お知らせ • Jul 17
ALLETE, Inc. Submits Certificates Of Concurrence To Federal Energy Regulatory Commission For NSPM Agreements
ALLETE, Inc. has submitted the following document to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: Pursuant to sections 35.1 and 131.52 of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s regulations, 18 C.F.R §§ 35.1 & 131.52, and in accordance with the requirements of Order No. 714, Minnesota Power (“MP”) hereby submits four Certificates of Concurrence corresponding with four Agreements for the Alexandria to Big Oaks (“ABO”) Project. The Certificates of Concurrence correspond to: (1) the Construction Management Agreement (“CMA”) filed in Docket No. ER25-2837-000; (2) the Operation and Maintenance Agreement (“OMA”) filed in Docket No. ER25-2838-000; (3) the Agreement for Transmission (Non-Distribution) Underbuild Owner Line filed in Docket No. ER25-2839-000; and (4) the Amended Transmission Capacity Exchange Agreement (“TCEA”) as filed in Docket No. ER25-2842-000 (collectively, “Agreements”). Xcel Energy Services, Inc. (“XES”), on behalf of Northern States Power Company, a Minnesota Corporation (“NSPM”), filed the above Agreements with the Commission on July 11, 2025. The CMA for the ABO Project, by and among NSPM, Great River Energy (“GRE”), Otter Tail Power Company (“OTP”), Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (“WMMPA”), and MP (collectively, the “Parties”), was filed in Docket No. ER25-2837-000 and designated as Service Agreement No. 727-NSP with a requested effective date of June 13, 2025. The OMA for the ABO Project, by and among the Parties, was filed in Docket No. ER25-2838-000 and designated as Service Agreement No. 307-NSP with a requested effective date of June 13, 2025. The Agreement for Transmission (Non-Distribution) Underbuild Owner Line, by and among the Parties, was filed in Docket No. ER25-2839-000 and designated as Service Agreement No. 775-NSP with a requested effective date of June 13, 2025. The TCEA, by and among the Parties, was filed in Docket No. ER10-2433-000 and designated as Service Agreement No. 281-NSP with an effective date of August 18, 2010, per letter order dated September 9, 2010. The CMA supersedes the Third Amended and Restated CMA included in the Joint Development Agreement (“JDA”) for the ABO Project executed by the Parties, filed with the Commission on October 4, 2024, in Docket No. ER25-47-000 as Service Agreement No. 766-NSP, Version 0.0.0, and accepted for filing by order dated November 15, 2024. The CMA appoints NSPM as the Construction Manager for construction services of the ABO Project, the fourth phase of the Fargo Project, which will involve construction of a new 345 kV circuit from the WMMPA Alexandria Substation to the GRE Riverview Substation to the immediate area around the NSPM Quarry Substation to a new NSPM Big Oaks Substation. The OMA amends and restates the Third Amended and Restated OMA included in the JDA, executed by the Parties, filed with the Commission on October 4, 2024, in Docket No. ER25-47-000 as Service Agreement No. 766-NSP, Version 0.0.0, and accepted for filing by order dated November 15, 2024. This OMA adds the ABO Project to the Agreement as well as makes conforming revisions to the Agreement. The Agreement for Transmission (Non-Distribution) Underbuild Owner Line is a new agreement that addresses one part of the construction activities required to complete the ABO Project: the relocation of certain existing transmission line(s) owned by NSPM during the ABO Project. This Agreement establishes protocols and procedures for the removal, abandonment, and replacement of transmission lines to be co-located with the ABO Project. The Amended TCEA amends a prior version of the TCEA, which was filed with the Commission on July 6, 2010, in Docket No. ER10-1718-000 as Service Agreement No. 281-NSP and withdrawn on August 27, 2010, in order to amend the TCEA. The Parties agreed to amend the TCEA to match language required by the Commission in a TCEA for another CapX2020 project. Therefore, this Amended TCEA reflects the conforming language used in other CapX2020 TCEAs and was accepted for filing in Docket No. ER10-2433-000, effective August 18, 2010, by order dated September 9, 2010. This TCEA aligns the transmission capacity rights of the Transmission Owners with their overall investment in the Fargo Project. Because the terms of the Agreements are binding on all parties, MP submits these Certificates of Concurrence to comply with the Commission’s regulations. MP respectfully requests that the Commission waive its sixty-day notice requirement under section 35.3(a) of its regulations, 18 C.F.R § 35.3(a). MP respectfully requests an effective date of June 13, 2025, the same effective date as requested by NSPM, for the CMA, OMA, TCEA, and Underbuild Agreement. To the extent that the Commission determines that any requirements of 18 C.F.R part 35 apply that have not been specifically addressed herein, MP respectfully requests a waiver of such other requirements. A copy of this filing will be served on all parties in Docket Nos. ER25-2837-000, ER25-2838-000, ER25-2839-000, and ER25-2842-000. In addition to this transmittal letter, MP encloses the following: Attachment A: CMA Certificate of Concurrence; Attachment B: Agreement for Transmission (Non-Distribution) Underbuild Owner Line Certificate of Concurrence; Attachment C: OMA Certificate of Concurrence; Attachment D: Amended TCEA Certificate of Concurrence. Accordingly, and for the reasons stated above, MP respectfully requests that the Commission accept these Certificates of Concurrence filing to be effective on June 13, 2025 for the OMA, CMA, TCEA, and Underbuild Agreement to match the effective date of the Agreements as agreed upon by the Parties and requested by NSPM.