Grid deal could help wind power

Grid deal could help wind power

Transmission cost prohibitive now

By Peter Harriman
pharrima@argusleader.com
Published: January 28, 2008

Scheduling wind to blow when it's needed to spin turbines and produce electricity is beyond human ability.

Building transmission lines to move wind power out of South Dakota to markets that can use it remains almost as large an impediment to developing the state's potential wind industry.

A transmission fee anomaly is a smaller hurdle. But a couple of big power industry players might be coming close to clearing that one.

The Western Area Power Administration and Midwest Independent System Operator are negotiating to replace an agreement that expires in February and in effect creates a seam along the South Dakota-Minnesota border where wind-generated electricity moving from South Dakota east is charged twice for using the transmission grid, once by WAPA and again by MISO.

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