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CAPX 2020 <br />INTERIM REPORT <br />DECEMBER 2004 <br />ATTACHMENT D <br />CAPX 2020 PLANNING EFFORT <br />The CapX 2020 technical team is working on two studies: one to address known reliability <br />issues in the Red River Valley and the other to identify adequate transmission additions to <br />meet the future load growth of the utilities that operate transmission within Minnesota. <br />RED RNER VALLEY STUDY <br />The Red River Valley study continues work started in 2001 to address load-serving reliability <br />concerns in northwestern Minnesota. Initial studies indicated that low voltages along with <br />potential voltage collapse could occur during winter peak conditions. These preliminary <br />studies identified short-term upgrades and long-term system solutions. <br />Work has begun on many of the short-terns upgrades, which include reconductoring, <br />transformer change outs and switched capacitor additions. The best long-term alternative in <br />the original study included a new 345 kilovolt line from Fargo, N.D., to St. Cloud, Minn., <br />and a 230 kilovolt line from Bemidji, Minn., to Grand Rapids, Minn. <br />The current study will determine whether these long-term solutions remain the best <br />alternatives to address the load-serving and reliability issues in northwestern and central <br />Minnesota in preparation for a certificate of need. The study will involve gathering present <br />load data for the region and performing asteady-state power flow analysis and voltage <br />stability analysis to determine how serious the problem is. <br />The timeline for completing the Red River Valley study is in Table 2. <br />Task Schedule <br />Model preparation 9/27/04 - 12/9/04 <br />Power flow analysis 12/9/04 - 1/17/05 <br />System improvement analysis 1/17/05 - 3/17/05 <br />Misc. items (economic losses, etc.) 1/18/05 - 4/11/05 <br />Stability analysis 3/17/05 - 4/27/05 <br />Table 2 <br />VISION STUDY <br />A parallel study will determine transmission needs in Minnesota and the surrounding area to <br />meet the anticipated load growth in the region and the corresponding new generation needed <br />to serve the load. This study will identify transmission solutions that address anticipated load <br />in the year 2020. It also will develop a transmission plan that can address a variety of <br />generation scenarios in the region. <br />16 <br />