[{"_1":2,"_131":-5,"_132":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_33":34},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":-5,"_21":22,"_23":24,"_25":10,"_26":-5,"_27":-5,"_28":10,"_29":30},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"themePreference","themeResolved","light","recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","viewportHint",{"_31":10,"_32":10},"isMobile","isNarrow","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_35":36,"_37":38},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[39,83,95,107,119],{"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":75,"_76":77,"_78":79,"_80":81,"_82":81},"mediaId",6133060,"mediaKeyId","5705866-3f98f95ea0b223d155457dc6f4124946","parentId",5705866,"title","Otter Tail says Jamestown–Ellendale (JET‑X) line will add resilience and site capacity; plans construction in 2026–2028","audioSeconds",1258,"startMs",6937000,"endMs",8195000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5705866-3f98f95ea0b223d155457dc6f4124946&start=6937&end=8195","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5705866-3f98f95ea0b223d155457dc6f4124946/thumbnail_6937000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6133060/North-Dakota/Otter-Tail-says-JamestownEllendale-JETX-line-will-add-resilience-and-site-capacity-plans-construction-in-20262028","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6133060-51e4b76b36daab497565cdda4191325e/orig.mp4?Expires=1788373625&Signature=D90xqUeYux3fu7hzMIntCzinDXyD7NrZr-3l1vCSQyzFS7bEpgKXJW489L57nf9V12W82yGhTNS9Eo910UGHLKqBZHL1wG~-igQX1TDj9gMKoFNS1I3gZ5FxVUzA~yTtHESfc5qZVjgCtaUvY2T55ONF33cRBN6qLhhatagicE2e0DqXGy2er6hIcbmCekPqWUwGvghe0-cL0BmGQmGj4i9dYU4spX7Wbq6KonVd1ulVrQF7kgxyJTREr00Z5-DXQKj9U~Zr3cxqeP-ysTtYCIrydaz8pQdsURgC17kRjbqCw8yjzeJS5h0aRYnjpnULPNcX5YupQcdrADqG8LMyGQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K7X1XW2O9MH81","author","North Dakota Legislature","date","2025-08-27T00:00:00Z","article","Otter Tail Power told the interim Energy Development and Transmission Committee that the Jamestown–Ellendale (\"JET‑X\") 345‑kV transmission project — included in MISO's tranche‑1 portfolio — will create a high‑voltage loop that strengthens resiliency for the Jamestown load pocket and create capacity to accommodate future generation and large industrial load.

\"If the JET‑X project would have been in service during these past events we would have had an additional transmission path into the Jamestown load pocket and avoided these reliability challenges,\" said Jason Wires, Otter Tail's manager of transmission project development. He referenced multiple recent weather‑related events that temporarily left Jamestown with limited transmission paths and forced curtailment or reduced operations at large customers.

Wires described the project as a double‑circuit 345‑kV line with initially one circuit strung and foundations sized for the second. He said Otter Tail and Montana‑Dakota Utilities jointly proposed the line to MISO in its 2020 long‑range planning processes; MISO approved JET‑X in tranche‑1 as a multi‑value project with regional benefits. Wires noted that, because Otter Tail and MDU North Dakota customers represent only about 1.5% of the MISO Midwest subregion load, the tranche‑level cost allocation spreads the majority of construction cost across the broader MISO region.

He reported an extensive public routing and landowner outreach process starting in 2023, multiple open houses, roughly 50 reroute requests considered, and that Otter Tail had acquired about 73 percent of required land rights at the time of testimony. He said permitting steps include the PSC certificates of public convenience and necessity and a combined corridor/route permit application filed in August; one PSC certificate had already been approved.

On schedule, Otter Tail said it expects regulatory conclusions in mid‑2026, construction beginning in 2026, and project in‑service in 2028. Wires described localized construction economic impacts in a three‑county study with NDSU estimating hundreds of jobs and millions in local labor income and public revenues over the six‑year development period. He also flagged typical local benefits during construction: landowner payments, tax revenues, and work for local concrete and gravel contractors.

Wires urged legislators to recognize the long lead times for transmission and the value of coordinated planning to match where load grows with where transmission and generation can be developed.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Energy Development and Transmission Committee Aug 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Otter Tail Power described the Jamestown–Ellendale double‑circuit 345 kV project approved in MISO's tranche 1 portfolio as a reliability loop that would have prevented recent outages in the Jamestown load pocket, estimated to cost roughly in the low‑billions and to support local jobs and land payments during construction.","taxTitle","Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28306,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_40":84,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":85,"_48":86,"_50":87,"_52":88,"_54":89,"_56":90,"_58":91,"_60":92,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":93,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":94,"_74":75,"_76":77,"_78":79,"_80":81,"_82":81},6133064,"ND Transmission Authority: study will map where the grid can absorb data‑center and industrial load",1830,4943000,6773000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5705866-3f98f95ea0b223d155457dc6f4124946&start=4943&end=6773","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5705866-3f98f95ea0b223d155457dc6f4124946/thumbnail_4943000.jpg","/articles/6133064/North-Dakota/ND-Transmission-Authority-study-will-map-where-the-grid-can-absorb-datacenter-and-industrial-load","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6133064-eb047d25dddd214203bd32517b34db38/orig.mp4?Expires=1788373625&Signature=R~pPZi1Fas4PgYVrtAlQOILDz271b10OBOa34ZfdREKUFPmNLM1DaEY1g-I4HVF1WwXwf8RkNurubZrgxszuvKI~POajUt71Yw-mZF2MISQJRbgUX-w6gLZJdYtGNXnslLk2hUDzskl5rzbpwle0IV-DzEy07lALDAGrlF~rnwAbChSOm892qCTm9pz00q6QjyDZRUw1yZLIBMu5S0ywxK1WjmSwK1Px-anRNjF03wvAa6aBcG~bbXBZqOiOQoG4sttdQG0Nok6Qab-SFZmnefIAERALV1OpQT3mxUmaveZ2OlVS~x4JhUzIHqWvuUdYfyOj4P4ZpMSmA6n7SH693A__&Key-Pair-Id=K7X1XW2O9MH81","The North Dakota Transmission Authority told the Energy Development and Transmission Committee that it commissioned a study to assess where and how much large electrical load North Dakota can accommodate without undermining reliability or imposing unexpected costs.

\"The study will be available to present to you by the October, so October, November,\" said Claire Viggasa, Executive Director of the Transmission Authority. She described a collaboration with the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) and power‑systems engineers to evaluate regional capacity, resource adequacy and locational‑marginal‑price impacts across west, central and east zones of the state.

Viggasa said the work began as a transmission capacity study and was broadened to include resource adequacy and scenario modeling after requests from state leaders. The objective is to produce data that regulators, utilities and the Legislature can use to plan how to integrate new large loads — such as data centers or industrial facilities — while maintaining grid reliability.

She told the committee that early results show there is room in specific nodes — a conclusion she said underlay recent announcements about available capacity in parts of North Dakota — but cautioned that the cumulative scale of projects can exhaust local capacity quickly. The joint study, she said, will quantify impacts on thermal and voltage constraints and on market pricing under different megawatt placements.

Viggasa and other witnesses also reviewed regional planning forums: MISO and SPP are the RTOs that integrate and plan the broader system. The Transmission Authority witnesses emphasized the long lead times for transmission and generation projects — NERC and regional planners show multi‑year timelines — and said North Dakota utilities and RTOs are actively planning tranche‑level transmission investments but that cost allocation and project timing remain material policy questions.

Viggasa said the authority will make the study available to the committee, the Industrial Commission, PSC and the public when it's finalized and encouraged early interagency coordination on siting and investments.","The North Dakota Transmission Authority told legislators it is finishing a study to map transmission capacity, resource adequacy and price impacts under different large‑load scenarios and plans to present findings to the committee in October or November.",{"_40":96,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":97,"_48":98,"_50":99,"_52":100,"_54":101,"_56":102,"_58":103,"_60":104,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":105,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":106,"_74":75,"_76":77,"_78":79,"_80":81,"_82":81},6133068,"Rural co‑ops, Basin Electric outline application, cost‑sharing and upfront security for large loads",1922,2144000,4066000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5705866-3f98f95ea0b223d155457dc6f4124946&start=2144&end=4066","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5705866-3f98f95ea0b223d155457dc6f4124946/thumbnail_2144000.jpg","/articles/6133068/North-Dakota/Rural-coops-Basin-Electric-outline-application-costsharing-and-upfront-security-for-large-loads","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6133068-fcda4f9b3f8d718d242ea4463e6eedcd/orig.mp4?Expires=1788373625&Signature=oL5m8gLqAEE3n0vk-Hu1szkoLzinlk2nrOLhDita4MRufmUtrWceueoHodbjHMibJ2pgFbNAiT3wGzAVGZirMUnbvL9tvlovdZjJz4QzS8xh73zGxA~yY1X3niP7LuofLiSjIWeuVwrykv1jwTaHP0I36-ss-4scT-9G5QDOMKQBCvkgnvPUqAivDV5sEeYO3rD8~qjhowmiTzDI3TaTlBvBstOTapOLYBY-iZXwrqezRo0R2GqyWwOILChBOsn3H5IjVkT8coJxyRwveEkGMFMXBGinVDzHBlRMAq3lExd1UBFoJbPlnU5y2gDP61wVu--3S7FQM76JitjM~ublOw__&Key-Pair-Id=K7X1XW2O9MH81","Representatives of North Dakota’s distribution cooperatives and Basin Electric told the interim committee that co‑ops and generation‑and‑transmission (G&T) providers are adapting onboarding and finance rules to protect legacy members from stranded costs while enabling large industrial and data‑center development.

\"A cooperative is a business or other organization which is owned and governance, owned and governed by its members owners who share the profits or benefits,\" said Zach Smith, communications and government‑relations director for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives. He explained co‑ops operate \"at cost\" and return excess as capital credits; local boards made up of members govern decisions like service expansions and rate changes.

Smith described the practical front‑line screening process for large loads: location near existing infrastructure, whether a new substation is required, expected maximum demand, operating hours, phasing and whether on‑site backup generation or demand response will be used. If distribution capacity is insufficient, requests are escalated to G&T providers.

Jean Schaefer, Basin Electric senior legislative representative, described Basin's new large‑load program, adopted by Basin's board in June and opened to applicants June 13. \"Has anybody applied? Yes. We've had 12 applicants for the program,\" Schaefer said, and she added that 10 were approved, one withdrew and another is under further analysis. She said the 12 projects total roughly 6,000 megawatts — more than Basin's recent system peak.

Under Basin's program, developers must prepay power‑supply and transmission studies, provide contributions in aid to construction and cover upgrades required to serve the load. Basin aggregates related loads under common ownership to prevent developers from splitting projects to avoid thresholds; data‑center/A I loads face a 25‑megawatt threshold, other place‑based loads (e.g., processing facilities) 75 MW and emerging technologies are evaluated by characteristic rather than size.

Speakers emphasized derisking legacy members: asking developers to pay upfront study fees and to fund required transmission or substation construction so existing cooperative members do not underwrite speculative or stranded assets. Smith noted co‑ops sometimes require security deposits and that member control means boards face direct political pressure around rate decisions.

Both witnesses said the industry is tightening onboarding procedures because recent load inquiries are much larger and faster than historical growth, and both urged early engagement from prospective customers to avoid long lead times for transformers, turbines and other equipment.","The North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives and Basin Electric described how distribution co‑ops screen large customers and how Basin's new large‑load program requires developers to prepay study costs, provide contributions in aid to construction and bear transmission upgrade costs.",{"_40":108,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":109,"_48":110,"_50":111,"_52":112,"_54":113,"_56":114,"_58":115,"_60":116,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":117,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":118,"_74":75,"_76":77,"_78":79,"_80":81,"_82":81},6133074,"MDU says Ellendale data center served from market purchases; utility returns transaction revenue to customers",487,1053000,1540000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5705866-3f98f95ea0b223d155457dc6f4124946&start=1053&end=1540","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5705866-3f98f95ea0b223d155457dc6f4124946/thumbnail_1053000.jpg","/articles/6133074/North-Dakota/MDU-says-Ellendale-data-center-served-from-market-purchases-utility-returns-transaction-revenue-to-customers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6133074-80997a608df0e5f5cda4335e01a5e1f0/orig.mp4?Expires=1788373625&Signature=H6m~LmWTWaqDSz~vRuXV4V4UY6JQDBdebvEvff-i-rku~rSweB~R7vsgeib2Abc46o9hXQrfnS-xW4oV4R3fgfKXhZVw~MsLMbrSA0dGqVIt15uxMKShBGH80TRXH93jDM4cttJlRLl8gveq3jZohsPfg5F2Xa-Slxtyc3etW6VU3KRxA-TfQM8W8kdgtgG9BqDXtI4uZf3q5BHMOPltnFyq0vq3cHoIW3iejul2o9dH4Z75jCLW89u-kFmpjEt54jxkkWLb6XGqcGaM~RcY4~aJT51JIifqPEf8uLYtAYPEVdxP5XDiZwaSSAukDIEbWUY6BdZWjlKk-QSUnncXQA__&Key-Pair-Id=K7X1XW2O9MH81","Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) told the interim Energy Development and Transmission Committee in Ellendale that it is serving the Applied Digital data center largely through market purchases and an electric service agreement that assigns build‑out cost and credit risk to the customer.

\"Our strategy for serving large data center loads is that we are looking for the current load we're servicing to purchase that energy from the MISO market,\" said Darcy Nigam, Vice President of Energy Supply for MDU. He told legislators the utility did not develop incremental generation specifically for the Ellendale facility because the area already has \"an excess amount of generation from the wind development\" and that consuming that power locally reduces broader market congestion.

Nigam described a special tariff (\"Rate 45\" in North and South Dakota) for new high‑service‑factor data center loads larger than 10 megawatts that requires an electric service agreement approved by the Public Service Commission. He said qualifying customers must have a service factor above 85 percent and are eligible to participate in demand‑response programs; he also said such customers typically are the first to be interrupted in system emergencies, and the contracts include credit/security provisions so legacy customers are not left holding stranded assets.

MDU presented numbers it said show benefits to North Dakota customers from the Ellendale load: \"We end up with almost $32,000,000 in benefits to customers either through additional transmission service revenues we're collecting from the data center or that sharing mechanism on the transaction charge,\" Nigam said for the initial portion of the load. \"We estimate that when Ellendale is at its full output, that we will end up seeing that customer benefit will increase to $34,000,000 a year.\"

Nigam also described MDU's approach to risk: new assets required to serve large customers are paid by the data center, transmission service revenues are shared with legacy customers via a transaction charge mechanism, and market studies were run to show no negative wholesale‑price impacts to other customers. He said MDU may build generation in the future only when market purchases are insufficient and would similarly assign costs to the load that required the new generation.

On questions from legislators, MDU said it must demonstrate capacity to regional operators (MISO) and that the company can show compliance via a mix of physical resources, demand response and contractual arrangements rather than a single required local base load build-out. Nigam said larger future projects (gigawatt scale) may require on‑site or local dispatchable generation to ensure reliability.

MDU requested that the committee consider the balance between enabling large industrial loads and protecting legacy customers from stranded investment and higher rates.","Montana-Dakota Utilities told legislators it serves Applied Digital's Ellendale data center through market purchases, designed contracts so data center assets and transmission upgrades are paid by the customer, and estimates tens of millions of dollars in annual customer benefits from the load.",{"_40":120,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":121,"_48":122,"_50":123,"_52":124,"_54":125,"_56":126,"_58":127,"_60":128,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":129,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":130,"_74":75,"_76":77,"_78":79,"_80":81,"_82":81},6133079,"Ellendale mayor: data center brought growth, strain and \"growing pains\" to small town",660,208000,868000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5705866-3f98f95ea0b223d155457dc6f4124946&start=208&end=868","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5705866-3f98f95ea0b223d155457dc6f4124946/thumbnail_208000.jpg","/articles/6133079/North-Dakota/Ellendale-mayor-data-center-brought-growth-strain-and-growing-pains-to-small-town","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6133079-cb5275f380dbdfb8043a3bb1b2045be4/orig.mp4?Expires=1788373625&Signature=Pl5~dzQausL9xa9JgojCKdO3yoykRNVfqv0ofObapjqAYHtdvNwHX7PgAo96r9Zp~YY0WoqWS4HD~1sk3QlsWIDFkZrWRQCQR17LxGAlnIk0wsO~YhMBpwoc1Hru4opUBUs936J2GIa2J0HjSlHK3pLdDecrRQV5HPJoHhDgaBXo-5rcdS~eEUn5qemk80Q9uE1w5MkRZGm6jXTq96ZQJbDyvtzkHy9oSvIPmS~GjF9kaa81nDhM6aXw4OcuIkt5EDP2btvQYhnp-pIRJkTsdO4yVNfoDLQRVKYmmYbAFShxnSRbjBFGlG2bmGaP2o2gqMp-7M1S3TNmRdWg8k8t5Q__&Key-Pair-Id=K7X1XW2O9MH81","Ellendale Mayor Don Flaherty told the North Dakota Legislative Management's Energy Development and Transmission Committee on the committee's Ellendale stop that the Applied Digital data center has sharply increased local valuation, activity and optimism but created \"growing pains\" the city is still addressing.

The mayor said the community of about 1,100 residents saw residential valuations jump because of the housing shortage and an influx of workers tied to construction and operations. \"Either you are growing and thriving and becoming something new or you're dying,\" Flaherty said, summing why city leaders have welcomed the project despite its challenges.

The mayor framed the issue as one of rural survival and local stewardship. He told committee members he and the city council promised to be \"prudent in our budgeting\" after valuations rose and to avoid turning appraisal gains into excessive new tax levies. He said the city used county homestead credits and recent state changes to primary residence exemptions to mitigate tax impacts for many residents.

Flaherty described several specific impacts the town has seen: a short-term restaurant closure during construction followed by new food-service openings, strain on daycare capacity that the city says it has moved to address, an uptick in certain types of incidents that local police and the sheriff are monitoring, and persistent pressure on housing and school staffing. \"We are going to continue to struggle for a few years,\" he said, adding that state help and local planning are part of the response.

He told legislators the council has tried to limit how much of the valuation rise translates into higher tax collections, and that county-level equalization work influences final tax bills. On questions about property-tax bills, he said many county residents receive homestead credits and that recent legislative changes to primary-residence rules should significantly reduce tax bills for many homeowners in Dickey County.

Flaherty invited legislators and committee members to continue partnering with the city on transportation, law-enforcement and other infrastructure needs, and offered contact information for follow-up.

Ellendale officials and local leaders told the committee they see long-term upside from the data center in jobs and housing investment, while also requesting help with short-term infrastructure and workforce pressures. Mayor Flaherty closed by stressing willingness to listen to critics and to adjust city practice where needed.

Less urgent local details: Flaherty said the town has regained restaurants and seen people renovate homes; he also serves as Dickey County director of tax equalization and said he monitors countywide assessment trends.","Ellendale Mayor Don Flaherty told the Legislature's interim Energy Development and Transmission Committee that the Applied Digital data center has reversed decades of decline in his town but created housing, childcare and public-safety strains that city leaders are still managing.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Otter Tail says Jamestown–Ellendale (JET‑X) line will add resilience and site capacity; plans construction in 2026–2028

ND Transmission Authority: study will map where the grid can absorb data‑center and industrial load

Rural co‑ops, Basin Electric outline application, cost‑sharing and upfront security for large loads

MDU says Ellendale data center served from market purchases; utility returns transaction revenue to customers

Ellendale mayor: data center brought growth, strain and "growing pains" to small town