Legalectric

It’s that time of year, the most wonderful time of the year…

BUT what does this mean? Now it’s the “annual hearing on the Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act.” Last legislative session there were so many changes, and one that I think has “unintended” consequences is that it is no longer the “Power Plant Siting Act,” originally Minn. Stat. ch. 116C, then 216E, and now 216I.

Here’s the notice:

Got that — it’s on Tuesday, at too early o’clock:

What’s the point? Well, I do ask myself that every year. Here’s what the Notice says:

I’ve been attending since ?? I think 1998, during Nuclear Waste Daze. Much has changed since then, particularly public participation — opportunities have been cut and application review has been shortened to make it “more efficient,” a la the multiple statements by Commissioners, “what can we do to make this faster”

Siting infrastructure is more important now than ever since the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has abdicate “approval” authority to MISO, and that we’re looking at lattice-tower 765V transmission lines marching across Minnesota. All this transmission with a stagnant peak demand:

And remember this from Xcel’s 2022 SEC 10K filing, page 36:

But supposedly we “need” all this transmission? What’s the rate of return for this capital investment? And what do transmission owners collect for transmission service on these lines? There are two large revenue streams here:

As if Tranche 1 wasn’t enough?

Oh, but wait, before that, there were all those MVP projects, in Minnesota along the Iowa border:

And of course, CapX 2020, from the 2006 Certificate of Need application, not very colorful (and the Bemidji to Grand Rapids line was applied for separately):

Here’s a rough artist’s (!) perception of what all that looked like with the SW MN 345kV, CapX 2020, MVP Portfolio (in MN), and MISO’s Tranche 1 for a past Power Plant Siting Act Annual Hearing. I need to update and also check to make sure everything’s included:

Right now, here’s where we’re at. Trying to track this, much less catch up from a month in Norway, is a royal pain. There’s just too much:

If you’ve not read Paul Wellstone & Mike Casper’s “Powerline: The First Battle of America’s Energy War,” now’s a good time. You can usually find a copy at abebooks.com.

MISO, you’re giving miso a bad name:

Here are the Administrative Law Judge’s summary of comments — after this, it just goes into a black hole at the PUC. Here’s last year’s and then 23 more years:

• 2000 Summary of Proceedings
  2000 Report EQB
  2001 Summary of Proceedings
  2001 Report EQB
  2002 Summary of Proceedings
  2002 Report to EQB
  2003 Summary of Proceedings
  2003 Report to EQB
  2004 Summary of Proceedings
  2004 Report to EQB
  2005 Report to PUC
  2006 Report to PUC – Docket 06-1733
  2007 Report to PUC – Docket 07-1579
  2008 Report to PUC – Docket 08-1426
  2009 Report to PUC – Docket 09-1351
  2010 Report to PUC – Docket 10-222
  2011 Report to PUC – Docket 11-324
  2012 Report to PUC – Docket 12-360
  2013 Report to PUC – Docket 13-965
  2014 Summary Report– Docket 14-887
  2015 Summary Report – Docket 15-785
  2016 Summary Report – Docket 16-18
  2017 Summary Report – Docket 17-18
  2018 Summary Report – Docket 18-18
  2019 Summary Report_- Docket 19-18
  2020 Summary Report – Docket 20-18
  2021 Summary Report – Docket 21-18
  2022 Summary-Report_- Docket 22-18
  2023 Summary Report – Docket 23-18

We’re hearing a lot about potential data center demand for electricity. MISO recently released its “Expedited Project Review Results and Recommendation,” plans that, well, one could be a data center, and one is for sure.

On page 4-5, there’s a new 40MW load for West Glencoe. As you know, or should know, Glencoe is the site of “Bit 41” data mining which has been a problem for neighbors due to the noise.

Bit 49 crypto-currency in the news October 1st, 2022

The West Glencoe new substation is for a new 40 MW load, not much for a data center, so is it? No clue. Note the “N-1-1 low voltage concerns.”

On pages 5-6, there’s one that is expressly for a data center, 20 MW load (which isn’t much in the data center world). Look at the red star on the map, and granted it’s vague, but it looks to be the same location.

This new 1,000 MW load, across the river from St. Louis, what could that be???

Another new 1,000 MW load in same area, on the Missouri side of the river:

Those last two are from pages 12-27 of this Expedited Project Review Results and Recommendation, a cluster of projects all in the same area on both sides of the Mississippi River.

DOH: Kremlin hails Trump’s national security strategy as aligned with Russia’s vision

Here it is, you MUST read this, it’s beyond Project 2025, a horrific statement that is an extreme shift in U.S. policy, extreme shift in the most basic U.S. assumptions — such blatant white supremacist ideology:

The Trump administration has announced its intention to invade Minnesota this week.

Report: ICE headed to Twin Cities targeting Somali immigrants

Trump targets Minnesota’s Somali community with harsh words and policies

Claims that Somali immigrants “contribute nothing,” “have caused a lot of trouble,” and repeatedly calling Somalis “garbage,” including Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar.

Abandoning all subtlety, Trump calls Somalis ‘garbage’ as part of a racist rant

Trump calls Ilhan Omar ‘garbage’ and says Somalis should ‘go back to where they came from’

From that article:

And about Rep. Ilhan Omar:

And planning an operation here in Minnesota this week:

How to deal with this ugliness? Obscene isn’t a strong enough word — and this guy is “President?”

Missed all the “open houses” for “Power On Midwest?” I did… sigh… It’s a big project, to put it mildly:

Info from the “POWER ON MIDWEST” website.

Keep an eye on it for additional info. There were a LOT of open houses announced in October, way too many to cover. I wasn’t here in October, and by happenstance learned of the last one on the 14th of November when in Cannon Falls… arrrrrgh, I could have shown up at that one.

They’ve divided it up into segments consistent with the initial filings with the Public Utilities Commission:

• Big Stone South-Brookings County-SD/MN Border (South Dakota)
• SD/MN Border-Lakefield Junction
• Lakefield Junction-MN/IA border
• Lakefield Junction-Pleasant Valley-North Rochester
• Pleasant Valley-North Rochester-Hampton

Do note that all the Commission dockets are now consolidated under CN-25-117 (adding CN-25-118, CN-25-119, and CN-25-120).

FYI, aren’t these 765kV structures decorative?

I must admit that I appreciate their mention of “Buy the Farm” at this stage of the process, and hope they continue. From their boards at the open houses:

Here’s their link to all those boards.

Keep an eye on that CN-25-117 docket. To do that, go to eDockets HERE at the PUC, click on eDockets again, and enter the docket number as below, click “search” and there ya are:

Onward…