Transmission lines originally slated to carry coal-generated power could open up a new market for wind farms proposed for eastern South Dakota. Plans originally called for new and upgraded high-voltage power lines in southern Minnesota to carry power from both the proposed 550-megawatt coal-fired power plant near Milbank and nearby wind farms to eastern customers. Those plans were tabled after developers scrapped the power plant project in November.
Now officials are considering using wind power to make up for the coal-fired power as they decide on whether to proceed with the transmission upgrades. One wind project thought to be suitable for this plan is Dakota Wind Energy, a 300-megawatt wind farm planned for Day, Marshall and Roberts counties, just south of the North Dakota border. Read more...
Meanwhile, the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission has approved a $400 million gas-fired, combined-cycle power plant to be built near Brookings by Basin Electric Cooperative. The Commission voted unanimously to approve the Deer Creek Station power plant and a natural gas pipeline to bring fuel to the plant. Basin Electric, based in Bismarck, hopes to begin construction in July and have the plant operational by 2012. Read more...
The Deer Creek plant is the second project Basin Electric recently has committed to in South Dakota. Last month, it was announced that Basin would purchase the entire output of the Day County Wind Farm near Groton, SD. The Day County facility, which is owned and operated by Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources, was completed in early April and consists of 66 1.5-megawatt turbines. Read more...
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