Project Overview
Xcel Energy is relocating and rebuilding two 35-mile transmission lines between the existing Gingles Substation and the Ironwood Substation. The transmission lines have reached the end of their useful lives and need to be replaced to continue providing reliable electricity for customers in the area.
An 88 kV line was built in the 1950s and a 115 kV line was built in the 1970s. Both lines are critical to providing reliable power to northern Wisconsin and Upper Peninsula Michigan including Xcel Energy, Bayfield Electric and Price Electric customers. However, due to natural weathering and other factors, the wood pole structures are approaching the end of their useful service life. Additionally, approximately 90 percent of the lines run cross-country on separate corridors through difficult terrain features including wetlands, beaver ponds, bogs, rivers, steep ravines and rocky outcroppings that pose challenges for construction and maintenance.
Project Details
The new transmission line route will follow Highway 13 from south of Ashland to Highway 77 near Mellen and then into Hurley and Ironwood. The new lines would be built in the general area around existing rights-of-way between Ashland and Mellen and Mellen and Ironwood. The project will eliminate the transmission lines that cross the Bad River Indian Reservation and remove a 1.8-mile-long segment located in the Copper Falls State Park. Construction is expected to begin in August 2025, with expected completion in 2028.
