Minnesota Power, a division of ALLETE, Inc., has announced the completion of phases two and three of the company’s Bison Wind Energy Center. The 210-megawatt (MW) installations in south-central North Dakota are now operational and the commissioning process has been completed.
Bison 2 and 3 consist of 70 wind turbine generators, each capable of producing three MW of electric power by way of direct-drive turbines manufactured by Siemens AG. The turbines are installed atop 265-foot towers approximately 35 miles west of Bismarck. Minnesota Power is moving the wind energy from North Dakota to Duluth, Minn., over a 465-mile direct current transmission line that the company purchased in 2009.
Bison 2 and 3 consist of 70 wind turbine generators, each capable of producing three MW of electric power by way of direct-drive turbines manufactured by Siemens AG. The turbines are installed atop 265-foot towers approximately 35 miles west of Bismarck. Minnesota Power is moving the wind energy from North Dakota to Duluth, Minn., over a 465-mile direct current transmission line that the company purchased in 2009.
Minnesota Power’s Bison project was launched in 2010. The 82-MW Bison 1 wind farm consisting of 31 turbines was built over two years. This year, the Duluth-based electric utility erected an additional 70 towers. The accelerated timetable is largely due to the scheduled expiration of a production tax credit on wind generation at the end of 2012.
The company entered the wind energy business in 2006 and 2007 when it began purchasing the entire 98-MW output of the Oliver 1 and Oliver 2 wind farms built and operated by NextEra Energy in North Dakota. In 2008, Minnesota Power built its first wind farm, the 25-MW Taconite Ridge, on property owned by its largest electric customer, U.S. Steel, in Mountain Iron, Minn.
Minnesota Power provides electric service within a 26,000-square-mile area in northeastern Minnesota, supporting comfort, security and quality of life for 144,000 customers, 16 municipalities and some of the largest industrial customers in the United States. More information can be found at www.mnpower.com
Source: Minnesota Power press release
The company entered the wind energy business in 2006 and 2007 when it began purchasing the entire 98-MW output of the Oliver 1 and Oliver 2 wind farms built and operated by NextEra Energy in North Dakota. In 2008, Minnesota Power built its first wind farm, the 25-MW Taconite Ridge, on property owned by its largest electric customer, U.S. Steel, in Mountain Iron, Minn.
Minnesota Power provides electric service within a 26,000-square-mile area in northeastern Minnesota, supporting comfort, security and quality of life for 144,000 customers, 16 municipalities and some of the largest industrial customers in the United States. More information can be found at www.mnpower.com
Source: Minnesota Power press release
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