REGIONAL— An environmental group that has fought the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine near Hoyt Lakes for years, is proposing to convert the former LTV site, including the processing plant and the massive tailings pile to a green energy hub with related spin-off businesses, instead of a mine.
The non-profit Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, or MCEA, isn’t offering to build such a facility itself, but the group suggests that subsidies included in recent federal legislation could provide the incentives to make such a facility viable for a company or another organization that wants to take on such a project. They released their proposal, which they have dubbed “Sundog” in hopes of starting a conversation around an alternative future for the former industrial site.
“Sundog is a positive vision for a sustainable future on the Iron Range,” said Aaron Klemz, chief strategy officer at MCEA. “The LTV Erie site offers an opportunity to leverage federal and state funds to deploy Minnesota-made solar panels and Minnesota-mined iron for battery storage, in service of developing a world-leading, low-carbon iron and steel industry.”
The MCEA submitted a petition to Gov. Walz nearly a year ago, calling for the state to “move on” from PolyMet’s proposed use of the site. The group notes that the state has looked at a number of alternatives for the site since the LTV Erie taconite operation closed in 2001. “There have been a succession of failed proposals on or near the closed plant site, including a coal gasification power plant, a green biochemistry plant, and a siding plant. Each of these failed proposals was given significant public subsidies, but all failed,” noted MCEA in a press statement issued late last week. “Meanwhile, water pollution from the LTV Erie tailings basin continues to flow downstream, unabated.”
MCEA says that their proposal “recognizes the urgent need to transition to carbon-free electricity in order to address the climate crisis while taking advantage of the affordability of solar power.” MCEA argues that its alternative vision would provide long-term, sustainable employment, which would include the environmental clean-up of the site.
Specifically, the Sundog proposal calls for:
• A 300-400 megawatt solar array and wind facility on the brownfield plant site and existing tailings basin.
 A means of providing for energy storage, either through the construction of iron-air batteries, the production of carbon-free hydrogen, or pumped hydro storage to smooth out the peaks and valleys of renewable energy production.
• Use of hydrogen and carbon-free electricity to fuel a carbon-free Minnesota-made steel industry.
PolyMet spokesperson Bruce Richardson said his company shares MCEA’s desire for a sustainable future and argues that PolyMet’s proposal is a key part of that future. “One of the first steps in the transition to clean energy and sustainability is the responsible production of raw materials needed in the manufacture of clean energy technologies -- clean energy metals like copper, nickel and cobalt that PolyMet’s NorthMet deposit will yield,” said Richardson. “Clean energy generation like solar farms depend on these metals, for which demand is soaring; we’re focused on getting our fully permitted project through the remaining pieces of litigation and under construction so we can feed this supply chain.”
A long-term vision
MCEA’s Klemz acknowledges that the vision the group is outlining is a long way from reality and that there are many critical steps that would have to be completed to bring it to life. MCEA has not completed a feasibility study of their proposal, but Klemz notes that likely won’t be possible as long as PolyMet controls the site. The MCEA vision could potentially play out once either the state or federal government ended up with the site, at which time the lengthy environmental cleanup would likely get underway.
At the same time, Klemz said the group has had talks with a wide range of relevant parties and experts, including investors, solar developers, and utilities and asked them to assess the viability of aspects of the plan. Can you install a solar array of this size? The answer is yes,” he said. “But we don’t have a partner to announce at this point.”
Klemz said MCEA recognizes that their vision is much different than past proposals for the site and that it will take some time for the public to consider the idea. “Our goal is to start the conversations, to spark the imagination and change the story about what’s possible.”
Whether MCEA’s plan would generate as many jobs as a copper-nickel mine is unclear. Klemz said the construction phase of the project could create as many as 500-600 jobs, while clean-up of the site would provide considerable additional jobs. Operation and maintenance of the solar array would entail far fewer jobs, maybe 10-20, but potential spinoffs, such as hydrogen production and green steel could generate far more jobs and provide an entirely new industry for the Iron Range.
For now, Klemz said MCEA is interested in talking with anyone about its vision. “We are happy to talk to any group about this idea. We want feedback on it. We want to hear what people like about it and what they don’t like about it,” he said.