In the past six months, North Dakota has seen two major proposals that would more than double the state's wind power generation.
In March, Minnkota Power Cooperative and Otter Tail Power unveiled plans for a $225 million wind farm hosting 106 turbines and cranking out almost 160 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 50,000 homes. The project got the go-ahead from the Public Service Commission in June and is expected to be built this year, according to local reports. It will stretch over 48 square miles, roughly between Langdon and Nekoma in the northeastern part of the state.
Also in June, Basin Electric Power Cooperative announced it was studying a $200 million wind farm capable of producing 100 megawatts in an area south of Minot. The power company, based in Bismarck, is also studying another 100-megawatt farm in central South Dakota. Construction for both wind farms is not expected until 2009, however, as the company studies regional wind patterns as well as transmission issues.
—Ronald A. Wirtz
