Opinion ID: 2153271
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Reserve and Emergency Power Supplies

Text: Square Butte alleges first that its project will increase reserve and emergency power supplies available within North Dakota. The Mid-Continent Area Power Pool requires each of its participants to hold fifteen percent of its total generating capacity in reserve to meet emergency and short-term requirements. Since MP&L and Minnkota are both members of MAPP, the project will increase the reserve supply available to MAPP participants. The trial court found [t]hat any association of Square Butte with power pools and energy backups is not direct enough to support requirement of public use. Reserve supplies of electricity through power pooling are designed to increase the reliability of power systems and to decrease capital expenditures since each company need not install a reserve capacity equal to the size of its largest generating unit. The Square Butte project adds 60 megawatts of reserve and emergency power supply to what would otherwise be available to the North Dakota members of MAPP. This is a significant factor relating to the adequacy and reliability of the power pool reserve. There may be, additionally, certain economic benefits to North Dakotans from Center # 2 as a backup source of power. We discuss that later in this opinion.