The North Dakota Public Service Commission has approved a power project to serve a data center that is under construction north of Fargo.

The $110 million project will add a substation near the Applied Digital data center site east of Interstate 29 between Harwood and Fargo. A high-voltage powerline will connect the substation to existing powerlines to the south and west just under 2 miles away.

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There was no discussion by the three-person commission Wednesday before giving the Minnkota Power Cooperative project unanimous approval. 

Minnkota will oversee construction and will own and operate the facilities. However, Minnkota officials told the Public Service Commission that its large-load customer will pay for the project. That customer is data center developer Applied Digital.

That large load — up to 280 megawatts — will be used to keep computers cool and running smoothly as they generate artificial intelligence for companies leasing space in the data center from Applied Digital.

Cass County Electric, part of the Minnkota co-op family, will deliver the power to the Applied Digital site. 

Minnkota had previously been granted a waiver to start construction this month. Minnkota hopes to have the line operating in September. 

The line and substation, called the Agassiz Transmission Line and Substation, will be on property already owned by Minnkota and next to an existing powerline along Interstate 29.