4g. Development of North Dakota’s Electrical Grid

North Dakota developed a power grid relatively quickly because mines and power plants were close together. That meant North Dakota could generate and deliver power quickly.

To begin, towns each built their own electrical systems. Eventually, towns started connecting their electrical systems into a reliable grid. This created a need for larger power plants to deliver electricity across much larger areas. By the 1960s, North Dakota had several large transmission systems to deliver power to customers.