Decision Near on MT Transmission Line, a Boon for Wind Energy

By Matthew Frank, 9-30-08

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality and U.S. Department of Energy on Monday released a summary of a long-awaited final environmental impact statement for the 203-mile Montana Alberta Tie Line, which would significantly boost the state’s capacity to export wind power.

From the Great Falls Tribune:

Final decisions on the project by both agencies could follow in a month, regulators said.

The U.S. portion of the line, proposed by Calgary-based Montana Alberta Tie Ltd., would cross 130 miles and six counties in Montana, and carrying capacity for the 300 megawatts of electricity it would carry in each direction has been sold to prospective wind farm developers.

Federal and provincial authorities in Canada already have approved the line.

DEQ Director Richard Opper was involved in coming up with the compromise route favored by the DOE and DEQ, which differs from MATL’s preferred plan but also doesn’t go as far as some farmers had hoped, said Greg Hallsten, the DEQ’s EIS coordinator.

“We basically sat down with the director and went through this segment by segment, trying to pick which would best serve MATL’s needs as well as the landowners,” Hallsten said. “It’s turned out to be a balancing act.”

The agency says it selected the preferred alternative because it provides the best balance between avoiding impacts to farmers while not making the project too expensive for the developer.

Montana is ranked No. 5 in the country in wind energy potential by the American Wind Energy Association, and No. 1 in the Intermountain West.