Wind Today - Q4 2008 - (Page 44) T ransmission A Look at North American T ransmission Lines The Montana Albert Tie, Ltd. Sometime in 2010, the Montana Alberta Tie, Ltd. (MATL) line will become the first power transmission line connecting Montana and its northern Canadian-border province Alberta. The $150 million project will consist of a 230 kilovolt (kV), bi-directional transmission line providing 300 megawatt (MW) of energy annually, according to MATL Vice President, Regulatory Bob Williams. Williams says that in recent decades, there has been very little transmission line development in North America while the population and power demand have swelled. The line will be 214 miles in length and will tie into the Alberta grid at a new substation located about nine miles northeast of Lethbridge, AB. Approximately 81 miles of the line will make its way through Canada, and the remaining 133 miles will run south of the U.S.-Canadian border to NorthWestern Energy’s Great Falls substation located north of Great Falls, MT. Another substation will be built north of the Marias River near Cut Bank, MT, the line’s half-way point. TL Line Structure Structur tructure MA The MATL line will be supported by two types of structures—steel mono-poles and wooden H-frames that are typically 90 feet and 65 feet tall respectively. H-frames and mono-poles in nonirrigated areas are approximately 787 feet apart, while mono-poles in irrigated areas are approximately 459 feet apart. The Falcon 1590 kcmil conductor is made of 54 strands of high-grade aluminum wire weaved over 19 stainless steel strands to form a cable. The greatest challenge in building an international power line (IPL), says Williams, is meeting the requirements on both sides of the border. Wind Energy The MATL line carries power southbound to the Montana electrical grid and northbound into the Alberta electrical grid. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Montana is ranked No. 5 for wind-energy resource in the United States. Williams says wind energy developers Naturener, Invenergy, and Wind Hunter will benefit from the MATL line as they develop wind farms in Montana. “Clean, emission-free wind farms have purchased all the capacity on the MATL line,” says Williams. Heather Ervin, associate editor Tie Ltd. ie, Montana Alberta Tie, Ltd. Approved T ansmission r Appro Route 44 WIND TODA Y Fourth Quarter 2008
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