Studies and Reports > 2011 MN Biennial Report >Transmission Planning Zones

7.0 Transmission-Owning Utilities

7.1  Introduction

In the 2009 Biennial Report, the Minnesota Transmission Owners included a separate chapter that provided some background information about each of the reporting utilities and answered specific questions about transmission line ownership, transformer availability (for Northern States Power, Otter Tail Power, Minnesota Power, and ITC Midwest), maintenance expenses, and compliance with upcoming renewable energy milestones for each utility.  In this chapter in the 2011 Report, the utilities have provided the following information.

Background Information and Contact Person

For ease of reference, the utilities have provided much of the same background information that was provided in the 2009 Report.  This information relates to the history of the utility and the extent of its service territory and operations. An Internet link is provided where additional information about each utility can be found.  In addition, a Contact Person is identified for each utility. 

Transmission Line Ownership 

The utilities provided in the 2009 Report information on the miles of transmission owned by each utility.  The table below is the latest information on the transmission lines in Minnesota owned by each utility.  In addition, information specific to each utility is included in the discussion for that utility.

7.2  American Transmission Company, LLC

Background Information.  American Transmission Company, LLC began operations on January 1, 2001, the first multi-state electric transmission-only utility in the country.  The company is headquartered in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, with approximately 535 employees working in Wisconsin and Michigan. 

At least 28 utilities, municipalities, municipal electric companies, and electric cooperatives from Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois have invested transmission assets or money for an ownership stake in the company.  ATC is responsible for operating and maintaining the transmission lines of its equity owners.  It owns approximately 9,440 circuit miles of transmission lines and wholly or jointly owns 515 substations in portions of four states – Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota.  ATC has $2.9 billion in total assets. 

ATC is a transmission-owning member of the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator and its transmission system is located in both the Midwest Reliability Organization (MRO) and ReliabilityFirst Corporation (RFC). 

More information about the company is available on its web page at:

         http://www.atcllc.com

Transmission Lines.  ATC owns approximately 9,440 miles of transmission lines in total, twelve miles of which are located in Minnesota.  The transmission line segment in Minnesota extends from the Arrowhead Substation in the Duluth area to the St. Louis River and is part of the 220-mile 345 kV Arrowhead-Weston line that extends from the Arrowhead Substation to the Gardner Park Substation in Wausau, Wisconsin.  The Arrowhead-Weston line, which cost $439 million to construct, was energized in January of 2008.  Arrowhead-Weston provides such benefits as improving reliability, enhancing transfer capacity between Minnesota and Wisconsin, and providing ATC and other utilities greater opportunities to perform maintenance on other parts of the electric system, which reduces operating costs.

7.3  Dairyland Power Cooperative

Background Information.  Dairyland Power Cooperative, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, was formed in December 1941.  A generation and transmission cooperative, Dairyland provides the wholesale electrical requirements to 25 member distribution cooperatives and 19 municipal utilities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.  Today, the cooperative’s generating resources include coal, hydro, wind, natural gas, landfill gas and animal waste.  In 2010, Dairyland Power Cooperative joined a larger regional transmission organization called the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO).

More information about Dairyland Power Cooperative is available at:

http://www.dairynet.com

Transmission Lines.  Dairyland delivers electricity via more than 3,100 miles of transmission lines and nearly 300 substations located throughout the system’s 44,500 square mile service area.  Dairyland has the following transmission facilities in Minnesota:

7.4  East River Electric Power Cooperative

Background Information.  East River Electric Power Cooperative (“East River”), headquartered in Madison, South Dakota, is a wholesale electric power supply and transmission cooperative serving 20 rural distribution electric cooperatives and one municipally-owned electric system, which in turn serve more than 86,000 homes and businesses.  East River’s 36,000 square mile service area covers the rural areas of 41 counties in eastern South Dakota and nine counties in western Minnesota. 

Two of East River’s member systems have service areas entirely in western Minnesota and one member system has service areas in both eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota,  The remaining seventeen member systems have service areas entirely in eastern South Dakota.  Approximately 7,600 of the 86,000 homes and businesses served by East River’s 21 member systems are located in Minnesota.  Additional information about East River is available at:

More information about East River Electric Power Cooperative is available at:

         http://www.eastriver.coop

Transmission Lines.  East River delivers electricity via approximately 2,600 miles of transmission lines and 215 substations located throughout the system’s 36,000 square mile service area in eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota.  East River has the following transmission facilities in Minnesota:

7.5  Great River Energy

Background Information.  Great River Energy (“GRE”) is a not-for-profit electric cooperative owned by 28 member distribution cooperatives. The organization generates and transmits electricity for those members, which are located from the outer-ring suburbs of the Twin Cities, up to the Arrowhead region of Minnesota and down to the farming communities in the southwest part of the state. Great River Energy’s largest distribution cooperative serves more than 125,000 member-consumers, while the smallest serves approximately 2,400. Collectively, Great River Energy’s member cooperatives serve approximately 645,000 member-consumers, or about 1.7 million people.  In addition, Great River Energy is part of a larger regional transmission organization called the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO).

More information about Great River Energy is available at:

         http://www.greatriverenergy.com

Transmission Lines.  GRE has the following transmission lines in Minnesota:

Background Information.  The City of Hutchinson is located 55 miles west of Minneapolis in McLeod County and has a population of approximately 14,000 people.  The area is expected to continue to grow over the next decade.  The Hutchinson Utilities Commission was established in 1936 by the City of Hutchinson as a municipal public utilities commission under Minn. Stat. §§ 412.321 et seq., and added a municipal natural gas operation in 1960.  HUC provides electricity and natural-gas services to commercial and residential customers in Hutchinson.  Its largest commercial customers are 3M and Hutchinson Technologies, Inc. 

Additional information is available at:

         http://www.hutchinsonutilities.com/commission.html

Transmission Lines.  Hutchinson Utilities Commission owns 8 miles of a 69 kV transmission line and 9 miles of a 115 kV line in McLeod County. 

7.7  ITC Midwest LLC

Background Information: ITC Midwest LLC (“ITC Midwest”) is an independent transmission company subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp.  ITC Midwest purchased the transmission assets of Interstate Power and Light, a subsidiary of Alliant Energy, in December 2007.  The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved the sale in an Order dated February 7, 2008.  PUC Docket No. PA-07-540. 

ITC Midwest has headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and ITC Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Novi, Michigan.  ITC Midwest also has offices in Dubuque and Des Moines, Iowa, and in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Minnesota warehouses are located in Albert Lea and Lakefield, Minnesota. In addition, ITC Midwest’s transmission system is part of a larger regional transmission system called the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO.)

More information about ITC Midwest and ITC Holdings Corp. can be found at:

         http://www.itctransco.com

Transmission Lines.  The ITC Midwest system includes approximately 6,800 miles of transmission lines, operating at voltages from 34.5 kV to 345 kV in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. 

ITC Midwest owns approximately 1,029 miles of transmission line in the state of Minnesota, operating at voltages of 345 kV, 161 kV and 69 kV.    The total miles of these transmission lines are listed by voltage class in the table below.

7.8  L&O Power Cooperative

Background Information.  L & O Power Cooperative (“L&O”), headquartered in Rock Rapids, Iowa, is a wholesale electric power supply and transmission cooperative serving three rural distribution electric cooperatives.  These member cooperatives in turn serve more than 5,600 homes and businesses across Rock and Pipestone counties in southwest Minnesota, and Lyon and Osceola counties in northwest Iowa.  Approximately 2,700 of the total 5,600 total consumers served are located in Minnesota. 

Additional information about L&O is available at:

         http://www.landopowercoop.com

Transmission Lines.  L&O delivers wholesale electricity via approximately 193 miles of transmission lines and 16 substations located throughout the system’s four county service area in southwestern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa.  L&O has the following transmission facilities in Minnesota:

7.9  Marshall Municipal Utilities

Background Information.  Marshall Municipal Utilities (MMU) has been providing electric and water utility services to the City of Marshall for over 114 years.  Marshall is a community of approximately 13,000 people located in Lyon County in Southwest Minnesota approximately 30 miles east of the South Dakota border and 50 miles north of the Iowa border.  MMU is the second largest municipal utility in the state in terms of retail energy sales at over 602,775 MWhs sold in 2008.  MMU serves over 6,400 customers and has a peak demand of more than 85 megawatts.  

More information about MMU is available at:

                     http://www.marshallutilities.com/about

Transmission Lines.  Marshall Municipal Utilities owns 18.1 miles of 115 kV transmission line. 

7.10    Minnesota Power

Background Information.  Minnesota Power (MP), a division of ALLETE, is an investor-owned utility headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota.  Minnesota Power provides electricity in a 26,000-square-mile electric service territory located in northeastern Minnesota.  Minnesota Power supplies retail electric service to 144,000 retail customers and wholesale electric service to 16 municipalities. MP’s transmission and distribution components include 8,866 miles of lines and 169 substations. Minnesota Power’s transmission network is interconnected with the transmission grid to promote reliability and is part of a larger regional transmission organization called the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO).

More information is available on the company’s web page at:

         http://www.mnpower.com

Transmission Lines.  The number of miles of transmission in Minnesota owned by Minnesota Power is shown in the following table.

7.11    Minnkota Power Cooperative

Background Information.  Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc. (Minnkota) is a regional generation and transmission cooperative serving 11 member-owner distribution cooperatives in eastern and northwestern Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota.  Minnkota’s service area is approximately 34,500 square miles over the two states.  Minnkota is also the operating agent for the Northern Municipal Power Agency (NMPA).  Together Minnkota and the NMPA comprise the Joint System. 

Additional information about Minnkota is available at:

         http://www.minnkota.com

Transmission Lines.  The Joint System owns 1,384.93 miles of transmission line in Minnesota and 1670.44 miles in North Dakota. The miles of Minnesota transmission lines are shown in the following table:

  
7.12   Missouri River Energy Services

Background Information.  MRES began in the early 1960s as an informal association of northwest Iowa municipalities with their own electric systems that decided to coordinate their efforts in negotiating the purchase of power and energy from the United States Bureau of Reclamation of the United States Department of the Interior (“USBR”).  MRES was established as a body corporate and politic organized in 1965 under Chapter 28E of the Iowa Code and existing under the intergovernmental cooperation laws of the states of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.  Municipalities in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota subsequently joined MRES pursuant to compatible enabling legislation in each state.

MRES is comprised of 60 municipally owned electric utilities in the States of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.  The MRES member cities’ service territories roughly coincide with the boundaries of the respective incorporated cities.  MRES has no retail load, and all of its firm sales are made to municipal or other wholesale utilities.  MRES acts as an agent for the Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (“WMMPA”), which itself was incorporated as a municipal corporation and political subdivision of the State of Minnesota.  WMMPA provides a means for its members to secure, by individual or joint action among themselves or by contract with other public or private entities within or outside the State of Minnesota, an adequate, economical and reliable supply of electric energy.  Current membership in WMMPA consists of 24 municipalities, of which 23 are MRES’ members located in Minnesota, each of which owns and operates a utility for the local distribution of electricity. In addition, MRES is part of a larger regional transmission organization called the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO).

More information about Minnesota River Energy can be found at:

         http://www.mrenergy.com

Transmission Lines.  Missouri River Energy Services has 212.22 miles of 115 kV transmission lines and 10.97 miles of 230 kV transmission line in Minnesota. 

7.13    Northern States Power Company

Background Information.   Northern States Power Company, a Minnesota corporation (NSP), is a public utility organized under the laws of the State of Minnesota, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Xcel Energy Inc., a publicly-traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.  NSP is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Xcel Energy Inc.’s other utility subsidiaries are Northern States Power Company, a Wisconsin corporation (NSPW), headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Public Service Company of Colorado, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and Southwestern Public Service Company, headquartered in Amarillo, Texas.  NSP provides electricity and natural gas to customers in a service territory that encompasses the Twin Cities, many mid-size and small towns throughout Minnesota, and also to portions of South Dakota and North Dakota.  NSP and NSPW operate an integrated generation and transmission system (the NSP System).  In addition, Northern States Power Company is part of a larger regional transmission organization called the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO.)

More information can be found on Xcel Energy’s web page at:

         http://www.xcelenergy.com 

Transmission Lines.  Northern States Power Company owns over 4,500 miles of transmission lines in Minnesota.  The miles of Minnesota transmission lines are shown in the following table. 

7.14    Otter Tail Power Company

Background Information.  Otter Tail Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility headquartered in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and a subsidiary of Otter Tail Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select Market: OTTR). It provides electricity and energy services to more than a quarter million residential, commercial, and industrial customers throughout Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota, with approximately 60,600 customers in Minnesota.  The company was originally incorporated in 1907, and first delivered electricity in 1909 from the Dayton Hollow Dam on the Otter Tail River.  In addition, Otter Tail Power Company is part of a larger regional transmission organization called the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO.)

To learn more about Otter Tail Power Company visit www.otpco.com. To learn more about Otter Tail Corporation visit www.ottertail.com.

Transmission Lines.  OTP has the following transmission lines in Minnesota:

7.15    Rochester Public Utilities

Background Information.  Rochester Public Utilities (RPU), a division of the City of Rochester, Minnesota, is the largest municipal utility in the state of Minnesota.  RPU serves over 45,000 electric customers.  In 1978, Rochester joined the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA) with City Council approval.  Initially, RPU was a full-requirements member with SMMPA controlling all of Rochester’s electric power. Today, RPU is a partial requirements member of SMMPA and retains control over its own generating units.  All of RPU’s load and generation are serviced by the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) through its market function. 

More information about Rochester Public Utilities is available at:

         http://www.rpu.org/about-rpu/

Transmission Lines.  Rochester Public Utilities owns 40.51 miles of 161 kV transmission line in Minnesota. 

7.16     Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency

Background Information.  Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (“SMMPA”) is a not-for-profit municipal corporation and political subdivision of the State of Minnesota, headquartered in Rochester, Minnesota.  SMMPA was created in 1977, and has eighteen municipally owned utilities as members, located predominantly in south-central and southeastern Minnesota.  SMMPA serves approximately 92,000 retail customers.  In addition, SMMPA is part of a larger regional transmission organization called the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO.).

More information about SMMPA is available at:

         http://www.smmpa.com

Transmission Lines.  Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency has the following transmission lines in Minnesota:

   
7.17    Willmar Municipal Utilities

Background Information.  Willmar, a regional center for West Central Minnesota, is located 100 miles west of the Twin Cities.  It is the Kandiyohi County Seat with a population of 19,000.  Willmar Municipal Utilities maintains an electric system that currently has four substations with 190 miles of distribution lines and 35 miles of transmission lines. 

Additional information is available at:

         http://wmu.willmar.mn.us

Transmission Lines.  Willmar Municipal Utilities owns 21.5 miles of 69 kV transmission line and 13.5 miles of 230 kV transmission line in Minnesota.