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Construction begins on Williston-Tioga transmission line

Construction begins on Williston-Tioga transmission line after a Finding-of-No-Significant Impact (FONSI) was issued by WAPA.

Basin Electric Power Cooperative - May 25, 2010

Bismarck, N.D.. - On May 10, a Finding of No Significant Impact -- commonly referred to as a FONSI -- was issued by the Western Area Power Administration for a new transmission line that will be constructed in northwest North Dakota. The FONSI was the last regulatory authorization needed before construction could start on the Williston to Tioga transmission line that's been in the planning stages for the last two years. A FONSI is the result of an environmental assessment that addresses any impacts that may be caused from construction and operation of a project.

Construction began on the 61-mile line shortly after the FONSI was issued, says Duey Marthaller, manager of civil engineering and construction coordinator for the project. "The line is being constructed to support existing and future electric load in the area. It will operate at 230,000 volts," he says. "Construction is scheduled to be complete by the end of this year."

Marthaller said the transmission line structures will be identical to the ones for the Belfield-to-Rhame line that was placed in operation a couple months ago: galvanized steel structures; single poles with no guy wires.

The North Dakota Transmission Authority - through the Bank of North Dakota - has financed $15 million of the $26.5-million project cost. The Authority was created in 2005 to aid in the development of new transmission lines in the state. The line will extend from a substation owned by the Western Area Power Administration near Williston to another substation owned by Montana-Dakota Utilities near at Tioga.

On Aug. 10, 2009, Basin Electric filed an application for the project with the North Dakota Public Service Commission. After reviewing the application, the PSC held public hearings in October. The corridor and route permits were approved February 10, 2010.

Facts about the Williston-to-Tioga transmission line:

Length of line: 61 miles
# of tower structures: 405 (about seven structures per mile)
# of feet of conductor: 981,000 feet
# of support arms: 1,215
# of landowners: 103
Height of each transmission line structure: 95 feet
Dimensions of each tower: 42-inches in diameter at the base, tapering to 10 inches at top
Construction cost: about $400,000/mile (labor, materials, engineering, environmental, surveying and right-of-way)

About Basin Electric Power Cooperative

Basin Electric is a consumer-owned, regional cooperative headquartered in Bismarck, N.D.. It generates and transmits electricity to 135 member rural electric systems in nine states: Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. These member systems distribute electricity to about 2.8 million consumers.

Basin Electric's generating resources include: two coal-based power plants in North Dakota - the Antelope Valley Station, Beulah, and the Leland Olds Station, Stanton; a coal-based power plant in Wyoming - the Laramie River Station, Wheatland; three peaking stations - the Spirit Mound Station, Vermillion, S.D.; the Groton Generation Station Groton, S.D., and the Wisdom Unit 2 Station, Spencer, Iowa; nine combustion-turbine generators (natural gas) in the Gillette, Wyo., area; 82 wind turbines near Minot, N.D.., and two near Chamberlain, S.D.

Basin Electric is also the sole purchaser of electricity from sources operated by others including: eight baseload waste-heat stations owned and operated by Ormat Technologies Inc. along the Northern Border Pipeline; the output of five wind farms owned and operated by NextEra Energy Resources, Juno Beach, Fla. (These wind farms are located near Wilton - two phases -- and Edgeley/Kulm, N.D.; Highmore and Groton, S.D.)

Basin Electric has long-term, purchase power agreements of varying capacities from the George Neal Station Unit 4 (coal-based), Sioux City, Iowa, operated by MidAmerican Energy; the Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center (coal-based) units 3 and 4, Council Bluffs, Iowa, operated by MidAmerican Energy; the Wisdom Station (coal based), Spencer, Iowa, operated by Corn Belt Power Cooperative; peaking stations located in Spencer, Estherville, Pocahontas, and Webster City, Iowa; the Duane Arnold Energy Center (nuclear), Cedar Rapids, Iowa, operated by NextEra Energy Resources; the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska; and three Iowa wind farms - near Superior/Lakota, operated by Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative; in Hancock County operated by NextEra Energy Resources and in Palo Alto County operated by Crosswind Energy, LLC. For more information, go to www.basinelectric.com.

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