Report on the Statnett’s transmission line through reindeer territory:

Here’s a translation, but accuracy of translation?? And yeah, formatting is an issue…

Here’s the rough route of transmission:

And migration pathways of reindeer:

From fb post of Leif Arne Jåma on Fosen Vind:

The Fosen case I will probably never finish defending the grazing area for our reindeer. The Fosen case continues, only with the addition of new stages. Now it’s time again, this time it’s also about energy, now it’s the transport of the electric power. The largest power line to Statnett is planned to be built through one of the remaining winter pastures for our reindeer. Statnett has set the route

, and it has been assessed and assessed by Statnett’s permanent investigator company. We believe that this report does not measure up, because the investigator shows knowledge gaps about the reindeer’s behaviour and local reindeer herding conditions. The energy authorities (NVE) did not grant expropriation permission, because they are unsure whether the “monster line” could inflict a new human rights violation on us. Mao; The NVE also believes that the report is inadequate.

What do we do then? Well, you have to be pro-active, try to document the facts that are needed, so that the Ministry of Energy has a broad enough basis for deciding the case. Therefore, we contacted the very experienced reindeer herding researcher Jan Åge Riseth and asked if he could assist us. He responded positively, and with the talented Marit Østby Nilsen in addition, we became a solid small team, which together has a broad professional knowledge surface. Riseth is the author of the text and analyses in the report. Our co-creation of knowledge has resulted in a strong scientific report. Among other things, we have gathered experience from reindeer herders who have large transmission lines in their reindeer grazing districts. This was a great help in being able to calculate the impact of the planned power line here. Conclusion: We are not against this 420 kV line being built, but spare the grazing areas and undeveloped nature.

Some info on transmission lines and wildlife, including deer. I’m remembering from the Arrowhead Transmission Project some testimony of UV and deer…

One specifically about reindeer, but it’s OLD, had this even older tidbit:

High voltage transmission lines and their effect on reindeer: a research programme in progress

Lee & Reiner (1983) studied cattle behaviour near an 1100 kV prototype transmission line. The
cattle showed no obvious reluctance to graze or to consume water or salt beneath the 1100 kV line.
However, when the line was periodically turned off, the use of the pasture by the cattle increased.
When the line was re-energized, use of the pasture decreased.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A case study on the effects of a transmission-line corridor on Sika deer habitat use at the foothills of Mt Goyo, northern Honshu, Japan

Electric Transmission Lines | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Power lines and impacts on biodiversity: A systematic review

Effects of the Physical Presence of Transmission Lines

Wires and Wildlife: Transmission Development and Western Migratory Species

Wildlife and Integrated Vegetation Management on Electric Transmission RoW

Wildlife and electric power transmission – USGS Publications

Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR Notice Plan Petitions and Exemption Petitions dropped today.

You can also send comments online, for some reason they exclude this info. From the PUC page:

To submit a comment online, use this form

A written form is available. Email as an attachment or mail in. Please reference the docket number.

• Email: consumer.puc@state.mn.us
• Mail: Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, 121 7th Place East, Suite #350, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55101.
• Fax: 651-297-7073.
• EFile comments directly by creating your own account in eDockets. You must register and create an account in order to submit comments directly to the docket.

The three filings are identical, all filed in all four dockets, so that should make commenting easier, cut and paste, just like they did… I won’t bother posting the cover letter, yawn, but below, the meat of the filings, are the Notice Plan Petition and Exemption Requests:

Today, up for adoption at River Bluffs Humane Society, is the little kitty who was one of our feral bunch born under our porch. There was a momma cat and SEVEN kitties that appeared in July. Here’s my first sighting of the mama cat:

A couple weeks later, momma and the kitties appeared, and were so thin and hungry, we started feeding them and looking for a shelter that could take them in… Good luck with that…

And then a few weeks later, they scattered, some out onto West Ave and crossed it and up above in bushes. Some folks got together and captured mom and three of the kitties and took them home to care for them and eventually found people to take them in. They knew one other kitty was up above where they caught the three, but couldn’t catch that one.

During this time I was calling shelters all around the area, and NO ROOM IN THE INN.

Two were still here and we kept feeding and watering them, and sitting with them to turn them into socialists. Neighbor Mary found another one in bushes in a different location, so then there were three. But a week later or so, one disappeared, down to 2.

Then the drop trap I’d ordered arrived and we got them and I scheduled a vet appointment:

And then two days later, day of the vet appointment, the orange one disappeared. Learned that when I brought Maisy out and heard a little voice crying and crying… Barney was all alone and terrified.

All that was left of the orange kitty was a tuft of fur:

Quick set up Maisy’s downstairs crate and put it on the porch and got Barney to the vet.

Then about a week later, when I checked with the shelter, there was room! Dropped everything and ran Barney over there. He was scheduled for neuter, and we learned then that HE was a SHE and had to be rescheduled for a spay. I called up the vet and covered the cost of that, and it’s DONE!

Now he’s… errrr… SHE, is ready to go.

ADOPT THIS CAT!

Where?

Here we go again, a new bill to “STREAMLINE” transmission line permitting. As if our Minnesota 2024 legislative session wasn’t bad enough…

There’s been a LOT of talk about the energy use of data centers amongst the people, websites, and pages challenging data center proposals, there are MANY of them, at least 19, in Minnesota, in various stages from whispers to active to withdrawn:

• Rosemount – 4 active projects: Dakota East, Rich Valley East, Rosemount Industrial, and U-More
• Farmington – Farmington West and Farmington Tech Park
• Becker – Xcel – WITHDRAWN
• Chaska – no documentation yet
• Cannon Falls Industrial (the one I’m most familiar with)
• North Mankato – subject of MCEA lawsuit
• Hampton Industrial – Tech Park
• Lakeville Industrial – also subject of MCEA lawsuit
• Apple Valley – Tech Campus? Rockport Data Center?
• Eagan – thompson Reuters – ?? add to existing small one?
• Northfield – old and ? inactive
• Pine Island – Skyway
• Hermantown
• Faribault – Archer Data Center – Not AUAR – EAW?
• Monticello Tech/Monticello Industrial Park
• Monticello – Scannell Technology Park
• Others I’m missing? Let me know in comments!!

What bothers me is the histrionics, with zero specific information. The AUARs that I’ve seen say nothing about energy use, and those I’ve asked about it, particularly those spouting off about energy use, do not have any details. AAARGH. And the DOE says, “This load growth is not historically unprecedented and presents an economic opportunity.” So deep breathe???

I have found some info on tract’s page showing some in the ground and operating projects, tract data centers showing acreage and MW, which is helpful. Here’s the page, and here’s one example:

And the “project detail” page: https://www.tract.com/project/medina-technology-pa

But yesterday a friend sent an article with a couple of studies linked. First the article:

Researchers Just Found Something Extremely Alarming About AI’s Power Usage

And now the studies & reports:

Artificial intelligence: Supply chain constraints and energy implications (need to sign up to download)

And an EPRI Report (these have been so helpful over the years, particularly in coal gasification!):

And from that EPRI report, this map that is circulating:

Followed by Berkeley Lab:

From the Dept. of Energy:

• How AI Can Help Clean Energy Meet Growing Electricity Demand:
• Reports across the United States highlight a rapid increase in projected electricity demand, partly driven by growth from artificial intelligence (AI) and data center energy use.  This load growth is not historically unprecedented and presents an economic opportunity. In fact, DOE has more solutions and technologies available today than it did during previous decades of load growth to help meet growing demand. However, deploying these solutions in the near-term is incumbent on our ability to permit and build clean energy infrastructure.  
• AI FOR ENERGY: OPPORTUNITIES FOR A MODERN GRID AND CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY

A Congressional report with a LOT of links:

Data Centers and Their Energy Consumption: Frequently Asked Questions

Speaking of rabbit holes, this Congressional report has this most strange paragraph:

Footnote 69: Notice of Agreement, Tex. Blockchain Council v. Dep’t of Energy, No. 6:24-cv-99 (W.D. Tex. Mar. 1, 2024), ECF No. 24

The agreement — just WOW (is it a surprise there’s so little information available?):

And back to energy use by data centers, another article and links there:

We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. Here’s the story you haven’t heard.

• DOE Releases New Report Evaluating Increase in Electricity Demand from Data Centers

There’s an ICF report that I can’t get at… GOT IT!!

A couple of blurbs from our friends at Goldman Sachs:

For this one, note the little downward arrows — click to expand:

How AI Is Transforming Data Centers and Ramping Up Power Demand

And…