Wind Today - Q4 2008 - (Page 46) T ransmission A Look at North American T ransmission Lines The CapX 2020 Project In 2004, 11 of Minnesota’s utility companies came together to conduct a regulatory vision study of their current transmission systems, leading them to discover a troubling issue—they are running out of transmission capacity. The study found that by 2015, the state and its surrounding areas— portions of North and South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin—will require an additional 4,000 to 6,000 megawatts (MW) of energy annually. CapX 2020 To accommodate this growth, which is more than the current system can provide, the utilities proposed the CapX 2020 parternship, a series of highvoltage transmission lines. Randy Fordice, project communication specialist for Great River Energy, one of the 11 utilities involved with the study, says the project will cost the utility companies an estimated $1.4 to $1.7 billion and is projected to be built between 2012 and 2015. “It made sense for all the utilities in the region to get involved with this project,” says Fordice. “We have all signed an agreement on how to fund the project, and each utility will invest based on their need.” The project calls for the con- Response No. 461 46 WIND TODA Y Fourth Quarter 2008 http://sites.nppd.com http://sites.nppd.com
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