MDU News & Events

North Plains Connector welcomes Minnkota Power Cooperative as the eighth member of its utility consortium. Minnkota has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with North Plains Connector, a subsidiary of Grid United, to secure 150 megawatts of capacity on the 3,000-megawatt, high-voltage direct current transmission line once it begins operations, subject to successful negotiation of definitive agreements. Once completed, North Plains Connector will be the first HVDC transmission line in the United States to connect three regional electric energy markets - the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the Western Interconnection, and the Southwest Power Pool - improving the reliability and resiliency of the electrical grid across the region while broadening market connections. Grid United and ALLETE are joint developers of North Plains Connector. Other members of the utility consortium with signed capacity MOUs with the project are: Avista (AVA), BHE U.S. Transmission, MDU Resources (MDU) subsidiary Montana-Dakota Utilities, NorthWestern Energy (NWE), Portland General Electric (POR), and Puget Sound Energy.

Reports Q1 revenue $606.0M, consensus $688.26M. "We delivered a strong first quarter when accounting for the impact of warmer weather across our service territory," said CEO Nicole Kivisto. "Milder conditions reduced volumes, and normalization mechanisms in several of our states helped offset those impacts, demonstrating the strength of our regulated businesses. At the same time, rate relief as well as recent investments such as Badger Wind Farm and our pipeline expansions contributed positive results. Additionally, we continue to see encouraging demand trends, including continued interest from data center development and strong interest in our proposed Bakken East Pipeline Project. Our ability to deliver consistent results in a dynamic energy environment speaks to the strength and operational discipline of our teams. Our employees remain focused on safety, reliability and cost-effectiveness, enabling us to deliver long-term value to our customers and stockholders."

Long-term EPS guidance remains unchanged with an expected growth rate of 6%-8%.