Crews raise heavy transmission lines using pulleys to keep the lines tight on Jan. 5 near White Earth Valley, on the south side of U.S. Highway 2. The work is part of a $360 million, 175-mile high-voltage power line project being built by Basin Electric Power Cooperative to serve customers in northwestern North Dakota. The 345-kilovolt line will run through Mercer, McLean, Ward, Mountrail and Wiliams counties from the Leland Olds substation near Stanton to a substation east of Tioga, circling around Lake Audubon. Construction began in the spring of 2025, and the project is set to be energized in November, according to Basin Electric. Photo by Roger Riveland.

A helicopter and ground crew take part in constructing a transmission line near White Earth Valley on Jan. 5. The Leland Olds Station to Tande transmission line project is being developed by Basin Electric Power Cooperative, with completion expected in November. Photo by Roger Riveland.