South Bend to Huntley 161KV Rebuild

Location: Central Minnesota

Areas of Expertise: Transmission

Hooper Corporation partnered with Xcel Energy to rebuild the 5300 161kV Transmission Line, a 30-mile corridor in southern Minnesota running from the South Bend Substation in Rapidan to the Huntley Substation in Winnebago. The project was one of the first completed under the MISO Transmission Expansion Plan (MTEP), a major initiative to strengthen the Midwest’s electrical grid.

The rebuild replaced 220 aging H-Frame wood structures with 192 direct-embedded steel monopoles and 28 foundation steel structures. Hooper used its new Bayshore TR60 drill rig for direct-embed drilling, while Tri-State Drilling installed concrete foundations. Crews also upgraded the line with bundled 636 ACSR “Grosbeak/VRC” conductor and 48-fiber OPGW for improved communication.

Work faced a challenge when crews uncovered an artesian well discharging 80 gallons per minute. Hooper collaborated with engineers to cap the well, modify designs, and keep construction moving, installing nearly 1,500 access mats to support the solution.

Crews worked extended winter hours to take advantage of frozen ground conditions, reducing the need for extensive mats and accelerating progress. Their efforts pushed the project roughly two months ahead of schedule and increased the line’s renewable energy capacity by about 30%, strengthening grid reliability across southern Minnesota.