1. The authority shall coordinate its plans for transmission facilities with regional organizations having transmission planning responsibilities for the project area.

2.    Before exercising its powers to construct transmission facilities granted to it in this chapter, the authority shall publish, in a newspaper of general circulation in North Dakota and in a newspaper in the project area, a notice describing the need for transmission facilities contemplated by the authority. Persons willing to construct the transmission facilities or furnish services to satisfy the needs described in the notice have a period of one hundred eighty days from the date of last publication of the notice within which to deliver to the authority a notice of intent. After receipt of a notice of intent, the authority may not exercise its powers to construct transmission facilities unless the authority finds that exercising its authority would be in the public interest. In making such a finding the authority shall consider factors including economic impact to the state, economic feasibility, technical performance, reliability, past performance, and the likelihood of successful completion and ongoing operation.

3.    The authority may require a person giving a notice of intent to provide a bond and to submit a plan for completion of the transmission facilities or commencement of services within a period of time acceptable to the authority. If no person submits an    adequate plan or bond as required by the authority, the authority may proceed with contracting for construction of the facility described in the authority’s published notice.