Minnesota Power officials share update on Taconite Harbor power plant
Photo by Jaye White
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Minnesota Power officials share update on Taconite Harbor power plant

In recent weeks, a number of inquiries have reached the WTIP news desk regarding the now closed Taconite Harbor coal fired power plant on the west end of Cook County in the Schroeder area. The plant closed in 2016, but in the summer of 2023 and now into September, there’s been a number of large trucks, heavy machinery and other equipment seen coming and going from the power plant.

In short, the work involved removing any remaining coal from the power plant site, while also continuing to construct the Two Islands 115 kV switching station. The future of the power plant site remains unknown, according to officials at Minnesota Power. However, other property owned by Minnesota Power in Cook County could be used for housing, according to Jason Hale, the director of the Cook County Housing Redevelopment Authority.

To find out the details on the future of Taconite Harbor, WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke Amy Rutledge, the director of communications for Minnesota Power, and Arik Forsman, the regional project lead for Minnesota Power, to learn more about what’s happening at the now closed power plant near Schroeder. Listen to the audio below to learn more.

To learn more about the Two Island project, click here.