USA: A new power project, the North Plains Connector, is a 620 km long HVDV transmission line that will connect central North Dakota to Colstrip, Montana.
It would be the first HVDC power transmission line to interconnect three independent system operator regions in the USA: the Midcontinent System Operator, Southwest Power Pool, and the Western Interconnection.
The project, initiated by Allette, Inc. and Grid United, is in the development phase and pending regulatory approvals, the in-service date is estimated to be in 2029.
“It is no secret that the U.S. is in desperate need of new electric transmission capacity, and the North Plains Connector will provide resiliency and reliability benefits for decades to come,” said Michael Skelly, CEO of Grid United.
Grid United is developing five additional HVDC projects ranging from 160–483 km (100–300 mi) providing interconnection of renewable energy in Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Wyoming.
Investments in transmission projects have grown in the USA in recent months with the promise of the Inflation Reduction Act putting subsidies behind renewable energy projects located in remote places of the grid, requiring a modern grid system.
This text is taken from https://transformers-magazine.com/tm-news/hvdc-transmission-line-to-connect-three-regions/