The February cold snap served as a powerful reminder that reliable electricity is a non-negotiable, life sustaining necessity in North Dakota. Interruption in the flow of electricity impacts human life, safety, business viability and food production, processing and preservation. Beyond our personal needs, health care, commerce manufacturing, energy production and national security all require a reliable and uninterrupted electric power supply.
But it's not enough just to have electricity. We need to be able to move it, and North Dakota is on track to dramatically grow our electric grid in the near future.
Because electricity is not easily or efficiently stored, a robust transportation system is required to move electricity from the generator to our homes and businesses. High voltage transmission lines lead to substations and ultimately to the distribution lines that connect to the end user. The electric grid is a delicate machine that requires critical planning and operation.
North Dakota is served by two regional transmission organizations, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and the Mid-Continent Independent System Operator (MISO). SPP and MISO collect information from their respective utility members to conduct exhaustive grid reliability studies. These studies inform the approach to expanding the state's electrical transmission infrastructure.
The SPP and MISO studies have identified several transmission projects in North Dakota that are needed to address congestion, reliability, new load and new generation. A 35-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission project from Killdeer to Johnson's Corner was completed by Basin Electric Power Cooperative (BEPC) in December. BEPC has another approved 175-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line in the works from Leland Olds Station to Tioga and two 230-kilovolt projects connecting to Sask Power. These lines are needed to address load growth and grid reliability. Minnesota Power Allete is modernizing its High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) line, increasing the capacity from 550 to 900 megawatts. SPP and MISO have also identified a 345-kilovolt transmission line project that will run from Mapleton to Big Stone, South Dakota. Grid United has plans to build a 525-kilovolt HVDC line from Colstrip, Montana, to StAnthony/Center. Otter Tail Power Co. and MDU are planning a 100-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line from Jamestown to Ellendale.
What do these projects do for North Dakotans? First and foremost, the expansion of the transmission network increases grid reliability, a vital element for public health, public safety and national security. Expanded transmission capacity provides delivery of energy to domestic manufacturing and processing facilities.
Ethanol plants, soybean processing, and potato processing expansion provide security and market opportunities for our farmers. Additional transmission capacity will be needed for continued oil and gas development, data processing and the general electrification of the economy. This growth reaches across every business sector and builds a stronger economy, and it provides low-cost electricity and safe living conditions for all our citizens.
We recognize growing our transmission infrastructure is not without challenges, and we are proud of North Dakota's leadership in responsibly developing its energy resources while simultaneously protecting the land and our communities. Lights out is not an option, and we must continue to work together build a better and brighter North Dakota.
The North Dakota Industrial Commission is the North Dakota Transmission Authority. The commission is
comprised of Gov. Kelly Armstrong as chair, Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring.
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