For nearly 80 years, the Hope substation has quietly been the backbone of the rural power distribution grid in and around the town for which it is named. From the beginning of the rural electrification movement to the modern digital age, the substation has kept pace with the needs of Nodak Electric Cooperative members and continually delivered reliable electricity to homes, farms and businesses.
This fall, the Hope substation entered a well-deserved retirement. Its aging infrastructure was replaced by a state-of-the-art substation designed to meet the community’s electricity needs for generations to come.
Substations like Hope are essential components of the power grid. These facilities step down high-voltage electricity so it can be safely delivered to the community and rural citizens throughout the region. Minnkota Power Cooperative, Nodak’s wholesale power provider, manages the substation, providing the electricity that Nodak delivers to its members.
Taking advantage of favorable summer and fall weather, Minnkota’s power delivery crews completed construction of the new Hope substation in early November. Later that month, crews from Minnkota and Nodak worked together to energize the facility. With the new substation now online, crews have also decommissioned the old site, which includes dismantling equipment and restoring the area with fresh landscaping.
A smarter, more reliable grid:
The new Hope substation brings more than just upgraded hardware. It’s equipped with advanced technology, including a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
(SCADA) system. This system collects real-time data, enabling Minnkota’s operators to remotely monitor and manage the substation's performance. With SCADA, Minnkota’s control center can quickly identify and address issues, potentially reducing the duration of power outages.
In addition to the Hope substation work, Minnkota also completed the rebuild of 14.4 miles of high-voltage transmission line near Buxton, North Dakota. This aging stretch of line was replaced with a new, modern design to help ensure reliability and provide needed capacity for future growth in the region.
These upgrades mark another milestone in the ongoing commitment from Nodak and Minnkota to reliably power communities and staying ahead of future energy needs.