Never settle for sub-par

Foreman Dean Swatlowski was ready to work. After a couple of cold and drizzly May days, his Minnkota Power Cooperative crew of electricians pulled up to the site of the Sabin substation just east of Moorhead, Minnesota, sun shining and temperature climbing.

Swatlowski just had to wait for his lineworker counterparts to string the new switch tower, one part of a full rebuild of the aging substation. Then, his team could get rolling on the newly designed “low side” of the fresh facility – the first of its kind constructed by Minnkota crews.

“I like getting out here. I like to see the progress as it comes along,” he said, sidestepping mud left from yesterday’s rain. “Every year it's busier and busier, so you have to stay on track.”

The Sabin distribution substation, which serves the members of Red River Valley Co-op Power Association, is the latest project in Minnkota’s multiyear substation rebuild program. Kicked off in the fall of 2025, the new substation will be energized at the start of summer 2026, at which time the aging substation next to it will be decommissioned and torn down.

But this isn’t a one-for-one swap. After more than 60 years of the same template, Minnkota engineers reevaluated the low side design of the standard distribution substation (the side of the transformer connected to the lower-voltage system, containing equipment that feeds electricity to Minnkota’s distribution co-ops). Leveraging 3D drafting technology and a lot of collaboration, they discovered small changes that could make construction faster, maintenance safer and easier, and reliability higher as the rebuild program continues.

The new low side utilizes deeper pier foundations instead of spread footings, improved clearances and shielding (for lightning protection), and stouter steel for better structural loading capacity. This helps Minnkota better meet current loading criteria, or protection from forces like wind, ice and overhead distribution lines.

“Globally, our hope is that the redesign will better serve not only Minnkota but all the co-ops well into the future in terms of flexibility, growth and reliability,” said Substation Engineering Manager Ryan Brorby. “With the new, increased clearances, there's more space for us and our co-ops to work in there. And then we're hoping, long term, that we save on labor, because it's quicker to construct.”

The new clearances Brorby speaks of don’t seem all that substantial: A 14-by-14-foot bay will increase to a 16-by-16-foot bay, and steel columns that used to be 23 feet tall will now stand at 25 feet. But those few feet can mean a lot to those working within the gates.

“We took feedback from Operations. They wanted the bays bigger and they wanted a little more height because equipment's getting larger,” explained Jay Bushy, the original engineering lead on the low side redesign. He added that the new design also creates an additional foot of spacing between phases, the conductors that carry electricity. “Another reason why we went to the larger phase spacing is sometimes birds or rodents get in there, and that additional clearance allows them space. That helps with preventing outages.”

An additional benefit of the new low side design is the preassembled nature of the substation’s steel components. Before, electricians would have to build many of the pieces in the shop during the winter and then haul those sections to the worksite and construct them further. Now, those parts and pieces are more modular, which will ultimately cut down on assembly time.

“With the new design, we have one clip instead of like five different clips to hold the steel together,” Swatlowski said. “That makes it a lot easier.”

However, the Sabin substation is the team’s first time trying out the new low side build. They’ll use the experience to see what works well, and what can be changed for the better. “We’re interested to see the feedback from our crews,” Brorby said. “They've seen it in the presentations and drawings, but to get their actual feel for it will be very valuable.”

As Minnkota strategically moves forward in its substation rebuild program, reconstructing 2-3 substations annually according to age and condition, crews will become more familiar with the new design. The 3D blueprint will also translate to any entirely new substations under development to meet the needs of new load. Through it all, Minnkota’s Engineering and Operations teams will be in constant conversation to ensure their substations are meeting the timing, safety and reliability goals of their members.

“That’s a part of good communication,” Swatlowski said. “You figure out what works and what doesn’t, and you make changes.”

MAIN IMAGE: Crews work on the new Sabin substation outside of Moorhead, Minnesota. (Minnkota/Michael Hoeft)