Transmission Authority Grant Program

The February cold snap served as a powerful reminder that reliable electricity is a non-negotiable, life­ sustaining necessity in North Dakota. Interruption in the flow of electricity impacts human life, safety, business viability and food production, processing and preservation. Beyond our personal needs, health care, commerce, manufacturing, energy production and national security all require a reliable and uninterrupted electric power supply.

BIThe North Dakota Industrial Commission, acting in its capacity as the North Dakota Transmission Authority (NDTA), commissioned a study on the impact of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Final Greenhouse Gas Standards with ALWAYSON Energy Research in April. Claire Vigesaa, Executive Director of the NDTA presented highlights of the study to the Commission at their May 28^th, 2024 meeting. The study modeled the impact of the EPA standards on the two Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) serving North Dakota, the Mid-Continent Independent System Operator (MISO) and the Southwest Power Pool (SPP).  The impact analysis demonstrated that the EPA’s proposed rules would result in the retirement of baseload power generation plants across the region. Baseload power is generated from a source which can be dispatched on-demand, in contrast to intermittent sources like renewable power which relies on favorable weather conditions to generate power.  

BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) has selected Claire Vigesaa to serve as the next executive director of the North Dakota Transmission Authority. Vigesaa retired in 2022 as general manager and CEO for the Upper Missouri Power Cooperative after a 40-year career in the electric cooperative industry. Vigesaa has been serving as deputy director of the Transmission Authority since retirement.

On May 23, 2023, North Dakota joined three other states and two tribal nations in receiving the first Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). North Dakota was awarded $7.5 million, which will be administered by the North Dakota Industrial Commission through its Transmission Authority. The Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant program aims to ensure the reliability of power sector infrastructure so that communities have access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity.

The report on the status of the resilience of the electric grid in North Dakota was presented Friday to the North Dakota Industrial Commission and delivered to the North Dakota Legislative Council. The 2021 Legislative Assembly directed that the Transmission Authority prepare this report annually.