Great River Energy loses 30.9 miles of transmission line in storm
Underwood, ND (June 20, 2005) - The thunderstorm that plowed through north central North Dakota early Sunday morning caused significant damage to 30.9 miles of a Great River Energy transmission line. Approximately 230 transmission structures were destroyed or damaged on a 230 kV line from just southeast of Balta in Pierce County to just northwest of Minnewauken.
The downed line caused some local outages when it fell on top of local distribution lines (the local distribution lines were cleared yesterday and are back in service). Crews have been on-site cleaning up the debris since Sunday morning when the line was also de-energized. Transmission wire is on the ground and Great River Energy is working with local officials to keep residents away from the area. Residents should assume all transmission wire is energized and extremely dangerous. Residents should stay clear of all wire on the ground, and it should be reported immediately to their local sheriff’s department. Clean up should take approximately three-to-four weeks.
Great River Energy is currently conducting system flow studies to determine the reliability impact of the downed line. It may take as long as eight months to rebuild the 30 miles of destroyed transmission facilities.
For more information, please check the Great River Energy web site at www.GreatRiverEnergy.com or call 701-442-7036.
Following are contacts at the sheriff’s offices:
