Transmission Ownership

Wholesale power, whatever its cost, has no value if you can’t bring it to where it is needed. So, as construction of new power pathways continues to ramp up in the Upper Midwest, so to has CMPAS’s involvement in those buildouts. The place of value in Upper Midwest power industry is shifting incrementally toward transmission, making transmission ownership the only true long-term hedge against rising transmission costs.

CMPAS has been extremely proactive in pursuing transmission ownership and our utilities are experiencing the financial benefits – and will continue to reap those benefits for years to come. CMPAS owns a 3.9 % stake in the CAPX Brookings project – the 250-mile, 345 kv line that runs from Brookings County, ND to Hampton, MN. Over the 40-year life of this project, our members will save over $52 million. With transmission rates escalating much faster than the rate of inflation (6% vs. 2%, respectively), investments in transmission ownership, like CAPX Brookings, will help our members hold down their retail electric rates.