Emmons-Logan Wind, a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, has secured siting permission from the North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) for the 298.1MW wind project and the associated transmission line.
Image: NextEra Energy wins permission for 298MW wind farm in North Dakota. Photo: Courtesy of fotoblend/Pixabay.
The permission allows the company to construct and operate Emmons-Logand wind farm and the transmission line. The farm will be powered by up to 123 turbines and associated facilities include access roads, underground electrical collection systems, collection substations, an operations and maintenance building and meteorological evaluation towers.
The associated transmission line will be a 11km long, 230kV transmission line in Emmons County. This line will connect the wind project to the existing 230 kV Heskett-Wishek transmission line.
The wind farm will be located on an area of about 28,097 acres located 8km northeast of Linton. The total cost of the wind farm is estimated to be $415m and the total cost of the transmission line is $20m.
Electricity generated from the Emmons-Logan wind farm will be supplied to Great River Energy under a 25 year long-term power purchase agreement (PPA). Full output from the project will be supplied to the energy company.
In accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration requirements and North Dakota laws, the Emmons-Logan wind project will also include an Aircraft Detection Lighting System. This system is expected to reduce the visual impact of blinking lights on wind turbines.
The PSC also stated that the company will need to submit a decommissioning plan, including financial assurances.
Commission Chairman Brian Kroshus said: “The project meets necessary siting criteria including a key component, which is local zoning approval.”
Last November, NextEra Energy’s subsidiary NextEra Energy Transmission signed an agreement to acquire Trans Bay Cable (TBC) for nearly $1bn from SteelRiver Infrastructure Fund North America.
TBC is a 85.2km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) underwater transmission cable system with utility rates set by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and revenues paid by the California Independent System Operator.
This cable system which extends from Pittsburg, California, to San Francisco, California, supplies nearly 40% of the daily electricity used in San Francisco and the surrounding areas.