposed Iron Range Transmission Line

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission rescheduled its public meetings on a proposed 63-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line through St. Louis County after canceling a first round in February at the project applicants' own request, and the new window for public input closes April 23.

The project, called the Iron Range – St. Louis County – Arrowhead Transmission Project, is proposed jointly by Minnesota Power and American Transmission Company. It forms part of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator's Tranche 2.1 regional grid portfolio, approved in 2024, which is designed to strengthen high-voltage transmission across the Upper Midwest.

Three in-person sessions are scheduled across the Iron Range and St. Louis County region, with the first set for Tuesday, April 7, at the AAD Shrine Event Center in Hermantown. A virtual option follows on April 9 at 6 p.m. Each in-person meeting will be preceded by a one-hour open house, giving attendees time to examine project maps and speak directly with MPUC staff and company representatives before the formal session begins.

The project would be built in three segments. The first adds 32.7 miles of new 345 kV line along existing transmission corridors running from the Iron Range Substation near Grand Rapids northward through St. Louis County. The second replaces 33.3 miles of existing 230-kilovolt infrastructure with higher-capacity 345 kV line from north of the St. Louis River to Minnesota Power's St. Louis County Substation in Solway Township, near Hermantown. The third segment, 1.5 miles, connects that substation to ATC's Arrowhead Substation.

The scoping phase carries outsize procedural weight: comments submitted now determine which environmental and resource questions regulators are legally required to investigate during the formal review, covering issues such as wetlands, visual character, electromagnetic fields, migratory bird corridors, and cultural and historic sites. Landowners near proposed corridors have a direct stake as well, because route alternatives identified during scoping can influence which private properties are ultimately affected and under what compensation terms.

Tribal governments, county officials, and resource agencies are encouraged to engage early. Securing analysis of specific resources, such as named lakes, wetland complexes, or cultural sites, is far easier during scoping than after the review scope has been formally set by the commission.

Written comments will be accepted through April 23 and become part of the official MPUC record that commissioners will weigh alongside the certificate of need and route permit applications. Those unable to attend in person can reach the commission at 651-296-0406 or consumer.puc@state.mn.us. A final commission decision on the project, if it proceeds through full environmental review, could be many months to years away.