DULUTH, MN (KDAL) - Minnesota Power is proposing the construction of new transmission lines from Winnipeg in Canada to the Iron Range and eventually into Duluth. The transmission expansion would help meet future energy needs and provide a regional connection between renewable energy and millions of customers in the upper midwest. Minnesota Power received Public Utilities Commission approval for the purchase of hydropower from Manitoba Hydro beginning in 2020 and new transmission infrastructure would be an essential component of that purchase agreement. Total project costs are still to be determined.