Minnesota Power, an ALLETE Company, has declared its plans to expand its wind energy portfolio by adding 105 MW of wind energy in North Dakota in 2012.
The company is looking forward to taking advantage of the available tax credits, cheaper transmission access and high level of wind sources. The company is planning to make its application for site permission to the North Dakota Public Service Commission in April.
Recently, the company presented its expansion plans, to build a second wind project in Oliver and Morton counties located in North Dakota to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC). The wind project proposed with an investment of around $157 million will incorporate 35 wind turbines and will generate considerable power to take the company closer to achieve the 25% renewable energy standard set for the year 2025.
In December 2009, the company had invested in a high voltage Direct Current (DC) transmission line connecting the Square Butte Substation in Center, N.D with the Arrowhead Substation of the company located close to Duluth. The DC line is presently utilized by the company to carry the renewable energy generation from North Dakota to the service places of the company. The service line is already connected to the first phase of the Bison 1 wind energy project owned by the company and located in North Dakota. The company will utilize the line to deliver the wind energy generated from the Oliver I and II projects located close to Center, ND.
The Bison 2 project incorporating the latest 3 MW direct -drive wind turbines of Siemens is anticipated to get completed by this year.