MPL Taps North Dakota Wind

Minnesota Power has finalized the purchase of a 465-mile transmission line. The Duluth based company will use the line to import renewable energy from North Dakota.

For approximately $70 million, Minnesota Power has acquired a 250-kilovolt line connecting Center, N.D. with its Arrowhead Substation in Hermantown, Minn.
The purchase will further Minnesota Power's long range plan to bring more renewable energy into its system.

The company plans to develop several hundred megawatts of new wind generation in North Dakota and deliver wind-fueled electricity to customers via the DC line.

Minnesota Power is already laying the groundwork for construction of its Bison wind farm, a 75-megawatt installation near New Salem, N.D. The project, consisting of 33 turbines with a 2.3 MW capacity each, will be installed in two phases. Phase one, which will involve the construction of the first 16 turbines, is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2010.