Manitoba Hydro To Build 230-Kv Line To North Dakota

MB Hydro plans to build the 163-kilometer line with Otter Tail Power Company and Xcel Energy Inc., both Minnesota-based utilities, said spokesman Jim Peters.

The line would access already contracted electricity to bring additional power to a congested grid stateside, he said. 'The existing capability in North Dakota to import power has been degraded because of increasing loads,' Peters said from Winnipeg. 'There are more power demands from existing interconnects taxing the system.'

The Canadian utility reached the agreement with Xcel and Otter Power after 3 years of negotiations.

Estimated cost of the 80-km Canadian portion is C$22 million. The 85-km U.S. portion will cost an estimated US$30 million.

The proposed line will run from Manitoba Hydro's Glenboro station in southwestern Manitoba and terminate at a proposed new substation in North Dakota,