Xcel releases
‘creative and unique’ substation design
by Tesha M. Christensen
Xcel’s new 3.25-acre substation at 28th and Hiawatha will be
more than a concrete box surrounded by a chain link fence. Instead, a translucent
cube will glow yellow at night, complementing the blue-lit Sabo Bridge nearby.
According to Xcel Energy’s Transmission Project Manager Joe
Samuel, the community input Xcel has received regarding the design has been
positive, as people consider it to be “a creative and unique substation
design.”
The final design is the result of a collaborative process
between designers, Xcel staff, and community members, noted Samuel. “The
advisory group of the community really challenged the team to come up with a
creative design,” observed Sanuel. Architectural Alliance developed the design
schematics for the walls that will surround the new substations.
These walls will be composed of extruded metal, a metal mesh
surface that is semi-transparent. The metal will be given an anodized finish to
color it. Additional color will come from lighting. “This system is unique for
this type of application,” said Samuel.
“I think the design is better than the standard substations
found in most locations,” said Spencer Agnew of the Longfellow Community
Council (LCC) who served on the advisory work group. “Time will tell whether or
not it will be a positive for the neighborhood, but it is an improvement over
what could have been there.”
“Our hope is to meet the needs of the community and provide a
landmark feature,” said Samuel.
The substation designs will be submitted to the Minnesota
Public Utilities Commission in August. The commission will have 60 days,
including a public comment period, to reach a decision on the plan, which is
expected in October.
ROAD
CLOSURES, TRAIL DETOURS EXPECTED
The Hiawatha substation is one of two being built over the
next two years by Xcel that will link a new 115kV underground transmission
line. It will run for 1.5 miles down 28th Street E (an option labeled Route D
during the regulatory process). The other, smaller substation will be placed at
the northwest corner of Oakland Ave. S. and 29th Street.
According to Xcel, revitalization in south Minneapolis, and
particularly the Midtown District, has strained the electrical supply. “The
focus of this project is reliability,” stated Samuel. The Hiawatha Project will
bolster existing capacity infrastructure.
The underground transmission line will be placed in a
concrete duct system which will require the placement of cable vaults with
manhole access every 1,500 feet and at any change in direction of the route. In
July, Xcel began installing underground electrical duct systems for the
electric distribution system on Portland Avenue between the Midtown Greenway
and 27th Street. This work, which will be done in September, has resulted in
some traffic and bicycle lane closures as well as parking restrictions.
Construction of the transmission lines will be complete in the fall of 2013.
During that time, there will be road closures and detours on 28th Street.
When the project is done, Xcel Energy will restore the
excavated area on 28th Street with bituminous patch. The city of Minneapolis
may also sealcoat or mill and overlay 28th Street in 2014.
Site work at the Hiawatha location behind Target has begun,
and the project will be complete in 2014. This construction will have limited
impact to traffic on the adjacent roadways.
According to Agnew, the bike trails around the Hiawatha
substation will remain open during the construction; however, at times the
trail will be temporarily rerouted by 10 to 20 feet.
The trees planted in the area by local residents during Arbor
Day events will be removed. “Xcel says they cannot be transplanted due to
possible soil contamination on the site,” said Agnew. Underground wires, rail
spurs and adjacent land ownership at the site will prevent some forms of
landscaping from occurring near the substation site, but what is done will be
consistent with the Midtown Greenway landscaping plan. Xcel is also in
discussions with adjacent landowners about the possibility of installing trees
on their property.
One of the requests made by the LCC was that the substation
be graffiti-resistant. The Xcel
design team feels that this design accomplishes that.
COST TO BE SPREAD OUT
The $55 million to $60 million cost of this project will be
spread among Xcel’s entire five-state customer base instead of just local
customers.
Xcel supported the ruling made by the Minnesota Public
Utilities Commission on June 28. If Minneapolis ratepayers had shouldered the
costs alone, and the project was paid for within three years, it could have led
to utility bill increases of $2.83 a month, according to company estimates
submitted to the PUC.
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