Oil Boom Means High Electricity Demand

The growth in oil exploration in eastern Montana and western North Dakota has meant a big influx of money to the region But it s also meant a big increase in many other things - including the demand for water electricity and workers At Mountrail-Williams Electric Coop the Bakken oil boom has meant more work to meet the demand for more power As Jim Olson reports the cooperative is more than tripling its capacity to keep the lights on Jim Olson KX News When Dale Haugen surveys the site of an 8-million dollar addition to his electric cooperative s system he gets fired up about the oil exploration related to the Baaken Formation oil reserves in the region Dale Haugen Mountrail-Williams Electric It s Rockin the Bakken Jim Olson KX News Moving inside his truck to avoid the North Dakota wind Haugen reiterated his enthusiasm for the oil boom Dale Haugen Mountrail-Williams Electric This substation will have all of the relaying the protection equipment everything required to serve the whole county It ll be designed that we re going to split the county in two - there ll be a north half and a south half - and it will give us the isolation required if we have problems in the future This is the beginning of where it all starts Jim Olson KX News It all starts at this 8-million dollar substation at Belden - to be supplied by an 8-million dollar power line that will bring a new power supply to the heart of Mountrail County Dale Haugen Mountrail-Williams Electric Previously our limitation was 18 megawatts This will get us up to 65 megawatts plus Jim Olson KX News By more than tripling the capacity of the Mountrail-Williams system the cooperative will be ready to meet the growing need for power at well site after well site Haugen says there are 32 wells in the coop s service area - each moving to a new site every month or so Dale Haugen Mountrail-Williams Electric Every 30 days they complete a well That means 32 additional wells every month coming in to request electrical service Jim Olson KX News And all the work has meant a big increase in the workforce for the cooperative The 45 original workers have become supervisors Dale Haugen Mountrail-Williams Electric We ve taken all of our existing linemen and made them line foremen They work with contractors line up material and everything else Right now we have 124 contract workers today They come from Wyoming Colorado Rapid City South Dakota Wisconsin Minnesota Jim Olson KX News Haugen says it s a great opportunity for the employees - and for the members of the cooperative since the influx of business has allowed the company to make many needed upgrades to the system without longtime members having to pay the entire bill You re behind this Rockin the Bakken thing Dale Haugen Mountrail-Williams Electric It s pretty exciting when it happens I just want Mountrail-Williams to be part of that Rockin the Bakken We re going to hang in there with them In Belden Jim Olson KX News Haugen says the new power line and substation should be finished by early November just in time for the company s peak demand season - winter