The $150 million Montana-Alberta Tie line would carry up to 300 megawatts of power in each direction between Great Falls and Lethbridge, Alberta.
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Energy issued a permit authorizing its construction - the last major regulatory hurdle remaining for the project. State environmental officials signed off on the transmission line in October.
The transmission line, known as MATL, is proposed by Tonbridge Power, Inc. of Toronto. The company is finalizing a $90 million construction loan and has customer agreements to prepay $35 million in future revenues toward the cost of the project.
“It's an investment in the future that will help strengthen the power supply in both markets, and provide a way for clean, renewable wind energy to get to market,” said MATL vice president Bob Williams.
Tonbridge plans to begin construction next spring and complete the line roughly a year later. Williams said the company has reached right-of-way agreements with about a quarter of the 440 property owners whose land will be crossed by the line.
A pending court appeal brought by farmers in Canada threatens to delay the project if the farmers prevail. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Jan. 16, Williams said.
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