MEDIA ADVISORY                         CONTACTS: Christina Angarola, 202-224-9255

Dec. 5, 2002                                                                Senator Dorgan’s staff

                                                                                     LaVerne Kyriss, 720-962-7051

                                                                                     Western Area Power Administration

                                                                                     John Cornwall, 651-733-7698

                                                                                     3M Co.

Event:            News conference with

                        U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan

                        Michael S. Hacskaylo, Western Area Power Administration

                        Steve Waslo, U.S. Department of Energy

                        Joaquin Delgado, 3M Company

Date:              Monday, Dec. 9, 2002 Time: 3 p.m.

Location:       Fargo, ND—Fargo Substation, Western Area Power Administration

                        3901 32^nd Ave South

Directions:     I-94 West to Highway 17 (Horace exit);

                        South on Highway 17 about 1 mile to 32^nd Ave South;

                        Right (west) about ½ mile to substation

New Power Line Conductor Undergoes Field Test Near Fargo, N.D.

Project dedication set for Dec. 9

 at Western Area Power Administration’s Fargo Substation

U. S. Senator Byron Dorgan will dedicate a joint government-industry project to test a new power line cable and speak with media at 3 p.m., Dec. 9, at Western’s Fargo Substation.

The composite conductor, developed by the 3M Company, may be a key component in upgrading the nation’s interconnected power grid. Western installed one mile of the test conductor on its Fargo-to-Jamestown No. 1 230-kV transmission line in early October as part of a Department of Energy funded project to test the cable’s ability to withstand harsh weather including high winds and severe icing.

In June, Congress provided the Department of Energy with $4 million to field test the composite conductor. Western, a DOE agency, selected the Fargo site as an ideal location to test the cable’s mechanical performance in challenging weather conditions such as extreme temperatures, high winds and ice.

3M leads a team working to speed field trials and deployment of high-performance

electrical power lines. Aluminum Conductor Composite Reinforced (ACCR) has a core of unique aluminum matrix composite wired surrounded by temperature-resistant aluminum zirconium wires. In lab tests, the cables can carry two to three times more electricity than conventional steel reinforced conductor.

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Serving the West with Federal hydropower

VISUALS AVAILABLE:

B-roll from line installation will be available on site. Media can also visit project site adjacent to the substation. Local project manager, foreman and crew members will also be available on site to answer questions.