Brady Wind LLC, which is developing a 150-MW wind farm, on Dec. 17 applied with the North Dakota Public Service Commission for approval of an interconnecting transmission line.
Brady Wind, a wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC, applied for a Certificate of Corridor Compatibility and Transmission Facility Route Permit to construct the Brady Transmission Line. The project consists of approximately 19 miles of a new 230-kV overhead transmission line on private property in Stark County, North Dakota. The project also includes a new 30-acre switchyard at the western terminus of the transmission line.
The project would connect the proposed Brady Wind Energy Center to the Belfield-to-Rhame 230-kV transmission line. The Brady Wind Energy Center would consist of up to 87 wind turbine generators to be located in Stark County. The wind farm must be permitted separately, and Brady Wind submitted a separate application for a Certificate of Site Compatibility to the North Dakota PSC in December 2015.
The existing Belfield-to-Rhame 230-kV transmission line is owned and operated by Basin Electric Power Cooperative. The total cost of constructing this interconnecting transmission line and associated facilities is estimated at $12 million.
The transmission line project will allow the Brady Wind Energy Center to contribute approximately 150 MW of renewable energy to the power grid. The electric power will be delivered to Basin’s energy grid under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between Basin and Brady Wind. The project is due to be in-service in October 2016.
