Major Wind Farm Transmission Line Coming To Completion -- Enbridge

Don provided the link.

The Billings Gazette is reporting:

"It's our largest span on the project," said Rocky Elliott, a safety representative for Enbridge, the developer of the power line, watching as a large spool on the back of a flatbed truck began to turn pulling wire across the river, from one bank to the other.

The U.S. stretch of MATL, a 230-kilovolt transmission line that eventually will span 214 miles from Great Falls to Lethbridge, Alberta, is nearing completion, said Darryl James, a government and public affairs consultant for Enbridge. Crossing the formidable Marias River is the final hurdle in Montana.

It's taken seven years of planning and construction to get this far. Enbridge is estimating total costs in the neighborhood of $300 million.

Planning of MATL first began in 2005. It was permitted in 2008. Construction started in 2010.

The span across the "formidable" Marias River:

Tim Bury, the construction manager, said most of the conductor spans on the MATL project were 900 to 1,000 feet, but the Marias River crossing is 3,089 feet.

I assume to developers this has improved the scenic view; for others, perhaps not so much. And unlike oil rigs, this transmission line will be here "forever." Connected to wind farms that will also be there "forever," precluding dual-use. The faux-environmentalists should be celebrating this milestone.

But that's fine. Enbridge, the appropriately named energy company, is bridging America's energy needs to the future. 

On a completely different note, a different story line: years ago, I had an "aha" moment with regard to the importance of successful companies defining what industry they are in. I've mentioned many, many times, Burlington Northern "took off" when it defined itself as a transportation company and not simply a railroad company. Likewise, Enbridge, over the course of the Bakken boom, and perhaps because of the Bakken boom, has re-defined itself as an energy-delivery company, and not simply a pipeline company. In addition to wind energy transmission, Enbridge is also involved in solar.