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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – A Minnesota-based energy company announced plans Wednesday to develop a nearly 500-mile energy corridor adjacent to an existing corridor in order to consolidate the transport of energy products to market.

Executives with Allete and Allete Clean Energy joined with Gov. Jack Dalrymple to outline the proposed corridor at the Capitol Wednesday morning.

Allete Clean Energy President Eric Norberg said the corridor would be on land next to a 465-mile electric transmission line operated by Allete. The line runs from the Milton R. Young Station near Center to Duluth, Minn.

Norberg said the energy corridor “will establish a path that is a multi-use path.” The immediate needs would likely be for oil and natural gas pipelines. It also could provide space for lines transporting wastewater from the oil patch to treatment facilities and carbon dioxide produced at coal-fired power plants.

“No specific projects are being announced at this time,” Norberg said.

Norberg said some initial projects may come to fruition and be ready to be announced within six months.

Allete chief financial officer Alan Hodnik called the corridor “a 500-mile comprehensive solution” to address what he called landowner fatigue.

Hodnik said the corridor would allow for the consolidation of numerous pipelines into one area. He said this would relieve pressure on landowners both in and outside of the oil patch region who have been approached by numerous companies seeking right of way on their land.

In addition to the corridor, Allete Clean Energy also is extending its right of way an additional 60 miles into western North Dakota. This will allow for the company to provide additional space for transporting natural gas to markets to the east.

Norberg estimated that the energy corridor would be between 150 feet and 200 feet in width. He didn’t have a ballpark figure for the cost of purchasing right of way and said the time to attain it all would take “months and years.”

Norberg was asked about the transporting of CO2 for use in enhanced oil recovery. He said while there hasn’t been demand for CO2 for that purpose yet in North Dakota it could become important several years down the road.