BISMARCK (AP) - An Xcel Energy official says a new power line will help export more electric power from western North Dakota.
Mark Nisbet is Xcel's principal North Dakota executive. He says the new power line from Fargo to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area should also make the region's electric grid more reliable.
The proposed line has a 33-mile North Dakota segment that loops around south Fargo. The state Public Service Commission approved the power line's North Dakota route last week.
Xcel Energy official Darrin Lahr says the project will improve electric service reliability in the entire Red River Valley.
He says the North Dakota regulatory approval means a segment of the line from Fargo to Alexandria, Minn., can begin.