NSP's views on the need for the new Wilson Red-Rock have gone through four stages in nine months.

Stage 1-March, 1998.  Vague Need expressed by responsible engineers.:  

Participating in the official planning process of the power pool to which NSP belongs, NSP's engineers foresaw a vague need for extra power in Bloomington in the middle of 2004.

"The last area of concern is in Bloomington near the Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport along the US 494 freeway corridor.  Along with the airport expansion requiring movement of NSP transmission facilities, the old Met Center property and other land in the vicinity are being opened up for high-tech industry development by the city of Bloomington.  All efforts are in the planning stage, meaning that definite transmission plans cannot be determined at this time but are under study. A best guess at this time is this will require at least the rebuild of the Stockyards-Rogers Lake 115 kV line to a double circuit line, each circuit having a 300 MVA capacity."

Source: The Upper Mississippi Valley Sub Regional Planning Group (UMV-SPG) presentation to the Transmission Planning Subcommittee (TPSC) of the Mid-Continent Area Power Pool (MAPP), March, 1999.

Stage 2-November, 1998.  In Service Date Announced by responsible engineers::

On November 1, 1998, NSP projected the In-Service Date for these lines as May 1, 2004 (Regional Plan, 1998 through 2007, MAPP Transmission Planning Subcommittee, Form 1).

Stage 3-November, 1998.  NSP's Top Management decides to spin-off transmission lines into separate company.

On the same day that the TSPC issued its report, November 1, 1998, NSP announced its intention to spin off its transmission power lines to a newly formed independent company .  NSP emphasized that this company's shares would be traded independently from NSP's.  NSP's senior management benefits if this new stock enjoys a high valuation.  Is this why NSP suddenly discovered an entirely different, much more urgent, need for the transmission lines? 

Stage 4-December, 1998.  Urgent need for new transmission lines suddenly announced by non-engineering staff.

Exactly one month after the TPSC report was issued and the new transmission company was announced, its staff, unquestionably acting upon senior management's instructions, described an previously unidentified, immediate need to supply energy to that part of the Metro adjacent to the same Prairie Island nuclear plant whose power would be diverted to Bloomington under the NSP engineers' projections.

After examining several options, NSP was unable to establish any feasible alternative to the project described here. The reconstructed double circuit 115 kV transmission line will ensure continued, reliable electricity to the communities in the southeast metro area. Today, the system is reaching its limits. By failing to meet the proposed construction timeline, the southeast metro will be at risk for more frequent power outages.

The proposed second transmission line will ensure residents and businesses in the southeast will have reliable power in the years to come [sic].

Source: Letter to selected homeowners, David G. Callahan SR/WA, NSP Senior Right of Way Agent, Land Services, December 1, 1998.

6666