BAGLEY — The Minnesota Department of Commerce finalized a grant contract with the Clearwater-Polk Electric Cooperative earlier this month for a project to improve grid reliability.
The finalization comes after June's hurricane-strength windstorm in northwestern Minnesota led to widespread damage to key infrastructure.
The commerce department stated Clearwater-Polk's project will improve capacity and reliability and reduce outage times. It is intended to bring lasting grid resiliency to a rural region spanning 1,500 square miles.
According to a form submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy, the planned project includes construction of 6 miles of underground power line. The line would connect two substations between Huntsville and Fisher, just east of Grand Forks.
The funding comes from the State Electric Grid Resilience Grants Program. The $5.3 million program awards up to a quarter-million in funds to entities with resiliency projects.
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Contributed/MPCAA cold front will reach northwest Minnesota by Monday afternoon, July 28, 2025. As the front passes through, northwest winds will pull more wildfire smoke into the state. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXESen. Amy Klobuchar toured Bemidji on July 25, 2025, for a firsthand look at the damage from a June 21 storm that knocked down an estimated 9 million trees. -
Contributed/Natalie Bergman'My Home Is Not In This World' by Natalie Bergman is KAXE's Album of the Week for July 28-Aug. 3, 2025. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEA lifelong Crane Laker shows off the area and reflects on the community's history with Voyageurs National Park on the day the Crane Lake Visitor Center opens.
