Contact: Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Daniel P. Wolf
Telephone 651-201‐2217
Fax: 651-297‐7073 

ST. PAUL – The Upper Midwest Transmission Development Initiative (UMTDI) today issued a report that identified six possible renewable energy transmission corridors capable of connecting an estimated 15,000 megawatts of potential wind development in the region. The UMTDI consists of representatives of the Governors’ offices and public utility commissions in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Commissioner David Boyd is the Minnesota Commission’s representative on UMTDI and served as Co-Chair of UMTDI along with Commissioner Eric Callisto of the Wisconsin Commission. The goal of this five-state effort is to identify regional transmission planning and cost allocation issues associated with the delivery of renewable energy from wind rich areas to the region’s customers and to address factors that limit the economic potential of the region’s wind and other clean energy. 

The Report addresses the critical issues of system planning and cost allocation from a high-level, regional perspective. The UMTDI identified 20 renewable energy zones within the region to serve as proxies for likely regional growth in renewable energy. These zones were carefully balanced between those close to customers (and thus requiring less transmission investment) and those with a stronger wind resource (which are generally farther from customers and thus require more transmission capacity). The estimated 15,000 megawatts of potential wind is the amount needed to serve the existing clean energy obligations of the five states; and the zones identify areas with significant potential based on prevailing wind regimes as well as transmission planning considerations. The six potential transmission corridors span the five-state region, connect the 20 renewable energy zones, and, based on current planning analysis, provide for reliability and transmission congestion relief in addition to renewable energy benefits. The corridors were identified after extensive work by UMTDI with assistance from the Midwest Independent System Operator (Midwest ISO) and consultation with stakeholders in the region. The Midwest ISO controls operation of the transmission grid in the five-state area. 

In 2009, UMTDI also developed a set of cost allocation principles that can serve as a foundation for ongoing cost allocation discussions in the region, in the thirteen state Midwest ISO service area, and perhaps the country. The estimated cost of building transmission lines in conformance with the concepts proposed by the UMTDI is approximately $3 billion. If these costs were incurred, they would be subject to appropriate cost-sharing mechanisms in effect in the Midwest ISO. The projects would also require state certification and route approvals. Copies of the UMTDI Executive Committee Final Report, as well as relevant maps, can be found on the web page of the Organization of Midwest ISO State.