Montana Power - Northward Flow And Then... ?

A partnership behind the proposed Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. plans to accept bids Thursday from companies interested in reserving space on the 230-kilovolt line. The bidding is a step toward financing and building the line. If bidding reveals enough interest in the project, developers would have an incentive to study it further. If the $80-million line is built, they anticipate having the work completed by 2007. "We think it will create alternatives for your (power) developers," said Lorry Wilson, president of Alberta-based Rocky Mountain Power Ltd., one of three companies involved in Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. Wilson said likely bidders are companies that want to move electricity from Alberta into Montana and markets south of Montana, or Montana power developers who want to sell electricity to buyers in Canada. Power entering Alberta from Montana likely would be from coal-fired plants, Wilson said. Dave Gates, vice-president of transmission operations for NorthWestern Energy, said Thursday the line would be the first major power line connecting Alberta and Montana. Moving power between the two areas now requires routing it through Saskatchewan or British Columbia, Gates said, adding those routes are crowded. Read more: http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=ab_home&articleID=1830071 [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on January 30, 2005]