Wind Energy Building in North Dakota

Energy development in andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t north-dakotaandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt North Dakotaandamp lt aandamp gt has been battling one major obstacle for years how to get the energy to where it s needed That s especially true for electricity development as power grids are already at capacity through out the country Now the announcement of a new energy interstate originating in North Dakota to send power to the east is giving a big boost to major wind project in the north central part of the state In early 2008 Denali Energy announced plans for a sprawling andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t wind-farmandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt wind farmandamp lt aandamp gt in North Central North Dakota called Hartland Wind Farms Original plans called for more than 600 andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t wind-turbineandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt wind turbineandamp lt aandamp gt s to be built starting in the area 25 miles northwest of andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t minot-ndandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt Minotandamp lt aandamp gt and would encompass parts of Ward Mountrail and Burke Counties The expected output from Hartland Wind Farm would double the total wind output of all of North Dakota However there was one major obstacle that was sucking the wind out of the sails of the project How could Denali Energy get the power from the wind turbines to the places that need it the most Curt Johnson CEO-Principal Denali Energy andamp quot Our national grid is hamstrung We don t have the capacity to move power from one region to the next because of the nature of the way it is andamp quot Now one company is looking to change that ITC Holdings Corporation a company that invests solely in transmission networks announced plans to build the Green Power Express A brand new transmission network stretching from North Dakota to Illinois and points east Joseph Dudak ITC Holdings V P Major Contracts andamp amp amp Special Projects andamp quot It s a 3 000 miles network of segments that improve reliability across North Dakota andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t south-dakotaandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt South Dakotaandamp lt aandamp gt andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t minnesotaandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt Minnesotaandamp lt aandamp gt andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t iowaandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt Iowaandamp lt aandamp gt Illinois Wisconsin and Indiana transmission system So it s the biggest project of its kind andamp quot The Green power Express would provide the highest transmission voltage lines to ship North Dakota s wind power cash crop to sell in other power markets in the east The 12 billion dollar price tag is more than any one company can handle so ITC has come up with a solution to market the Green Power Express Joseph Dudak ITC Holdings V P Major Contracts andamp amp amp Special Projects andamp quot We re going to be asking Congress or the FERC The Federal Regulatory Commission to approve and charge the customers in the whole eastern have of the U S where the benefit will be seen andamp quot ITC Holdings Vice President Joseph Dudak says the Green Power Express would provide a reliable more efficient green energy to areas in the east and would be cheaper than what they re paying now Joseph Dudak ITC Holdings V P Major Contracts andamp amp amp Special Projects andamp quot We could break ground by February 2011 phase one andamp quot Dudak says that stretch from North Dakota to Chicago could be complete in two to three years Now with a proposed superhighway an avenue to ship the wind energy out Denali is furthering its plans for the Hartland Wind Farm Curt Johnson CEO Denali Energy andamp quot You re looking at First phase being in the neighborhood of 2 000 megawatts which is anywhere of a thousand and 1 300 turbines andamp quot Denali CEO Curt Johnson says that project would cost about six billion dollars Johnson says Denali also plans on capitalizing on the uncaptured natural gas coming from the andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t bakken-andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t oilandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt oilandamp lt aandamp gt -formationandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt Bakkenandamp lt aandamp gt oil fields to supplement the wind turbines Curt Johnson CEO Denali Energy andamp quot That s one rip on wind power industry is that it s intermittent you can t rely on it Well when we firm out power with natural gas we are able to take the peaks and valleys out Johnson says land owners will also see a benefit of having wind turbines as Denali plans on revenue sharing with them If all goes as planned construction on Hartland Wind Farm and The Green Power Express will get underway in early 2011 andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t shaun-sipmaandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt Shaun Sipmaandamp lt aandamp gt KX News