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~~ <br />.~~ <br />BIG ST N~ <br />~~w r~. x. iv Tx.~~~ii x.~..~. <br />For Immediate Release <br />.~, TT <br />BIG STONE 1 [. <br />Contact: Dan Sharp <br />Manager, Big Stone II Communications <br />(701) 390-3442 cell <br />e-mail: dan.sharp@mduresources.com <br />Big Stone II announces participant changes <br />Otter Tail Power Company withdraws; Project pursues new participants <br />(Fargo, ND -September 11, 2009)-The participating utilities announced today the withdrawal of Otter <br />Tail Power Company from the Big Stone II Project, a planned 500-to-600-megawatt coal-fired power <br />plant located near Milbank, South Dakota, and its associated transmission. The remaining participants <br />emphasized that Big Stone II will go forward if sufficient participants can be found to join the project. <br />Tom Heller, CEO of Missouri River Energy Services, which has the project's largest share, stated that Big <br />Stone II is still the least-cost, environmentally sound baseload power plant for the remaining project <br />participants. "Big Stone II is a fully permitted project that will provide participants' customers with least- <br />cost generation for decades. It will improve the emissions profile of the existing Big Stone Plant, and the <br />transmission facilities will be sized to serve the region's burgeoning wind energy development," he said. <br />While Heller conveyed the project's regret that Otter Tail had to withdraw, he said other potential new <br />participants have expressed interest in joining the project and exploratory discussions are underway. <br />The current Big Stone II Project participants are Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, Heartland <br />Consumers Power District, Missouri River Energy Services and Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. <br />########## <br />