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Wind

In 2008 the Basin Electric board of directors established two for-profit subsidiaries, PrairieWinds ND 1 Inc. and PrairieWinds SD 1 Inc. to develop wind projects in North Dakota and South Dakota.

South Dakota

PrairieWinds SD 1 Inc., was formed to develop wind projects in South Dakota.  PrairieWinds SD 1 wind project is currently in the engineering and permitting stages. Basin Electric is in the process of developing a 151.5-megawatt wind project in central South Dakota. As part of that process, two public hearings are being held.

On June 15, 2010, the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to approve a wind energy facility permit for a wind project up to 162-megawatts and the facilities associated with it in central South Dakota. Currently, the PrairieWinds SD 1 project is planned for 101-turbines, located north of White Lake, near Crow Lake, SD. A permit from the Public Utilities Commission is required because the project’s nameplate output is 100 megawatts or greater. The permit authorizes construction for a project up to 110 turbines and covering 37,000 acres.

Kevin Solie, senior environmental analyst at Basin Electric, said the application for the permit was submitted December 30, 2009, and a public hearing was held in White Lake on March 1.

Several more approvals and permits have yet to be issued. Construction will begin upon completion of all permits.

The PrairieWinds SD 1 project is scheduled to be operational in early 2011. The project will be owned and operated by Basin Electric subsidiary, PrairieWinds SD 1.

Purchased power wind generation

Baldwin wind project

April 23, 2010: Basin Electric and NextEra Energy Resources signed a 30-year contract whereby Basin Electric will purchase 100 megawatts of electricity from a proposed new wind project near Baldwin, ND. NextEra will construct, own and operate the wind project, scheduled to be operational at year-end.. The project will have up to 68 turbines, each with a generating capacity of up to 1.6 megawatts. This will be the sixth wind project partnership between the two organizations. The other five wind projects are located near Wilton (two phases) and Edgeley, N.D., and Highmore and in Day County, S.D.

Ron Harper, Basin Electric’s general manager and CEO, said this project provides some long-term assurance for the future. “When this project is finished, Basin Electric’s generation portfolio will include wind and other green resources with a nameplate capacity of more than 20 percent of our member’s peak demand,” he said. “In the event renewable portfolio standards become a reality, either on a state-by-state basis or a national basis, this project provides Basin Electric with enough renewable generation to meet anticipated standards for years to come.” The renewable energy attributes or credits from those resources are used to meet member needs, state requirements or sold to third parties to help support the economics of these resources. 

Status: June 2010