Commission signs off on Beltline substation purchases and AMI meter contracts

The Hibbing Public Utilities Commission on April 28 approved a series of capital procurement items that staff said will complete roughly 85–90% of equipment purchases for the Beltline substation reconstruction and support the utility’s advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) rollout.

Paul Scavena (staff) outlined a package of purchases for the Beltline substation — prefabricated modular block wall materials, feeder construction, substation components from Resco and WESCO, and a containment and filtration system for fluid-filled components — and told commissioners staff regarded the recommended vendors as the lowest responsive options after bid review. Commissioners voted to approve each contract item.

On AMI work, staff requested purchase of remaining gas AMI meters from Grosvenor (sole source) for $432,003.22 and presented installation contracts: Trumpco Electric was recommended for gas meter installation ($182,968), and Hunt Electric was later approved for a related electric portion after the original low bidder failed to furnish a performance bond. Commissioners approved the AMI purchases and installation awards and staff said the items fit within the project’s $2 million budget.

Why it matters: completing the AMI install and substation upgrades is central to HPU’s effort to modernize operations, gather asset data, and support future reliability. Staff said the investments are bringing aging infrastructure up to contemporary standards and that project procurement has been competitive.

Next steps: staff will finalize vendor contracts and proceed to bidding/awarding remaining general-contractor work for the Beltline project and continue AMI installations through the year.