Wind Power News: South Dakota
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
South Dakota wind projects limited by scant electrical grids
North Dakota is expected to add hundreds of megawatts of wind energy this year, while development has slowed to a near stop in South Dakota. The difference seems to be the availability of high-voltage power lines to ship the power to cities that need it. South Dakota has more than 30,000 megawatts of proposed wind energy projects in the queue, according to the American Wind Energy Association, but a state association director said he’s received no indication from developers that . . .
What are the wind power costs?
A big thank you goes to the American Bird Conservancy to help slow down the notion that wind energy is the answer to our energy needs. The Argus Leader has published many articles on wind energy but never once has told us what the costs would be. According to energy analyzers, energy consumers would have to pay outlandish prices if wind energy became a major part of our energy production. Media investigators should look into the costs. An energy watchdog . . .
Group targets wind farms; Advocates want stricter rules to prevent bird deaths
As the Obama administration moves on a plan to speed permitting of wind projects in the Great Plains, a major bird conservation group is asking the government to enact stricter standards for wind energy development. The American Bird Conservancy has formally petitioned the Department of the Interior to develop mandatory siting rules for wind projects, claiming that existing guidelines, which are voluntary, constitute a “counterproductive and almost certainly unlawful approach” to enforcing the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. “Most wind energy . . .
Hyde County wind project on hold
A Florida energy developer has suspended the permitting process for a 150-megawatt wind project in Hyde County, citing uncertainty about a power customer. Despite the development, NextEra Energy still considers the project active, company spokesman Steve Stengel said. “We have not canceled the project,” he said. “We are putting the (environmental impact statement) on hold until we have greater clarity around a couple of issues, one being identifying a customer for the project.” NextEra operates three wind farms in South . . .
NextEra suspends South Dakota wind farm without power deal
NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE), the largest U.S. wind-energy producer, suspended the permitting process for a wind farm it’s developing in South Dakota until a customer for the power is found. The company told the U.S. Energy Department to cancel an environmental review of its proposed 150-megawatt Hyde County Wind Energy Center, the agency said today in a statement. The review was initiated when NextEra requested permission to connect its plant to the grid. NextEra “decided not to move forward” with . . .
Wind panel unable to reach agreement on state tax breaks
PIERRE — Members of the special task force ordered by the Legislature to study South Dakota’s competitiveness for wind energy projects concluded their work today at least a little smarter than when they began three meetings ago, but knowledge didn’t translate into action. The panel of people from the wind electricity field, legislators and state government’s top tax expert couldn’t find common ground on a tax approach that would encourage development of wind farms and related industries in South Dakota. . . .
County commission approves wind turbine rules
The Pennington County Commission gave final approval Tuesday to an ordinance regulating wind turbines. The ordinance was approved unanimously after months of work by the planning department, the planning commission and the county commissioners. It sets out rules for three types of wind turbines: small wind energy systems less than 100 feet tall; large wind energy systems that are taller; and wind farms, or collections of multiple large wind energy systems. Small turbines can be built in all county zoning . . .
Big utilities seek tax cuts for developing wind farms
PIERRE — Representatives from several large utility companies that run wind farms in South Dakota called for tax reductions Wednesday as one of the steps to encourage more wind-electricity projects in the state. They made their suggestions to a special task force created by the Legislature to study South Dakota’s competitiveness in wind energy. The panel plans to meet a final time Oct. 5 to develop recommendations that will be delivered to the governor and the Legislature. “We will be . . .
Rounds’ post stirs conflict concerns
Ex-governor to serve on board that needs OK on project from PUC, where his son works Former Gov. Mike Rounds has been named to the board of directors of a company that plans to build a multibillion-dollar network of transmission power lines across the Dakotas – a job that will pay him $75,000 next year, plus that amount in stocks. While it’s not unusual that a former politician such as a governor would be named to the board of directors . . .
Wind ‘corridor’ could speed projects
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working on a plan to fast-track wind energy projects within a 200-mile-wide corridor down the center of the country, including much of South Dakota. The catch: As proposed, the so-called Great Plains Wind Corridor also would allow an unspecified number of endangered birds to be killed, including the piping plover, the least tern and – most controversially – the whooping crane. The corridor follows the crane’s migratory path from Canada to the Texas . . .
