Basin Electric Power Cooperative (Basin Electric Power) is seeking approval from the North Dakota State Public Service Commission (PSC) for 77 wind turbines in the south of Minot City, North Dakota. The new project is projected to cost around $240 million. The company plans to submit more information before the commission makes its decision and assures that it will plant twice as many shrubs or trees as are removed during the construction.
The new project is near two Basin Electric Power’s wind turbines built earlier in the Minot city.
Commissioners say the Air Force and other federal agencies also are involved.
Those were the first two wind towers we built in North Dakota, said Basin Electric Power spokesman Floyd Robb. We had not operated wind before, so we did have a learning curve. But I think we have it under control now and that’s why we’re moving forward on this project.
Public Service Commissioner, Tony Clark, has reported that the project requires a federal environmental assessment. Minot Air Force Base, which operates one missile launch facility, is in the area of Basin Electric Power’s project.
We didn’t hear anything at the meeting to indicate there was a problem, Clark said. We did request some additional information.
Clark said the PSC has been in contact with base officials about energy development generally.
We don’t want energy development to harm the mission of the Minot Air Force Base, he said.
The wildlife officials has reported that the Basin Electric Power project can affect migratory birds as the whooping crane and piping plover and on the Dakota skipper butterfly and the gray wolf.
Basin Electric Power has been working on plans for habitat and training to help workers identify endangered birds and other wildlife.
Another Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer said the PSC has been busy dealing with plans for wind farms, oil pipelines and electrical transmission lines.
We have about $12 billion worth of wind projects in front of us at some point in the regulatory process, Cramer said. We have a half billion dollars worth of oil pipelines. We have a half billion dollars worth of transmission lines in front of us. We have about 52 siting cases. To put that in perspective, two years ago we had 16. Two years before that, we had a handful.