Meeting our Present and Future Energy Needs

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Creating renewable energy is an important part of our country’s future. North Dakota has abundant energy resources and we’re already an energy-exporting state, but we have the potential to do more, especially when it comes to wind resources. North Dakota ranks high in the country for wind energy potential. As wind generation continues to expand in North Dakota, increased demands are placed on the current transmission network. The recent re-assignment of an existing transmission line drives the need for additional transmission facilities.

Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc. (Minnkota) is a generation and transmission cooperative that serves 11 distribution cooperatives within eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota and is headquartered in Grand Forks, N.D. Minnkota also serves as operating agent for the Northern Municipal Power Agency, an association of 12 municipal utilities in the same service region. A moderate and steady load growth over the last 30 years also drives the need for additional energy and transmission resources.

Minnkota has proposed the construction of approximately 260 miles of 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission line from Center to Grand Forks, N.D. This project is referred to as Center to Grand Forks or CGF. It is anticipated to be completed by early 2013 to enable the transmission of energy from the existing Milton R. Young 2 power station directly into the Minnkota service territory. Reallocation of energy presently transmitted on the existing line to this new line also will allow more energy from potential future wind power developments to be carried.

This map indicates currently proposed route options. Click on the corresponding map numbers for a closer view of the proposed route options.