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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Plus: the candidate filing period for non-primary elections opened July 14, 2026; and the Grand Rapids Area Library recently made a $30,000 fundraising goal. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEExtreme fire conditions caused some of the 17 wildfires burning in the Superior National Forest to rapidly spread July 13-14, 2026. -
Contributed/Lorie ShaullMonths before the midterms, the Trump administration dismantled a bipartisan federal commission that serves local offices that oversee voting. -
Lorie Shaull/Special to KAXEThe library matched the anonymous matching donation for $30,000 it received in June 2026. A larger fundraising goal is aimed at increasing public hours in 2027.
