POWER OF ATTORNEY

     Know all by these present, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and
appoints each of Paul K. Sandness and Debra S. Anderson, signing singly,
the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:
(1)  execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's
     capacity as an officer and/or director of MDU Resources Group, Inc.
     (the "Company"), Forms 3, 4, and 5 in accordance with Section 16(a)
     of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder;
(2)  do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the undersigned
     which may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute any such
     Form 3, 4, or 5 and timely file such form with the United States
     Securities and Exchange Commission and any stock exchange or similar
     authority; and
(3)  take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the
     foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of
     benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally required by, the
     undersigned, it being understood that the documents executed by such
     attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this Power
     of Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain such terms and
     conditions as such attorney-in-fact's discretion.

     The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power
and authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever
requisite, necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the
rights and powers herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as
the undersigned might or could do if personally present, with full power of
substitution or revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such
attorney-in-fact, or such attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes,
shall lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of this power of attorney
and the rights and powers herein granted.  The undersigned acknowledges
that the foregoing attorneys-in-fact, in serving in such capacity at the
request of the undersigned, are not assuming, nor is the Company assuming,
any of the undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
     This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 with respect to
the undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities issued by the
Company, unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing
delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to
be executed as of this 3rd day of May, 2011.

						/s/ James Kent Wells
							Signature

						James Kent Wells
							Print Name