Print this story | E-mail story | This story has 1 comment Add your own | iPod friendly
OTP part of planned power line
Published Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Otter Tail Power Company and 10 other electric suppliers — part of an organization called CapX 2020 — are sending information to landowners and governmental agencies along a proposed 345,000-volt power line that would run from Fargo to Monticello, halfway between St. Cloud and the Twin Cities.
Otter Tail and the other electric suppliers said the line is needed to help ensure continued reliable electricity service in Minnesota — including Otter Tail County — and the surrounding region.
Other 345,000-volt lines, as part of CapX 2020, would run between Brookings, S.D., and the Twin Cities metro area and between the metro area, Rochester and La Crosse, Wis. The utilities will seek project approval and permits for each of the proposed 345,000-volt transmission lines from state regulatory commissions.
A 230,000-volt line would run from Bemidji to Grand Rapids, subject to approval from the Minnesota commission.
The proposed lines will be the first stage of new transmission needed to tap into vast wind energy resources in the southern and western parts of Minnesota and the Dakotas which will help fulfill the state of Minnesota’s new renewable energy standard.
Cindy Kuismi, Otter Tail Power Company spokesperson, said the regulatory process for these lines is underway.
The CapX 2020 utilities will file a Certificate of Need application in August with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for the three 345,000-volt projects. A separate application will be filed for the 230,000-volt line in late 2007.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by georgecrocker (anonymous) on July 27, 2007 at 1 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The power companies claim these new powerlines are for wind, but maybe we should check to see how much new coal generating capacity wants to be built west of Minnesota, and how much old coal generation already on-line is constrained by transmission bottlenecks to the west. If what we really want is wind throughout our entire region, and wind that supports local economic development for the communities making the commitment to renewable energy, a different set of transmission enhancements would likely be on the table. Before we spend billions on these new powerlines, it might be wise to at least do the analysis that allows us to compare the cost and benefits of this proposal with the costs and benefits of strategically enhancing the system to make it more friendly for community-based renewable energy development.
Post a comment
(Requires free registration.)