More transmission projects on the way to power increased energy demands - Bismarck Tribune

More transmission projects on the way to power increased energy demands

A growing number of electricity transmission projects are in the works to help North Dakota address its expanding energy demands.

The North Dakota Transmission Authority, the group tasked by the Industrial Commission to facilitate transmission infrastructure in the state, published its annual report earlier this month.

Much of the rise in demand has come from oil and gas development in western North Dakota, according to the report. Pumping oil out of the ground has high energy requirements, as does the processing of natural gas which is mostly a byproduct of oil in North Dakota.

“Transmission typically is always lagging but that’s usually not such a large problem except in an area like the Bakken where there is so much growth,” said Transmission Authority Director Claire Vigesaa while addressing the Industrial Commission earlier this month.

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Population growth in the west along with the related expansion of services and industries have also contributed to demand.

“It’s all of the above, but it’s driven by oil and gas,” Vigesaa said.
Claire Vigesaa

Basin Electric Power Cooperative has two new transmission projects in the works to address the region’s energy needs. One transmission line will travel from east of Lake Audubon to Tioga. Another stretches from Killdeer to Johnson’s Corner in McKenzie County.

”Those two lines will double the transmission capacity to the Bakken oil field area so that will be very helpful to bring more reliability and stability to that part of the state as well as providing room for growth and industry out there,” Vigesaa said.

Basin Electric also has plans for another two power lines connecting the United States and Canada. Both are expected to be completed in 2027.

The demands these transmission lines plan to address are only expected to grow as outside companies eye the state for new energy intensive industrial projects such as carbon storage and cryptocurrency mining centers.

Rising demand in the west can cause grid congestion in other parts of the state, Vigesaa said.

Grid congestion is a phenomenon that occurs when there is not enough transmission infrastructure to deliver energy without going over capacity.

“If you compared it to Interstate 94; if there were traffic problems in Valley City, a hold-up, that would impact traffic from Fargo to Bismarck,” Vigesaa told the Tribune.

Population growth in the eastern part of the state also is fueling increased electricity demands.

“North Dakota is growing all across, there’s growth on both the east and the west, the west has just gotten a lot more attention maybe because of the dramatic increase from oil and gas,” Vigesaa said.

Two new transmission lines are planned to reduce congestion in eastern North Dakota. One will be built from Jamestown to Ellendale. It is a partnership between Otter Tail Power Company and Montana-Dakota Utilities connecting two of their substations. Another Otter Tail project that runs from South Dakota to Minnesota also will improve reliability issues for eastern North Dakota, the report says.

More transmission projects effecting the state have been planned. Beyond new projects, there are also efforts to update aging infrastructure which should also increase capacity, according to the report.

Reach Joey Harris at 701-250-8252 or joseph.harris@bismarcktribune.com.