Northland Reliability Project Economic Impact Analysis

Abstract

Minnesota Power and Great River Energy are planning to build the NRP, a 180-mile, double-circuit 345-kV transmission line extending from northern to central Minnesota that will support continued reliable electric service in the state and the Upper Midwest. UMD's Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) research estimates that by the time the high-voltage transmission line is completed in 2030, the companies will have invested more than $1.5 billion over the eight-year project when the impacts of inflation are included. Of the $1.5 billion in spending, the companies estimate that about $643.5 million will have been spent within the six-county region where the transmission line is located and $993.4 million within Minnesota. Statewide, the eight-year project is predicted to add $705.3 million in employee wages and benefits (labor income), more than $1 billion in value-added spending, and nearly $2 billion in output to the state’s economy.